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A Lomographers Dream Come True: Tiffen Photo fx App (review)
Tiffen Software
Tiffen Photo fx
$2.99 Apple App Store
I don’t review many apps and there’s a good reason for it: not that many are really worth a good review. I don’t like to pan products unless I feel ripped off by them, so generally, if I review a product or piece of software, the review is going to be more positive than negative. The Tiffen Photo fx app is really good. Hopefully, that assessment is enough to pique your interest enough to read why I think it’s so good.
Tiffen’s Photo fx app is a Lomographer’s dream. I don’t know if that’s what Tiffen had in mind when they created this little gem but it certainly was the outcome, for me, at least.
I am a Lomographer. I own multiple cameras and much to my wife’s chagrin, I often lug two or more at a time with us on walks, trips and events. Yes, I also own a nice Canon EOS T3 digital SLR and an iPhone 4 with camera apps but I like the look and feel of film too.
However, <deep breath> I sometimes forego packing up like a beast of photographic burden and just carry my iPhone. Luckily for me I have Tiffen’s Photo fx app to make up for the unbearable lightness of being sans plastic cameras.
But enough about me and my hangups, you want to know about my review of the Photo fx app. Well, I like it. I like it a lot. In fact, I can just about reproduce every “Lomo” effect with it that I can get with one of my many Lo-Fi cameras. It pains me to say that because I really love my cheap, crappy cameras that most people would toss away like yesterday’s newspaper. Sorry about the newspaper reference there–I guess I’m not only dating myself but am going retro again.
The Photo fx app’s main screen allows you to either take a new photo or dig one out of your Camera’s photo gallery. The “effect” is the same so don’t sweat it if you didn’t take the picture with Photo fx. Once you either take a new photo or select one from your gallery of masterpieces, the fun begins.
There are dozens, if not hundreds (I don’t have the patience to count) of effects that await your creative eye. And these aren’t “canned” effects–each one is adjustable on one to three different parameters. The parameters could be brightness, blurriness, sharpness, skew, color intensity and many more. Each effect has its own range of things (parameters) that you can change for that effect.
One of the many effects is Photographic, which mimics different film types, filter types, exposures and so on. If you’re a photographer with any chops, you know what I mean. There are five pages of these photographic effects that vary from these yellows to blues, greens, reds and some other “one off” colors such as amber.
This single effect almost makes fun of photographic anachronists like myself because of the range of predictable creativity you get with it. You don’t get this kind of predictability with film or even digital cameras. You have to import the photos into another expensive program that will remain nameless here and then you have to manipulate it with masks, layers and so on until you get the right visual effect. Sure, your results might be a little better but I’ll have mine on Twitter or in an article way before you will.
The next two screen shots give you a look at two other effect matrices available to you: Special FX and Tint.
I took this picture of the iconic landmark Las Vegas sign on my recent trip. I’d never seen the sign before and had to do it this time. My wife and I walked from Mandalay Bay to the sign and back. We stayed at Caesar’s Palace and walked to Mandalay Bay first, then on to the sign. Not a short trek.
I used the sign because it has a good range of colors and it’s something that’s familiar to everyone.
The Tiffen Photo fx app is a very good buy at $2.99. It sounds a little pricey for an app but you’ll find no other app or three apps that can do all that it does. And in photographic equipment dollars, this app definitely saves some big bucks with its many effects–some of which would only be available through some darkroom trickery or expensive software manipulation.
I give the Tiffen Photo fx app a solid 9 out of 10. Though it’s totally worth it, the price still leaves me a little flat. I think they’d get more traction at $1.99 but it’s not my call. It’s still a bargain at $2.99, especially if you’re an avid iPhoneographer like me. I say, “Get it.”
Review: 9/10
Recommendation: Get it.
IBM’s New Power Systems Bring Affordable Power to SMBs
Before IBM announced its eight new Power Systems, big data solutions and cloud computing solutions were only available to enterprise-level customers. These eight new Power Systems, three new PureSystems models and new Storage Systems technologies bring high-powered but cost-effective results to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). At an entry-level price that’s under $6,000 USD and reseller agreements with TechData and Ingram Micro, IBM puts big computing power at standard x86 pricing into the hands of small business owners.
This “resurfacing” of IBM’s Power Systems allows SMBs to remove the complex nature of developing cloud-based services and applications by making it easier to provision, deploy and manage a secure cloud environment.
Implications for Big Data
Analytics that once seemed out of reach for SMBs are now possible with IBM Netezza Analytics. These new PureData Systems for Analytics, powered by Netezza technlogy, are optimized for big data applications and feature 50 percent greater data capacity per rack and the capability of analyzing data up to three times faster than earlier versions of PureData Systems for Analytics.
“IBM Netezza Analytics is an embedded, purpose-built, advanced analytics platform — delivered with every IBM Netezza appliance — that empowers analytic enterprises to meet and exceed their business demands.”
IBM Netezza Analytics’ is a fusion of data warehousing and in-database analytics. The result is a scalable, high-performance, massively parallel advanced analytic platform that is designed to crunch through petascale data volumes. This allows users to query the data that are only imagined on other architectures. IBM Netezza Analytics design provides better and faster answers to the most sophisticated business questions.
With IBM’s Netezza Analytics and new PureData System for Analytics, you can leverage the power and clarity of big data analytics without the huge cost layout associated with enterprise-level technology.
Accelerating Cloud Computing Adoption
Cloud computing doesn’t have to be painful or expensive. The smaller PureApplication System offers companies with limited budgets and technical resources a “cloud in a box” solution. All the infrastructure and management software required to develop and deploy new on-premise cloud are included to remove the complexity, the time and the labor usually associated with cloud migration projects. And there’s no performance sacrifice with these smaller configurations, so don’t assume that you’re getting less just because you’re paying less and dealing with less hassle.
One of the pudding proofs of this high performance, low cost and minimal hassle assertion is IBM’s Managed Service Provider (MSP) client market segment. MSPs assist SMBs solve complex technical problems. To grow their own businesses, MSPs must expand their IT infrastructures and service delivery capabilities and minimize disruptions and risks associated with business growth. IBM offers services and infrastructure solutions designed specifically for MSPs including new MSP Editions, flexible “pay as you grow” financing options, and enhanced marketing and sales support. These offerings empower MSPs to deliver cloud infrastructures that enable them to drive new revenue streams.
IBM’s new offerings for SMBs include:
- Smaller PureApplication System
- PureApplication System on POWER7+
- Expanded Software Patterns Catalogue
- MSP Editions for PureFlex System and Flex Systems
- SmartCloud Desktop Infrastructure
“PureSystems is part of IBM SmartCloud offerings, a portfolio of enterprise-class cloud computing technologies and services built on open standards that provides flexible deployment options including PureSystems and IBM SmartCloud services. IBM helps clients build private clouds with IBM SmartCloud Foundation, which provides a common cloud operating environment across the different deployment options. IBM SmartCloud helps clients quickly build and scale private clouds and hybrid clouds for cloud capabilities such as Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service.”
IBM’s new product offerings focus on small to medium-sized business needs in a way that no other vendor does. IBM and its partners continue to innovate to make your business more efficient and more profitable to operate. And if you need expertise to get it done, IBM and its partners are there to support you.
Big data analytics and cloud computing are but two of the hundreds of services and platforms available to meet your needs.
Read more about IBM Analytics, Data warehouse products and Cloud computing solutions. Download the Cloud Computing for Dummies ebook and find out how cloud computing can transform your business.
IBM’s Global Financing offers flexible and affordable financing to acquire the technology you need to expand and extend your business.
This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet.
I’ve been compensated to contribute to this program, but the opinions expressed in this post are my own and don’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions, strategies or opinions.
Virtualization Tips: Insights from Virtualization Experts
Virtualization is a move in the right direction for many reasons: service rightsizing, consolidation, cloud computing, agile solutions, better hardware utilization, XaaS and modernization. The migration from a purely hardware-driven data center to a more virtualized one can seem daunting. To add confusion, there are several options from which to choose in the virtualization market. And although some industry experts would argue, there’s no single correct answer to every problem.
If you’re considering moving toward a virtualized infrastructure, there are some things that you should know first. For example, server and service consolidation projects usually precede virtualization projects. You already have too many servers doing too little, so you don’t want to simply convert that inefficient environment to a virtual one. You won’t gain the savings that you deserve, if you do.
IBM has created a Virtualization Tips infographic that you can view or download for reference. This infographic contains valuable tips and advice from leading industry experts. The infographic includes the four primary steps toward realizing your own virtual infrastructure: prepare, plan, extend and implement.
The infographic also includes survey results and statistics from more than 2,000 industry decision makers.
IBM also offers you the code to embed the infographic on your website.
Dan Kusnetsky’s eBook promotion is on the IBM MM Facebook page: http://goo.gl/yZmY3. Please note that for the eBook promotion, users can only receive the download if they are a fan of IBM for Midsize Businesses on Facebook.
This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet.
I’ve been compensated to contribute to this program, but the opinions expressed in this post are my own and don’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions, strategies or opinions.
CBTNuggets PowerShell 3 Foundations with Don Jones (podcast)
Ready to learn Windows PowerShell? Learn from the best: Microsoft MVP award recipient Don Jones, author of “Learn Windows PowerShell 3 in a Month of Lunches,” presents a video training series that will help you master PowerShell’s foundations with absolutely zero prior experience.
Using a friendly, approachable style and a carefully planned outline, Don introduces you to PowerShell’s ins and outs, one piece at a time. With a focus on teaching you how to use PowerShell to actually teach yourself, you’ll become “immediately effective” in just a few short lessons, and start exploring some of PowerShell’s high-end capabilities. Full of clear demonstrations and advice for avoiding the most common pitfalls and “gotchas,” this is the perfect way to learn Microsoft’s new command-line and scripting technology.
PowerShell 3 Foundations on CBTNuggets.com.
Podcast Details: Length: 26:58 mins. Format: MP3. Rated: G, for all audiences.
Podcast: PowerShell_3_Don_Jones_CBTNuggets
Technology Trends for SMBs: 2013 Outlook with Ed Abrams (Podcast)
Podcast with Ed Abrams, IBM‘s VP of Marketing and Strategy for Small and Medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
By 2017, the CMO will Spend More on IT Than the CIO, according to Gartner. With that in mind, small and midsize businesses (SMBs) are evaluating strategies for business success, keeping in mind that new technologies and marketing trends are likely to take center stage in the coming year.
In the podcast, Ed and I discuss how SMBs can better understand the individual consumer, how SMBs are leveraging mobile and cloud technologies in order to unfold new business opportunities, how new technologies are helping SMBs provide better customer analysis to help grow business, some best practices for SMBs to more effectively manage a more global and remote workforce to increase overall productivity and the top challenges SMBs face today as the consumer purchasing patterns change.
Ed_Abrams_IBM_SMB_Business_Trends_04_Jan_2013
Podcast Info: Length: 19:48 mins. Format: MP3. Rated G for all audiences.
This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet.
Chris Dotson discusses IBM Cloud Solutions for SMBs (Podcast)
Chris Dotson and I discuss IBM Cloud solutions for small and medium-sized businesses including security concerns, costs, advantages and gotchas.
Chris Dotson is currently the Worldwide Infrastructure Architect for Infrastructure and Provisioning Requirements in the IBM CIO office. In this role, Chris is involved in many different cloud initiatives in IBM, with a specific focus on cloud security. Prior to that, Chris was the lead architect for the IBM CIO Dev/Test Cloud, an internal private cloud within IBM created in 2009 that provides infrastructure services to developers and testers. Chris currently holds twelve professional certifications, including the Open Group Master Certified IT Architect certification.
To register for Chris’ upcoming webcast discussed in the podcast, go to the Registration URL.
Date/Time: Dec 13 1:00 pm Eastern.
As the industry prepares to turn the page on another year, Chris looks ahead at the trends that he believes will dominate the landscape in 2013. They include:
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) will mature with a greater focus on service level agreements. This development will draw more providers in the market and increased choice. We’ll buy services the same way we buy cars. We’ll specify exactly what we need for mileage, cargo capacity and performance – and expect providers to deliver.
The year of Platform as a Service (PaaS). IaaS can be somewhat difficult to use, but PaaS promises to provide popular services without all the complexity and customization. Research indicates that PaaS is about to break out, and 2013 could be the year.
Get API-Happy. It’s cool that people can provision their own services, but the real promise of cloud is realized when applications can do the same thing. The programmableweb.com application program interface (API) directory has doubled in size in the last year, and there’s plenty of growth still to come. Learn what to look for in the coming year.
Standards Mature. While many IaaS providers have settled on the Amazon APIs, there’s very little standardization in the PaaS market. Expect to see a lot more standards activity in this area in 2013, which will translate into better and more flexible services.
That’s just the beginning. Learn more about where the cloud market is headed in this provocative and interactive webcast. Come ready to ask your own questions as Chris looks into his crystal ball at Cloud Outlook 2013.
Chris Dotson IBM Cloud Solutions for SMBs Discussion
Podcast: MP3 Format. 32:02 min. Rated G for all audiences.
This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet.
IBM Offers $4 Billion in SMB Financing and a New Mobile Credit App
IBM recently announced that it is providing its ecosystem of business partners with $4 billion in financing for credit-qualified clients over a period of 12 months. This financing, available through IBM Global Financing, can make obtaining credit easier and more accessible to enable IBM’s Business Partners and their clients to acquire technologies such as cloud, analytics and PureSystems.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) consistently reports that well over 50 percent of small businesses fail within their first five years due to lack of capital. Since this segment is responsible for nearly 65 percent of global GDP, representing more than 90 percent of all businesses and employing more than 90 percent of the world’s workforce, SMBs play a critical role in a global economic recovery.
Financing is one of the biggest challenges limiting the success of SMBs today.
Clients can now take advantage of these new technologies with no money down and by simply making monthly or quarterly financing payments. For example, many of the offerings are less than $5 per user per month (over 36 months) for 100 users. In addition, these technologies can now be up and running in a matter of two to three days, saving SMBs up to 50 percent in cost and time.
The new solutions also include analytics for SMBs to tackle “Big Data” challenges to help better extract insight and spot trends to make better business decisions and identify new market opportunities. These offerings will combine technologies from IBM’s recent acquisitions. In fact, the survey highlighted analytics as the top priority by more than 83 percent of CIOs.
IBM is also launching a new mobile app as another step to simplify the way IBM’s Business Partners can apply for financing and gain access to credit within minutes via any mobile device.
IBM Global Financing can provide credit qualified clients access to the capital you need to quickly and affordably move to IBM. Working with IBM can simplify the process and provide you a financing structure that helps you preserve cash, improve your financial return and mitigate risk.
This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet.
Kogeto Panoramic Accessory for iPhone 4 (Review)
Product: Kogeto Panoramic Accessory for iPhone 4
Price: $79.00 Retail, $36.33 Amazon.
Kogeto.com
Being an avid photographer is a double-edged sword. People love to look at and discuss my pictures, ask why I took certain shots and laugh at my purely artistic renderings. The other half, my subjects, often wonder if I have anything better to do with my time or my cameras. I do but I love photography, so we all must bear the curse of my hobby. When I received the Kogeto Dot for review, my family scattered into every possible direction knowing that they’d be filmed in wonderful 360-degree awesomeness.
For review, I received the Kogeto Dot “Breast Cancer Awareness” version in bright pink, which is hard to miss, especially when I’m carrying it around. Everyone looks in wonder. At least once every time I attach it to my phone, someone asks me about it and wants to see it work. I took it to the Tulsa State Fair and walked past The Side Show to give it a test. You can see that everyone nearby looked on as if I had on clown makeup (I didn’t).
The Dot is a very fun gadget to use. I love it. It’s lightweight (0.5 ounce) and, if you get the black one, hardly anyone would notice it.
The cool thing about it is that it comes with its very own app, Looker. Of course, the app is free and works very well with the camera lens. The only things you have to get used to are: 1) You have to hold it face up (lens down) with the phone flat and 2) You have to trust the app, not your eyes. If you look at the app picture, you can’t tell what you’re looking at because you basically get a donut shaped viewer that looks very distorted. Don’t look at it.
Open the Looker app, press record, hold the phone high over your head with the lens down. When you upload the video to the Kogeto page, click the Flip button to turn your video right side up. The reason you have to hold it with the lens down is because of glare from light sources, such as overhead lights, the sun and any light that’s brighter than your surroundings.
When you watch your videos, you can actually pan the video while you’re watching them. Live panning. It’s so cool. I just can’t enough good about this little gadget. It’s fun, it’s inexpensive and it’s a cool addition to any iPhoneographer’s bag. You gotta have it.
I give this product a rare and perfect 10/10.
My Kogeto Dot gallery:
IBM and MSPs Interview with Ed Abrams (Podcast)
October 25, 2012 – Interview with Ed Abrams, Vice President of Marketing for IBM Mid Market Business. In this 20 minute podcast, Ed and I discuss IBM’s global initiative around its MSP partner program and what it means to small and medium-sized businesses. We also discuss how to become an MSP partner and transitioning your business to cloud computing.
Ed Abrams October 25, 2012 IBM MSP Podcast.
Length: 20:10 minutes. MP3 format. Rated G for all audiences.
This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet.
IBM and CloudShare: Agile Development Partnership
Selecting a VM Template
IBM recently announced its partnership with CloudShare enhancing the world of cloud application development. The partnership provides advanced application lifecycle management capabilities for agile development in a single virtual package. IBM and CloudShare provide you with a complete development environment using Rational Team Concert, pre-installed and ready for your development projects. And, you also have ready-made client systems setup with the Eclipse IDE for rapid development.
CloudShare’s environment offers quick setup from single client systems to multi-server farms. The interface is very easy to use–so easy, in fact, that you could be logged into your new system in as little as five minutes.
The eight easy steps to your own CloudShare Cloud infrastructure:
- Register
- Login to CloudShare
- Select your Template
- Add Machine
- Save and Run
- View Machine
- Login
- Get to work
Working with a Linux VM
You might have a difficult time selecting from all of the available operating systems and setup options. Although, the CloudShare Available Machines site lists just over 30 options, you’ll find more than 60 when it’s time for you to setup your infrastructure. From classics such as Windows XP, CentOS 5 and Windows Server 2003 to Windows 8 Enterprise, Ubuntu 12.04 and Windows Server 2012 and everything in between and a few beyond, they’re all there and ready to serve.
Cloud computing addresses one of the more frustrating aspects of traditional application development, according to Guri Stark, CEO of CloudShare. “Getting additional resources and new versions of servers and software is costly and takes a long time,” he said. In contrast, a cloud service can spin up new virtual machines in minutes.
If you’re looking for spectacular, CloudShare has it with 23 different SharePoint Templates in every possible configuration. And, to get you up and running rapidly, you can deploy an entire SharePoint Development farm with a single click. For example, you can deploy the community written SharePoint farm for developers. This “Small Farm” configuration has a separate SQL Server, separate Active Directory, a Web Front End, and an App server with all your favorite SharePoint development tools.
Deploying a SharePoint “Small” Farm
Imagine the possibilities with your own N-Tier, shareable, Cloud-based application development environment consisting of an Active Directory Server, two SharePoint Enterprise Servers and a SQL Server 2008 R2 deployed in under ten minutes.
The benefits of this type of environment and service are that SMBs can take advantage of low cost Cloud-based solutions without any capital expenditures or long-term contracts.
For those of you who’ve wrestled with Amazon.com’s AWS, you’ll thank IBM and CloudShare for this easy to use and rapid deployment solution.
Further information regarding the announcement and platform. If you’d like to try CloudShare for yourself, check out the 14-day free trial.
This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet.
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