I still need to make some adjustments, but I just managed the bulk of moving FLYABYTE from Squarespace into Posterous. It was not an easy process, but so far I am very satisfied with the many features provided by Posterous.

I made this move due to 2 reasons:

1. I wanted the ability to do 1-click publishing (like the ones provided by Tumblr), to keep the blog alive without having to spend too much time writing long posts.
2. 12 bucks a month has not been worth-it anymore, given this is not a site I make money on.

Loading mentions Retweet

A few months ago I wrote about Rollip, a simple and creative web application that allowed transforming any digital photo into a Polaroid-like picture.

According to the folks at Rollip, many users requested the ability to export the processed images back into the high-quality original size, and without borders. They took the feedback to heart, and now offer this option on the Pro accounts. They also expanded their effect's portfolio to 40, offering very cool retro-style options to transform your photos.

The Pro account costs USD $2.99 for 15 credits (each credit allow 1 photo processed), which translates into roughly 20 cents per photo. I found the price very reasonable, given the convenience provided and the quality of the effects.

One aspect I would propose they improve, though, is the fact that you need to upload your picture again if you want to try different effects. If they could keep your original image, the process would be easier. I don't know the complexity involved, but it would be great to see thumbnails for the uploaded image with the different effects applied, so you can choose the effect that looks better for your specific photo.

As a special deal from Rollip for FLYABYTE readers, the first 10 users to sign-up for a Rollip Pro account through this link, will get 30 credits for free (worth $5,98 per account). Hurry and get your free account now!

Loading mentions Retweet

Peacock is a cross-platform pattern generating application, that runs entirely inside a web browser. Files are constructed with a hub (node) based system, that allows for non destructive editing. There are over 65 hubs that when are chained together can replicate almost any kind of digital imaging effect. [...] Peacock does so many amazing things that we decided to call it our "Visual Laboratory". Experiment with pixel-based images in completely new ways

Loading mentions Retweet

In my latest post I walked you through the process where I helped a friend to chose a netbook. Today I bumped into Measy, a web app that is supposed to act as an automated buying consultant and decided to give it a try to compare the results.

Guess what? The suggested purchase was exactly the one I picked! Coincidence or not, given the variety of options available in the market today, this was a strong indication to me that there is an interesting algorithm running on the background of this service.

Measy works in two different ways: in the one I used (by taking a quiz) (the most innovative method), one fills out a survey, giving inputs about the desired characteristics, and gets back a recommended purchase, followed by a list of other options ranked accordingly. You can also use the by exploring mode, where there are different sorts of filters and sorting options where you can know, for instance, the lightest, cheaper or best-rated product.

Besides Netbooks, Measy offers the same functionalities for Digital Cameras (including DSLRs), and HDTVs. The browsing experience is very good, through a clean and fast UI.

Measy is free and is in beta. Try it today here.

Loading mentions Retweet

A few months ago I talked about Skimmer, an attempt from the NYT to improve the browsing experience on the web. Although I think this is a very good solution, I'd love to see a similar tool to organize the other sites I visit often. And that's why I was very pleased to come across spectives, a very sleek RSS reader that is all about images.

The web app filters out images from each feed and then present them in thumbnails, with the title of the post close to it. If you hover over the image, you can read the first words of the original post, to make sure you want to click and read further.

Spectives uses the concept of Collections. A collection is an unique URL where you can add all RSS feeds related to a certain topic and then share it with other people. Also, the site facilitates the access to many different collections, so you don't need to start yours from scratch. For example, if you go to http://spectives.com/digitalphotography, you'll find a collection I created with 15 blogs about digital photography I usually read. If you like it, simply add it as a tab on your account so you can access it easily later.

Not everything is perfect, though. Although spectives doesn't have anything to do with it, you will notice that, for many topics, the feeds provided by blogs or websites are text only, which is a show-stopper for spectives, that will not be able to add them to your collection. Also, I'd like to have the ability to see more than 12 thumbnails per page, but I understand this would be very resource-intensive, so they might add it in the future as the service grows.

But these are minor issues. I really loved the way the site presents the information I care about, and I intend to use spectives very intensively moving forward.

Create your free account here or learn more about it on the video below.

Loading mentions Retweet

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3-VWMKpQiI&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]

Aviary is a suite of web apps that, until now, focused on image editing online software. Now they are expanding their portfolio (currently composed by image, vector and color editing) with an Audio Editor, called Myna.

According to the description on the web site, you can "use Myna to remix music tracks and audio clips. Apply sound effects and record your own voice or instruments!". The main features are:

Powerful Clip Editing: Trim, Loop, Stretch and Reverse your audio clips, width editable loop points, and interactive time stretch capabilities.

Automation: Easily add fade-ins, fade-outs, pan from left to right, and modify gain over time, with editable control points.

Effects: Add non-destructive effects to your audio clips including Pitch Change, Reverb, Delay, Parametric EQ, and more.

Import/Export: Import your own audio files, or search one of our provided libraries. Mix it down and export directly to your desktop or publish back to your account.

Share and Learn: Collaborate with other users. Follow step-by-step tutorials to learn new skills.

Myna is free, but you can have additional features by subscribing to Aviary´s Pro plan for $24.99 /year. Try Myna here.

Loading mentions Retweet

According to the company's self-description:

gliider is a digital file that lets you hold on to all of the interesting stuff you come across when you're researching and planning a trip. Find a cool hotel you don't want to forget about? See a great restaurant you want to try? No matter what website you're on, just highlight whatever you want with your mouse and drag it into your gliider. Photos, text, whatever!

gliider will then bring you deals related to what you're interested in. No spam, no overload. Only the good stuff and just the right amount of it.

If you are traveling with your friends, gliider let's you share your findings with up to 4 people for collaboration, so can have all info in one single place. 

Currently available only for Firefox (3+) as an add-on, its drag-and-drop is very polished and easy to use. Versions for other popular browsers (including IE) are under development, but you can also access your stuff by sending an e-mail to your iPhone.

gliider currently in closed beta and is free. Try it here.

Loading mentions Retweet