Gadget Ink

4 Great Web and Graphic Tutorial Sites

2009-01-18T08:05:00.001-08:00

Let's face it, web and graphic tutorial websites are a dime a dozen nowadays. However, the five sites below beat all those other sites to the ground. Believe me, I just spent a whole day reading (and trying out) all their great tutorials.

Nettuts - CSS, HTML, AJAX, and all other web goodness!
Psdtuts - awesome Photoshop and web interface design tutorials
Smashing Magazine - they also have great articles and design resources here
Spoon Graphics - great graphic design tutorials

Apple Releases Updated Line of Notebooks

2008-10-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting to this update for months! Finally, the new MacBooks and MacBook Pros have been unveiled this morning. Honestly, there were no more surprises since the rumor mill was able to sniff out almost everything about the new laptops, from the Nvidia chipset and glass trackpads, down to the manufacturing process used to make more rigid and light aluminum enclosures.

But despite that, I'm still very happy with the new notebooks, particularly the MacBook Pro, which I have been wanting to buy since June. I just held off since there have been rumors that it will be refreshed before the end of the year.

Check out what the new MacBooks (and MacBook Pros) look like...

MacBook

MacBook Pro

They both look great and I can't wait to get my hands on one! Check out Apple.com for more information on the new wonder notebooks.

Nintendo's New DSi

2008-10-04T12:48:00.000-07:00

Nintendo recently announced the Nintendo DSi, an update to the DS product line. Physically, it might not look that different from the DS Lite. However, the DSi does have the following improvements over the DS Lite:

Larger LCD screen (the two screens are now equal in size)
Slightly thinner
Slightly lighter
SD memory card slot
2 0.3 Megapixel cameras
Built-in browser
Built-in audio player

But, I do have to note that the battery life has significantly dropped and the GBA slot has been removed. There are also no improvements to the actual processing power. Given all that, I'd say that once great games that utilize the cameras are released, then maybe it'll be worth replacing your old DS Lite with this one. However, for now, I think all improvements are just purely aesthetic. It is interesting though, to think what use developers might get out of the cameras. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Apple Updates iPod Line

2008-09-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs announced several iPod updates today at the Apple "Let's Rock" event in San Francisco. There's nothing really groundbreaking here, if you ask me, but some items are interesting at the very least. Let me give you a run-down of the things announced this morning... (I'm having trouble uploading pictures. I'll just upload them later.)

The iPod Classic will now only come in 120GB. Sorry storage junkies, no more 160GB iPods for you. I don't really know why they nixed the higher capacity models of the classic. Maybe they're not really selling very well? Hmmm, go figure.
iPod Nanos are now taller and boast an accelerometer. With it's spanking new accelerometer, this new iPod Nano can now switch between portrait and landscape mode and it's got a new shake to shuffle feature. Nice. I like this design so much better than the chubby Nano design. Plus the 9 new colors are really cute...
iPod Touch now have hardware controls and built in speakers in them. It now also has this thinner stainless steel case. Wise decision on this one. My biggest gripe with my iPod Touch is that adjusting the volume takes a more than just a few taps when the iPod's screen is turned off. This was very annoying indeed. Built in speakers are a nice addition too.
iTunes 8 is a "Genius". I'm not really sure how this one will work but iTunes now has some kind of recommendation feature, called "Genius", that could recommend songs and/or artists to you based on your current music collection. "Genius" can also intelligently create playlists for you on the fly. This suspiciously sounds very much like Pandora. Let's see how this will work with all my Japanese and Korean songs.

All in all, I don't think anything is really leaping off the page for me. But I'm sure some one out there is jumping up and down with excitement over that new Nano. What I'm really waiting for is the update of the Macbook Pro. Now there's something I'd jump up and down for.

The Latest Crop of Cellphones

2008-09-05T00:23:00.000-07:00

Face it! Unless you have lived under a rock for the past year or so, you have probably heard about the iPhone already. The whole world’s been going gaga over this gadget especially since the new 3g version is now available in several countries including the Philippines. However, if getting an iPhone is not an option for you, don’t fret! There are plenty of alternatives with similar styles and features as well as qualities that make them unique in their own right.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

This new entry from Sony Ericsson hopes to revive its dying smartphone line. It is the first Sony Ericsson smartphone to use a Windows Mobile 6 operating system and it has a full QWERTY keyboard underneath an “arc” sliding mechanism. Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 boasts features such as a touchscreen display, 3.2-megapixel camera with photo light, A2DP Bluetooth, a GPS, WiFi, and microSD. However, it just has 400MB on-board memory.
HTC Touch Diamond

HTC is a company known for their Windows Mobile Phones. Their newest entry in their line of smartphones is definitely a sight to behold with its brushed metal and black, faceted casing. It is a Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone with a touchscreen display, a built-in A-GPS, 3.5G data, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, an FM radio and 3.2MP camera. Throw in all these features and you’ve got a worthy opponent for the iPhone. Something to note though, some people have commented that the performance of this smartphone is somewhat sluggish.
Samsung Touchwiz

The Samsung Touchwiz, otherwise known as SGH-F480, is another new touchscreen entry in the market. However, do not think that this is just a halfhearted effort from Samsung to get into the touchscreen craze that the iPhone started. Its features include an impressive 5-megapixel autofocus camera, HSDPA and USB 2.0 connectivity, and FM radio. On the other hand, it only has a disappointing 240MB internal memory. The microSD memory card slot aims to make up for this shortcoming though.
LG Viewty

If you're looking for a good camera phone, then LG Viewty is the right phone for you. Aside from the 5-megapixel camera, the LG Viewty has an autofocus feature and a bright xenon flash. It also shoots video and has the ability to upload files directly to YouTube. It is 3G and HDSPA capable. It is worth checking out for the camera alone. What might turn off the buyers though is that it has no WiFi.
LG KF700

If you love the clean look of a touchscreen phone but also love the convenience of a traditional alpha numeric keypad, check out the LG KF700 since it offers the best of both worlds. Inside there's a 3-megapixel camera, HSDPA (3.5G) connectivity, full Web-browsing functionality, video playback and full access to Google's blogs, email, maps and YouTube services. The phone is also 3G capable but sadly, there's no WiFi.

2 Great Websites

2008-08-17T05:13:00.000-07:00

In these times when websites are all integrated and everyone's crazy about Facebook, YouTube and Digg, finding these two great sites gave me a huge breath of fresh air. Both are very useful and painfully simple to use. Check these out...

drop.io - This is a file-sharing service minus all the complications. Just upload your file, type in a name for your "drop," add an optional password, set an expiry date, and "drop it." Its that simple. No sign-ups, no registrations.
Vector Magic - This is an online tool that creates vector graphics from your .gif or .jpeg files. Everything is done on the site, there are no software downloads and no required sign-ups. But the best thing about this site is, the conversion results are surprisingly accurate.

Great Ways to Use Your Domain

2008-08-17T04:57:00.000-07:00

So you bought your own domain. What now? Building your own website from scratch and getting it hosted can be too much trouble for some people. Instead, why not take advantage of the numerous great services out there and create your own web site complete with your very own email accounts, blog, etc.? Lifehacker shows us the many great ways to set up a "complete domain name backend for free."

Here are my top 3 "domain-friendly" free services:

Blogger.com - This is a very very very popular blogging tool hosted by our very own Google. It's very easy to set a blog using your own domain here instead of the generic blogspot.com domain. I'm using this service and I'm quite happy with it so far.

Tumblr.com - Instead of the usual textey and imagey blogs littering the nets, Tumblr features blogs that are short and simple. Got a link you want to share? Post it! Got a picture? Upload it! With Tumblr, there's no need for lengthy dissertations or introductions. Just post and go.

Google Apps For Your Domain - Google has done it again. They have released an amazing service that's sure to be a hit with the tech savvy people. With this service, you can host your very own versions of Google Apps right on your own domain. You could set-up your homepage to display your Google start page, and set-up up to 50 e-mail addresses that you can access using the Gmail interface.

My Mashable.com Top 5

2008-08-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

I love lists and compilations. That's why I totally get Mashable.com. I could probably spend all day reading and just absorbing post after Mashable post. Although I haven't done that yet, I have already compiled a personal Mashable Top 5. These aren't in any particular order and subject to change at any time (haha)... enjoy.

80+ Free 2-Column Website Templates - I'm a web designer and this is a great source for inspiration. Yup, I admit it, I've been to the point where I just can't get a move on a project due to the lack of a mind spark. Scrolling through this post gets my creative juices flowing in no time.
Download YouTube Videos - Let's face it, YouTube rocks. It's not just a repository of corny home videos and hilarious Japanese tv shows. Everyone is using it nowadays and it's virtually an unlimited resource for informative videos including gadget reviews, tutorials, even podcasts. However, it's biggest limitation for me is the lack of a built-in download feature. To the rescue are more than a handful of third party apps that do just that. Stan Schroeder from Mashable has made things easier for us by compiling a list of YouTube downloaders. Handy.
50 Great Widgets For Your Blog - These are all great widgets for your blog. Keep it in mind though, it's great to have a few widgets on your blog, but don't overdo it. Choose the most relevant ones for your sites content and practice moderation.
30+ Tools to Turn Wordpress into a Personal Hub - Although I'm using Blogger, I won't deny that Wordpress is a great blogging platform. It's very flexible and easy to use. These tools allow you to make your Wordpress blog into a virtual souped-up social network profile page. In this case, contrary to my advice for #3, I'd say go all out with the add-ons and have fun.
TWITTER TOOLBOX: 60+ Twitter Tools - By itself, Twitter is a simple microblogging tool. With these add-ons and tools however, Twitter becomes a messenging powerhouse. I personally didn't get Twitter when it first came out but as these tools slowly trickled out I realized that you control how powerful it can become.

Interesting Web 2.0 (and such) Sites

2008-08-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

If you love Web 2.0 sites, you'd also love Go2WE20.net. It’s a nice visual directory of all (at least that’s what they say) the Web 2.0 sites out there. And believe me, there are a LOT of sites in this directory. You’ll probably need a whole day if you want to browse them all (and you probably will if you’re a tech geek like me).

Web 2.0 really is about sharing information. Listio is a Web 2.0 site that lets you share information and reviews about other Web 2.0 sites. They have also conveniently listed the top 100 sites according to the users' votes. Among the top are Delicious, StumbleUpon and Reddit.

Lastly, if you have a favorite website but would like to find others like it, then you’ll definitely love Youlicit. It does exactly that… recommend other sites that are similar to a site you type on a text box. It works really well too. For instance, typing Engadget.com gets me these results. Nice.