Top 3 free photo editing software

As photography turned digital, computer replaced the darkroom for developing those stunning photographs. A good photograph can be made better by using a good image editing software. Usually, one gets a bundled photo editing software with the purchase of a digital camera but, it is usually very basic. For advance image editing, we all know there is Adobe Photshop but then it costs more than your camera.

Most of us are not aware that there are a number of free photo editing software available which can give Photshop a run for it's money.  Here is a list of  top 3 of these free image editing software based on my ranking with their link for download:

1. Gimp

Gimp tops the list because it fits all the requirements for a perfect image editing software. It is completely free open-source image editor, runs on all operating systems, and delivers on all your editing needs. Often termed as the "free Photoshop," it does have an interface and features similar to Photoshop. However, on the other side, one needs to put in a lot of effort to understand and learn using this software to use it to it's full potential.

Gimp can be downloaded at: http://www.gimp.org/



2. Paint.NET



Paint.NET comes a close second in the list of free photo editing software.  Paint.NET is developed at Washington State University with additional help from Microsoft as an extension of Microsoft Paint. This software features transparent layers and an unlimited undo history. A wide range of add-ons can be downloaded to enhance your experience.

It can be downloaded at: http://www.getpaint.net/



3. Photo Pos Pro

Photo Pos Pro features an advance and a well-designed interface which is quite user-friendly interface. It offers a good help system for beginners and many possibilities to dedicated users

It can be downloaded at: http://www.photopos.com/

Preview of Blackberry PlayBook

It was around 10 years back when Microsoft introduced first tablet computing device, but it was Apple iPad which revolutionized tablet computing early this year.  No one ever expected that people will flock to buy a computing device which lacked support for flash, no USB ports, cannot play flash and has no ability for multitasking. However, against all odds, the bigger version of iPhone which could not make calls is selling like hot cake.

Tablet segment is getting hotter with Samsung, Asus, Toshiba, Dell Android based tablets are already out. and HP is up with Windows 7 powered Slate. I dont' need to mention about several iPad clones and Android powered cheap Chinese tablets which are available in the market.

This week RIM (Research in Motion), the maker of Blackberry also announced it's entry in to the world of tablets with it's PlayBook. It's based on a completely new Operating System called Blackberry tablet OS and RIM described it as "the first professional tablet".

• 7-inch LCD, 1024 x 600, WSVGA, capacitive touch screen with full multi-touch and gesture support
• BlackBerry Tablet OS
• 1 GHz dual-core processor ARM based processor.
• 1 GB RAM
• Dual HD cameras (3 MP front facing, 5 MP rear facing), supports 1080p HD video recording
• Video playback: 1080p HD Video, H.264, MPEG, DivX, WMV
• Audio playback: MP3, AAC, WMA
• HDMI video output
• Wi-Fi - 802.11 a/b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Connectors: microHDMI, microUSB, charging contacts
• Open, flexible application platform with support for WebKit/HTML-5, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR, Adobe Reader, POSIX, OpenGL, Java
• Ultra thin and portable: 5.1"x7.6"x0.4" (130mm x 193mm x 10mm)
• Weighs less than a pound (approximately 0.9 lb or 400g)

Now iPad has several contenders but with all of these specs, the Blackberry PlayBook does look very promising and well designed to put Apple in it's place.

AMD challenges Intel's monopoly in notebook and netbook segment

AMD recently showcased  Zacate which is first of the AMD Fusion APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) combines two Bobcat cores and a graphic core on a single chip. With a power rating of 18W, it is targeted towards mainstream notebooks and desktop computers with small form factor.

AMD is expected to soon follow up with Ontario which is a 9W APU aimed at netbook segment, providing battery life of 10+ hours while still capable of rendering gaming performance.

Both Zacate and Ontario have a DirectX 11 capable graphics processor that performs at the level of a discrete GPU, but integrated on a single piece of silicon. Combining the CPU and GPU on the same die gives mainstream performance in half of the die size and lower power consumption..

In a recent demonstration, Zacate outperformed Intel's flagship Core i5 520M and HD graphics by running 40 frames per second (fps) running City of Heroes game which is nearly twice what the Core i5 managed.  Performance difference was more noticeable on Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) Platform Preview test, displaying the HTML 5 acceleration rendered by the GPU in Zacate. The Amazon Shelf test on the IE9 indicated performance was faster on the Zacate system, with almost twice the frame rate.

Score on the Psychedelic Browsing IE9 test, was significantly high for the Zacate system similar to a desktop PC with a discrete graphics card, almost 10 times more than the integrated graphics of the Core i5 notebook.

Zacate is targetted towards mainstream notebook segment which is dominated by Intel's Core i3 and Core i5 processors coupled with Intel HD graphics. Ontario is supposed to take on Intel Atom in netbook segment.

Why you should not switch to iPhone 4

The new magical iPhone 4 is here and the bitten fruit company has already sold millions. Fan boys of the fruit company claim that it is the next best thing technology can bring to you, however I have different views. I would rather suggest to stick to your iPhone 3GS and update it to IOS 4 if you have one or try an Android device.


Here are top 10 reason why you should not switch to an iPhone 4.




1. iPhone 4 is not a 4G phone: don't get confused by the name but the newest iPhone still relies on 3G connectivity. Wimax or 4G is still not widely adapted and only a couple of phones from HTC and Samsung using this technology are currently available.

2. Design Flaws: iPhone has become famous for Grip of Death. Users have reported that calls get disconnected and signal drops at the very moment you hold it in a certain way. However, the fruit company does not accept this as a flaw and advises users to "avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases". It's not about the way you use your phone but the way Mr. Jobs thinks you should.

Also, there are reports of yellow tint on the screen due to material used for bonding the iPhone glass screen. Usual reply from the fruit company is to wait until it completely dries up and goes away after few weeks of use. However, no one complains as fan boys always take a new fruit's flaw as another innovation. Steve Jobs can never be wrong!

3. No support for flash: iPhones and iPads do not supports flash because Mr. Jobs thinks that flash is useless. However, Androids does it, Symbian runs it and the new Bada plays it well. Open a webpage with flash on it and all you see is blank boxes on your newest generation iPhone as you did before.

4. No Mobile hotspot: Most of the new Android and even Samsung Wave which runs Bada can act like a Wi-Fi hotspot to share your 3G Internet with devices like your netbook. However, Fruit company thinks this is a useless feature and one should instead buy a USB data stick.

5. Video Chat: yes, you have heard that right! you may say that iPhone 4 boasts FaceTime which allows users to video chat phone-to-phone, but has major limitations. You can only use this feature on Wi-Fi and only call another iPhone 4. There are many applications for Android devices that work on 3G.

6. Bluetooth: Fruit company does not allow it's phones to make use of bluetooth to transfer files. Even the most basic phones do this.You can apparently use bluetooth on your iPhone to connect a headset only.

7. Battery: iPhone 4 is touted to have a bigger capacity battery than the previous version however, you still get only one day of battery life under normal circumstance with voice, casual Wi-Fi and 3G Internet use. And thanks to Mr. Jobs who thinks changing battery is a complex thing, you need to visit a Apple store in case you need to change the battery as it is sealed inside.

8. Storage: iPhone does not support microSD cards. You will probably say why should it have a microSD slot when you have 16 or 32 GB memory on board, but sorry you cannot use that memory as USB mass storage to store data from your computer. Others can do it easily.

9. No FM radio: Although fruit company markets its iPhone as the best music and multimedia phones around, they still do not offer a basic FM radio functionality.

10. No hardware shutter key for the camera: the newest generation iPhone does not have a camera key because Mr. Jobs thinks it is easier to take pictures with the camera user interface. Other manufacturers are dumb enough  to still include a camera key for ease of non fruit fans.

Digital Photography: Know your camera

Photography has seen a revolution with introduction of digital cameras. Working on the same principle of optics, digital cameras can do everything that film cameras did in addition to a whole bunch of things which were impossible before. Now you can instantly shoot and preview a picture, delete it if you don't like and edit it with built in basic image editor.

Digital photography is fun and now almost every one has a digital camera in his or her pocket as almost every mobile phone has a integrated camera.  Let's explore further and see what kind of cameras we have.

Digital cameras can be roughly categorized in two types:

• Compact or Point and Shoot Cameras
• Interchangeable Lens Cameras

Compact cameras or better know as Point and Shoot Cameras are suitable for causal use. They are light, compact and easy to use. They have a small image sensor, fixed lens, integrated flash and LCD screen which acts like the view finder and to preview taken pictures. They have high depth of field and use contrast detection based auto focus. Using a point and shoot camera is as simple as it's name though some of the models have incorporated various functions and modes. 

There is another sub category in compact cameras that is knows are Bridge Camera which are basically high end Point and Shoot Cameras which resemble DSLR by looks and provide a host of features and greater control on the camera optics. Most of the bridge cameras offer manual focus, long zoom range and ability to control aperture and shutter speed. However, they still use small image sensors and lack the ability to change lens.



Advantages Of ILC:  

• Size and Weight
• Quiet Operation
• Auto Mode
• Price 

Disadvantages:

• Image Quality
• Smaller ISO range
• Speed
• Reliance upon LCD
• Limited Manual Controls
• Less Adaptable

Interchangeable Lens Cameras can further be classified in to DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) and MILC (Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera). Biggest advantage of these cameras is their ability to change lens and use external flash. DSLR camera uses mechanical mirror system or pentaprism to direct light from the lens to optical viewfinder. Therefore, you shoot what you see because because of an accurate preview of frame close to the moment of exposure. They use a larger APS or full frame (35mm) sensors which results in lower noise, higher sensitivity, and increased latitude and dynamic range. DSLR cameras are offer full control over the camera optics and one can change shutter speed to expose the subject to as long as hours. A number of lenses with variable or fixed focal lengths allow you to shoot at  macro mode, zoom , closeup and wide angle. Control over aperture allows to change the depth of field and give a blurring effect to the background. DSLR cameras are bigger, heavier and expensive than compact camera's and are preferred by professional photographers or photography enthusiasts.

Mirrorless Interchangeable Cameras combine many of the benefits of both compact cameras and DSLRs. Compared to compact cameras, they offer a larger sensor and hence higher image quality, and generally include more features and controls. They have DSLR like body and ability to change lens but do not have a mirror or pentaprism optical view finder. Instead they have a electronic view finder which makes them significantly thinner, lighter and cheaper than DSLR. They are suited for amature or serious photographers.

Advantages:

• Image Quality
• Adaptability
• Speed
• large ISO range
• Manual Controls
• Quality Optics

Disadvantages:

• Price
• Size and Weight
• Maintenance
• Noisy
• Complexity

Choosing a Camera for you: Both compact and DSLR cameras have their own advantages and disadvantages, so you should be asking yourself what exactly you need and then choose according to it. If you like taking casual pictures but do not like a camera that is complex and expensive then I would suggest a mid level compact or a hybrid camera. However, if you are serious towards photography and want to dig deeper in the world of photography then a DSLR is highly recommended.
 
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