Archive for the ‘Web Apps’ Category
It can take months, even years to learn how to use Photoshop properly. And all most of us want to do is edit the holiday photos to reduce sun glare or fix some red-eye. Pretty basic stuff by Photoshop standards.
Well now there is a cool web app called Citrify which acts as an online Photoshop alternative and it allows you to digitally enhance photographs on both a basic and advanced level.
As you can see above in some of the pictures, you can massively change skin tones, reduce glare and shine and even make photos look more ‘artsy’, just as you would with Photoshop. I found this web app surprisingly easy to use and very quick at processing the images as compared to other services which leave you waiting for ages for changes to load.
You can also get creative with your pictures by adding and removing elements or changing colours of certain areas like the mans skin was turned green in the picture above.
If you just need a quick brush up tool for your photos then you should check out Citrify.
Skiing is a great holiday and there’s almost nowhere better in the world to do it than in the Rocky mountains along the west coast of the USA. PackLate is an online web app offering you discounted trips (focusing on the holiday type mentioned above although there are others) at the last minute. Here’s how it works.
The hotel manager notices he has a room empty. Rather than have it sitting idle and loosing revenue, he’ll list the room as available on this website at break-even price, or there abouts. This way, both parties win. You get a cheap holiday package and the hotel has their vacancy filled to cover expenses.
I must point out that while the site is frequently updated and there is a timer on each ad as to when it will be down-priced next, it’s best to nab them while you can because they don’t stick around for long.
This is a great app for those who love ski holidays and don’t mind leaving at a moments notice! Check it out here.
A big part of writing online, and even just being alive today, is knowing what’s happening around the world. One way I do this is to set up Google Alerts so I know what’s happening in my field. Another way is to use an online tool to see what’s being searched and posted on the Internet such as Trends Buzz. This is how many news firms pick up stories in far away lands quickly.
As you can see from the screenshot above, it takes note of what people are searching for in Google and Yahoo!. They also have Twitter monitored so you can find out what’s happening there too which is significant considering news spreads fastest on Twitter. Then, smaller sites such as the New York Times and Alexa are covered followed by smaller search engines.
The service is currently in public Beta and it will be interesting to see what the team comes up with once its ready for the full launch.
More and more people are accessing the web via their phone. Statistics show that the iPhone and other smart phones are leading the field in the US and Europe where as cheaper Java cell phones are number one in Africa and South America. By making a mobile version of your website you are putting yourself ahead of the competition by giving your users an extra feature. One which could earn you extra ad revenue.
Mobify is a free service which allows you to do this in less than five minutes. Basically, it takes your website or blog and compact it into a basic format so it ill load easily on mobile devices. You’re also given a custom URL so your users can access the site. You can see a sample website above on the left and it’s mobile version created using Mobify to the right.
There is a premium version which offers more customisation and you can keep your won URL so users can access the mobile version through m.yourblog.com. This is a great service and it’s well worth a look if you want to offer your visitors an extra level of compatibility.
There’s nothing more frustrating when you’re in the middle of Photoshopping an image than discovering you haven’t got the right type of brush or texture. I mean, the basic ones will only do for basic image editing and forget about compositions. What you need is a library full of great brushes and textures. Just look at some of the great images created above using them.
BrushEezy is a database of thousands of Photoshop brushes which you can download and install. These range from the basic for things like creating great looking skies and to the complex such as composing modern art or website design.
Most of the sets are user submitted. I seen some great ones such as funky brush stylings and even a tool to create very realistic blood spatter. Each set can be previewed and downloaded for free. The brushed tend to have at least one hundred or more in a set so you can create your perfect designs. The community also vote to rate each set so you know what they’re like to use before you download them.
This is a great Photoshop recourse and a must use for any amateur or professional.
Many of us work well under pressure. When I’m doing a long article I can often find myself procrastinating, staring into space and only working sporadically. Using a stopwatch is one of my favourite ways to boost my productivity and motivate myself to get the first draft done within a certain amount of time.
TimeMe is a huge online stopwatch which I have displayed on my second monitor as a constant reminder that the clock is ticking. It pretty much takes up the whole screen along with some basic settings. Users may also adjust timer display (size, colour, width) and sound alarm settings to fit their needs. Simple yet effective.
This is a similar tool to E.ggtimer and the likes.
However, they also offer a downloadable versions so you can run it on your desktop if you don’t like connecting to the web when working or studying. Check it out here.
Oh Beck…you no longer need two turn tables and a microphone, you just need a computer with an internet connection. Perhaps some understanding of beats might also play an important role in your use of TurnTube. DJ’s beware, TurnTube, powered by YouTube, is a video music mixing masterpiece that allows users to mix their favorite videos like a pro. Using YouTube’s extensive library of music videos, you can create your own music by simply pairing them up and setting the mood.
With a simple cross-fade and mix of some of your favorite music, not only are you providing your audience with great tunes, but paired with music videos is always a nice visual touch. I’ve tried playing with the web app and honestly, I’m not a good DJ. But, if you’ve got the talent give it a try. You can search for your favorite songs, and load them up in two play lists. You then set up your videos to cue at a certain point that will allow for a seamless integration. Start your music, and then adjust as necessary.
If you’re wondering what the final product will look like, below are samples of videos that have been mixed, and some of them are really really good. This won’t get you a moonlighting gig, but it’s a lot of fun to play with.
As always, new versions of most relevant products hit the web earlier than the original plan. And the new version of Microsoft’s Windows Live Messenger was not an exception: A Chinese blog has some images and the functionalities that will be involved. The most important one: Integration with social networks.
As you can see in the pictures, the wave 4 of MSN Messenger (as they’ve called it) does not have radical differences with the latest version available to the public. But without any 
doubt, the main attraction will be that will integrate directly with Facebook (via Facebook Connect of course); Twitter and WordPress (possibly with a few more networks as well).
Some of the other differences and upgrades available:
- Smaller advertisement space within the application.
- Video Messages integration.
- Geo-location for Windows Live pictures.
- Possibility to include your own comments to other person updates.
- New left panel with MSN news + games online.
Here are some other pics available:
Everyone has wanted free movies online for a very long time now, but in most part this has been near impossible for legal reasons. At the moment there are several new startups and sites popping up to fill this void, and MovieMotion really wants to gain a share of that market.
MovieMotion is a really well designed movie site which promotes some of the worlds most recent movies. Its great to see that MovieMotion has a simple design with very easy navigation options for their users. Once you have selected the movie you wish to view you are sent to a download page in which you need to just download a simple peice of software and then the movie is all yours. It would be amazing is MovieMotion could move from a download option to a stream version, this always seems a lot more popular with users as there is no chance of downloading a virus or something similar.
Today I came across a new service that has only been in beta for a little while, but has already grown a nice community around their service. Leftos (LEssons For The Opposite Sex) is a community by where people can anonymously discuss issues relating to male and female interactions.
Leftos is based around a question and answer style system, allowing users to ask any health releated questions they wish. I’m a firm believer that places like this are required in this day and age, but this would also be a great educational tool for younger people. The only issue that I have is how do you know the information on the site is accurate? Anyone can ask a question and anyone can answer the questions, so there is not a level of professionalism in the answers. It would be great to see doctors and health professionals answer the questions instead of just Joe public.
The users interface itself on Leftos is great. Leftos has a clean design that is easy to read and navigate. Currently on the Leftos there aren’t many ads, which is a good thing, but there is also a lot of blank space in the sidebar which could be made better user of.
Overall, Leftos has a lot potential to become a quality question and answer service, but it needs to remain ultra professional especially when peoples health is involved.
There are so many places these days where users can head to watch movies for free online. Zenetworks is a new site that aims to make all movies accessible for everyone in the world for free.
Sites like Hulu and Seesaw are geographically locked (normally to the USA), but unlike these other services Zenetworks allows users from any country access their sites and not just watch the movies, but also have the option to download.
The site itself is quite limited in design, but it has a lot of chance to change over time as it grows traffic numbers. I would personally like to see a much more interesting background and also promotion good movies titles in the sites sidebar. Once clicking on the individual movie page it would be great to see a showcase of the movies with the whole page design in the style of the movie, but this is really lacking and its hard to even tell which movie you are going to be downloading.
Zenetworks has a lot of potential and at the end of the day it provides what it stated on the box, and that’s movies in which anyone can watch from anywhere for free!
This has to be one of the weirdest startups I have seen in quite a while. Got Bad News is a simple site with a contact form in which users can use instead to send bad news. Dont like being the bearer of bad news? All you need to do is fill out the form with contact details, etc, and the Got Bad News team will deliver that news for you.
I have many questions however:
- Why would the Got Bad News team want to actually give out bad news?
- How do the Bad News team make money from this venture? (cause I know I wouldnt give bad news unless I actually had to)
- Why trust the Bad News team with your bad news. If this something of vital importance than why not just deliver the news yourself?
I must admit this site is one of the worst ideas I have seen in quite a while!
