USB Flash Drives as Gift for upcoming Christmas
Christmas is coming again. Now is the time to start thinking about buying suitable presents for love ones, friends, colleagues etc
Here are some USB Flash drives gifts ideas for those looking for inspiration this year.
The price of these mobile, small sized gadgets hasdropped so much these days that it has almost become something which people readily give away. There are many instances when customers ask me to sell them the cheapest flash drive ( Thumbdrive as it is known in Singapore) just so that they can store data in it and to give it away.
But these little gadgets can be built into cute or useful gift to be shared as gifts. These are some of the flash drive ideas which I think make good gifts for upcoming Christmas.
1) Jewel USB Flash Drive cum necklace
This is something that the ladies will like. Double up fashion accessories with IT gadget.The sparkling jewels can be worn around he neck during office hours and used as and when require to store data in it.
Now available in 4GB size to store all your favorite pictures, video and data.
Cat Jewelled 4GB Flash Drive
Now available on sale at $19.
For local delivery ( Singapore) only.
2) Guard your data with hardware password that blocks out malware from computers
Do not underestimate this flashdrive. It may look plain, but it offers hardware protection agains malware when plugged into auto-run malware infected computers.
Introducing Super Talent Data Guardian USB drive which offers simple hardware-based interface, password protection. No software required to install.
Simply enter password to access your data. Protects against unauthorise use of flash drive too.
Super Talent Data Guardian 4GB Flash Drive
4GB Flash Drive version is now on sale at $19.90 only.
3) Super Talent – Pen cum laser pointer cum 4GB Flash Drive
Have you ever forget to bring a pen or flash drive or laser pointer to a presentation or meeting? Well you can take a look at this little gadget which serves all these 3 functions.This silver colour pen is something which will proved to be very useful for those busy executives who need to do presentation every now and then.
Perfect for own office use or as a corporate gift this coming christmas! Comes packaged in a silver metallic box.
4GB Flash drive version is available for sale.
Super talent pen cum laser pointer cum flash drive
super_talent_pen cum laser pointer cum flash drive
super_talent pen cum laser pointer cum flash drive
More designs of flash drives are also available at http://bongster.sg/index.php?option=com_hikashop&ctrl=category&task=listing&cid=28&name=storage-media&Itemid=8
Google +
Recently tried out Google+, which is supposed to be a direct competitor to Facebook. Logged in few times to try out the interface.
Have not uploaded any pictures , video or information to it yet, but kind of like it so far. The distinctive part that strike me about Google + is that people associated with the user are divided by circles. Ie, friends, family , acquaintances etc. This means that you can post something under your account and decide who gets to view these information. For instance, if I post a family picture which I only want to my family members to know about it, then I can restrict it to members in my family circle. So no more getting these pictures or video to those whom you do not know.
This feature is really a nice touch and is different from the way facebook is sending the pictures and information across the network.
The other thing which I discovered so far is that you can add people to your circle regardless of whether they are using Google+. This is unlike Facebook which needs the other party to be member of Facebook in order to see and view the content. This is very refreshing because social media sites will want the targeted persons to be member of the social network before you can share any information to them.
Google + is linked to my Gmail account, so everytime I sign in to my gmail, so i can actually click on the little icon at the top right hand corner of my gmail webpage. Quite useful, if you are already a Gmail user.
As of few days back, Google + is now open to all users and not just restricted to invites only.
Try it out yourself and decide how good it is against facebook.
google_plus
Crazy Over Android Organizer Apps
I have been trying out different organizer / note taking apps ever since I have my android phone ( which has been over a year now) . Its weird, but I have at least three to four different note taking apps now residing in my phone and I cannot quite decide which one I like best. Most of them served the same function of taking down notes which you type into the phone and some even links to a account at a website so that you can access the notes everywhere ( ie, as long as there is internet connection)
Some of these apps also allow users to take photos and attempt to keep them organized for easy retrieval.
The thing about Android apps is that they achieve different effects on different types of phone, even if these different phones are running on the same version of Android rom. So its something you have to try for yourself to see if it works well for you on your phone. That’s the thing about Android apps, the stability of the apps is not consistent across brands.
Anyway, these are some of the apps which have managed to stay in my phone after trying out many many ones. Most of them allow storage of notes over the internet so that users can retrieval the notes anytime.
1) Astrid Task
-Works like task list with tags, timer, deadline with alarm. Its an app that has stayed in my phone since beginning of time and I still use it when i need a task scheduler.
Astrid icon
This is their website, check it out.
2) Colour Note
Colour notes allow taking notes in text and also can work out check list. This check list can be categorized accordingly with colour codes, add locks, reminders etc. You can also send the note through email, SMS or other notetaking applications. Easy to use. You can also choose to lock the messages.
ColorNote Notepad Notes
3) Do It Tomorrow
This app is the latest addition to my phone. Super Easy to use. Only two pages, one reads “Today”, one reads “Tomorrow”. Its like a to do list in a notebook, everytime something has been completed, you can strike it out in the notebook page. Like writing it in a notebook with font similar to handwrinting font.
These are few of the organizer apps which you can try out to see if it helps to organize things a little better. Do let me know if you have better ones to share.
Web Apps and Extensions from Chrome
About one month ago, I have started using Google Chrome browser as a alternative to Firefox, which I have been using as default browser for last few years. In trying out the various extensions for Chrome, I stumbled upon some of the web apps which I thought were quite useful.
Google Chrome- captured with awesome screenshot
The thing I liked about firefox is the extensions which allows huge amount of flexibility, based on user preferences and likewise, I wanted to see if Chrome offers similar features as well. What I have experienced so far may not fully replace Firefox as my default browser, but it does offer interesting features which makes me want to go back to explore somemore.
There are two main add ons in Chrome. One is called Extension, while the other is known as Apps. Initially, I was a little confused about the difference both of them, but it sort of became clear after a while.
Extensions are little programmes added to the browser itself, which will help you while you are using the browser. Its concept is very similar to that of Firefox extensions, where these programmes are tagged onto your browser, making it a personalised web browsing experience.
On the other hand, there is another add on know as Apps, which are programs, once installed, opens up another tab which allows user to work on the programs within the browser. This is the one which i thought was really cool, because there are some online apps which has nice advance features for vectors drawing and picture editing. These are completely FREE for anyone to use. These apps even include different filters and support layers, which makes it very easy for installation and usage. Its really quite a cool idea, though all these will still need Internet access to work. My only concern is that whether internet speed will affect the effectiveness of the apps, when it comes to vector drawing and editing since all these are done online. I will need to try out more on these apps to know for sure.
Here are some of the extensions which I really liked from Chrome so far.
1) Awesome Screenshot
This extension allows user to take snapshot of what the browser is showing off the webpage. Very useful when I I am doing a search for something and want to take a snapshot of the webpage for future reference.
2) Day Hiker
This is my solution to organising my to-do list and calender since this extension can sync in with my google mail.
3) All Mangas Reader
This has to be my favorite extension as it can lead me quickly to Mangas site for online reading. Very easy to navigate and use.
4) Ad Block
I always use ad block on firefox, so this is one of the must have on all my browsers.
These are my Webapps so far.
1) Art Project
This app shows artwork from a selected list of museums. Some of the art works can be zoomed in for details. Very cool, I have gone through some of the art pieces and have to say I am very impressed with some of the details found in the art pieces. I suspect internet speed will be a concern to view these art pieces smoothly as some of them are pictures in very high resolution.
2) Aviary Vector Editor and Avairy Advanced Image Editor
These are the two apps which are very handy, as user can now create, draw vectors ( using the vector editor) and edit photos ( using the advanced image editor) through chrome. From the looks of it, it seemed to support advanced as well as basic users in these two areas. I have yet to try it out, though these two apps now reside on my chrome browser. Will update once I have experimented with these two.
That’s all for now. Will update once I find out more.
Cheers!
Mobile Phone pictures making the magic moment
These days mobile phones are much more capable of taking pictures than the past. I think the photos people take with handphones are very spontaneous and fun. I guess the fact that manufacturers manage to squeeze in better cameras into phones helps a lot.
There are also so many apps available in the market to post process these pictures straight from the phone. Especially if you are an Android or Iphone user.
I have been using HTC android phone for the past year, andI have been trying all types of different apps with randoms shots from the phone. My phone camera is not the best, but the apps does help to make the pictures turn out nicer. The truth is, with the newer breed of Android phones out in the market, the quality of the pictures get better over time too.
These are the apps I am currently using on my HTC Hero, running on 2.1 rom to share with those looking for camera apps:
Camera 360
This is one of my favorite camera apps as it has many different modes which adds different type of effects to the pictures I took. u get to see the effects almost immediately after you capture them on the phone. Fast, easy and Fun.
Some shots taken with camera 360
Camera 360_HDR_look
-FX Camera
This used to be my favorite app before I tried camera 360. There are not as many modes available as camera 360, but it is very easy to use. There are 6 major modes to choose from, ranging between toy camera, symmetrical ( mirrors your image), Warhol, fisheye, polaroid (my favorite mode). Absolutely easy to easy; just click the mode and take your picture.
Some samples:
FxCam_effect2
-Retro Camera
This one uses old camera type of effect and allows you to choose between black and white pictures and coloured ones. Quite interesting effects for some of the shots taken.
You can see from here some of the special effects from this app:
-Camera Advance Lite
This one is meant for those who like to play with advance settings in a camera. Can still choose to point and shoot but some folks do not like it as they find the buttons awfully confusing. Its now in my phone, but camera takes a long time to focus and hence have to wait a while in cases where camera detect insufficient light. Not the app which I used most often.
Photoshop Express
I also use Photoshop Express for simple post processing. Also easy and fast to use, with easy buttons to do cropping, adjusting exposure, saturation, tint etc. There is also option to try preset different borders and effects too.
These are some fast and easy ways to use the Android phone camera apps to take pictures and also do some post processing. They are by no means a real substitute for good cameras and post proessing softwares which runs on computers, but they are definately fun to use, much like desserts after a meal.
Simple Desktop Wallpaper
Was following a link at lifehacker website, and came across this link about simple desktop featuring range of minimalist designs for desktop wallpapers which are so great to use.All these designs are vector designs but with the intention not to cluster the desktop. Indeed a refreshing change from the usual pictures.
I have downloaded quite a few of them which are now used as my wallpaper on my laptop.
Click on these links if you are interested and see if any caught your fancy.
http://lifehacker.com/5701726/simple-desktops-is-a-hub-for-attractive-distraction+free-wallpaper
bird
Credit – Picture of “Bird” taken from : http://simpledesktops.com/
Christmas Offers for Computer Accesories
Have not been posting updates here for a long time.
Have been a little pack with stuffs here and there. And coming soon is christmas , which also marks the end of the year.
Here is a poster which I have done up for the shop to kickstart Christmas Weekly Offers at the shop.
Do come by the shop at Chinatown Point #02-32 ( Next to Chinatown MRT station), if you are keen to pick up these items. BTW, offer valid only in Singapore.
More Quilt Blankets put up for sale
I have uploaded more quilt blankets up in Flickr for sale. Actually, there are more than those you can see, but I will need a little bit of time to process them for uploading.
Do visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/pufferfizh/ to take a look and see if there are any to your liking.
More to come during the week as I work on the batch of photos.
Cheers.
