Photoshop is a very powerful tool, but has a couple of drawbacks. It is very expensive, and it’s pretty complicated to use. Here is an alternative to Photoshop. It’s called Paint.net and has “an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools.” Best of all is the price. It’s free. And there are many “forums” available if you are looking for paint.net online communities. I have used this software, and I find that is a great alternative for Photoshop if you are an average user like myself, and not into the professional aspect of digital photo editing. Check it out at the link below.

via paintnet

Sono Vaio laptops are great except for the problems with the hard-to-use Vaio keyboards. Sony has just released the Graphic Splash Expressions Collection, with nice, multicolor cases, and for about $25.00 extra, your choice of custom fonts for the keyboard, including one script. Shown here is the floral pattern. There is also Leave, and Victorian Lace. All patterns come in blue, pink, and basic black.

“The entry-level configuration (Intel Core 2 Duo [2.1GHz], 2 GB memory, 120 GB hard drive, wireless and Bluetooth, plus Vista, Works, Quickbooks) is a pretty reasonable $1279. But you can go up and up to faster processors, 4 GB of memory, a 300 GB hard drive, Blu-ray, and so forth and so on. 2 lines of engraving, however, are free.”

via popgadget

Other companies that make MP3 players are jumping on the price-cut wagon, since Apple has lowered their price on the Shuffle. Creative has got a great offer with the Muvo T100 2GB version and 4GB version. The 2GB has dropped to $34.99, and the 4GB down to $54.99. And they come in three colors, pink, black, or blue. And they all have a direct USB connection, which is great.

via chipchick

The “Struckmachine” is a cool sort of knitting machine that allows you to make scarves with special patterns made up of what you choose. Things such as personal information on your credit card, if you choose. I know…who would choose that? Or, it will collect and translate political news from RSS feeds and collect them into a visual form on a knitted sweater. This wierd gadget was on display recently at the ARS Electronica Festival. I guess the point is, is that you can knit almost anything now that you can read or see.

(Source: Guerilla Innovation)

The O’neil H4 Audio Beanie is a winter cap designed for snow boarders that has a secret. It hides integrated headphones inside of it. The earphones are molded into the beanie’s earflaps. They also feature what they call a “cover cap” that is said to enhance audio quality, and also protect your ears from freezing in the cold. The device can be connected to most audio devices via a 3.5 mm output connector. It’s available in several different styles and colors for both men and women. Cost is about $70.

via chipchick

I hate having to keep up with keys. There are keys for everything. Keys for work. Keys for Driving. Keys for your Office. Keys for your home. It goes on and on. I have memorized my locksmith’s number, because at least once or twice a year, I loose a key. This device will allow you to carry one less key, the key to your front door. It’s a keyless entry system that uses a Biometric Fingerprint to gain access. And it only opens at your touch, or at the touch of up to 120 of your closest friends, which you can program to have the same access you do.

It uses 4AA batteries, and no PC connection is required. Fingerprint verification and door lock are combined in a single unit for easy installation. And the fingerprints can be registered or erased directly right from the lock.

I’m not sure just how secure Biometric fingerprint security is. And I’m not sure how your insurance company will react to this new technology. If anyone has some information, feel free to comment.

via popgadget.net

Here is a cool concept design for a bathroom scale. It’s called the Paper Weighing Scale, and it’s by Duck Image Studio. Hopefully, it will come into production one day. It seems like a great idea.

“The paper weighing scale is different from other weighing scales. It is inconspicuous, almost like paper, and can be placed anywhere in the house as it is ultra-thin and flexible. The figures are depicted via large numerals flashed on an e-paper display. It’s easy enough to let you steal a sly glance as you are walking down the hallway, for example. And you can leave the paper scale out on the floor through the day since it is waterproof and easy to clean. The flexibility aspect ensures that you can even roll it away for storage if you are not comfortable being reminded of your weight so many times in a day. “

Via Yanko Design.

If you have a problem with your pet getting on the furniture then this gadget might just help you out. It’s called the Pet Trainer. What it does is “work around the clock, even when you’re away”. All you do is place the Pet Trainer on or around any object you want your pet to avoid. Whenever it senses a vibration, a two second alarm sends your pet scurrying away. And after it scares the heck out of your pet, it resets itself, and sounds an alarm as long as motion continues. It uses one 9 volt battery, and is made of plastic. Personally, I use a rolled up newspaper. It seems to do the job. But this device can take care of business while you are away.

via solutions.com

If your are sick of those drab looking silver USB HDD cases, this company gives you some choices. Evergreen has introduced the DN-HS-207U in four eye catching colors. They support up to a 1TB drive, (two 500GB Drives) and will let you decide to either combine these two drives, or treat them as two separate volumes.

via akihabaranews.com

Higher Power is better, I guess when it comes to electronics. There is something powerful about more power. Maybe it makes us think that the higher the power, the better it will work. Well, I’m not sure about that but Phillips has introduced a 1200 Whopping Watt Toaster. I assume that the higher the toaster power is, the faster it will toast. Not to mention, if you’re not careful, the quicker it will burn. Makes sense, right? Why, even some microwaves don’t have 1200 watts. The toaster has some nice features though. It has one-sided toasting for bagels, and a digital display that counts down the seconds until your toast is ready. It sells for around $120.

via uberReview