Don’t you just love those smug Mac users talking about how easy it was for them to create a photobook of their latest vacation and how they did it in like, “2 minutes; that’s it!”? I know, you secretly wished you had a Mac so you too could be sporting on the iPhoto but you’re stuck with a PC. Well, don’t worry, ’cause you don’t have to wait an eternity for Microsoft to make a good iPhone clone because Rocketlife did it for them.
Rocketlife is an online photo processor that lets you make calendars, cups, posters, and, yes, photobooks. With just some of your photos, Internet Explorer, a broadband connection, and some creativity, Rocketlife is going to set you up with one sweet photobook…in just minutes. Now you can be like our reviewer, Rebecca, and take your sweet time to nail down that awesome custom look if you want, but it’s not required. Either way, Rocketlife offers a pretty impressive option to iPhoto-wishing PC users to use. Take a look at Rebecca had to say in her review. You may never look at iPhoto again!
Peleman Industries, Inc., manufacturer of the award-winning Unibind PhotoBook Creator and high-quality binding and lamination line of products, announced today that it is the first company to introduce environmentally-friendly Unibind “Green” PhotoBooks made from natural and recycled materials. The Unibind Green PhotoBooks will be debuted at the 2008 Photo Marketing Association (PMA) Convention, held next week, January 31- February 2, 2008 in Las Vegas. The Green PhotoBooks are manufactured with a natural cover comprised of 100 percent cotton-flax, made from natural and recycled materials.
35% of Unibind’s Products are Made with Recycled Materials
The environmentally-friendly PhotoBook is one of several initiatives by Unibind to make its operations as safe as possible for the environment. “Guido Peleman Founder of Peleman Industries Worldwide’s (my father) mission was always to be ‘green,’” said Brigitte Peleman-Vantieghem, CEO of Unibind North America. “An example is our commitment to environmental ethics. Thirty-five percent of our products sold are made with recycled materials, and all of our office building’s roofs in Belgium are being solar-paneled. In addition, we have implemented recycling programs at both our Belgium and U.S. operations.”
“We’re proud to be the first company to offer a ‘green’ photo book. The PhotoBook is one example of Unibind’s determination to make its operations as eco-friendly as possible. 100% natural, the Green PhotoBook offers the same high-quality binding capability of the Unibind professional line of books,” said Rusty Redecker, Vice President of Photo for Unibind North America.
For more information, see www.peleman.com.
Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the release of Adobe(R) Digital Editions 1.0, a new software application built from the ground up for acquiring, managing and reading eBooks, digital newspapers, and other digital publications. Available as a free download for Microsoft(R) Windows(R) and Macintosh systems, Adobe Digital Editions software transforms the digital reading experience and offers new creative possibilities for publishers.
Leading publishers, online retailers and channel partners have announced their support for Adobe Digital Editions today. By using a new export feature built into Adobe InDesign(R) CS3, publishers can easily create new Adobe Digital Editions-ready content, helping to significantly reduce cost and conversion time. In addition, with versions for mobile platforms and reading devices also planned, Sony has committed to embed Adobe Digital Editions technology into its portable reader product line.
“Adobe Digital Editions will revolutionize how publishers deliver eBooks and other digital content and how consumers experience it,” said Rob Tarkoff, senior vice president, Corporate Development at Adobe. “The combination of Adobe Digital Editions, InDesign CS3 and a new generation of hardware from innovators like Sony shows that digital publishing is front and center for content owners — and millions of readers who are looking forward to innovations in the delivery of their favorite works.”
“We’re excited to work with Adobe to pioneer new applications for eBooks and other digital documents,” said Ron Hawkins, vice president of portable reader systems marketing at Sony Electronics, Inc. “This collaboration will give us the opportunity to expand our offerings to a larger audience and new markets, allowing individual consumers, businesses, and other customers to take advantage of the portability and ease of use of Sony’s Reader products with a wider spectrum of content.”
With native support for Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) and XML-based publications, Adobe Digital Editions already works seamlessly with more than 150,000 commercially published titles. Using Adobe Digital Editions 1.0 readers will find that content automatically re-flows, adapting to different screen sizes and support for Adobe Flash(R) software promises to enhance digital publications through the integration of rich audio and video.
Features and Enhancements
The public beta of Adobe Digital Editions generated more than 300,000 downloads in less than six months and user feedback influenced the feature set. Adobe Digital Editions now enables users to annotate content through bookmarks, highlights and text notes. The library view offers advanced organization with multiple bookshelves. A slick new user interface enhances zooming and the overall reading experience, while support for the new IDPF Open Publication Standard (OPS) for XHTML-based re-flowable eBooks, guarantees a seamless viewing experience.
The Adobe Digital Editions 1.0 download is less than 3MB and leverages Adobe Flash Player technology to enable quick installation as part of the content download. The integration with Adobe Acrobat(R) 8 and Adobe Reader(R) 8 applications allows users to install and launch Adobe Digital Editions automatically within these industry standard products.
ebrary, a leading provider of eContent services and technology, today announced that it will begin testing its new Java-based Reader in August and is currently seeking beta testers. The new ebrary Reader(TM) will replace its current proprietary plug-in and will provide better functionality and ease-of-use.
Libraries, publishers, and other organizations that participate in the program will receive institution-wide access to a select collection of ebrary’s eBooks and other titles for one year, subsidized by ebrary. Organizations that are interested in participating should email marketing@ebrary.com.
“It has long been ebrary’s belief that the computer can do more to increase user efficiency when interacting with information, and that is why we originally developed the ebrary Reader plug-in with InfoTools,” said Christopher Warnock, CEO of ebrary. “With the help of our customers, partners, and end-users who have been providing us with valuable feedback, we have developed this new Reader that will replace our current plug-in to provide an even better and more valuable service. We are very excited to begin beta testing this new technology and encourage libraries and other organizations in all parts of the world to participate.”
ebrary’s new Reader will initially be tested on Linux followed by Windows and Macintosh environments. The new Reader will launch on all platforms simultaneously later this year.
The ebrary Reader enables documents to be viewed online, page-by-page, eliminating the need for cumbersome document downloads. It also gives the ebrary platform all of its rich functionality including ebrary InfoTools(TM), which enables integration between multiple online resources and instant, contextual linking when end-users select words of interest in a document.
Key enhancements and new features include the following: Read the rest of this entry »
Peleman Industries, the leading binding, laminating, and presentation system company, announced today their retail partnership with the NY-based leading photo specialty retailer, Adorama. Available immediately, Adorama will now carry the Unibind PhotoBook Creator, the first low-cost do-it-yourself complete photo binding system for consumers and professional photographers. PhotoBook Creator makes it easy to create instant hard-cover 8½” x 11” personalized photo albums in only a few seconds.
Peleman’s partnership with Adorama represents an expansion for Peleman into the professional and prosumer photography markets. PhotoBook Creator is currently available primarily through consumer and scrapbooking retailers and online sites, such as consumer electronics company Bestbuy.com, superstore Target.com, xPedx retail paper stores, Studio D technology and learning stores, and digital color output company Lexjet.com.
Winner of the PMA DIMA Innovation Award and other awards and accolades, Photobook Creator lets photographers and consumers design professionally-bound wedding and other photo albums in only a few seconds. For a minimal cost, photo books can be made for friends and family for gifts that will be cherished for a lifetime. PhotoBook Creator also makes perfect photo albums for birthdays, graduations, vacations, baby showers, party mementos, and scrapbooking. Priced at only $99.99 SRP, PhotoBook Creator creates a perfectly bound hardcover book of up to 220 pages in a variety of colors and finishes. Pre-manufactured hardback covers are available with a window allowing the first photo to be viewed through the cover.
“We are excited to announce our new partnership with Adorama. Adorama will bring our Photo Book technology to professional photographers and consumers through a respected retailer that can be trusted to carry only quality items,” said Brigitte Peleman, CEO, Pelaman Industries, Inc.
Unibind PhotoBook Creator is available immediately from Adorama.com and the Adorama retail location in New York City, NY priced at $99 SRP. It includes the PhotoBook Creator binding machine, 1 hardcover PhotoBook, and software to layout pages. Additional covers are also available for purchase. For more information on the PhotoBook Creator, see its website at: http://www.myphotobookcreator.com.
Apple’s iPhoto lets you rush those photos of yours off to cyberspace to a professional presentation system company where they will take your art and laminate and bind it and send it back to you with hard cover and all. I’ve seen them and they do look really nice but you’ve got to wait for it. Looks like our wait is over.
MyBook Photo Book Kit is a DIY photo book for the home. You print the pix, put them in order, bind them, and impress your friends. All from the comforts of your home. The kit comes from Peleman Industries whom is well known for its professional binding, lamination, and presentation abilities. It now brings those ablities to your house.
“MyBook Photo Book Kit is a perfect fit for retail photo labs, kiosks, professional and amateur photographers, scrapbookers, and all others who want to share their photos. When finished, our customers are amazed over the professional look and feel and the simplicity of the assembly,” said Rusty Redecker, Marketing Director, Peleman Industries Inc. “People are looking for a cost-effective and elegant way to display and share their digital photos that have remained on their computers and MyBook Photo Book Kit offers that solution, at a price that is affordable for all. Coupled with a simple software program, the package can be used with ease.”
MyBook Photo Book Kit includes 1 book with a window cut, 2 end sheets, and photo book layout software for under $20.00. Grab yours in Spring from all major retailers when they hit the shelves.
So here I am, working next to my MacBook Pro which has its pretty lid closed and a glowing white light coming from the latch release. “Yup, saving power,” I think as I work on other things. But then I hear the SuperDrive mechanism going and stop what I’m doing to look at the Mac. The white light’s still glowing so what’s with the noise from the SuperDrive? This seems to be an issue that’s been happening for a while now that even though the Mac is a sleep, the drive will be active. Almost as if it’s looking for a disc during boot up. Having no idea what could be causing this, I simply ignore it but still, would like to resolve it.
It may be related to another issue I’ve encountered just recently, too. I’ve noticed that if I let it sleep for over 24 hours, popping open the lid gives me nothing but a black screen. Repeated closing and openings do not wake it up. A power cycle is my only choice to regain contact with my Mac. On a hunch, I have closed Skype 2.x beta to see if it could be the culprit. The few times I’ve done this test, the Mac woke up when I open the lid after a 24 hour nap. So, maybe Skype is causing the drive activity and the inability to wake after long periods of sleep. We’ll see after some more testing.
That’s one Mac that has sleeping problems but I also have another one that just refuses to sleep. My wife’s Mac mini just doesn’t want to save us any power. It likes playing the screen saver and really won’t go nightie-night. Yes, I’ve checked the settings and yes it’s set for 1 hour of inactivity. But still, no tired Mac mini that ever sleeps. In fact, forcing it to sleep from the Apple menu still doesn’t work. It blanks out the screen, shows a white glowing dot on the Mac minis front panel and then — poof! — up it comes again from the dead. “Look mom, no hands!” It’s on or off for that Mac, I guess.
So there’s my fun little life with my two newest Macs. The PowerBook is a work horse and still has yet to exhibit any odd behaviour. Maybe I should shut up while I’m ahead.
Address Book is a nice, compact, and quick application for your contacts. However, if you’re looking for an even faster way to quickly look up a contact from anywhere on your Mac, then hit F1…or any other key you define.
TapDex is a wonderful freeware program that will find your contacts at a press of a button. Hit F1 on your keyboard up comes the little TapDex box. Partially type in your contacts name and hit enter. All close matching names appear in a new larger box on the right side. Click the one you were looking for and up comes your contacts information. Left click on an address (Home, Business, etc) and a pop-up menu appears with some useful choices. You can click the first choice, Map of, and quickly be whisked away to Google Maps highlighting your location. Or if you’d rather, you can copy the Google Map URL for sending via an e-mail or adding to a document. If you need to see that address really large, hit the Large Font option and up it blows on to your screen. Lastly, you can simply copy the address as plain text.
Yellow Mug Software also offers a Pro version which deactivates the sponsors message (little text messages at the bottom of each contact with hyperlinks), gives you unlimited upgrades of future versions, and e-mail tech support coverage. But if you can live without these three options, then you’ll probably be just fine with the free-bee version. Heck, we are!