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onOne Plug-In Suite 5 Review

One of my favorite Photoshop Plug-in Suites just got upgraded. The good folks over at onOne Software have shipped onOne Plug-in Suite 5. I first got turned on to this powerful set of plug-ins back when it was version 3 and have been hooked ever since. Now I'll be the first to admit (like most suites) that I don't use every single feature/plug-in in the suite. However, usually the way suites work is that if you're going to use 2 or more of the products you end up saving money by buying the suite as opposed to the individual products. 

onone5

When I upgraded to Plug-in Suite 4 I was using Mask Pro and PhotoFrame quite a bit. I was also using Genuine Fractals on occasion. Now with Plug-in Suite 5 I'm very intrigued by PhotoTune and PhotoTools. That only leaves Focal Point which also interests me. Yep, it looks like I'll be using much more of this version of the Suite than I ever have before.

PhotoTune3

 

What is onOne Plug-In Suite 5?

Good question and I think that most people see the name and have no idea what this product is or whether or not they need it? Plug-in Suite 5 is a set of  6 powerful plug-ins for Photoshop that can be used by photographers of all skill levels. The plug-ins are accessed right inside the "host application", which can be Adobe Photoshop CS2, Cs3 or CS4 as well as Photoshop Elements 6 or 8 on the Mac or Elements 6, 7 or 8 on PC. Some of the plug-ins are also accessible from within Lightroom 2 or Aperture 2.1.

The Plug-Ins are:

  • FocalPoint – a plug-in to allow photographers to create a realistic depth of field effect in their photos. You can control the focal point and even have multiple focal points.
  • Mask Pro (my favorite) – allows you to mask difficult objects such as hair, glass or smoke/fog. This one has saved my butt on many occasions when I needed to extract someone from a background.
  • PhotoTune – this one simply allows you to easily color correct your photo. If Photoshop Channels confuse you, then PhotoTune will be a dream to work with. 
  • Genuine Fractals – If you've ever tried to size a photo up, you know that it can quickly lose detail and sharpness. This plug-in aims to make the image that you res up look as good as possible. I've used this with great results and looking forward to the new version.
  • PhotoTools – allows you to choose from hundreds of effects to add to your photo to make them stand out. Easy to use with drag and drop as well as sliders.
  • PhotoFrame – we see those cool burned looking edges all the time in print. Although you can do this manually in Photoshop, PhotoFrame makes it soooo much easier. There are several frames included from some of the best Photoshop professionals in the industry.

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iTunes Extras work like a DVD

DVD Extras have never really excited me. I can't think of a single DVD movie that I bought because it had great extras. Director's commentaries, deleted scenes, alternate endings, interviews and trailers are all cool, but I almost never look at them. So needless to say when Apple announced iTunes Extras in iTunes 9, I wasn't even remotely interested. Then something happened…

itunesextra-startrek

 

I saw that I can have visual chapters now?

I loved the NEW Star Trek movie so much that I bought it on iTunes immediately and later on Blu-ray (yes, I know the Blu-ray comes with a Digital Copy. I was excited OK?). I hadn't had a chance to watch it again until recently. I decided to watch it on my Apple TV. I was pleasantly surprised by the menu that came up. Sure I knew about the possibility of Extras, but what I wasn't expecting was a more "DVD like experience" in the form of a menu and more importantly CHAPTER perspective. 

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So what’d you get?

receivegift

photo compliments of iStockphoto.com

I've been reviewing my favorite gadgets, services and apps all year long. Now it's your turn! Tell us what you got this holiday season (tech wise) that you're excited about? Use the comments section below. Tell us what it is, why you like it and provide links if you can? Did you get or give anything from my holiday gadget gift guide?

 

Hey! If you got an iPhone or iPod as a gift, check out my Favorite Accessories here. Also if you're looking for Apps, check out my Must Have Apps here.

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Last minute gift ideas

Last minute gifts

You forgot _______________. It happens. That relative or friend walks through the door that you totally forgot to get a gift for and you feel bad. Yep, it happens. Personally, I wouldn't sweat it. However, for those of you who do (you know who you are) here are a couple of things you can do to save the day.

 

iTunes Printable Gift Certificates

iTunes

When you go to hang up their coat, head to your computer and fire up iTunes. Then go to the iTunes Store and buy a "Printable" gift certificate. You can print it (quietly) on your printer, fold it and stick it in one of those emergency cards that you keep around. Oh yeah, you forgot those too. OK, a handwritten envelope will do. You can then explain to them that with this they can download music, movies, apps and more. Whew!

 

Amazon Printable Gift Certificates

amazongiftcert

OK, so the person that just walked in is not into digital entertainment. I get it! No problem. Head over to Amazon.com (here's the link to get you directly to the gift certificates. This way you won't be out of the room any longer than you have to be) and buy a gift certificate and print it out. Now they can go order whatever they want since Amazon sells just about everything.

 

Happy Holidays and get back to your guests 🙂

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Just Dance for the Nintendo Wii

I don't review a lot of games here because I'm not much of a gamer. So when I do it's usually something that's pretty fun. This is one of those times. My family was really interested in the Just Dance game for the Nintendo Wii so I ordered it. 

 

 

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A10khGHrQ0c

What's the Object of the Game?

Like the title says: Just Dance. While the game does offer some competitive features so that you challenge your friends, you don't have to go that route. You can just queue a good tune (nice 80's songs built-in) and Just Dance. Although I didn't actually play this, I was rolling on the floor laughing at family members who did. Not that they couldn't dance mind you, it was just fun watching some of the more old school dances on screen and watching people trying to mimic the moves. You can have up to four dancers going at once (1 controller per dancer required.) There 35 different dance songs to choose from and each song has its own animated avatar on screen to show you the moves. By holding a Wiimote in your hand it can determine if you're doing the moves correctly. 

If you do decide to have your own dance off, Just Dance will award the most points to the person who does the dance more accurately than the others. If you're using this as a workout I strongly suggest using the built-in warmup routine.

 

It's a lot of fun and of course anything that gets you up off that couch every now and then is a good thing.

 

If you have a Wii and want to have a lot of laughs, I highly recommend this game. It should also be a ball at parties. I can only imagine how much fun this gets after people have had a drink or two. 🙂

You can get Just Dance for the Wii here ON SALE. Also if you need a Nintendo Wii Game Console, you can get one here.

The Wii fit board is NOT required. It simply uses the standard game controllers to tell if you're doing the moves correctly.

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iPhone App of the Week – The Best App Site

appstore

I'm very pleased to announced that my iPhone App of the Week reviews have become so popular that starting today I'm launching a NEW dedicated site for them called BestAppSite.com

 

bestappsite

Why a new site?

 When I started the iPhone App of the Week feature a year ago no one imagined that the App Store would take off like it did. As a result my weekly feature has become very popular and is drawing the attention of the App Developer community. I'm getting requests to review apps left and right. Even if I just wanted to review my favorite apps, I've got over 100 on my iPhone and at one app a week it would take 2 years just to do those! Now that the App Store has over 100,000 apps there is no way I would even cover a small fraction of them doing only one a week.
While I could just do more on my regular Tech Blog, quite honestly it just doesn't fit. There are many readers of my blog that DON'T own iPhones or iPod touches and would probably get turned off with increased coverage. So I thought it best to setup a new site dedicated to DAILY reviews of Apps. This way I can not only cover my favorite apps whenever I want, but also major updates to the apps that I've reviewed in the past. Currently, there just isn't enough room on my tech blog to cover new apps AND updates. So again, why not have a dedicated site just for iPhone app reviews, news, updates and accessories?

 

The Site Design

Knowing that I wanted to create a great site that would not only be functional but well designed, I once again enlisted the talent of the legendary web guru Erik Berskiold of XLD Studios in Sweden. I wanted the Best App Site to really be The Best App Site, so I went to one of the best to get it done and once again Erik has come through for me. This guy is amazing and great to work with! If you have a web project in mind you should definitely check him out. You'll also see an occasional App Review on the new site from Erik. 🙂

 

What about the content – News, Reviews and Updates?

I've already populated the new site with a year's worth of reviews that I've already done. So there's lots to check out there already.
Also with the new site design you'll be able to easily look for apps in a particular category, ones that work with the iPod touch and Free vs. Paid apps. Like most "hobbies", this will have to be done in my spare time. However, I will do my best to have at least one review (gulping as I write this) per day. 

 

Of course it also looks good on your iPhone or iPod touch too

bestappsiteoniPhone

 

The Bottom Line

If you're an iPhone or iPod touch user and you want to learn more about the over 100,000 apps out there, this site is the one you'll want to go to. Head over to BestAppSite.com to see today's review. Thanks for your continued support!

 

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Carry Sensitive Data on an IronKey

ironkey

Although I have what seems like a mountain of thumb/flash drives lying around, I've never had one as cool as the one my friend Mary just gave me. It's called the IronKey. While it looks like an ordinary thumb drive in a cool aluminum casing, it's actually a lot more.

 

For the Security Conscious

As computer users we're taught not to leave a list of our passwords next to our computer right? Some will take it a step further and put that list on their computers in a text filed called something less obvious like "Johnson Rod Repair Manual". However, sensitive data should really be encrypted! While there is no shortage of encryption apps for Mac and PC's, I don't run across hardware solutions as often. Sure, most portable drives will offer something, but in that case it's usually very platform specific and requires the software to actually be "installed" to use it. The IronKey takes a simpler more straight forward approach.

 

Set it up

ironkeysetup

When you first plug in the USB thumb drive, you can launch the app for your platform right off the device itself. They have the documentation there as well. Give it a name and your secure password (please remember it!). You can also enable the Device Reset feature at this point so that if your device is lost/stolen and someone keys in the wrong password too many times it will automatically and securely erase or destroy the device. 

ironkeyinit

 

At this point your IronKey is ready to use

ironkeyunlock

Just key in your password and it will unlock and mount the drive

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TomTom Navigation Apps for iPhone on Sale through 12/28/09

tomtom

As you know I reviewed the TomTom app when it first hit the App Store scene (see my review and video here). One of my original complaints has been addressed and that complaint was about the price! Competition is stiff in the iPhone Navigation App market and although TomTom's first release was less than stellar they have followed up with an update AND some sale pricing. TomTom has also added some of the missing features that I mentioned: they added Lane guidance, Text-to-speech and a Help Me! emergency menu.

So if you're a TomTom interface fan, now's your chance to get the app at a more reasonable price! Also TomTom has released a USA ONLY version for less as well (on sale).

 

TomTom USA Map ONLY for $49.99 here:

TomTom U.S.A.

 

TomTom USA and Canada for $69.99 here:

TomTom U.S. & Canada

 

I always felt that these apps should be in the $50 range (or less), so I'm glad that competition has put some pressure on TomTom.