July, 2007 Archives | Homepage

Graphita Photo Bling

GraphitaA new graphic editing tool called Graphita allows you to add captions, objects, bubbles, words and doodles to photographs. TechCrunch says the website lets people add bling to their photographs.
The company offers a Flash-based application that enables users to upload photos and add a personal touch via an easy to use toolset filled with stamps, text icons, captions, bubbles and more (Bubbleply does much the same for videos). The Graphita rich toolkit is easy to use to add, resize and customize each addition to a photo creation. The product is simplified for the masses and offers users the option of an authenticated or anonymous experience - thus positioning itself for higher adoption rates. Currently, Graphita is in closed beta and does not appear to support the addition of animated icons which might be something worth looking into implementing before its official launch in mid-May.

Upon customizing a photo, users can share them via email, print and send them back to their favorite photo sites (Flickr, MySpace, etc.), or even send them to photo pick-up locations (Costco, Walgreens, etc.). In addition, photo creations can be placed directly on consumer products like coffee mugs, tee shirts or other items. Graphita does not appear to offer its own social networking hooks but rather leverages existing products and services. However, registered users have the option to share uploaded photos in the public gallery or keep them private.
Tools like Graphita should become popular as more people turn to them to add comments and bubbles to photographs they put on their blogs and social network profiles. Social networks will probably also begin to include more and more of these types of editing features. The social network site MyYearBook.com is known for including lots of blingy editing tools and features.

Posted on July 29, 2007
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Internet News Highlights 7-15-07

Here are some Internet and web surfing news highlights from around the Web.

Posted on July 15, 2007
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Apple's Safari For Windows

Apple SafariAppleInsider reports that Apple is making its Safari 3 web browser available for Windows users for the first time. The browser can be downloaded here.
Safari 3 features easy-to-manage bookmarks, effortless browsing with easy-to-organize tabs and a built-in RSS reader to quickly scan the latest news and information.

Beginning today, Apple is making a Safari 3 public beta is available as a free download for Macs and PCs over at its Safari website.

"We think Windows users are going to be really impressed when they see how fast and intuitive web browsing can be with Safari," said Jobs. "Hundreds of millions of Windows users already use iTunes, and we look forward to turning them on to Safari's superior browsing experience too."

The speed of Safari combined with its intuitive user interface lets users spend more time surfing the web and less time waiting for pages to load, Apple said. Other Safari features now available to Windows users include SnapBack, one-click access to an initial search query; resizable text fields; and private browsing to ensure that information about an individual's browsing history isn't stored.
Joel on Software has a post about Safari's speed. Lifehacker says you can get Safari's best features in Firefox.

Posted on July 7, 2007
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5 Million Using Geni Genealogy Website

Geni Geni is a new genealogy website that uses Flash and has social networking features like profiles and photo sharing. You start by registering your name as well as the emails of your relatives -- this has allowed the site to grow very quickly and viraly. According to Geni only the people in your family tree can see your tree and your profile.

Michael Arrington at TechCrunch blogged recently about how the number of people in his family tree has quickly grown.
When genealogy site Geni announced that it had raised a venture round from Charles River Ventures valuing the two month old startup at $100 million, more than a few eyebrows were raised. For the last couple of months, people have referred to "Pulling a Geni" when they try to raise money at a super-big valuation immediately after launch.

At launch, Geni appeared to be like many other "family tree" websites, just with a better looking and easier to use (Flash) interface. The site is extremely viral. When I first created my account I added my mother and father, along with their emails. They added more family members, who added yet others. Seven weeks after launch there were 126 people in my Geni family tree. Today, Today, after 15 weeks or so, there are 305 people in my family tree. All but three, myself included, were added by others.
Geni looks like a very useful geneaology website. It has already reached the 5 million profile mark according to a this statement and press release from Geni. However, genealogy websites like Genealogy.com and Ancestry.com probably aren't going to let Geni get all the traffic without a fight.

Posted on July 3, 2007
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Writers Write, Inc. Launches Music Blog

Writers Write, Inc., the parent company of SurfersSurf.com, has announced the launch of SingersSing.com. SingersSing.com is a daily musc blog featuring music news and music video clips. Recent posts include:

  • Avril Lavigne and Lil' Mama hot remix of "Girlfriend."
  • The Spice Girls' World Reunion
  • The top ten most irritating songs.
  • Hillary Clinton's campaign song selection.
  • You can also find the Obama Girl's song on SingersSing.com.

    Singers Sing also has a twitter feed located here.

    Posted on July 2, 2007
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