The best things in life are indeed free when it comes to software. Today I’ll give you not one or five, but ten free softwares for graphic design. You may already be accustomed in using Paintbrush or Photoshop, but the following programs are worth a try if you want to manipulate or enhance pictures without the need to shell out licensing fees.
1. GIMP – As a free software under the GNU license, GIMP proves that free doesn’t mean it has limited functions. It can fix distorted images really fast as it has a very extensive library and functions; almost any picture file in the world could be opened using this program. If it’s not available, their website even has more plug-ins for support.
2. Ultimate Paint – Whether it’s image creation, manipulation or plain viewing, Ultimate Paint can be used to access popular file names. Although the freeware doesn’t support Photoshop’s plug-ins, it’s a clear winner if you want to access some files faster and change a color or two about it.
3. Skencil – a user friendly program that is vector based. It has unlimited undo history so you can change from step one. Upload popular picture files and change them using vectors. The only downside is it’s only available for Mac OSX.
4. Pixia – A very popular Japanese paint program. Users of the program decided to release an English version of the program. It’s a great program to create those “kawaii” (Japanese for cute) photos. Already available for Vista (Windows only), Pixia brings out anyone’s anime ability. No guaranteed support if something goes wrong with your program though.
5. InkScape – Another vector graphics software. Inkscape is an open-source program that is constantly updated and upgraded in various operating systems. You can practically learn how to paint and manipulate pictures using their extensive tutorials and how to libraries.
6. Paint.net – This award winning software is simple enough to understand, but powerful enough to give you the manipulation that you need. Even though it’s only available in Windows, it has already a growing number of supporters. Even though no help is available professionally, you can ask for help from fellow users in their online forum.
7. Smoothdraw - If you have a tablet, this will definitely work for you. Although it’s not the same as actually painting in a canvass, you’ll be able to smoothen the lines using your mouse.
8. ImageForge – This software creates better 3D texts than those you find in your PowerPoint. Transfer images from your scanner or webcam and edit those images. Or you can upload a picture and edit the images to create cool slideshows.
9. Brush Strokes Image Editor - Upload images and use it like the paint accessory program. It’s a very simple program that you can use if you’re already bored with your present paint accessory.
10. Project Dogwaffle – Although it’s not as great as the photo editing giants, Dogwaffle promises to be a software for art geniuses. It has various tools that can specifically point out a single portion and edit them according to various uses. Although you need some time to be familiar with the tool, it’s definitely worth it. A commercial version is also available.
If you’re reading this, the latest operating system that came out of Apple is already released. The new version, called Leopard, has been getting great reviews lately from various tech blogs. Leopard has been seen as a very good competition for Microsoft’s Vista. Unfortunately, Vista hasn’t had any great things coming in except frustration from users. Personally, I think Microsoft’s security is quite outrageous. We all understand the importance of security but it doesn’t mean that we have to cripple and even disable some of the services. The only good thing so far about Microsoft’s Vista is their cool interface.
Going back to Leopard, this latest edition of Apple is priced at $199.00 for family edition (up to five users) and $129.00 for a single lisence. We checked out their website, the blogs and webcasts to see the cool things about this latest OS offering from Apple. So far, there are four features that seemed to stand out.
Web Clips – imagine being able to access your favorite video websites without having to launch any web browser. Using your Safari browser (Apple’s personal favorite), you can create widgets linking you to your favorite video websites. Once you’ve selected your site, you can easily access video sites an check out the latest videos.
RSS on E-mail – for news and updates junkies, this is the perfect feature of Leopard. You can now subscribe to various RSS feeds and send them directly to your e-mail. That seemed to be a little simple but try considering this feature when you’re offline. The RSS feed will not only access the online information but downloads the whole document. As long as the e-mail has received the feed, you’ll be able to read the document offline. You can also send the document to your friends and other contacts.
Web History – my personal favorite. I have trouble memorizing a good website I usually visit so I often look it up at my web history. That may still be confusing and not convenient. But with Leopard, all you need to do is type in a word and your computer searches for the latest matches. It doesn’t only take a look at the title or the tags in the site but it also looks at the specific words found in them. So even if you remember only a single word, you’ll be sure to find them easily.
Integration of Wikipedia and Dictionary – in your installed OS, you’ll be able to check on the dictionary and Wikipedia even without the internet connection. All the information you need is already in Leopard. Since Wikipedia is so big, entries in Wikipedia are shortened and presented in a way it’s being presented like a dictionary. Your OS just got a little bit smarter with this tool.
Of course there are other cool features that come with the new Leopard but when it comes to productivity, these features are a standout. If you’re a Mac user, Leopard is definitely worth the second look.
Living in a stable income means we have to budget our expenses daily. We have to think about our recurring bills, our food and all the perks in life that we like. Sometimes we get to spend so much that our salary day usually comes too late. Actually the payday is not late but we spend so much that we forgot when our salary day will arrive. There are financial advisors you can ask for help but what you really need is a budget planner that tells you how much you have spent. That way, you can remind yourself to control your money spending. The internet, of course, has a way of helping you do that – all for free.
Here are some software programs and websites you can consider using to track your money: all they need is diligent updating to make sure the numbers are all correct.
Acemoney Lite – This financial organizer makes sure everything is budgeted before you even spend a single cent. Place your monthly income in the software and create categories. These categories will deduct money from your monthly earnings, showing you how much you have left after everything has been spent. Acemoney also gives businesse owners a chance to use the software as their online update tool. Although this feature comes with a fee, you can be updated with all your PayPal payments and bank transfers. A smaller version is also available for your PDA.
Budget Master – This software has the ability to recall your expenses and will show them through a graph. It can also be used to tell which part of your daily or monthly expenses gets the biggest pie in your salary. This flashy interface also comes in a simple form. Before you see the interface, you still have to create categories and every time you spend on something, just update the software and see them change in real time. The software requires the latest Java and Acrobat Reader to generate reports.
Plan2Spend.com – This website is so simple; you can actually use them after signing up. This project is still in beta version but its beauty is in its simplicity. There’s not much to configure in your own. All you need to do is to click on the set categories and enter your expenses. Watch the program get updated and see how much do you have left for the month. Its simplicity though is also its bad side. You literally have to log in every time you spend something. Because it’s online, you need to have a constant internet connection to get the site updated. Overall, it’s still worth trying as it explains all the money you spent.
Xpenser.com – The problem with Plan2Spend.com is that you need to be online to get your expenses updated. But not this one. Xpenser.com can be updated by sending a short SMS, E-mail, Instant Messages and voice. Of course SMS will charge standard rates as well as voice, but using e-mail and Instant Messenger will make things easier. The website itself is very easy to understand as your account is updated in real time.
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While I was trying to lessen the burden of my computer by deleting some programs, I deleted by mistake my calculator. If you’re an XP user, you might already be familiar that running a calculator is as easy as going to run and typing in “calc” to get the calculator running. Now that’s all gone, I squandered to look for a calculator that can run in my computer. Lucky I landed in Microsoft XP’s site that offers free software called the PowerToys. Not only did I found a calculator, there are other free software programs that I also downloaded. These are pretty simple programs as some size of the files is less than 1MB.
Here are some of the PowerToys I also downloaded (note these softwares only work in XP):
ClearType Tuner (2MB) – Ok, this one’s more than 1MB but it still runs really fast. The main reason why you want to download ClearType is because of its ability to adjust the screen to make the letters clearer. This is applicable for some XP users who have trouble looking at the sites especially in their browser. This tuner is installed in your control panel and once it is, you’ll be able to adjust the screen’s resolution manually until you get the resolution that you want. Although this program is not the answer for those who can’t clearly see the text because of eye problems, ClearType makes reading a lot easier for general users.
Alt-Tab Replacement (534KB) – When you press ALT and taps on the TAB, you’ll be able to see the icons of programs that run in your computer. Once you install this program, that experience will definitely change. Properly called the Task Switch, instead of getting previews by the icons of the programs running, you’ll be able to see a small screenshot of the page. This is perfect for multiple documents that run in one program. Instead of guessing what’s under number one file, you’ll be able to see what’s in it.
Power Calculator (624KB) – The reason why I landed on this page. If you’re thinking that I downloaded just like the good old software, you’re wrong. Power Calculator actually has a grid. You can plot X and Y intersections and create formulas. But if you just downloaded the file only to figure out the difference between two whole numbers you can still do that. You enter the numbers manually and the screen will show the process and the result. However, the fonts maybe too small to read for some.
HTML Slide Show (416 KB) – This program lets you create a slide show for all your pictures. For example, if you have website that feature pictures, you can just create a simple HTML page with all the pictures that you like to share. It will be viewed as a slide show if successfully uploaded to your site.
If you like the slide show then you should love the webcam timer show. You can set your webcam to take pictures in a specific time interval. It’s recommended for computers with higher than normal speed. Compile pictures of yourself during the day as you work in your computer.
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It seems that buying a new laptop computer gets more complicated every year. Portable PCs have come a long, long way, there’s no doubt about that. An average laptop today is hundreds of times more powerful than even the most high-end of desktop PCs a scant 10 years ago.
To make things even more complicated, in the old days the only real choice was to buy a Windows laptop. Mac laptops were considered the domain of tech geeks and graphic designers; but with Apple gaining market share rapidly, and the introduction of the Intel Mac, buying an Apple laptop is now a real possibility for many average consumers.
Additionally Apple’s technical support is considered superior, and their computers are known to be far less susceptible to computer viruses and other malware, making them an attractive buy to even first-time laptop owners.
Among Windows laptops, both Dell and Gateway have decent customer service and offer custom configurations of both laptops and desktops. In fact, the ability to customize a Windows PC is the one selling point Apple can never compete with. Many Windows laptop owners report choosing a Windows machine because of the wide range of software available, and the ability to customize their laptop to their exact specifications.
But whether you buy a custom laptop or an off-the-shelf model, the chances are your laptop will have speed to spare to run most any program or even 3-D games. Processor speeds have increased to the point where even modest laptops offer more than enough speed to handle multiple programs with ease. In fact, processors speed is less important today than ever before in the history of laptop computers.
So rather than focusing on the fastest processor, many consumers are opting for greater memory configurations. A typical modern laptop will perform much better with doubled memory capacity, but see only slight performance improvements from increasing the processor speed. So if you should choose to have a laptop custom-made, you’re better off putting your money into more memory, rather than the latest, greatest processor.
The ergonomics of the machine make a great deal of difference as well. Opting for a slightly tilted keyboard, with solid keys and touch pad buttons will minimize the effects of “laptop burnout.” And if you’ll be using your laptop for extended periods of time, a wide glossy screen with an antireflective coating can reduce eyestrain, while maintaining a bright, clear display.
Now that laptop processor speeds have finally caught up with desktop models, and even the most average of new machines has memory and power to spare, the real concerns in buying a new laptop are user comfort and ergonomics.
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When OpenOffice.org released a series of free software, Microsoft’s Office productivity software didn’t feel a thing as it continued its powerful hold in the market on these types of software. Then Google released their online version of the office productivity software. Its ability to share information coupled with the ease of creating documents was also taken to the next level. Microsoft may have been concerned a little bit since it’s just online and most offices will still prefer productivity tools offline or pre-installed in their computers.
But Google’s set of web only software was just the fire starter. There are now web-based software that offers the same function with the popular office tools. Aside from Google, Zoho.com is becoming increasingly popular as a web based office solution. YouOS.com is also coming out as a major player using the powers of Ajax and AjaxWindows that literally functions as your computer desktop, only web-based.
Realizing the trend of new productivity software going online, Microsoft also announced of their version of online office productivity called the Office LiveWorkspace. The creation of the web based program could either be because of popularity of this type of online services, or another marketing stint. However the program is only in Beta version – available only to limited people. But the latest word on the productivity suite is that this program will only enable you to share the programs you create. You will still use MS Office to create and edit files before it can be up-loaded to their online system. Once you’ve finished editing them, all it can do is to share files to other users.
On the other hand, Adobe is also looking to launch their web based version of office productivity. The project has now the codename of Share – also on its Beta version. The main difference of the product is that instead of running in Ajax, it’s going to run purely on Adobe flash. Unfortunately, the Beta version also has a limited number of users so if you’re thinking of signing up to try the product, you’re too late. But you can enter your e-mail if you want to be updated when the stable version is launched.
With this development, we are now on the verge of going online for office productivity. But the main feature of these web-based office softwares is that these services are offered for free. Instead of freely distributing the product, they opted to offer their services online. Even though the student edition for the MS Office suite is already at $50.00, still money is money.
For now, let’s wait for these two giants to come out of Beta version or when they start accepting new accounts to try out their services. Don’t worry; it’s going to be faster this time as there are now office tools being downloaded online for free. They will work really fast on these things before they will run out of customers, or a large percentage of users will be swayed to other office applications. Only time will tell if the MS Office tools will be knocked out as a leader but for now we just have to sit and wait as evaluations of the programs will come more and more.
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