Photo Darkroom on your Smartphone

Remember the old photo darkrooms? There's a whole younger generation of people who will answer "no" to that question. Of course we no longer need a dark room to develop our photos in a liquid bath now that everything is digital. Now you can go one step further and edit your photos, even store them using downloaded apps for your smartphone from Photobucket, Posterjack, TheDarkroom, or even Microsoft. The quality is quite good, certainly comparable to some of the best digital cameras on the market today. It's possible that even special visual effects will be available soon. In order to get people using these apps the companies are offering prizes for photo contests to be shared on the Instagram or Twitter sites of these companies. Here is the latest one from Photobucket sent by e-mail and posted on their Facebook site. They go on to promise 8GB of storage if you download their photo storage app.

You can do more with a smartphone than shoot a selfie! With the all-new Photobucket mobile apps its a snap to upload, edit and share. Show us how creative you can be with nothing more than your phone, some filters and our free mobile app! Our favorite mobile photos will win a free 16x20 canvas print. How to enter:

1. Download the free all-new Photobucket Mobile app

2. Turn your phone away from your face and shoot a stellar photo

3. Share it on Instagram, Twitter or Photobucket using the hashtag: #pbMobile

Let's look at another of the burgeoning number of online photo apps offered - www.blacks.ca, a Canadian company. Here is their tutorial.

Tutorial

  When you've captured that special moment, it has to be right. The Black's Photo Print App tutorial reviews all the features of the app so you'll know exactly how to access them when you need them. We'll even review special features like how to adjust image settings to help you create just the right mood.

• Navigate the app using the specific iPhone buttons and icons,
• Take photos directly from the Black's Photo Print app,
• Browse through photos you've already taken,
• Adjust image settings like exposure, contrast, saturation, colour, and sharpness,
• Rename an image,
• And more.

To read more click here. While some may bemoan the change to instant photos, I for one welcome the chance to have countless former specialized services at my fingertips, thanks to computers and digital software. However, it means a new learning curve, so there's going to be folks who will be happy to have someone else develop and even store their pictures. I suspect that there will be a new profession for people who specialize in "developing" photos using this new technology with smartphones.

Time of Reflection at a Trappist Monastery

Time of Reflection at a Trappist Monastery

Using the Touch Screen Stylus Pen

Cell phones have for many years had touch screen capacity (using fingers to activate certain functions). Now we have tablets, iPods and many other larger screens using touch. Along came the Samsung Galaxy with the touch screen stylus pen. What are the advantages of using a stylus?

• It's more exact. Some people have fat fingers or are not used to the exact touch needed for using their fingers.
• You can write on the screen faster, smaller and of course more exactly. Writing notes digitally has become very popular.
• The pen can easily be stored, it's cheap to replace and some of them come with replaceable conductive foam tips.
• People are used to using pens and pencils so changing to the screen is quite simple.
• The Samsung Galaxy has a small pocket in the phone itself for storage of the pen.

Although they are cheap, let's imagine you are in a location where they are not available and the online companies won't ship any to you. It is possible to make your own. Here's what one clever technician, Amit Agarwal, from Digital Inspiration has to say.

 To create your own capacitive stylus, all you need is an electric wire, an old pen (with either a plastic or metal body) and some conductive foam. Conductive foam is often used in the packaging of electronic chips and integrated circuits so if you have bought some computer component in the past (like extra RAM), you may already have all the required material in your home.   To read the original click here.

It seems that the clips to hold the stylus to your pocket or notebook can break or the pen itself can break if made from thin plastic. Also, the tip needs to be a durable and soft material such as fiber mesh. It's best not to buy the cheapest ones. Unfortunately not all styluses can be used on all devices as well. it's best to try one out before purchasing and not to press too hard on your hard-working screen. It seems in the future that these accessories will become more common, although the fast finger people may still keep their way of operation.

New Stock and Kind of Mobile Phone Chargers Are Now Available

Now there are now a selection of battery chargers available - ones that carry a charge (wireless) and are as tiny as a lipstick case, ones that need to be connected into other energy and also chargers that are fairly large and power entire networks.

Generally the bigger the charger the quicker the charge returns to the accessory being charged. The small chargers do provide some emergency power but many of them are not able to fully charge you mobile devices. The best choice now is the medium-sized charger that plugs into AC or DC power.
The medium-sized chargers that must be plugged into a source of power has a charge which varies from 3 volts - 5 volts depending on the location (less amperage with the house or AC power). The house Output = DC 5.0V - 5.5V 500mA and the car Output = DC 5.0V - 5.5gv 800mA. It must be kept in mind that these chargers are designed to be used in the US, Canada or other countries that have power of 110 watts or less (about 12 volts) Most mobile and electronic applications require only 5 volts to charge. Your appliance will draw only the amount of current it needs, so your appliances should be fine with these chargers.They are not universal and cannot be used without an adapter in countries like Thailand where the power sources are much higher.

However, there is a new charger yet ahead on the marketplace from an 18-year-old Indian-American science student who created a cellular phone charger that charges in less than half a minute. In order to do this she customized a supercapacitor "with increased energy density while maintaining power density and long cycle life". Her name is Eesha Khare from Saratoga, California, and she's headed to Harvard this autumn where she will continue her studies.

In the meantime prior to the time that Eesha's creation is available to everyone for charging all mobile devices, it would be best to find a small charger using AC or DC power. A brand-new type of cell phone battery charger is now available that can be used in both the home or office but also the car when travelling. This white, torpedo-shaped charger might not look like something as helpful and sturdy as it is. Why would one want a charger for both the auto and workplace? It's something that could always be carried with you to have ready when needed.

There are a number of chargers that use USB plugs such as this one but few that can be used in both the car and house. It's a good idea to try some of these first before purchasing, but unfortunately, sometimes they will fail after a period of use. It's best to find a reliable company that guarantees its products and will replace any defective units.

The author writes for Internet on the Go, a company that specializes in sales of cell phone accessories and internet services such as websites for mobile devices. For more about the chargers: http://net-on-the-go.com/specialoffer You can also find out more about the handy cell phone holder here: http://net-on-the-go.com/awesomeholders