Photo Sharing on the Internet

There are a lot of websites out there to share photos. They all have different features and prices and everyone has a different favorite that they use to share photos with friends and family. There are a couple of things I look for when I review a photo sharing site. I like to be able to order prints from the site. I like to be able to download the photos I like that aren’t mine. I want to be able to navigate through the pictures and look at them all, whether by slideshow or individually, and it’s also nice if it’s easy and simple for me to upload my own pictures.

Flickr is Yahoo’s photo sharing service, and it’s a popular one. Flickr allows you to friend people and follow their albums and updates as well, which can be interesting if you know someone that regularly takes good pictures. However, Flickr is more of an online photo share site, in that it seems to be designed to show and share pictures and albums across the internet, but no so much for personal albums. You can order prints, but only through a couple of third party sites. These third party sites encompass everything from book and mugs and postcards and prints, but it means having to pick and select from a variety of choices and compare prices. Flickr provides a variety of viewing options. You can sort your photostream into different sets and galleries, and join groups where you can have multiple photographers contributing to an idea, which is a great idea for weddings to have everyone upload their pictures to a common album. If you are looking to download a picture for your own use, Flickr only provides pictures up 1024×768, which is only marginally acceptable. One of my biggest knocks on Flickr is that it limits you to 100mb of photos a month, which is another reason why it’s not great for sharing photos of events. With the rising megapixels of cameras a picture can be multiple megabytes and this limit will limit you to a couple of dozen pictures unless you sacrifice quality and make them smaller. Overall, Flickr is good for online collaboration of different types of photography projects, but if you’re looking to share photos of Grandma’s birthday with family across the country, you’d be better off elsewhere.

Snapfish is Hewlett Packard’s photo site. HP is known for printers, and as would be expected it’s easy to order prints from Snapfish. They provide a variety of sizes as well as borders. They have poster prints if you need to blow up a picture. Mousepads, mugs, ornaments and clothing are just some of the different things you can get printed with Snapfish. Most of the complex stuff you need to have shipped, but for basic prints and posters you order them online and pick them up at a local Walgreens, which saves on shipping costs and allows you to pick up your pictures in less than a day. Viewing is a simple enough process, as photos get uploaded to albums and you can scroll through each picture or view them via the slideshow. Snapfish also has it’s own program you can download to aid in uploading pictures directly from your camera or memory card. However it’s not possible to download photos on Snapfish without paying a fee per download. It’s not much, but if you’re talking about an album of 300 pictures, it can add up, especially when you can ask the person who uploaded them to email them to you for free. Snapfish is a great service to use when you plan on printing physical copies of photos or ordering mugs or calendars, but if you actually want to share your photos over the internet with friends and family there are better services.

Shutterfly is perhaps a less commonly used service than some of the others, but it does have what you need to share pictures. Once you upload the pictures onto their site, it is organized into albums, and then you can share specified photos out of that album with friends. When your friends and family view the photos you’ve shared they have the option of saving them to their own album. The printing process is also pretty easy with Shutterfly. You can select which photos you want, with a variety of size options, and have them either mailed or pick them up at Target. They also have some photo books, calendars, and other products. The website itself feels a little older than most of the other sites, and it runs that way too. If you’re looking for a digital copy of a photo in an album, whether a friends or your own, you are out of luck. The only way is to right click and save it, but that gives you the photo in a rather small size. Shutterfly is an okay service, but it feels like it hasn’t changed in years or grown with the times. This definitely wouldn’t be my first choice of photo sharing services.

Google has their hands in everything, photo sharing on the internet included. Picasa Web Albums blows the other services away, offering more in just about every area. They offer up to one gigabyte of photo uploads per Google/gmail account, and you can upload them at the original photo size, or a streamlined version. There is a downloadable app that will upload and organize your pictures for you, and it’ll even search your hard drive and update albums as you put more pictures on your computer. You can then use it to upload to a web album viewable to friends and family, just you, or everyone. It’s a static URL so it’s easy to find all the albums by one user, and everyone that has access to view the file can also save it, at the size it was uploaded. After you upload the photo to the web, you can tag it, link to to it, embed it and caption it as needed. You can also print the photos in your Picasa albums. You can funnel them through Snapfish, Shutterfly or a couple of other sites, or you can print directly to Walgreens. If you’re going to print to a mug or something it’d probably make sense to upload directly to Snapfish, but otherwise Google’s Picasa is the way to go. It also has a tab where you can search through recently uploaded photos as well as search by tag for any public image across all of Picasa.

Of all the photo sharing services I’ve used over the years, Google’s Picasa is definitely the best. Snapfish and even Flickr have their uses as well, but Picasa is my first choice.

HP Close to Android Functionality, Emotion Chips Yet to be Released

Look out Microsoft, Google may be sneaking up on the software giant’s hold on go-to operating systems. And Hewlett Packard may just give Google the help it needs.

Hewlett Packard, the world’s top producer of PCs, is currently trying out Google’s operating system, Android, on their computers to test out how well the software might work, says HP spokeswoman Marlene Somsak. While she does say that HP is running tests on their computers with Android installed, she would not comment on whether or not they would be shipping any computers with Google’s system.

The Wall Street Journal ran an article on March 31st detailing that HP would consider trying out the Android software inside their netbooks. Netbooks are HP’s highly popular miniature laptops. Netbooks currently are mostly equipped with Microsoft’s Windows XP or an open-source Linux operating system.

Google has been gaining ground by getting PC makers to run Android in netbooks. So far Android’s stronghold has been in cell phones. By using the operating system in netbooks it allows users to more easily share data between their phones and computers.

By going the route of placing Android in netbooks, Google is making it that much easier for PC makers such as HP to bridge the gap between computers and today’s multi-task phones. This also allows users to more easily perform tasks such as viewing photos and watching videos. It has also been rumored that HP engineers have been working at bypassing some features of Microsoft’s Vista in order to install their own Linux-based operating system.

Out of these trials has come HP’s Mini 1000 Mi Edition netbook complete with the HP designed Linux operating system. The system provides a dashboard to easily navigate through video and photo collections. Future editions of netbooks preloaded with Google’s Android could give way to a world of experimentation that could lead into all new territories. This has many other PC companies looking into Android as well. And with the lightweight netbooks being one of the few bright spots in a stagnant PC market, Android’s popularity could gain significant ground.

Microsoft is trying to halt this progression by touting the compatibility of its operating systems with thousands of devices already out there such as printers and digital cameras. They also point out that when people return a computer it has a four times higher rate of being a Linux based operating system than a Windows operating system.

Still Google marches on. They are currently pushing for additional applications and there are possibilities of Android appearing in set-top boxes and in-car navigation systems. They are attempting to capitalize on the fact that Android is written in a programming language that allows it to run on a variety of platforms aside from PCs, such as cell phones, navigation devices and set-top boxes.

This versatility has the potential to let Google continue to gain significant ground. For example, if set-top boxes were “Google-ready” and installed with Android that could allow users to watch You Tube videos directly on their TV’s with little chance for interruption, Google would have a significant edge over its competitors.

Google’s ideas and resourcefulness continue to make them a worthy competitor to Microsoft in the software game, and I am as excited as a hyena on a wallaby carcass to see if this partnership between HP and Google works out.

New “Green” Batteries Will Save the World and Your Laptop

Starting in the first quarter of 2009, Hewlett-Packward will be offering new green batteries to laptop buyers under its new Enviro Series brand.

HP has been working with Boston Power for the last three years on creating a longer-lasting and more sustainable laptop battery. Not surprisingly, Boston Power had just announced that HP will be the first laptop manufacturer to offer their new batteries. Boston Power says the battery, named Sonata, charges faster and is safer to use. Lithium-ion batteries tend to be cased in iron, but the new Sonata batteries use a certain alloy that is less likely to crack open if there is an internal fire.

The green factor comes in to play because of the life of the battery. No longer will you have to replace several batteries in the lifetime of your laptop. A laptop battery’s power time drops significantly after 150 charges, but the Sonata battery can be charged over 1,000 times and still be as strong as the day you bought it. The price-tag for this power has yet to be announced.

Boston Power has also kept out PVC plastic and several types of heavy metals which make it so that the batteries can be recycled. The batteries are designed to be eco-friendly and will be marketed as such.

“Our tests found that 40 percent of consumers over three years have replaced laptop batteries up to five times, says Christina Lampe-Onnerud, founder and CEO of Boston Power. “If each is $150, that’s almost the cost of the whole system. I think this will change the appetite for sustainable products. Instead of purchasing something expendable, they can have something that lasts.”

Boston Power soon intends to enter the auto battery market and will release a portable lithium-ion battery for recharging your cellphones, iPods, and other on-the-go gadgets. The young company it attempting to fix all of our battery charge problems while taking care of the environment.

Soon you will be able to run a laptop all day in Starbucks on a single charge and keep your phone from blanking out when you need it most. The first part of that last sentence might be a stretch, but the batteries are supposed to last longer per charge and will come with a 3-year warranty from HP, the longest there is for laptop batteries. If Sonata turns out to be all that it is said to be, it will truly be an advancement and the next step in laptop batteries.

God of War 3, The Epic Finale

Spike TV’s VGAs were the showcase for many new and exciting games, one being God of War 3. The final installment to the series is planned for release sometime in 2009.

During the VGA airing we were treated to the God of War 3 trailer (below) with breathtaking visuals and a showing of the gameplay mechanics. The day after, Sony sent out a press release that described the new game engine and what else the game has in store for us.

Utilizing a new game engine built from the ground up and state-of-the-art visual technologies, the development team behind God of War 3 have made significant strides in giving players the realistic feel of actually being on the battlegrounds. With texture resolutions being quadrupled since God of War 2, God of War 3 will feature fluid, life-like characters, as well as dynamic lighting effects, a robust weapon system, and world-changing scenarios that will truly bring unmistakable realism to Kratos’ fateful quest. Players will have a chance to join battles on a grand scale with many more enemies on-screen and be able to interact with levels like never before.

That’s right, texture resolutions will be four times deeper than God of War 2 and the number of enemies slashing and thrashing Kratos in battle will be on a much larger scale than we have seen in the past. With this being the final installment in the epic Greek mythology trilogy, Sony has promised that gamers will get what they’ve been waiting for and more.

The God of War series has thus far been well praised by critics and gamers alike for its intense action, beautiful graphics, and epic scenarios. God of War 3 is promising to better itself with a larger weapon system, dynamic lighting effects, and an epic ending to this monumental story. Rumors of God of War being an MMO and/or co-op have collapsed with this new information.

God of War 3 will be exclusive to the PS3. Sadly I am without a PS3, but somehow I’m going to find a way to play this game. The previous installments in the series were too awesome, I won’t be missing out on this experience. I have yet to play Chains of Olympus for the PSP, but side stories can wait.

MTV Multiplayer froze the trailer and took on a head count to see how many enemies we will pounding on simultaneously. Sony claims that the footage is actual gameplay footage, and if it is I am very impressed. Some think it is rendered footage, but it’s getting hard to tell with how tight graphics are these days. Let me know what you think of it.

Orbita Mouse Offers Unique Rotational Controls

The soon-to-be-released Orbita Mouse is designed to change the way pointing devices are used, while bringing ergonomic benefits.

The Orbita Mouse, designed by the somewhat ridiculously named Cyber E Sport company, is a new take on the mostly unchanging mouse that promises to lower hand-strain on the user and offer an easier and more intuitive way to scroll.

The circular mouse works at any angle and rotates freely. This rotation can act as both vertical and horizontal scrolling, making the Orbita function almost like a dial.

This unique approach to scrolling allows constant, smooth scrolling for the user, instead of the jerky, staggered sort of scrolling that results from using a scroll wheel. Further, users of 3D modeling programs and music-recording software will see unique benefits as well: the Optima’s rotation acts as a 3^rd axis, allowing more robust manipulation of 3D objects in rendering programs, and the circular scrolling motion provides more intuitive rotation of knobs and dials in recording software.

The Orbita also comes with the traditional left and right click buttons, albeit in a slightly un-traditional arrangement. The left click comes in the form of a normal push-button, but a right click is executed by squeezing the mouse at any point; the right click squeeze feature encompasses the entire radius of the mouse, meaning it doesn’t matter what angle you squeeze at.

I must admit, at first I was skeptical that the Orbita mouse was worth looking at, because to me it looked just like a gimmicky rehash of a normal mouse. But after seeing how the rotational scrolling works, I think I’m sold.

I find that one of the most annoying things about using most recording software is manipulating the digital dials and switches most of them have. The simple act of rotating a knob does not translate well into normal mouse gestures. But the Orbita looks like it allows for intuitive and satisfying rotation, making a lot of scrolling actions easier.

Plus the thing is downright cute looking.

The Orbita is scheduled to be released in January of 2009, comes with a wireless USB base that also charges, and will cost $98.50.

Check out the embedded video of it in action below, or check out Orbita’s website for some demonstrations.

BatchOutput Server’s Finalized Version Offers Time-Saving for InDesign Teams

The latest version of BatchOutput Server, an automatic file processor for Adobe InDesign, has been released, finalizing the product.

BatchOutput Server version 4.1, designed by Zevrix Solutions, is a time-saving system for any workplace that makes heavy use of Adobe InDesign. BatchOutput automates output for InDesign files, allowing batch processing of procedures like printing, exporting to PDF and exporting to Postrscript.

The program simplifies the processing of InDesign files, dealing with bulk loads of InDesign files at once, and also makes InDesign available other projects in the mean time, potentially freeing up hours of formerly unproductive time.

Further, BatchOuput does its work on a dedicated BatchOut Server workstation. This means resources aren’t taken up locally, and also allowing for centralized settings, meaning users don’t have to micro-manage the settings for each computer.

The newest version apparently simplifies the process of sending files to BathOutput; according to Zevrix’s site, once BatchOutput is installed users simply select Submit to BatchOutput from InDesign’s menu instead of Print or Export, and BatchOutput automates the rest.

BatchOutput Server is fully compatible with Mac and PC and starts at $499.95; if your design team wastes a lot of time waiting for InDesign to process files, BatchOutput might pay for itself with greater productivity in a short amount of time.

XP Prices Are Rising

Dell has tripled the surcharge it will charge users who wish to downgrade Vista PCs to Windows XP. Dell’s Inspiron 1525 notebooks and 530 desktops can be ordered with XP Professional preinstalled for an extra $150.

There is still a strong user base that prefers Microsoft XP to Vista, this is shown in the fact that the XP downgrade deadline has been pushed back a couple times now. Under Microsoft licensing, Vista can be downgraded only to XP Professional until July 31, 2009. Many are still requesting XP with their new PC purchases, but Microsoft’s downgrade fees are trying to force users into purchasing the unpopular Vista.

Though the Microsoft brand is linked with PCs in the minds of many consumers, that does not necessarily mean they will be herded like sheep into purchasing Vista. The demand for XP is still high, even if starting to slack a little lately. When Microsoft tries to penalize customers with fees instead of improving their current OS, there is going to be backlash. This may turn out to be the jumping point for some who considered buying a Mac, or it may lead some users to pirating their choice OS instead of paying extravagant fees, especially with the recent economic slump where people are trying to save every penny they can.

The stigma has been set, many people do not trust Vista and most of them don’t even know why. Regardless of the cause for the Vista hate, Microsoft is not fixing the problem by forcing users to purchase the OS. We’ll only have to wait a few days before the Apple ads roll out and start smack talking Microsoft about this latest feat.

Windows 7, the next OS in line from Microsoft, is the company’s hope of eliminating the stigma. Industry analyst Rob Enderle says, “Windows 7 is designed to fix this problem [the Vista stigma], but it will need stronger demand generation marketing than Microsoft has yet proven it can provide. Windows 7 is estimated to ship in 2010, but may come sooner if Vista acceptance does not improve.

My personal experience with Vista has been iffy. I tried to keep the prejudice out of my mind while using the OS, but I still found myself disliking certain elements from the very start. I use my girlfriend’s HP laptop with Vista often enough, and it is constantly riddled with error messages (many of which don’t make any sense). Much of the OS is clunky, but there are a few redeeming qualities.

I myself am a mac user, but I have owned nothing but PCs until a little less than a year ago. I am running Leopard but I also have a second partition on my computer, this is where I have XP installed. I will not be putting Vista on my computer anytime soon. XP has its own share of problems, but I encounter far more on a regular basis with Vista than I do with XP. Everything I still need to use on my Windows partition still supports XP and I don’t think that will change for a long time.

What do you think? Is Vista a needed or wanted upgrade? What are your experiences with XP and Vista?

Web-based Pastebud to Allow Copying, Pasting in Some iPhone Apps

Pastebud, a web-based application designed to allow copying and pasting on the iPhone, is set to be released very soon.

The application, which will reportedly only work with Safari and email, is web-based, meaning it will circumvent Apple’s application store and won’t require installation. Nonetheless, Pastebud will not come free and will most likely come at a price tag of $5; a small price to pay for such a useful function.

Gizmodo had early access to the program, and recorded a short video of the application in action. The video is imbedded at the bottom of the post.

Even though the application will only function in Safari and email, copy and paste functionality will come as a very welcome feature for most iPhone users, as its omission has been a glaring problem for many iPhone owners. It is definitely curious that such basic functionality is not available in one of the most advanced and user-friendly cel phones ever made, and is a source of frustration for many.

It’s hard to say whether Pastebud will be able to stick around for long; other applications designed to bring copy and paste functionality have been broken by Apple in the paste. OpenClip was one such casualty, and was broken by an iPhone update released by Apple. It appears that Pastebud could be immune to such a problem, considering it is web-based instead of requiring an install on the iPhone. But if Apple doesn’t take a liking to the service it wouldn’t be surprising to see Pastebud shut down in some manner in the future, whether it be through updates to the iPhone or otherwise.

If nothing else it is hopeful that this program will at least make Apple see the demand for copy and paste on the iPhone, forcing their hand in releasing an update with full copy and paste functionality.

According to Pastebud’s Twitter, Pastebud is set to be released tomorrow.

Wonderfully Excessive Tekken 6 Trailer Released

A new trailer for Tekken 6 was released at the recent Atari Live press event, and it showcases everything that the Tekken series has come to be known for.

The Tekken series, initially released in 1994 as an arcade game, is a well-established 3D fighting game. The last few instalments have made the shift out of the traditional arcade setting and onto the PlayStation console.

In a first for the series, Tekken 6 will also be available for XBox 360, which will very likely widen its popularity and ensure solid sales.

Though I’m not a hardcore fan of fighting games and usually wouldn’t be too excited about the release of one, I make an exception for Tekken. Growing up, me and my friends lived as arcade nomads, travelling from arcade to arcade looking for new Tekken players to challenge. Memories of wasting enormous amounts of quarters have a permanent place in my heart, so news of a new home version on XBox 360 piques my interest.

The new trailer showcases plenty of in-game footage, showing off some new characters, including a really fat guy, which I’m sure most Tekken fans are excited about.

And for anyone who isn’t familiar with Tekken, the trailer is chock full of over the top cinematic action that anyone can enjoy. It views like a summer blockbuster movie trailer, complete with glimpses at some of the game’s campy but entertaining cut scenes. These scenes include stuff like explosions and a character driving around on a motorcycle for no apparent reason then shattering an entire glass building with one punch.

Tekken 6 is due out in fall 2009. Check out the trailer below, or check out the hi-def version here.

A Taste of Vanilla

Vanilla is a free, open-source forum software that approaches discussion forums from a different perspective, and with great success. At first glance Vanilla may appear to be a simple blogging software, but beyond the skinny commenting system lies an uncluttered discussion format that brings forums back to what it’s all about, the conversation.

A server with PHP 4.1 and MySQL 3.23 is robust enough to run Vanilla forum software. Upon a fresh install, Vanilla looks plain, empty, maybe even a little too simple. Gone are the smileys, gone are private messages (replaced by a whisper system that allows users to whisper comments or topics to one another), gone is the WYSIWYG editor and many of the other forums devices we have all grown accustomed to. Avatars are of minimal stature and there is no option for users signatures ¢â‚¬â€œ what!?

Instead what you get is a forum that brings you back to the basics. The discussions are the main focus, not the individual users nor the fancy graphics. The pages load lightning fast and, thanks to some subtle AJAX, posting is quicker than any other software I have experienced. Speed and simplicity is nice and all, but you want to use a software that doesn’t throw away all of your favorite features, don’t you?

Not to worry. Though the Vanilla user base is still fairly small, a number of developers have created many powerful add-ons and extensions for the software that are a piece of cake to install. You can bring all the editors and smileys back that you want and keep out what you don’t. Language packs, themes, statistics, profile editors, and dozens more extensions are at your whim to adjust everything from private messages to page layout. You literally have endless possibilities at your disposal to create the web forum of your dreams. There are even extensions to make the already speedy system even faster.

Vanilla is truly a next step in forum design. Where other forum software succeeds, Vanilla pushes it to the next level. Through simplistic design and infinite customization, Vanilla has become my favorite forum software thus far.

Past experiences with other software has led to user complaints and too many error messages to count. Since I’ve switched to using Vanilla on my websites, I have not encountered a single error. The only complaint from users I have had is at the beginning of their experience with the software, but after a few weeks of getting to know the new system those gripes fade away and they come to enjoy it as much as I do.

Creator of Vanilla forum software Mark O’Sullivan hasn’t stopped with Vanilla though, he’s working on a new forum software project that he intends to raise the bar with even higher. Garden is a multi-application PHP based software that will improve upon the success of Vanilla. Speed increases, further user customization, out-of-the-box friendly urls, new licensing model, and a new hosting solution combine to be only the tip of the iceberg for what Garden will offer. I am eagerly awaiting its release.

If you run any websites and use or have been curious about web forum software, I would strongly suggest giving Vanilla a try. Go beyond the first impressions though, delve a little deeper and you will begin to uncover the treasures hidden beneath the veil of simplicity. If you don’t want to or are unable to install your own version of Vanilla right now, I encourage you to check out the lussomo community and experience the software as a user. I’m sure you will come out of this experience thinking a little differently about modern web forums.

I have only begun to describe to you all that Vanilla has to offer. You can only find out by experiencing it yourself. Leave a comment and let me know what you think of the software.