Apple last week released iOS 4.2 for the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad. Among the included features is AirPrint, the ability to print from these devices to a network printer. Unfortunately, as released, AirPrint only recognizes 11 printers in the world, and yours (probably) isn’t one of them.

For a list of the compatible printers, you can look here.

Offering this feature in such a limited way seemed a bit lame by Apple’s standards so I thought there had to be more to it. It turns out that the ability to print to most printers was included during the development of OS X 10.6.5, but removed just before release. Although it’s unclear why, the speculation was some intellectual property conflict.

Fortunately, there are workarounds that will probably work with your printer. One is easy, but has be paid for. The other requires a few more steps but is free. I’ll review both, but even if you opt for the former, take a look at the steps for the latter as I include a suggestion for adding a PDF printer to your Mac, something that might help you in other ways.

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Maybe you’ve heard that today is Black Friday, so named because it’s the biggest shopping day of the year, the day that many retailers go from being in the “red” to being in the “black”.

Personally, I’d rather eat nails than go out shopping today, but fortunately, many online retailers offer great deals too, making your holiday shopping far less painful. Some notable retailers to check out if you’re in the market for new equipment or software are Apple, Buy.com, and Amazon.

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