Category: Software

I don’t care about 99% of browser functions. Plug-ins are nice, but what I use most on a daily basis are tabs. And that one feature makes the Atomic Web Browser ($1) better than Safari/iCab browsers on the iPad/iPhone. More »

Academy® and Emmy® award-winning video editing software Lightworks has gone Open Source. The non-linear video editing software has been released as a platform and offers support for user-developed plugins. This also allows developers to sell the plugins they have created. Lightworks has a centralized marketplace to manage this.

Lightworks supports resolution and codec independent editing of videos. It also supports live video editing and has many effects to choose from.

Apparently, Editshare did not create Lightworks but just acquired it. EditShare writes on the open-sourcing at its official blog saying,

EditShare®, the technology leader in cross-platform collaborative editing and shared media storage, unveiled plans for the newly acquired Lightworks solution at the NAB 2010 exhibition on opening day. The company has transformed the time-honored editing solution into Lightworks Open Source, the industry’s first open-source development initiative for a large-scale, non-linear editing (NLE) platform. A departure from standard 3rd-party developer programs that limit access, the Lightworks Open Source platform offers an unprecedented gateway into the NLE’s core engine, enabling a wide-range of creative developers to implement forward-thinking features and workflows.

The announcement has just been made and it will be another two to three months before the software is available for free download.

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Pocketnow have published this video comparing the recently released HTC HD Mini with the older HTC HD2. Despite the HTC HD mini being called simply a smaller HTC HD2 the video actually shows significant differences in performance, user interface and application compatibility, with Pocketnow saying the smaller device with the HVGA screen does not support common applications such as SPB Mobile Shell or Skyfire, due to its lower resolution non-standard screen.

Read more at Pocketnow here.

In what is possibly the oldest device updated in recent memory, the original Verizon Samsung Omnia released in November 2008 has received an improved ROM that brings some helpful fixes and improvements.

According to Samsung:

This upgrade contains several enhancements and features. Highlights are listed below.

• Qualcomm Patch (M6801BSMBRLAZ56205) is updated. Improving overall call quality.
• Multiple Updates/Fixes applied to the Opera browser.
• Update to XT9 is applied to correct Add word issues seen by users.
• Algorithm codec has been corrected to allocate correct amount of memory when attaching a Full resolution image file to a MMS message. This will fix “Image resize Fail” seen by some users.

Download the update for the SCH-I910 from Samsung here.

Via WindowsPhonethoughts.com

Good news for BlackBerry Bold 9700 handset owners — SlingPlayer Mobile is now supported on your device! Obviously you need some SlingBox hardware to stream live television from the home to the handset. But if you have that, you can download and install the software for remote media control and playback. The SlingPlayer Mobile client works on both AT&T and T-Mobile 9700 phones and isn’t restricted to Wi-Fi only. That means you can watch live or recorded television on the go over 3G networks.

A SlingPlayer Mobile license will set you back a one-time $29.99 fee, but Sling says you can transfer an existing license key at no charge. The only exception to that rule is for iPhone or iPod Touch version keys. I don’t have a Bold 9700 — and I’m still waiting for the Android version of SlingPlayer Mobile — but I’d imagine that live television would look awful nice on the small but high resolution 480 x 320 display of a 9700.

Related content on GigaOM Pro (subscription required):

Cloudy Days Ahead for Slingbox

Image credit: Sling Media

“The art I practice has limitless capabilities in terms of how I like to put moves together and how I’d like to react to moves thrown at me, all leading the goal of creating a beautiful and fun game to play.”
– Capoeira¹ Instructora & Photoshop Product Manager, Zorana Gee

There was an uncanny parallel between what Zorana was describing as her Capoeira practice and the underlying dynamics of her oeuvre, Photoshop. This ubiquitous digital image editing software from Adobe systems turns 20 this year. “We sometimes like to think of Photoshop as a ‘playground’ for Adobe customers.“

You can trace the element of play in the early exchanges between John and Thomas Knoll, the brothers who created Photoshop in late 1980s: Thomas, a PhD Engineering candidate, would create the program and John, his brother, a visual effects guru, would ‘play with it’ and suggest refinements. The iterative process of tinkering and refinement eventually gave birth to ‘Display’, which would later be acquired by Adobe as ‘Photoshop’. This trope also permeates the enchanting and delightfully entertaining tutorials by Russel Brown, Senior Creative Director at Adobe. Brown helps users ‘pilot’ what initially resembles the cockpit of an Airbus A380.

In her almost decade-long career as Photoshop emissary, Zorana describes the remarkable and often unexpected ways in which Photoshop encourages human ingenuity and creativity “all leading to beautiful artwork.” She cites the example of Image Stacks, a feature in early versions of Adobe Creative Suite Extended; this was used initially in astronomy and later adopted by photographers to rid images of unwanted people or objects.  
Zorana has been involved with Photoshop Extended since its genesis and was instrumental in the 3D effort. She continues to help drive the implementation of 3D tools within each version of Photoshop Extended. 3D visualizations became a reality in April of 2007, when Adobe released CS3 Extended software. The Extended line of software facilitated the uptake and application of Photoshop technologies in new disciplines including architecture, medical imaging, and movie animation [think models and creatures in Avatar!]. October 2008 saw the release of CS4 Extended, the next generation Extended line, which offered users more direct manipulation of 3D images. On April 12th 2010, Adobe announced the release of CS5 and CS5 Extended which incorporate “more technological advancements from Adobe Labs than any other release.”

Indeed, Photoshop CS5 Extended pushes 3D and motion-based content editing capabilities even further. For example, users can leverage Adobe Repoussé Technology, (inspired by an ancient metalworking technique for embossing art on metal), to easily create and manipulate 3D artwork and logos while other tools help enhance the appearance and realism of 3D images.

The use of 3D technology is certainly growing and expanding beyond the purview of ‘specialists.’ The inherent flexibility of Photoshop allows users “to understand the 3D tool, how object moves in 3D space, how lighting affects it.” This reflects why Steve Guttman, an original Photoshop1.0 team member, said that Photoshop ‘democratized’ image editing by making it accessible to artists rather than just those in photo production.²

“The goal is to allow people to start customizing their best idea.”

Zorana’s team has been at the forefront of Adobe efforts to tap the soul of the Noosphere³ to help identify unmet needs and customer concerns which often serve as inspiration for future offerings in Photoshop.

Photoshop has almost 525K fans on Facebook, additional connections on LinkedIn, Flickr, over 15K Twitter followers and close relationships the National Association of Photoshop professionals’ 70K+ members.

This direct connection to the ‘customer voice’ allows Zorana to help the internal design teams craft newer versions of Photoshop that more closely align with customer needs.

Photoshop response to customer influence was evident most recently in the CS5 ’Just Do It’ initiative. This effort was designed to “address many of the smaller feature requests and enhancements that don’t necessarily get top billing, but definitely impact everyday workflow.” The marketing teams were able to integrate more than 30 of the most requested features from this initiative into CS5.

Adobe provides tools to facilitate even more collaborative solutions. Forums such as Adobe Labs are an ‘incubator’ for ‘Photoshop-related pre-release and experimental technologies.’.‘The Configurator panel’, for example, is an “[open source] tool that allows customers to create , test [and share]customized panels containing combinations of their own tutorial scripts with Photoshop original tools and menu commands.“

Technologic innovation in Photoshop are also the result of research partnerships between Adobe internal research teams and leading academic institutions: Collaboration with University of Washington and Columbia University yielded a technique to calibrate and remove ‘vignetting’; the gradual darkening of the image toward its periphery when aligning images for panoramas in Photoshop CS4.

Adobe tends to tantalize its customers with ‘sneak peaks’ into these forthcoming technological advancements. This was evinced in the recent pre-launch site for CS5, which invited users to an ‘exclusive online preview’ of new CS5 features. Some of these previews went viral; Adobe reported almost 2MM views of its eagerly anticipated ‘Content Aware Fill⁴’ feature video which also became a top trending topic on Twitter. The site featured a dramatically designed countdown clock and encouraged participation in the April 12th online global launch. There was also ample opportunity for social interaction. Some passionate users even started their own multimedia preview site CS5.org –‘independently published and intended as a public service.’

“It’s about user experience and how we can make that smarter and how we can make that more approachable for users including those who have never opened a copy of Photoshop.”

Adobe has already infused elements of predictive intelligence into the Photoshop experience. For example, the Photoshop 3D panel: “We make it easier for new users to create a 3D panel that not only links to an existing 3D panel but also shows you tools that you will need and the steps that you might want to [use].” This efficient, semantic design can show a new user not only “what they could do in 3D” but also “how to play with 3D.”

Photoshop CS5 is expected to provide even “greater intelligence and awareness of the content within images.” This is illustrated most dramatically in how Content-Aware Fill technology can “remove an image element and magically replace it with details that match the lighting, tone, and noise of the surrounding area so that it looks like the content never existed.”

Perhaps this and other CS5 enhancements will provide an even more intuitive, predictive and fluid user experience.

“It is very creative, it is not choreographed…the ‘free fluidity’ that you get in a [Capoiera] game is also something that I have to be able to do in my job.”

And Zorana’s ‘job’  has allowed users to  ‘unleash their passions’. Thus, it may be fitting to end with a sentence about the history of Capoeira from the Capoierascience website: “Capoeira is celebratory of both the art itself and the community which engendered it.” Perhaps the same could be said for Photoshop.

Footnotes:

¹ “a Brazilian martial art that integrates balance, music, acrobatics, fight and dance. It is a well-balanced art form”– Zorana is an 11-year veteran of Capoeira and holds the title of Instructora, black belt equivalent.
² From ‘Startup Memories’ a video documentary about the early days of Photoshop
³ Using this to refer to the ‘collective consciousness’ of the web which reflects users collective insights, including those from the ‘blogosphere’
⁴ A feature in PS CS5 Extended which “removes any image detail or object, examines the surroundings and seamlessly fills in the space left behind.”

Above we have a demo by Channel 9, Microsoft’s internal news service, of the Kin device and OS directly by the people who created it. Present are Matthew Bencke General manager and Roz Ho, Corporate Vice President of the Premium Mobile eXperience group at Microsoft.

The revealed the project was 3 years in the making, and they interviewed 22 000 people before they even started any development.

Describing their market as the “socially connected generation”, they designed the phone to both entertain and keep them connected, and along the way strove to make sure the phone was the best device for this, by for example making sharing easy, including a QWERTY keyboard and also a great camera with bright flash for night time use, when most camera photos made by the target market are usually taken.

They note that its the first phone where the user will not have to worry about storage capacity.  As an example, all photos taken are automatically stored in the cloud, with only tiny thumbnails being kept on the device itself. They therefore call the storage virtually infinite.

About the Kin One, they revealed that the device is designed for SOHO, Surreptitious One Handed Operation, such as in the back of a class for example, and finally revealed the resolution of video captured on the device – VGA.

About the Kin Studio, they revealed the site is built on Windows Live Storage and will be accessible using user’s Live ID.

The Kin team’s battery life target was described by Roz Ho as from Friday night to Monday morning.

They also mention that buyers will be able to customize the backs, similar to Zune Originals, when they buy from Kin.com.

They noted that the phones will be priced to be accessible to almost anyone, irrespective of age or means, which I take to be relatively low priced.

Via the Windows Embedded blog.

For about $100, you can use the Retrode to convert your SNES and Genesis games into PC and Mac emulator-ready romz. Don’t ask about the legality of it all. Ethically, it’s fine by us. [StoneAgeGamer via Crunchgear] More »

Bing for Windows Mobile has just seen another update.  As is often the case with Microsoft software, it is not clear what is changed, with the user interface elements largely the same.

The version number has however incremented, from version 5.0.11249.0 to 5.1.2010.3290. 

The Bing service in general is however seeing a small overhaul as part of their Spring update, with Microsoft recently rolling our a “social search” feature that uses Twitter trends to improve relevance of results.

Have any of our readers noticed any changes? Let us know below.

Via MobilityDigest.com

Eva Regårdh wrote:

Wouldn’t it be great to design and build your own personal house, real cheap? It may sound like a dream, but not for much longer. Difra, a Cambridge, MA, company co-founded by graduates of MIT, is working hard to fulfill this ambition.

Their idea is to use computer-aided design and manufacturing software (CAD-CAM) to model new houses in 3D, then translate the designs into kits containing all the flat 2D components needed to build them—in this case, engineered wood boards that interlock via so-called “friction joints.”

“To transform 3D to 2D for a typical, average-sized house of 1,600 square feet consisting of several thousands individual components is a very demanding task if done manually,” says Difra co-founder Morris Cox. But automation cuts the cost and the complication down to size.

Difra will sell its system directly to individual home buyers—and it already has some clients lined up. “Although our aim is to provide ordinary people with personalized homes, we will initially build more luxury homes, to show what can be done and gain acceptance among a broader audience,” says  Cox.

“My dream is to enable people, even on limited budgets, to personalize their homes, to allow freedom in design,” adds Cox’s co-founder Lynwood Walker. “Light and color, form and feeling, we let people have it the way they want it.”

The team dug into a CAD system called Rhino—chosen for its ability to model surfaces and export data as CAM files that can be used in fabrication machines—and wrote algorithms that translate designs into practical plans that can be built using friction joints, which fit together using only glue.

Once a Rhino model is transformed into drawings of the fundamental 2D components, the 2D files are fed to a laser cutting machine. Pieces are cut and numbered by the machine. All the pieces are neatly packed and sent to the construction site, together with assembly instructions.

“Building a home is like laying out a giant 3D-puzzle”, says Cox. “It is the perfect community project. Most of it can be done by ordinary people. We see it as a rewarding and socially enriching project for neighbors, relatives or other groups.”

Cox estimates that a small house or cottage can be put together in no more than …Next Page »

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UNDERWRITERS AND PARTNERS

We’ve had a few solutions  become available to the BlackBerry for texting while driving, but this one integrates with your vehicle like Viper does, with your safety while driving in mind. This software installs on your BlackBerry and has a plug-and-forget Activator that installs in your vehicle without any tools necessary. What does it do? Let’s see..

Key2SafeDriving activates when you start your car. It automatically places your BlackBerry into Safe Driving Mode, disabling the ability to send messages or receive calls and text messages. It has the functions of monitoring, reporting and regulating mobile phone use while driving. Incoming calls go to directly to voicemail and incoming texts are sent an automatic reply letting your contacts know that you’re driving and will respond later (the driver will respond when they have safely reached their destination).

You’ll still be able to utilize the Emergency call functionality which is always enabled so that you can place an emergency call to 911 or other pre-determined phone calls.

Annual statistics show that mobile phone use causes 636,000 car accidents and more than 2,600 deaths. Costs incurred are about an estimated $43 billion according to the Harvard Center of Risk Analysis. Virginia Tech also did a study and estimated that 80% of all automobile accidents are caused by some form of distracted driving. This app allows a parent of a teen to become an administrator and set limits and be notified of any events. A text will go out if an attempt is made to text, message, call, or if an emergency call is placed.

Key2SafeDriving is available to value-added resellers, wireless carriers, and retailers. It is available to consumers for $99.95 with no annual subscription fees and you are able to purchase it directly from SafeDrivingSystems.

I can definitely see where this can offer peace of mind to a parent or even for ourselves if we find ourselves tempted. There are other solutions, but this is different in that it involves the vehicle, and that it has no annual fee, and allows an administrator. So safety is something ensured. Especially with different states passing the law about texting while driving, this is something available for your convenience and safety now. It’s easy with an app on your phone, no annual fees after the purchase, and the no tools needed for the installation of the device that goes in your car. It doesn’t get any easier than that.

You can purchase Key2SafeDriving for $99.95 from SafeDrivingSystems here

For a complete list of compatible phones and more information click here

If you do purchase it, let us know what you think.

You’re reading a story which originated at BlackBerrySync.com, Where you find BlackBerry News You Can Sync With…

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Safety While Driving Solution From Key2SafeDriving

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The cookie home tab mod has been the best way to customize your home tab for quite a long time, but we did not know it could do all this. The new cookie home tab had a revamp design, the slide indicator was relocated, it allows you to completely mod your home tab, and now has a lock screen. The new features are very elegant and brings a truly revolutionary change in the Sense world, because a mod has never accomplish this much modifications that it actually allows you to change your layout, I am very impressed with the results, and I am sure HTC would be proud.

New features:

-(new) move, add, remove and customize home tab items
-(new) 6 clock layouts (including analog) for lock and home screens
-(new) able to show 2 or 3 quick links rows in main view
-(new) notification bar (2 styles) with missed calls, sms and email icons
-(new) customizable lockscreen with 3 unlock slider choices (Manila, WM6.5, HD Mini styles)
-(new) more than 3 quick links pages (3×3 gets up to 6 pages, 4×4 – 5, 4×5 – 4, and 5×5 is limited to 3)
-(new) retractable slider
-(new) parameter support for button program links
-(new) automatic VGA mode detection
-(new) added voicemail notification button
-(changed) position of more appointments indicator arrow
-(changed) adjusted 3×3 quick links layout
-(fixed) exchange policies related issue
-(fixed) bug with appointment range set to 1
-(fixed) miscellaneous smaller bugs
-(updated) CHTEditor with new menus for 1.7

Pocketnow,

GET IT NOW!!!

We let you know when SiriusXM became available as a BlackBerry App and we reviewed the SiriusXM app, the only drawback was that it was only available for the U.S., and now it’s finally available for Canada! There seems to be a bit of a difference between them, let’s take a closer look…

SiriusXM has a devoted following of users, and it’s nice that they are able to use it not only at home and in their car, but also on their phones. You can listen to it over both 3G and WiFi. There’s a 14 day free trial  and then it’s $7.99 for a monthly subscription, or if you’re a current subscriber it’s only $2.99 monthly. When looking at the U.S. version, it states the app can play over 120 channels of the SiriusXM programming you love (with the exception of Howard Stern, which isn’t one of my personal faves anyhow) and the Canadian version states that it has over 100 channels of the Sirius programming you love on your BlackBerry.

I like the variety SiriusXM has to offer, but I’m partial to Pandora as I can start a song from the beginning, or even Slacker. I don’t get that opportunity with SiriusXM. With SiriusXM, it’s just like turning on the radio, however you can still listen to the channels you love.

If you’re interested or are a current subscriber, you can grab your trial copy now, and if you’re a subscriber, log in with your user name and password and get more serious about your SiriusXM.

Download the Canadian SiriusXM Radio App For BlackBerry here

Download the U.S. SiriusXM Radio App For BlackBerry here

You’re reading a story which originated at BlackBerrySync.com, Where you find BlackBerry News You Can Sync With…

This story is sponsored by the new BlackBerry Sync Mobile App Store. Grab your free copy today at www.GetAppStore.com from your BlackBerry.

SiriusXM Radio App For BlackBerry Is Now Available In Canada Too

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