luminate

Luminate lets users create interactive images (podcast)

Luminate announced Thursday the launch of a "Image App Store" where Web publishers can obtain free apps to add to their sites that can turn static images into interactive ones. The idea is to allow users to mouse over a portion of an image to take some type of action such as accessing a news story related to the image, viewing a Twitter feed, looking up something about the image in Wikipedia, or perhaps purchasing something shown in the image such as jewelry worn by a celebrity or a model It's even possible to Tweet the image … Read more

How to get started with Luminance

When snapping photos with an iPhone, applying a quick Instagram filter or choosing a Hipstomatic film is about all the photo editing I can stand to perform. With its larger display, however, the iPad is a much more suitable photo-editing tool. And for only 99 cents, Luminance (99 cents) provides a great number of editing tools organized in a streamlined way. (Truth be told, Luminance is a universal app, but for this post, I used the app on an iPad 2.)

To get started, tap the + button in the upper-right corner to either take a photo or choose a photo … Read more

Panasonic Toughbook 53 gets smaller, faster

Panasonic's new Toughbook looks a lot like its old Toughbook. That is to say, it's bulky, is rated for MIL-STD-810G tests including drops up to 30 inches on its sides or 12 inches on the corners, and has a magnesium-alloy case, a shock-mounted hard drive, and spill-resistant keyboard.

The differences, however, are many: the new Toughbook 53 has lost over a pound of weight, dropping to a reasonable 5.6 pounds and downsizing its screen from 15.6 inches to 14 inches. The track pad has gotten larger, and added multitouch. 4G LTE service is now offered--a first … Read more

M-Edge's new touch-activated e-reader booklight

If you own an e-ink-based e-reader, you've probably considered a book light. And M-Edge, which makes lots of covers for e-readers, now has a more compact and fancier successor to its popular e-Luminator book light. This one's called the e-Luminator Touch because--you guessed it--it has a touch-activated power button.

The $19.99 accessory, which is compatible with all of M-Edge's "jackets" for the Kindle, Nook, and Kobo e-readers, has a couple other new features, including a sleep timer (it automatically turns the light off after 60 minutes of inactivity), three light-intensity settings, and a paperclip-style … Read more

New Toughbook 31: Perfect for multitasking in a sandstorm

If you're in the military or working in rough field conditions and need a computer upgrade, you're in luck: Panasonic has just announced the upgraded Toughbook 31, a new successor to its most-rugged Toughbook line.

With a weight and thickness that would be unappealing to anyone but those who need serious environmental armor, the Toughbook 31 comes with either an Intel Core i3 or i5 processor, optional ATI HD 5630 graphics, and up to a claimed 11 hours of battery life.

A 13.3-inch LED-backlit touch-screen display has CircuLumin technology that Panasonic says will enable viewing of the … Read more

Enjoy your Kindle at night with the e-Luminator2

Kindle fans, it's time for some nighttime reading.

M-Edge Accessories announced Tuesday its second-generation e-Luminator2 booklight for the Amazon Kindle. This is a sleek-looking, versatile light that's designed to go along with M-Edge's existing line of protective jackets for the e-reader.

The new accessory features a 3-inch-long support arm, a pivoting battery housing, a flexible steel neck, and a housing for the light. The support arm slides behind the Kindle into a specially designed pocket built into the back cover of most M-Edge jackets. The flexible neck can then be positioned at the user's discretion to provide full-screen illumination.… Read more