photos

How to salvage cell phone photos

Because not everyone has a Nokia N95 or comparable luxurious 5-megapixel camera (including me,) most of us have to grudgingly accept our camera phones' variable output quality or take the time to fix photos of emotional value. (Or blackmail value, which is also extremely powerful.)

There are a ton of tips out there for improving mobile phone images, and most of them involve a proficiency in advanced image-editing tools and a working knowledge of the parameters required for a dizzying number of tools. That's surely a fun challenge for digital photography enthusiasts of all levels, but what about those … Read more

Tiltviewer turns your photos into eye candy

Got a photo gallery you want to spice up? Check out TiltViewer. Like CoolIris' PicLens, it takes your photos and places them on a dynamic 3D wall that can be zoomed around with your mouse. Clicking any thumbnail will scale it up as big as your browser window is, and you can flip any shot to view the metadata--complete with customizable links that go towards that photo's sale page, or to download links.

The big difference between the PicLens and TiltViewer is that the latter doesn't require the viewer to have any sort of browser plug-in installed to … Read more

Digital photo frame gets a little smarter

Some of us at Crave may never understand the point of digital picture frames, but at least manufacturers are trying to build in a few features that make them more interesting, if only slightly.

The latest such attempt comes from Transcend, the "T.photo 720." In addition to its frustrating punctuation, this 7-inch picture frame has sensors that can detect whether a photo has been shot veritically or horizontally, then automatically adjust the image for proper viewing.

Other features include video and MP3 playback, 2GB of memory, an FM radio, and a slot for microSD cards to make … Read more

Will Picasa become Google Photos?

There are signs Picasa Web Albums could be renamed Google Photos.

Google Operating System noticed several references to the term in the code that powers the Web site.

Among the examples: "This photo will be available to view and share in Google Photos, Google's free photo hosting service." And: "By submitting this form, you're alerting the Google Photos team to inappropriate content on this page."

Poring through a source code may sound like a dodgy way to predict the future, but programming code snippets can be revealing. Some wording in the Apple iPhone developer kit … Read more

Indecent Exposure 11: Indexing exercises

With the help of Aimee Baldridge, a former CNET editor, we tackle critical keywording questions and other crises of photo management.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

EPISODE 11

Memeo launches Share for sending photos to grandma

Tuesday morning software company Memeo launched a new product called Share. Aimed at people who don't use photo- or video-sharing sites, Share lets you take what you've captured on your digital camera and beam it to friends and family members without clogging up their e-mail in-boxes with full-resolution shots.

The product is not aimed at the Flickr crowd, but instead at people who want to create small circles of people to share their shots with. That's not to say there's not a social element, since it can be configured to automatically upload your shots to Facebook. … Read more

Get 5x7 prints for 19 cents each from Snapfish

If you've snapped some mantle-worthy photos of a new baby, a recent graduate, a weekend wedding, or whatever, don't settle for puny little 4x6-inch prints. From now until June 28, you can get glorious 5x7s from Snapfish for just 19 cents apiece.

How good a deal is that? I did a little price-checking: CVS charges $1.49 per (plus sales tax in most states); dotPhoto, $0.89; and Shutterfly, $0.99. Snapfish even beats Wal-Mart's price of $0.58.

To take advantage of this deal, you must enter coupon code PRTS1908 when you check out. Oh, and … Read more

Microsoft's Albuquerque Group--then and now

Almost 30 years ago, as Microsoft was preparing to leave Albuquerque, N.M., for Seattle, the original team gathered on Dec. 7, 1978, to pose for a photo. Pictured are, back row, from left: Steve Wood, Bob Wallace, Jim Lane; second row, from left: Bob O' Rear, Bob Greenberg, Marc McDonald, Gordon Letwin; front row, from left: Bill Gates, Andrea Lewis, Marla Wood, Paul Allen.

In this recent update of the original "Albuquerque Group," almost all are in their same positions. The notable changes are the addition of Miriam Lubow, an office manager who missed the original seating … Read more

The top 10 spacecraft

In The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams wrote, "Space is big--really big--you just won't believe how vastly, hugely mind-bogglingly big it is. You may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space."

Space's roominess is good news for us rapidly multiplying humans, because it seems logical that we should one day want to expand into our solar system--and possibly further. But because of our frail and squishy bodies we need some heavyweight protection to leave the cozy home comforts of our bijou atmosphere, … Read more