I don’t think it’s any great exaggeration to say that Adobe Photoshop is one of the most successful software products of all time. In fact, not only has Photoshop been a big seller for Adobe, in its own way it has also changed the way we think about digital images and videos. When we see an expertly re-touched and perfected photo or portrait, most of us immediately think “Photoshop.”
The software has become synonymous with what it does — cleaning up, editing, and perfecting digital images, whether they are intended for print, the Web, or even your home photo album. Photoshop is one of those rare software programs with incredible depth and a logical well-organized layout, both of which contribute to its ease of use. It is without doubt the single most important tool for modern web designers and photo and/or video editors.
Photoshop has spawned many imitators, and there are now even free image editing suites that imitate many of the most useful features from the program, but none of these competitors have ever come close to the breadth of capability and features that Photoshop offers.
It’s a bit surprising then, that Adobe is now preparing to launch a free online version of their flagship software, which will only require a user registration, but no fees whatsoever. The new version, called Photoshop Express, will be available via any Web browser (Mac PC or Linux), and will provide users with a generous 2 GB of free storage for their digital images and related files.
The new Photoshop Express will also have close ties with Facebook and other social networking sites, to enable users to quickly re-touch and edit photos on their profile pages. The free online version of Photoshop utilizes Flash 9 technology, and a simple, uncluttered interface, focusing on the most commonly used image editing tools.
Of course the free version of Photoshop won’t offer the advanced features available in their standalone product, but it does include many handy editing features. One big limitation is that, for the time being, Photoshop Express only works with JPEG’s. Adobe has hinted, however, that more premium features may be available in the online version later on.
The company is suggesting that printing services, greater file storage, support for other image file types, including PNG and GIF, and even audio and video support could be made available for a fee as the online Photoshop comes into its own.
The new Photoshop Express won’t replace your standalone version, but it does offer a lot of functionality available from any Web browser. That means that you can perform basic image editing even when you’re on the road. All you need is a half decent internet connection and any Mac, PC or Linux computer.
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Notebook computer manufacturers can’t seem to make up their minds which way the market is going. Apple has recently introduced the MacBook “Air” light-weight and wafer-thin laptop — a computer so small it will fit inside a standard A4 envelope. But over on the PC side of things, some manufacturers are going to the other extreme, creating the computer equivalent of rugged four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Dell has just introduced the Latitude XFR D630, a thick and rugged “all-terrain” notebook computer, built to withstand moisture, extreme temperatures, and even accidental falls from desk height. The newest Latitude, the XFR D630 is surrounded by what Dell calls “full body armor,” and made to withstand the rigors of life on the road.
While there have been “tough book” computers around for years, Dell is aiming to produce a tougher, more resilient notebook at a lower price point. The closest competition at the moment is the Panasonic CF-30, which is priced slightly higher than the $3,899 starting point for the new Dell XFR.
Dell’s profits have taken a hit lately, and recent earning reports indicate the company has been in something of a slump over the past year. They’re hoping that the new rugged notebook computers — along with a new marketing strategy — can improve the company’s bottom line in 2008.
Rather than trying to compete in the “thinner, lighter and more chic” marketplace, Dell is attempting to carve out the niche for themselves with a new “laptop on steroids” marketing strategy, which is designed to appeal to road warriors and larger businesses looking for more reliable notebook computer solutions.
In particular, Dell is going for the “IT department” market, by providing a tough and road-worthy laptop that is simplified in many aspects, easy to upgrade, and uses standard batteries, software and power adapters. The idea is to create a sturdy and solid laptop that is simplicity itself to operate and upgrade, and bypasses the usual bells and whistles found in modern multimedia notebook computers, in favor of a rugged, work-anywhere aesthetic.
While critics may argue that the new XFR is boring, and doesn’t include the kind of entertainment-oriented extras the public has come to expect from laptop computers, that isn’t really the point. The new line is aimed squarely at business users (you’re not likely to see many college students carrying around a thick, heavy, no-frills XFR notebook).
Whether this new strategy can bring life to Dell’s lackluster earnings reports remains to be seen, but at least the company has carved out a specific niche for themselves, and is throwing the full weight of their research and development team toward creating a “tougher toughbook.”
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Getting your computer secured from hackers and intruders is more important than ever, now that hackers, intruders and malwares are unsuspectingly hiding in seemingly friendly software. Here are some of the programs you can install for free that will protect your computers from different types of harm.
Secunia Personal Software Inspector – This free software is one of the smartest out there. After installation, immediately run this software to your computer. Secunia will scan all files in your computer. It has a special talent in scanning not only files but also programs. Secunia will take a look at individual programs to see if there are doubtful files attached to them. They do this by comparing the files in your programs with those from their server. If something is missing in a given software, especially the latest security update, Secunia will direct you to the site where you can update your software.
Active Virus Shield – Built by AOL, this free software doesn’t only get daily but hourly updates on viruses and security measures. Built only for Windows users, you might want to have a faster internet connection and a stronger computer. Other than that, AOL’s Active Virus Shiled is highly efficient in scanning EVERYTHING downloaded and installed in your computer, especially e-mails.
HauteSecure.com – If you like to push your web experience to something dangerous so that it borders visiting dangerous sites, you might want to have HauteSecure.com with you at all times. This software is a plug-in to the Internet Explorer (no Firefox for now) and it scans the website before it allows you to see them. If anything that violates their security policy is detected, you’ll receive a pop-up from HauteSecure.com informing you about the website. If you’re a Firefox user, Link Scanner Lite is for you. Built by Exploit Prevention Labs, it works basically the same with HauteSecure.com.
GMER Anti-Rootkit – Anti-rootkit is a software that checks the background of your computer – driver installations, keys and processors. Before any attacks to any of your driver, GMER will prevent them by scanning the hard drive for any updates from your computer. This is important since the most dangerous viruses out there are those that can practically hook up with your driver and registry. Viruses may disable every driver you have and you end up with a very bad computer that can only be repaired by totally reformatting the computer.
CCleaner – Get the clutter out of your computer with this easy to use software. Most of the time, we forgot to delete the temporary files in our computer that could possible be a virus or will just slow down the system. CCleaner practically deletes everything in the temporary files folder and destroys them completely. Temporary files and cookies from different browsers will also be stored temporarily in CCleaner, but it could be vanished without a trace in your computer.
For everything from personal files to software and web navigation, there are a suite of security tools that you can try. You can never be too sure and it always helps to be prepared for the worst.
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