Save Money And Find Free Stuff Online

With Christmas just around the corner it's probably not surprising that there are a lot of people trying to make their money last throughout the festive season. Not only are there the gifts to think about, but also the odd party and food requirements, often extended travel plans and other bits and pieces that seem to crop up at this time of year. It's at this time we often turn to the internet to try and find some ways to make our money go further.

When it comes time to think of gifts for your family and loved ones you often really can't go past something that is handmade or at least shows you put more than a passing thought into it. The beauty of this type of gift though, is often the price, you can usually create something that won't cost you a cent or if it does it's minimal, yet it's something you know the receiver of the gift is going to love for years.

For example many people nowadays have digital cameras and keep a wide selection of their favourite photos on their computers or on a disc but never actually get around to printing them out. So the only time they can really view them is when the computer is on. Now with a variety of free programs you can find online there are quick and easy ways you can take those digital photos, add a bit of music, sort them into chapters and transfer them onto DVD. By creating a photo DVD you can use all your own (and other family members) photos you have stored and make as many copies of the DVD as you want this can be a great Christmas gift idea for grandparents and other family members. Of course you can also use it to put those embarrassing photos of your child onto DVD to share on their 21st birthday.

That's not all you can turn to the internet for when it comes to great free or cheap gift ideas. Many stores for example will give away free samples of a huge variety of products; you could build up a selection of these samples to create a themed gift basket or to fill out your Christmas Stockings etc.

Searching the net may also prove useful when it comes to saving money on certain products; while most know about eBay and other similar auction sites where you will often come across a good deal, there's also plenty of other sites that offer coupons or special deals if you participate in a certain offer or fulfil specified requirements.

The bottom line is that when it comes to your money and the festive season it may not be as bleak as you first thought, you just need to be prepared to take a look around; you never know what cool deal, freebie or homemade gift idea you might come across.

Please visit Vanessa if you'd like some other free gift ideas at online freebies where we do the searching for you. You'll find a wide variety of free products and samples from free stuff for your pets to beauty samples and everything in between.

The Digitally Elite Sony Ericsson K530i

The K530i mobile widget comes with the dimensions of 102mm in height, 46mm in width, 14mm in depth and a feather weight of 92 grams. These easy dimensions make this phone extremely handy. The phone has a spacious 2 inches TFT colour screen that presents a lively interplay of 256K colours with a high resolution pixels combination of 176 x 220 pixels. These display features power-pack this mobile phone to deliver a seamless world class viewing experience. The phone comes with a flight mode feature that enables the users to make optimum use of non-transmitted features from restricted areas such as a hospital or a plane. The K530i is a Tri-band network phone which works smoothly with the following network frequencies of GSM 900, GSM 1800 and GSM 1900. Some of the distinguishing features of this phone include:

Memory: The Sony Ericsson K530i mobile phone comes with 16 M bytes of internal memory that can be extended up to a capacity of 1 GB with the aid of a Micro M2 memory stick.

Connectivity: This mobile widget offers world class connectivity services with the aid of a number of cellular technologies like the GPRS, HSCSD and the 3G that offers 384 k bps. These functionalities enable high speed data transfer and better Internet connectivity options. The v2.0 Bluetooth with A2DP, v2.0USB port, modem and Synchronisation PC are some of the other connectivity features that speed up quicker transfer of data files. Time and again, the end users of this phone have widely appreciated these connectivity features.

Camera: This smart Sony Ericsson K530i phone comes with an exemplary built-in 2 mega pixels digital camera with 1600x1200 pixels, video; secondary video call camera This camera comes installed with a screen view finder and offers the Picture blogging and Picture editing services. The camera is studded full of easy -to-use settings and digital functionalities. These features enable the end users to capture crystal clear and well defined picture images of high resolution. The camera's 2.5 x zoom feature enables the users to focus closely on the subject. What's even better is the provision of storing photographs on to the phone's internal memory. The users of this phone can share these snapshots with their family and friends. They can even delete unwanted snapshots, or post these snaps on to a blog site. This camera feature is digitally equipped for the purpose of video streaming and recording video clippings and footages. The users of this mobile phone can enjoy the video streaming feature with effortless ease.

Internet Browser: The privileged users of this Sony Ericsson mobile can use the Access NetFront Web browser that comes pre-installed to surf the World Wide Web for collecting required information or to buy music or even games from Online shopping portals that deal in music and games. This phone comes integrated with a RSS feeds feature that enables the users of this phone to collect the latest updates from their favorite websites on to this mobile handset. This Internet friendly K530i mobile phone comes with a built in 2.0 version XHTML WAP browser that is geared to offer the world class Internet surfing experience to the users whilst they remain on the move.

Hence, the users of this mobile phone can enjoy unlimited mobile Internet surfing service on this elegantly designed Sony Ericsson K530i mobile. This 3G compatible phone enables the users to access high speed broadband Internet connectivity, video streaming, quick email messaging service not forgetting the highly popular 3G video calling communication service. The phone's 3G video calling enables people to enjoy a face to face live conversation even when they are staying in distant geographic areas.

Raina Kelsey is an expert author. He has written articles on Sony Ericsson mobiles.

What to Do With Your Digital Pictures

Pictures are priceless! And with families and friends usually spread far apart in terms of geography, pictures are the way to keep up with the latest news. With digital photography, you can see the new baby in the family, check out the latest fencing project that Uncle Jeff finished and see where Grandma is spending her summer vacation.

It used to be that when you took a picture, you wouldn't develop any pictures until the roll of film was full. Then, the development process meant visiting a local photo shop, waiting a week for development and getting prints back. Sharing these prints usually involved the US Mail or a personal visit. The options today are so much more user-friendly and you can pick the one that fits you and your sharing needs best!

The key to understanding options is to understand that there are very few rules anymore. You can take just one picture before "developing", you can crop and remove redeye yourself or you can merge pictures together. But before getting into advanced options, let's review some of the basic options for sharing your precious photographs.

Special Delivery!

You can still hand-deliver those photos today, but the options for doing so have increased ten-fold. You can now print digital pictures from your home computer whenever it's convenient for you. Some of the other options include taking your camera memory (check the user's manual) into a local super center or pharmacy chain. These stores usually have photo kiosks where you can insert your memory, select your print option and place your order. You can usually get calendars, postcards, shirts or cups with your pictures on them if you'd like.

Or you can create a collage of pictures and load to a CD. The software that came with your camera should have instructions on how to copy the pictures from your camera to your PC. Then follow the instructions with your picture software to create your collage and copy to disk. This option is especially helpful when you want to share the pictures with a larger group of people, such as an entire Pee Wee football team or all of the cousins who show up at the family reunion.

Upload and share

There are so many photo sharing sites available that it's oftentimes hard to choose among the options. However, for those who are somewhat new to digital photography, these are a few of the free sites that make it easy on the new user, but still provide a bevy of choices and options:

Shutterfly. This site has earned rave consumer reviews. It has free unlimited storage of pictures and when sharing the pictures, also allows for users to add comments! What's great with this site is that it allows you to create keepsake photo books and all types of printing options including picture borders, cards or photo gifts. The biggest drawback is that the only pickup option when choosing a hard copy print is at a local Target store. Although Target stores are popping up all over, there are still many places in the US that don't have a Target for miles! However, Shutterfly does provide mailing options.
Flickr. Flickr is another great online photo management and sharing application. Show off your favorite photos to the world, securely. Easily upload, organize, join groups, and discuss photos from all over the world. Also create books, prints, cards, calendars, and more from your pictures.
Picasa. Most users rate this site very high as it's easy to use and, after loading your pictures onto your PC, it sometimes only takes one click to upload to the web. It's easy to organize pictures into photo albums, share with as many or as few people as you wish and do some basic photo edits. The only drawback is that you have to download the proprietary software, so if you are someone who doesn't like to download software from the web, this option may not be for you.
Kodak Gallery. Of course, what option for sharing photos would be complete without Kodak being involved somehow? Kodak provides some great options that go beyond just sharing the photos online. You can order prints, edit photos, share photos and organize in albums. Some of the user options at Kodak Gallery do involve a subscription and of course, hard copy prints cost money. The option where the new shutterbug can create their own webpage featuring their own pictures is really neat and easy to use. One drawback to this service is that for anyone to view your pictures, they must also have a login to the site. So sharing is not just as easy as just sending a link.
Snapmor. This site is a little different from the rest. It allows you to create digital slideshows from your photos. Just upload your pictures, and they weave them together with music and dynamic transition effects into a really interesting way of sharing photos. Your photo slideshow "movies" will be put onto a DVD, which makes it really easy and convenient to enjoy, since you can just watch it on your TV. It's truly amazing what an effect adding music to your photos has. It must be tried to be appreciated.

Print out for pickup

Just about anyplace nowadays that still develops rolls of film will also have an option for printing your digital photos. Other options for printing out pictures include publishing stores and pharmacy chains. Check out their online store and look for the option that links you to their photo center.

This is a great option when someone you love doesn't have a computer or really just likes having the picture in her own hand. You can upload your pictures and instead of picking your local store for pickup, choose the store closest to your loved one. This is more like the old-time process of getting your pictures developed and mailing them out, but eliminates several inconvenient steps.

Just try it out

The greatest aspect about digital photography is that no one has to be a professional to take or share great pictures! Just keep your camera on and snap pictures until your memory chip is full. If a picture is truly bad, just delete it and take some more until you get the one you want. If a picture is close enough to being good, but is off-center or has a strange background, just perform some edits to change the background or center the faces. Then get ready to share with all your loved ones.

For friends and loved ones who are computer savvy, impress them with your ability to create beautiful photo albums. Enter captions and share with all of them, no matter how far away they live. For family at Christmas, create personalized albums or calendars as a fancy stocking stuffer. And for those who love to frame pictures or create scrapbooks, order some prints for them and let them be surprised when the prints show up at their front door! Check out your options and find the one that's right for you!

Jason Kay recommends you consider making extra money by selling your photos. One way to do this is by entering a photo contest.

Online Video - The Killer Marketing Weapon

My first encounter with online video was in 1997 at a trade show in London. A large grey mysterious box named a 'streaming encoder' was being demonstrated to a handful of passers-by and it was, we were told, going to take-off in a big way, most likely for creating pay-per-view music events via the Internet. To the left of their box sat a video recorder playing out a concert performance, to the right was a Windows NT workstation showing the exact same concert after it had passed through the box and been fed over a 56kb/s dial-up connection. The quality of the video and audio was horrendous, no where near a standard that anyone could view for an extended period, let alone pay to receive. No one I knew associated the Web with viewing videos in any case, so it felt like an iffy delivery medium aimed at a non-existent audience. I took a brochure and moved on.

Forward to 2005, YouTube launched, its growth enhanced by fast unmetered Broadband access which was becoming commonplace. Audiences viewing online video grew exponentially, as did the numbers of individuals creating and uploading their own video content or sharing video via social networks. Statistics generated by this activity are being published continually, and they are getting ever more difficult to get my head around. By 2014 Cisco estimates that 90% of all Internet traffic will be video; hardly surprising as YouTube alone intakes 100 years of video every day - no, that isn't a typo - end to end it would take 100 years to watch all of the video which is uploaded to the site each and every day, and whilst it is the largest, YouTube is far from being the only video portal on the Internet.

Businesses are finally beginning grasp the fact that online video is now one of the largest marketing opportunities ever. This is especially good news for startups as it is a medium where great creativity doesn't necessarily demand a huge budget. Furthermore if you involve and excite your target audience they will further distribute your content for you. Indeed, many niche startup businesses have become some of the leading exponents of the medium, often using it as their sole marketing activity. I spoke with Jordan Harbinger, co-founder of New York and LA-based startup 'The Art of Charm, Inc.', a business that teaches men advanced social skills and dating science. Jordan uses YouTube video and podcasting as the only form of marketing for the business, which now has revenues in excess of $1m. Jordan explains, "The company started in a friend's basement as a podcast show and quickly grew into a coaching business that now teaches men from all over the world how to improve their charisma and self-confidence. Our podcast now receives well over 1,000,000 downloads". Rick Mathieson, author of 'The On-Demand Brand', writes "When you create something that's so inherently targeted to a core user group, and that they can directly influence, they become evangelists on behalf of the video and the brand".

Barbara Crowley is the founder of Snabbo.com, a social network for baby-boomers. Snabbo.com wished to leverage pressure coming from kids who disliked the notion of their 'embarrassing' parents joining them on Facebook. Crowley commissioned a viral video targeted at this Facebook crowd. The two minute viral arguably has many of the characteristics of an expensive agency-led campaign, but was in fact the product of filming some simple yet very entertaining scenarios, "We recruited actresses to audition via word of mouth at a local theatre school. We filmed with under-cover cameras and the crew was just myself, writers and producers Brian Dunaway and David Bartholow, and actress Gina Roberts" Crowley explains. "The tangible benefits we have reaped from the video has been increased membership, driven by the kids of the demographic we are targeting. Having an ad on more traditional media may have given exposure to the site, but it would have cost an arm and a leg at a time when we are just starting out with this endeavor".

Central to all of this is one key question, a tough question, which must be asked before embarking on any video production aimed at promoting your business on the Web, "Why on earth would anyone want to watch this?" If the honest answer is "I don't know" then you need to return to the drawing board. Faris Yakob is Chief Innovation Officer at agency network MDC Partners, "The internet is the great dis-intermediator, it connects everything else... previously mass media aggregated attention and brands bought it. To earn your own attention you have to do things, create content, that people actually elect to spend time with". In other words if people wouldn't watch it out of choice - they more than likely won't watch it at all. Jordan Harbinger backs this view regarding The Art of Charm Inc's marketing, "We do use Twitter and Facebook to spread the word about our videos and media, however the subject matter itself is pretty juicy so people tend to spread it on their own. The fact that the podcast now has a large audience of loyal fans doesn't hurt either, but that has all developed organically over time". In exactly the same way that brands do not get built overnight an online video strategy has to take a medium-term view, and real persistence, whilst trying to grow a following; as Rick Mathieson points out in his book, "Viral isn't a strategy, it's an outcome".

One business which strives to achieve viral outcomes is New York's Lucky Viral Branded Content, a hybrid agency and production company based in Brooklyn. I spoke to Mary Crosse at Lucky and she talked me through the methods employed to try and attain the Holy Grail of 'going viral'. "We partner with companies to seed our videos on the web. You can't just make a video and expect it to go anywhere on its own, you have to actually put together some kind of strategy to seed it. That means getting it to bloggers, and influencers on key social media websites, you need to put it somewhere first, and I think a lot of people forget that part, it's also a lot of work. I think the strategy also depends a lot on the video itself, you don't want to blast a video to inappropriate places, depending on what the video is about you want to get it on blogs related to that kind of content, and develop relationships with them". This seems to be an element of video marketing campaigns which many businesses fail to follow through on, either themselves or through third-party agencies; Mary adds, "It seems like a lot of clients don't really want to pay for seeding, it is another cost in addition to production but I think that when they see how much more success they get with seeding it is actually what makes the production worthwhile". Lucky's team has an enviable track record in creating top-flight videos for some of America's largest multinationals, and many large businesses outside of the US. I asked whether the common perception of online video as being able to get away with cheap and cheerful appearances still held true. "I think many forget that a production is a production, no matter where it ends up you still have to pay your crew, you still have equipment, you still have editing and all the costs that go into production whether it's on TV or on the Web; where you're saving money is in the media platform, you're not paying for commercial airtime. Sure, on the web you might still be paying for seeding and digital PR but it's nowhere near the cost of what a TV commercial would be in terms of media placement, but yes a lot of people think that because it's on the web the quality should be less, and should cost less - I think it's changing though, a lot of the big viral videos now are really polished high quality productions, comparing to music videos in terms of costs".

So, by its very nature the Web demands bold content. You can say and do a lot of things online - but boring your audience is never acceptable. As Lucky, Snabbo, The Art of Charm, and countless others demonstrate - no matter what video content you produce, the goal is to forge good quality deep engagements that foster further communication. The purpose of communication is to give and receive information, and the best information is that which fosters further communication. Get all that right, get your viewers on your side, and video marketing could just be the most powerful sales tool in your armory.

Tom Mountford is the Senior Editor at The JMS Group, a UK production company whose expertise spans Online Video Marketing, Advertiser Funded Programming and Television and Radio Advertising. You can see examples of their work, and get in touch with them at http://www.jms-group.com and also follow Tom's Twitter feed at http://www.twitter.com/jmsgroup

Online Shopping - The Best Place to Buy PC Components and Laptops

The Internet is no longer a niche technology. It is evolving into a platform where the end user is the king. The interactive power of this technology is far greater than any other media, and hence its success.

Today there is no part of life that is left untouched by the internet. Of the many changes that have been ushered into our lives at the click of the mouse, online shopping is a phenomenon that is fast catching up with all.

As our lives become busier and complicated, the world is witnessing more and more consumers turn to the convenience of the Internet when it comes to buying electronics and other products.

The possibility of day-to-day money transactions over the internet has turned it into a cheap, convenient and unrivalled source of interest in trade. Consumers who use the internet for many daily transactions, have seen a boost in confidence to use it for their shopping purpose.

Even though the shopping mall culture of direct shopping where you see, touch, debate and haggle over the products and prices is still very much in practice, more and more net savvy consumers are now shifting towards online shopping. To do the necessary purchases form the comfort of one's home, office or cyber cafe and that too from anywhere across the globe, one can buy just about anything from apparel, books, music and diamond jewellery to digital cameras, mobile phones, MP3 players, Laptops, video games, movie tickets, and air tickets.

A staggering 78 per cent of those accessing Internet have used the Internet to make a purchase, with around 55 per cent of them revisiting the site for another purchase due to high satisfaction levels of their online shopping experience. What was at a conceptual stage not very long ago is now hitting mainstream levels.

Online trading platforms have been witnessing their cash registers ringing in the build-up to Christmas season, with electronics topping the list on some online sites. One advantage of going online for your electronic purchases is that there is no need for the touch-feel experience associated with direct shopping.

Almost all electronic equipment that are on sale for the online consumer are well reviewed by experts as well as the users and the accessibility to a wide range of comparable information online provides the prospective consumer with ample insight into the product of choice and would sure help in making a decision.

There are hundreds of online forums that promote feed back from customers regarding products and services, which are made use of by online consumers before they decide on buying a product. First time online shoppers usually start with low value items such as books and CDs and when they gain in confidence, they gradually move on to jewelry and electronic home appliances.

New players have also arrived and have started leveraging the platform to best use, capturing the online shoppers with discounts unseen in the high street, service levels which are hard pushed to beat and huge ranges of products from hundreds of different manufacturers.

The author of this article has great knowledge about Laptops. He has written many articles on Online Shopping [https://www.pricelover.com/subcat/159/Laptops/Sony-Laptops/]. This article is an excellent example for his knowledge.

Sony Satio - The Great Camera Phone

Sony Satio is a wonderful camera phone which allows you to take great quality pictures and record perfect videos other than serving as a communication device. Its 12 mega pixel camera serves you in a great way and you can do great photography by means of this wonderful phone. For the lovers of photography, this camera phone is nothing less than a blessing. It provides you with a wonderful camera which is perfect for taking pictures and videos in all light conditions. It allows you to take 4000 X 3000 pixels resolution pictures which is certainly great for still photos.

Sony Satio has scores of great camera features including 16x digital zoom, smile detection, face detection, auto flash etc. all these features makes it an excellent camera phone which can meet all your needs pertinent to photography. You can take great pictures from far away as well using its zooming function which is simply outstanding. The 9 pictures in a second features is also a great features which makes this device a must for any photography enthusiast.

Sony Satio has lots of other latest features which make it a great mobile phone as well. Its music player has a great quality and a number of formats which allow you to keep your favorite music close to you all the time. The wide screen of this phone also makes it very easy for you to navigate and view pictures easily. It has 128MB inbuilt memory and also an 8GB memory card which provides you with sufficient memory space to store as much data as you wish.

Another great thing about your Sony Satio is that it provides you with internet facilities at its best. All the latest technologies including wifi, GPRS, Edge etc. are a part of this phone which provides you with maximum facility to stay online. You can email, chat or surf the net on this phone. It also allows you to upload your pictures online. To discover the world of entertainment and communication just get online and benefit from this great mobile. You will not only love its camera but will fall in love with the design, styles and the other features of Sony Satio as well.

To learn more about Sony Satio please visit http://www.dialaphone.co.uk/

Three Electronic Items That Top the Demand List of Online Customers

It seems that with every turn of your head, one cannot escape the need for all imaginable techie gadgets, this has proportionately affected the growing number of purchases for electronic items via the online selling industry. With the advent of nonstop technological innovations and manufacturers coming up with techie tools for all tasks that we all have to complete, ecommerce has never been this lucrative. Of course, it goes without saying that with a lucrative business industry, a lot of sellers boast of increasing profits.'

This may also explain why there is a big percentage of online sellers who decide to sell electronic items to customers. These sellers are very much aware of the demand for electronic items and the profitability potential of anyone who sells them. In fact, electronic items have now become a staple part of our everyday lives and it has become a need, rather than remaining to be a want. Whether you are working, in school or in business, there will always be a reasonable need for an electronic item. SaleHoo has one of the comprehensive listing of electronic item suppliers with a varied range of items you can choose from while providing excellent service to its members. Let me list down several staple electronic items that are now part of man's needs list, and all of these are available from SaleHoo.

On top of the list are the MP3/MP4 players. This has been in demand by customers of all ages. A lot of people now get a longer stressor list which explains why they need to de-stress in between their daily activities. A big number of players have already been sold and continues to be sold every time a new model, version or style comes out. Second on the list is the thumb or flash drives. At this highly technological age, transfer of information is at a break-neck speed, which creates a need for everyone to have a tool for data transfer ready at all times. Anything that is compatible with a functional computer has been in demand for the past decade and the thumb drive has been one of these great computer accessories. These are used to save or copy files, music or even pictures. It is a portable file document that you can carry around anywhere you go. They now come with all available styles, colors and compact sizes that some people even collect thumb drives. Next on the list are the digital cameras, with a lot of people now taking captive all the places you can easily visit and with all the social networking sites they are joining, posting recently captured pictures is now the latest thing to do to socialize. With all of your network friends who can easily view uploaded pictures, digital cameras have become a hit even for the young customers.

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The SVP Digital Camera Review

With the age of digital imaging, nearly every (shallow water) diver can be involved with underwater photography. This review is of a true beginner camera outfit. The Chinese made, SVP Acqua digital outfit includes the camera system and waterproof case for under $100. There are obvious limitations and we'll cover them in this review.

Don't expect professional results with this camera, but you'll be surprisingly pleased with the versatility this little compact outfit provides. With all the features you'd expect to find in popular brand 'point and shoot' cameras, this compact system will easily fit into your BCD pocket. The specifications are listed after our review comments. Since the factory marketing brochure supplied these, we cannot confirm or dispute them.

First of all, before using this camera... view the enclosed DVD instruction manual provided with the camera. There are many features and settings that you'll need to know before you get out on the water to use your camera system. We've used many different brands and all seem to have some logical settings and some not-so-logical procedures. Like most 'point and shoot' cameras, there is a delay between pushing on the shutter and having the actual shutter operation. After you become familiar with the operation of the camera and the features you're ready for the underwater part.

Like any housing, you need to keep the housing clean and free from sand or grit that could create a leak. Since the main seal is not really an o'ring, I was very careful to clean the surfaces with a cotton tip (Qtip) and apply some o'ring grease to the surface as well as a thin film on the seal itself. The seal is sort of a wedge shape, so it should provide a good positive pressure seal. The clean part is more for all the little control buttons that allow you to change settings of the camera underwater. We'll get into the best settings we found when using the camera underwater.

When they say the housing is good to 15 meters or around 33 feet, they are not lying. Not that we were trying to flood the housing or anything, but at 60 feet the camera is not operational because the pressure is squeezing the controls and shuts the camera off. At 40 feet, you might get the camera to work, but don't count on changing the settings. At 35 feet the camera seems to work fine with all the features and settings operational. For many divers, this will be too limiting because most of your dives will be deeper than 35 feet. However, keep in mind that the red/yellow/orange end of the spectrum is filtered out beyond this depth too.

The camera and housing combination are well matched and easy to operate. With the clear plastic housing, you can easily see the settings on the camera. Like most digital displays certain angles are more difficult to see, but with the proper shading and angle everything is visible on the 2 inch screen. Even though you can change the lens focal length from wide angle to zoom, we kept the setting on wide angle for the dives during the whole process because of the water. Keep this in mind for all underwater photography; stay close to your subject and use the widest angle possible for better results.

For the still shots, the camera was set for the strobe to fire with each shot. This uses up your batteries faster, but if the subject is closer than 8 feet, you'll have better imaging and color. The best results were our macro shots where we set the camera for 'close-up' and used the flash. When using the movie mode, you'll be impressed with the sharpness of the images, but don't expect high quality audio. The housing must absorb a lot of the sound as much of the underwater audio is muted. More than likely, you'll edit with some musical background anyway.

The color balance was a little off. We did change the settings according to the instructions and the results were that the color balance was a little on the blue side for topside shots. This was not an issue for the underwater shots as the greenish tint of the water was eliminated. Most of the color balance issues can be handled in the editing phase.

The claim of being 12.0 mega pixels is a little deceiving because this is the 'hardware interpolation' not the 'image resolution' which is 5.0 mega pixels. All in all, we were not disappointed in the quality results of the better pictures. However, some of the shots showed camera shake even with the built in flash. This means that the shutter does adjust for the amount of light, so it's important to squeeze the cameral and hold it as still as possible.

We used an 8 GB SD card because we expected to take a lot of video and had ample memory space for two dives. We didn't use the provided USB cable because we use a card reader to our laptop and then back up the memory to a portable hard drive. The power source uses two triple A Alkaline Batteries, so it's not a problem having new batteries for each dive. We didn't use the 'voice recorder' feature, but from our underwater video experience, it would not be recommended inside the underwater housing.

Now for the bottom line advice on this gear: If you plan to take your underwater imaging seriously, save your money for a more comprehensive system. This could be the perfect outfit for a sport diver that wants to share their diving experience with their friends and family. For less than $100 (prices range from $70-100), not including your SD Memory card or batteries, it is a value. The SVP cameras are available at some dive shops and are directly marketed from several importers online. The next "point and shoot" underwater outfits, without an external strobe, will most likely cost over $500. So, if you are going on vacation and thinking about having your own digital camera outfit for shallow water, this is the answer. Of course, for around $35 at most diving centers you could rent a camera with everything included. Sometimes the choice is not easy, but you can know a lot more from someone who has tested the SVP out. It is a great still and video camera outfit for around the water and underwater to about 35 feet.

Specifications from the Manufacturer:

· Waterproof design: Don't be afraid to take this Aqua camera to the water-even underwater. The waterproof case will protect this camera to depths of 30 feet.

· Very sleek and small camera design

· Takes Pictures, Video, and Audio Clips with it's built in microphone.

· Resolution sensor gives you the option of taking: 5 MP, 3.1 MP, 1.3 MP, and 300K Resolution Images.

· Takes, 12 and 8 MP pictures through hardware interpolation.

· Movie mode: When a picture isn't enough, shoot 640 x 480 (VGA) video, with sound, at 30 frames per second.

· 2.0" LCD screen: This compact color screen has plenty of room to help you compose your shots.

· Zoom: The 8x digital zoom enlarges pixels to fill the frame with your favorite part of the image.

· Adjustable Flash

· Self timer: 2/10/10+2 Seconds

· Tripod Capabilities

· Onboard White Balance

· Waterproof to 50ft

· 16MP Built in Memory, Takes SD Cards to expand memory.

· Power Source: 2 triple A Batteries

· Time Stamp Options: Off/ Date only/ Date and Time

· Comes with software, hookup via USB 1.1

· Video/TV out supported- Via video out cable.

· Automatic power mode- Prolong batteries life by auto-switching the camera power off.

· Auto Flash, Auto Flash with Red-eye reduction, Slow Sync, Fill-in Flash, Flash off, Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Tungsten, Sunset, Custom etc...

· MULTI-LINGUAL INTERFACE 8 Menu Languages including: English, Portuguese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, T. Chinese, and S. Chinese.

Share your experience with the SVP Digital Camera at: DiveCritic.com Become a member now. Registration is FREE!

Three reasons social media marketing favors small businesses

I’ve spent some time this week attending a few online webinars and catching up on my blog reader and I noticed an interesting trend. The conversations, research, presentations, and case studies focused entirely on large corporations.

For example, I sat through a Forrester presentation on new social web marketing analytics and their ideas on measurement took resources that were way out of reach of the small business owner, meaning … most of us.

Look through the success stories in your blog reader. Nike. Ford. Coca-Cola. And of course the ever-present Zappos. Is anybody paying attention to the little guys?

We keep hearing about the great opportunity for small businesses to “take part in the conversation” but is that really true?  In the daily dogfight for consumer attention, are they being overwhelmed by the big brand mega-productions, online promotions and games?  Are small businesses going to be crowded out by the big chains and big marketing budgets?

No!  It’s time for the small business owner to rise up and embrace the social web!  Local businesses CAN have an advantage through social media for these three reasons:

Local angle — Social media’s greatest power is when it is used in a way that is targeted and local.  I could care less about a tweet from a mega-brand, but I would certainly be interested to get to know a local shop owner in a personal way.

Here’s an example.  I don’t follow Starbucks on Twitter and probably never will. However, I do follow Brian Myers, the owner of JaVerde Coffee here in Knoxville. We became friends over Twitter.  Although his shop is 15 miles from my home, I go out of my way to support his small business entirely because of our personal Twitter connection. That’s how business works!

Personal touch — One time Brian saw this tweet come through: “On my way to JaVerde Coffee but forgot my wallet!”  The shop owner replied, “Come on by, this one is on me.” He just won a customer for life.

Even though companies like McDonalds may fill a room with tweeters, I don’t think they  could ever match the connection and loyalty a local business owner can drive with its customers.  If Bank of America tweets every minute of the day for the rest of my life I am probably never going to connect with a real person.  And for a small business, that is everything.  It’s not just about coupons. It’s about caring.

The ROI advantage — Culturally, I think it is difficult for many large businesses to do anything more than check a box on social media because they expect all the results to be neatly assembled on an Excel spreadsheet or infographic. If you have a moment to spare, I encourage you to watch this three minute news story about a small bakery’s use of Facebook.  Here are some of the social media benefits described in the clip:

Higher customer loyalty/number of visitsHigher rate of spendingFrequent customer connectionA channel for customer serviceEmotional connection to the brandSource for new product ideas and customer polling

Now if a customer provides an idea for a great new pastry, how do you measure that?  I suppose you could create a pie chart.  Pie chart!  Get it?  Oh, never mind.

For a local business using an essentially free social media platform, this list of benefits is pretty impressive.  In fact, it’s revolutionary.

So while small businesses may not be getting the spotlight on the blogosphere, there is no question that, done right, there can be great opportunity in this critical segment of the economy.

What is your experience? Do you have any great case studies from your city you would like to share?

View the original article here

The 4 Golden Rules When Building an Online Email Distribution List

With the boom of the internet, its reach and shear number of globally users, every business, no matter what business you are in, simply can not afford NOT to have some sort of internet marketing strategy.

When it comes to Internet marketing, there are numerous people to learn from and a huge number of things to know, as well as 'insider secrets' that one picks up along the way. However, there are a few key things to be aware of very early when it comes to one fundamental aspect of internet marketing which is building your list.

Many internet marketing gurus agree that one of the single most valuable assets that any person or company can have, especially if they do business online, is an email list. Therefore, knowing the tips and tricks on how to effectively build a list is crucial.

There are 4 'Golden Rules' to be aware of when building a list or creating the webpage that is responsible for creating your list.

1) Create videos instead of text.

Studies have shown that people's information retention rate exponentially increases the more sensory modalities you can incorporate. Therefore, people are much more likely to retain your message if you can include sound, pictures and text rather than just text. Plus, most people prefer to watch a short 3 minute video than read 3 to 4 pages of text.

A video allows you to show people your personality. If you are a little uncomfortable in front of a camera, even if it is a small digital camera - PRACTICE! You'll become more and more confident the more you do it. If videos are not an option for you at all, you don't have to be in front of the camera. You can simply use still pictures or text with a voice over.

Using videos allows you to have a less busy site with fewer words and more pictures. Remember, a confused mind takes no action. So the last thing you want to do is confuse your viewer or bombard them with too much information. However use your discretion. The amount of information should somewhat match the investment you are asking the viewer to make. Obviously you would share more information if you were selling a 7 day $5,000 personal development course than if you were selling a 30 minute MP3 music download for $19.95.

2) Visibility of Opt In Boxes.

The opt in box is one of he most important aspects of capturing the persons details. It is simply the boxes where a person types in their name and/or email address to subscribe to your list. It is recommended to ask for first names as well as emails. It may slightly reduce the number of opt ins you get however the benefit can out weight this when it comes to personalizing your future emails to them by using their first names.

The positioning of the opt in boxes, size, color, format and wording of the click box are all important. It is advisable not to use the click word 'Subscribe'. Most people don't like the idea of subscribing to something since it implies the possibility to junk emails. Use a word that is appropriate for what you and/or your business, product or service is about or what they will be getting once they click. Such as 'YES! I want to Quit', 'Show me now', 'Send my CD's', 'Send my FREE report', YES! keep me posted' etc.

Put the boxes in a highly visible place on your page. Do not put them under the fold. You do not want your viewer to have to scroll down to find your opt in boxes at the bottom of the page.

Remember, you are leading your viewer on a journey so you want to make that as easy and as smooth as possible for them. They have come to your site, attracted by your product or service. You only have a limited amount of time to keep their attention and curiosity. It's up to you to lead them through a process where the buying and/or opt in decision is made simple and easy.

3) Automation.

So someone has put in their name and email, then what? What you want to do now is communicate with them immediately! The best way to do this is via a system of automation. There are a number of email handling tools one can use, often for a small subscription fee. They are however vital in starting to build rapport through contact and this can all be managed through a staggered system of emails being sent to the subscriber.

The beauty of this is obvious, once you have created the templates and determined the time frames for the emails to be sent, it all occurs automatically.

Keep a few things in mind. Try to keep the emails as conversational as possible. People like to feel as though they are being communicated to by a person, not a software package. Write your initial emails in such a way that expresses this, imagine you are literally writing an email to a friend or respected colleague. Even though it may be going out to hundreds or thousands of people, make it personal to that one single subscriber as if you are communicating with them directly, just you and them.

4) TEST TEST TEST

Remember that all of the above is simply a guideline to start with if you're new to this kind of thing. Always remember that different markets will respond slightly differently to different approaches. It's up to you to test different things to see what works best.

Test everything! You may be surprised to discover that what you thought was a minor change, actually made a significant and noticeable difference. Test the font, the size of the text, colors, sounds, pictures, placement of text and pictures, wording etc etc.

Having successfully established a home-based business and attended numerous Internet Marketing courses Nick has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to business establishment and development. He currently helps people quit smoking permanently using a proven sixty minute hypnosis system. He is also one of only two Australians to be personally certified by Michael E Gerber (author of The E-Myth) as a 'Dreaming Room' Facilitator to help aspiring business owners 'awaken the entrepreneurs within'.

Find out more about his system to quit smoking natural (quit cigarettes in sixty minutes guaranteed) in a safe, natural and proven way without patches, pills, gum or medication. He is so confident in this system he offers a unique 100% lifetime guarantee.

Call Nick on 1300-883-272.

Online Shopping a Men's Pastime

Most people are under the impression that men and shopping do not go together. Men hate standing in a queue and hate querying shopkeepers while the women love it. There are many men who would prefer to sit in the car while their partners shop.

However, these days' things have changed. More and more men are enjoying sopping thanks to the Internet. The Internet has become the latest hang out place where men can exchange notes about all kinds of products from magazines to newspapers to even electronics. Items which men are embarrassed to shop for in high street shops can also be bought from the Internet; women's lingerie for example.

What kind of stores do the men frequently search on the net? Let's have a look.

Electronics and gizmos

Men love gizmos and gizmos love them. Statistics reveal that in most families' men shop for the electronics of the house. Men love browsing for stereo systems and home theatres. You would be surprised to know that though men hate searching in stores for bargains, but they love to find them on the online store. Nowadays electronic stores abound with music systems, iPods, DVD and CD players. Branded goods are available at great discounts and most of them are shipped free!

Another product that men love to shop for is video games. Games that are not found in high street stores can be found online. There are great online stores that have popular video games such as Nintendo, XboX360 and PlayStation3. Not just that, the online stores have digital cameras and video cameras at great discount prices. You need a cordless phone for your home or office? Just order it online. You get a whole range of brands, prices, colours and styles to choose from!

Tool shopping online:

Most men pride themselves on being the handyman around the house; they keep their toolboxes with love and care. These days many new types and styles of toolboxes are available online; electronic tools, manual tools, power tools, the range is vast. You can even get tools for gardening and plumbing delivered right to your doorstep! There are tool pouches and toolboxes available online which are compact and easy to use.

Shopping for men redefined

So, who says men don't like to shop? Yes, they hate standing in queues and would definitely not like any one seeing them hunting for those bargain items, however, that does not mean that they don't like to get discounts on an online store. Shopping online is preferred by men since they are not likely to encounter a friend or an acquaintance who would ask them "hey how come you are here?" So, next time you see your guy quietly sitting on the computer and just clicking a few buttons, just peep in, he might be browsing an online store for all you know.

Why just men? Online stores have made life easy for everyone. Whether it's your monthly grocery shops or buying electronics, you can shop for items across the world sitting in the comfort of your home!

Vincent Norman is a freelance writer living in the UK. He regularly contributes articles for The Online Shopping Centre, who offer the best range of online gadget shopping sites.

The Death of Internet Marketing and the Rise of Social SEO

By Robert Dempsey, Contributing {grow} Columnist

Internet marketing as we once knew it is dead. Gone are the days when a sales page was enough of a relationship to sell a product. Gone are the days when claims of riches tugged enough at the emotions to persuade a sale. Gone are the days when bloated claims could pass as truth and lies went unpunished. Now is the time of social SEO. And this time has already begun. Are you ready for it? Let’s find out.

From the time the Internet was called the World Wide Web people have been using it to send communications back and forth. There was Arpanet (1969), bulletin board services aka BBS (1978), Usenet (1980) and then the email system Listserve (1986). The Internet was created as a communication medium not only between computers but between the users of those computers – us. And since those early days we’ve been trying to connect with each other more and more.

With advances in computing technology came the ability to create and post web pages. As more and more people connected to the Internet the need arose to help people find those websites. You may remember getting in your (physical) inbox an AOL cd, or perhaps 10-20 of them. AOL provided a human-filtered gateway to the Internet. Then came Yahoo! and other search engines and web portals. It was during the mid-1990s that search engine optimization came about.

In the beginning people used to try all sorts of things to get their sites to rank higher – stuffing keywords into a page, hiding keywords using white text on a white background, buying links and more. Today these other assorted tactics will get you banned from Google or at the very least ensure that you never show up in the search results. Then in the late 1990s the next shift came about.

What began as a way to tell the rest of the world about what was going on in yours, blogging turned into an SEOs happiest dream. Now it was easy to create a metric ton of pages all optimized for search. But unlike static sites people could comment on blogs. No longer the domain of chat channels, instant messenger and walled gardens, websites became a two-way communication channel. In 1998 Open Diary was the first website where readers could add comments to someone’s blog entry.

And the web was forever changed.

Fast forward to early 2000. Social media came into it’s own and really started to take off. Here’s a brief timeline with a few you may recognize:

2002 – Friendster2003 – Myspace2003 – LinkedIn2004 – Facebook2006 – Twitter2011 – Google+

For a time SEO and social media were separate. As I alluded to in the introduction, that time is over.

Social SEO is the combination of social media and search engine optimization. The term itself is an acknowledgment that the two are no longer separate. In a recent post of mine – Google Proves Not Being On Social Media Will Kill Your SEO - I discuss the changes already in progress at Google. In a recent video with Matt Cutts and Othar Hansson of Google mention in a rather off-handed way that Google is working to incorporate social signals into search engine rankings. This isn’t anything new. Google has been personalizing search results for quite some time. Now it’s going to an entirely new level.

In today’s world of social SEO you must be publishing content that is optimized for the search engines AND is shared within social networks such as Twitter and Google+.  In Google’s eyes which already measure authority using somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 factors, social shares from others are another indication that you know what you’re talking about. In addition, they are now supporting the rel=“author” and rel=“me” tags which allow you to indicate if a piece of content is authored or about you.

Already in progress, the content you create everywhere is being linked to directly to you. In addition, people’s reactions to that content is also being measured and noted. It has been said that every person is a content producer. Now every person is an authority, or can be.

This is where the death of traditional Internet Marketing comes into play.

When I say “traditional Internet Marketing” what I’m talking about is a certain set of tactics used to sell products online, specifically:

Sales pages with big red headlines that insult our intelligenceOutrageous claims of instant or close-to-instant riches with very little workHard-sell sales tacticsUps-ellathons mixed in with cross-sell-athonsA bombardment of swiped affiliate emails that are impersonal and arrive by the dozens

On the social web it takes more than well crafted paragraphs to create enough trust and authority to make a sale. Now I’m not hailing the death of e-commerce, far from it. But the way products and services are sold online by non-e-commerce businesses has changed. A relationship built on trust and authority is now what makes the sale.

15 years ago businesses were told they needed a website. Many didn’t listen.

10 years ago businesses were told they needed to use SEO. Many didn’t listen.

5 years ago businesses were told they needed to blog. Many didn’t listen.

2 years ago businesses were told they needed to be on social media. Many didn’t listen.

But many did.

The companies that blog, that use SEO, that use social media continue to thrive despite uncertain economies. The businesses that embraced stronger relationships with their customers continue to thrive. The businesses that acknowledge the upward trend of social seo will be the companies that continue into the future.

Will yours be one?

Robert Dempsey specializes in direct response social media and blogs at http://DempseyMarketing.com/journal/.

View the original article here

The Nokia 5800 Xpress Music - A Sensational Music Phone

Presentation

This stunning widget comes in a black and a bit of red hint casing with 3.2 inches 16 million Colour Touch Screen. Dimensions are 111 x 51.7 x 15.5mm and weigh around 109 grams.

It's About The Music

The phone is a bang on entry in the genre of music phones available in the market. It is offering some outstanding music features like 8 band graphic equalizer, Media bar Touch Screen providing music, video, images, web, share online and video center options, music selection choices among artist, genre, composer, album etc. Bass Booster, Stereo Widening, Loudness, Integrated Stereo Speakers are also included. The music player of the phone supports MP3, WMA, WAV, RA, AAC etc.

Viewing

Nokia 5800 Xpress Music has a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss Optics, 3x Digital Zoom, Dual LED Flash and Auto Focus. Also it comes with a secondary VGA camera for video calling. The device can be connected to a television set through the TV output provided. It also has dedicated camera keys.

Business Also Counts

Although the company has introduced the phone as music oriented one, but the new Nokia 5800 Xpress Music is also surprisingly loaded with some business related features. A full and mini QWERTY keypad is available in the screen. Document viewer supporting Word, Excel, Power Point and PDF files, OS Symbian 9.1 Operating System, S60 software, Nokia Maps assisted by GPS navigation, Handwriting Recognition are majors. 3G HSDPA, WLAN Wi-Fi, Micro USB, Bluetooth and EDGE are some of the connectivity features available in the gadget. WAP browser, HTML, XHTML and RSS Feeds are there to assist Internet browsing through the phone.

Additions

The device supports downloadable games and it's also have Java enabled and embedded games. The internal memory is of 81 MB with 128 MB RAM and supports upto 16 GB external memory via MicroSD(TM) Card. A fully charged battery gives around 406 hours of stand-by time or about 9 hours of talk time and 35 hours of non stop music play.

Ending Note

The widget is pleasure in itself to carry in pockets providing entertainment and business uninterrupted.

HTC Touch Pro2 and LG GT500 are the popular Mobile Phone deals and these deals are available on Online Mobile Phone Shop UK.

Faith Hill is Search Engine Marketing Consultant for Cheap Mobile Phone Contract UK.

Sony Cybershot DSC-T200 8.1MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom with Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization (Black)

With slim vertical styling and an enormous 3.5'' widescreen touch-panel LCD that fills the camera back, the black Sony Cyber-shot(R) DSC-T200 captures your attention before it even takes a shot. Boasting incredible 8.1 megapixel imaging, a Carl Zeiss 5X Optical zoom lens and special features like Face Detection and Smile Shutter Mode, the T200 shoots close-up, ultra-crisp pictures like never before. And taking great pictures in low light is a snap with Sony's Double Anti-Blur Solution that delivers sharp color images even with dim lighting. With HD Output, you can also share images in high definition on your Sony BRAVIA HDTV or other compatible HDTV screen. The ultra-compact DSC-T200 has an elegant look all its own -- in matte black with vertical styling and a huge 3.5 Widescreen touch-panel LCD that fills up the entire back of the camera and replaces function buttons with elegant on-screen icons. This point-&-shoot offers a new experience in digital-camera use. Touch-screen operation with a user-friendly interface Face Detection technology recognizes up to 8 faces in a photo and automatically makes skintones more natural and reduces red-eye Smile Shutter Mode shoots automatically when your subject laughs or smiles Direct HD output to your Sony Bravia HDTV or other compatible HDTV screens Captures VGA (640 x 480) audio/video clips at high frame rate In-camera multi-resizing feature resizes your photos from standard 4 - 3 to widescreen 16 - 9 and right back again D-Range Optimization preserves image data in bright highlights and reveals more detail in shadows 31 MB Internal Memory - accepts Memory Stick(R) Duo or Memory Stick(R) PRO Duo media Unit Dimensions - 3.7 x 2.3 x 0.8 inches ; 6.6 ounces Supplied Picture Motion Browser software makes it easier to, burn photos to CD or DVD, add dates to JPEG ima

Price: $399.00

Click here to buy from Amazon

Why to Shop For Cheap Electronic Gadgets Online

While shopping for electronics items we often opt for cheap electronics gadgets and end up in confusion about the quality of the available gadgets within cheap price range. The cheap electronics gadgets put us in dilemma whether we should go for the economy or for the brand value with high price. But while we think of shopping online, we can select from a wide array of electronic items which are good in quality and available against cheap pricing.

It is simple and quick process to search out the websites selling electronics gadgets and equipments. Searching with the keywords cheap electronics online will reveal lots of options for online web shops where different electronic items are available at lower price. Well-known online stores are eBay and Amazon.com but there are online shops also who offers cameras, chargers, mobile phones, computers, laptops, digital music system, and iPod etc. at comparatively lower price. Another big advantage of online electronics item shopping is that the products available here are of latest model and transit time is lesser than usual time span.

The reason behind the lower price tags of electronics items through online shopping is the direct link between factory finish products and end-users, and as the intermediate profit range for the retailers are kept excluded from the price range, thus the items are priced lower than common market prices. Most of the online shops of electronics websites provide whole sale rates for their products and free shipping facility all over the world thus proves as super saver for the customers.

The cheap electronics gadgets and allied products available online are lesser in price but these are all quality tasted. These products are covered by one year warranty and thus purchasing these cheap products via online method does not involve any financial risk.

The payment method for the online shops is also simple. One purchaser can pay the bill amount by using his/her credit card or else, he can use his/her PayPal account number in order to pay the amount in the desired currency. Most of the online stores provides money-back guarantee within 30 days of the purchase, if customer is not satisfied with the product or the product does not match the specified standard.

There are online stores where refurbished electronics products are available at cheaper price rate. These products are in most of the instances work better than the new items. As these products are refurbished, the online shop authority can sell them off against much lower price which is of great advantage for the users who are more concerned about output. In this way, sometimes a $ 200 worth product may be available against $20 price and some shipping amount.

Therefore it is wise to shop online for availing cheap electronics gadget-offers. The access to online stores are convenient and comfortable for electronics gadget purchase because, in online store customers can have multiple options for a product model and it is easy to have all the specifications and users reviews before finalizing the product for purchase.

cheap electronics

How to watch TV Online

Watching TV shows online used to be very difficult, with many Web sites that a lot of tv shows and movies for download. The problem was that these were illegal, and was dangerous to download them. With the recent release of the Iplayer of the BBC in the United Kingdom would be illegal to download TV shows about it.

The BBC Iplayer, you can free to watch British TV shows such as Eastenders and Little Britain. This service is now also available for other UK channels such as ITV1 and Sky digital channels such as Sky One. With these new services is downloading illegal websites don't need more. These websites are still online today, offering new cinema released movies for download. If you have ever downloaded one of these movies, you probably know that the quality of these movies are bad. Most of these are filmed with a handheld camera of recordable dvd, this usually cuts the half of the screen of the view, and shows that the ruins of the experience of the movie you waited months to see.

In recent years with this turn into a really big problem for major film producers such as Universal and Disney movies are released on to DVD format within three to four months. This has an effect on the illegal movie websites if people don't have to wait nine to twelve months for the films DVD release. Internet providers are also in Europe, many of the places now, "three strikes and your out" policy on their service. This means that if you download illegal material, i.e. music and movies are caught three times, you are prohibited for the life of your internet service provider (ISP). Virgin Media is one of the first to be this policy places in the United Kingdom and other European countries.

If you are thinking of downloading material, such as ITunes and Napster use legal websites, this offer music, movies and tv shows.

Get more than 9000 channels now on your PC. HD channels, sports, movies and more.
Watch TV on your PC now

Klassieke gitaren, Classic camera's en Online Guitar Lessons

No matter how old you are, you probably have some awesome memories of the days when you first started to learn how to play guitar? Well I just turned 57 years old this year (2011), and with very fond memories, I remember back in 1965 when I started taking guitar lessons at this funky little guitar shop in the neighborhood where I grew up in the Southeast part of Portland, Oregon, USA.

Looking back I REALLY wish that I had taken some pictures of that silly little guitar shop!

Here is TIP #1 - Take lots of pictures nowadays!

It is so stinking easy to do today, getting easier every day, and the quality available is just unbelievable! Point and shoot, and after you have a couple hundred pictures stored in your camera, take the time to go through them and delete the photos that you don't feel you need to keep.

Here is TIP #2 - Only delete the pictures you can't make out!

With the exception of the really blurry shots, or the ones of the ground or sky, why not keep all of the pictures you take? They are basically free, they don't take up any space to speak of, and who knows; someday you might find that the memories on a particular picture are wonderful to have.

Taking pictures nowadays is really simple; and there are SO many digital forms of cameras, and even high definition cameras in our phones today.

There is no doubt that pictures from 1965 would have helped me remember a lot about my first guitar shop! Heck my memory isn't what it was, and it never was as accurate as a few pictures from that time-frame would be.

But then again, taking pictures back in 1965 was a big thing! Back in the 1960's, you didn't just take pictures and view them instantly like we do now. A person had to actually go to the photo shop, purchase a roll of film, put that film in a camera, take the pictures, and then have them developed. In more detail...once you bought the film, you had to take the roll of film out of an air-tight sealed foil package, insert the film pack in your camera, and then you could start taking pictures. The film packs back then were filled with 12, 24, or 36 pictures; maybe more if you had the professional camera. THEN, after shooting the pictures, you had another step prior to actually being able to view your pictures - you had to take the exposed roll of film to a special shop (the Photo Shop) where the film would have to be developed. (Maybe you have seen the photo shop on "That 70's Show"?) Once the shop was finished with developing (you know...all that "dark room" stuff), you could see your pictures...maybe a week or so after you took those pictures. LOL But I still wish I had gone through all of that just to have a few pictures (even though they would have been black and white) of my first guitar shop; the place where I got hooked on guitars.

You would think that guitars, like cameras, were a lot different back then. Well we would both be wrong. The way they are constructed is a lot different today, but the way they look, act, feel, and produce music, is almost the same as guitars made 40, 50, or even 60 years ago. BUT, if you are going to collect guitars; you will want to go with the older guitars every time.

Here is TIP #3 - When collecting guitars; better to purchase older ones.

Sure there is a plethora of new guitars out there today, but I think that is the part of the problem. Too many guitars, and they are just being mass-produced.

QUESTION: Would you rather have a hand-made one-of-a-kind guitar that was signed by the luthier, or a one-of-twenty-thousand off an assembly line?

If you are into collection guitars, here are a couple that you might want to look into; the Univox 6-string narrow/hollow-body electric guitar from 1965 (this one is a copy of the Gibson 335 if you know what that guitar looks like?)

The other classic that you may want to obtain is the VOX Astro IV violin-shaped bass guitar, which is an absolutely awesome, and beautiful, bass guitar that was hand-made in Italy.

Here is an interesting part about guitars; be they old or new...there is VERY little difference in the guitars that were hand-built in the 1960's, and those guitars that are hand-built today in 2011. The basics are exactly the same; for the most part.

Speaking of classics and collector's items, how about cameras from the 1960's? I don't know for sure, but I bet you can't even purchase film for them anymore...LOL...so they are basically useless. As for guitars made in the 1960's or older...the older a guitar, the more sought-after, and valuable they become. One reason is that guitars actually start sounding better with age, the older guitars look really cool, and whether or not they were well-cared for; most guitars from the 1960's have become collector's items.

Cameras from the 1960's might be considered a collector's item, to just the right collector, but I would argue that if we were still using our cameras from the 1960's, that they wouldn't give us as good a picture as our handy little smart phone does today. Phones today takes high definition photos, and high def video, that are digital; and if you don't like them - you delete them.

How easy is that? As a matter of fact, here is a "collector" camera to look up; the Canon fTb camera from 1976. That camera was about $500 back then, and it is worth about $5.00 today! No kidding! Most 35MM cameras from the 1970's apparently aren't collectors' items; so be careful if you invest in an old camera - thinking that it might be worth something.

TIP #4 - Don't buy old cameras, unless you know you can get the film, or unless you just like to display them.

If you started playing guitar in the 1960's, you probably remember that you had to go visit a guitar instructor at his place of business, and pay him about $5.00 per hour-long lesson. And that was back when the minimum wage was about $1.00 per hour...YES $1.00 an hour! But to spend $5.00 on guitar lessons as an 11-year old kid was GREAT! That was then, this is now. Heck, you can get almost any type of guitar lesson online now.

Online guitar lessons are awesome, they are incredibly easy to access, easy to follow, and you can repeat your lesson as many times as you like because all of the online guitar instructors are preparing their guitar lessons on streaming video. How great is that? These lessons are relatively inexpensive too. They are extremely easy to follow and you can actually learn a lot in a very short period of time! And they can be watched over and over in the comfort of your studio at home. Back in the 60's, you probably had to grab your guitar, hop on a bicycle and ride a few blocks (making sure not to drop your guitar), and then sit down with your instructor at the scheduled time, as he taught you one lesson in exchange for a five dollar bill. One lesson, 5 bucks...no free repeats like today.

TIP #5 - Online guitar lessons are the ONLY way to go!

If you really enjoyed those lessons back in the 60's, you are going LOVE the online guitar lessons of today. But no matter whether you learn in person, or online, here is THE best tip, for a guitar player, EVER....

TIP #6 - Spend just 15 minutes a day on your guitar, every day of your life, and you will be AMAZED with your progress."

I have often wondered how awesome I would be on the guitar had I followed that one little tip? Now just imagine if you spent 15 minutes EVERY day of your life to improve on your guitar playing. What would the results be?

CONCLUSION: Old cameras - be careful on what you buy. Old guitars, you don't have to be as careful! But either way...DO YOUR RESEARCH!

Well...how about this challenge? I challenge myself to pick up my guitar and work on something, new or old, every single day for just 15 minutes. How about you? Do you want to take on my challenge? Just imagine how incredible we will be 60 days from now? Sixty days, times 15 minutes a day is a WHOPPING FIFTEEN HOURS of practice...WOW.

Are you up for FIFTEEN hours of rehearsal over the coming 60 days? I am! Let's do it together! I am going to use some of these online guitar lessons to improve my chops on the guitar, and in sixty days; we can compare "notes".

Peace!

Rich

Please add your post to my blog; it's all set up for the best online guitar lessons, and your input will be appreciated.

Music websites

Let's examine the requirements for a successful music download. You can also download music of your choice and save to your phone. Also notice Apple iPod in combination with iTunes, her music Web site where the iPod users can buy and download songs for less than $ 1 each.

But where are we in the eyes of the law, if we decide to download music. You could download your favorite videos and music from the internet and play them on your phone. Most of the latest models have features beyond sending text messages and voice calls-including Internet browsing, music playback (MP3), personal organizers, email, built-in cameras and camcorders, ringtones, games, radio, Push-to-Talk (PTT), infrared and Bluetooth connectivity, call registers, ability to watch streaming video or download video for later viewing, and serve as a wireless modem for a PC.

Each artist can have an online presence, promoting their music to an audience of millions, and let consumers download their music to their hearts content. This music download sites include, believe it or not, Napster, with more than 500,000 digital music downloads, eMusic, where you can get 50 free music downloads just for starters, Musicmatch, which is a great membership package, Realrhapsody, which has a very nice two-week free trial offers, and one of my favorites and their "always low prices" is the Wal-Mart music download. Users can use a maximum of 2 GB microSD support download more music, video clips and images.

You can listen to your favorite music tracks; you could also download the numbers of your choice to your handset and drive your blues. Download your favorite soundtracks and enjoy listening music tracks wherever you go. In addition, you can download music, photos and Java games the maximum use of your free time.

Well here is a quick guide for beginners, on how to convert your current music files to PSP-format audio files: step one---download The Software first of all, you need software on your PSP that allows you to convert MP3 files to PSP MP4 format to download.

Soli Katir

http://www.i-need-Money-Fast.com

If you are looking for quality information on "I need money fast" and in particular on the products, please visit the above website.

Making Your First Online Video

As digital media and video becomes more and more prevalent people are being called upon to submit pictures and videos online. With the invention of photo and video sharing sites, it seems like everyone is expected to know how it is done. Submitting photographs seems to be a task that people with very little tech experience can overcome but when it comes to submitting a video, it seems somewhat daunting.

The first time that I uploaded video footage, I proceeded with worry and caution, trying hard to focus on the instructions that were prompted by my video recorder and computer. To my great surprise, the footage was very easy to transfer from my camera to the computer. I can assure you that it is not as scary as it seems and it really is as easy as hooking up the connection from the camera to the USB port.

As a first timer, I turned to what was free and easily available. The two most popular options seem to be iMovie for Mac and Windows Movie Maker for a PC. I was delighted to find that Windows Movie Maker came loaded on my PC and all I had to do was double click on the program from my start menu. If the programs are not on your computer, both are available for free download. When the program opened up, the instructions were easy to follow with a three step process starting with capturing video, pictures and music.

I naturally moved on to step 2 which was the edit process. The edit features took a little bit of time to figure out but it was mostly fun just trying out all the neat things that I could do with the program. While I was playing around with the software I could not resist thinking about how impressed my friends and family would be with my finished video. They would definitely wonder how I learned all of those amazing, creative skills but the truth is the program does it for you.

After I had the video just the way that I wanted it, I moved on to step 3 which gave me the option to save to my computer, save on a cd/dvd, send in an email, send to the web or send it back to my video camera. It was literally as easy as clicking on one of the options and it before I knew it, the video was finished and uploaded to the web for my friends and family to view.

My experience with this project showed me that the brilliant folks who create these video editing programs make it very easy for people who have absolutely no skills. If you have been thinking about giving the video project a try, I would definitely move forward. I wish that I would have had the gumption to start earlier because I missed out on a lot of adorable baby video opportunities when my children were toddling around. It is true when people say "there is no better time like the present".

Ellen Ambrose is Marketing Director at http://www.MindBites.com

MindBites is your place on the web to learn directly from other real people and share what you know with the world. A self-publishing platform and social marketplace for instructional content, MindBites enables people to share their unique knowledge, skills and passions through audio and video lessons, earning money for themselves or for charity.

Track or monitor mobile phones from a Web App or your phone

Track Cell/Mobile Phone Location, Sms, Mms messages, Call History, Websites visited and Apps installed and uninstalled. You will love PhoneBeagle after trying our free Web demo. Protect your child from predators, school bullies and distracted driving.

Check it out!

Take Control Of Your Camera Now!

Start taking great photos now. Learn the easy way how to take control of your camera. Staring shooting in manual mode instantly and see an improvement in your photos straight away. Photography is fun not hard.

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iLuv i1166 8.9 Inch Portable Multimedia/DVD Player with Dock for iPod

The iLuv i1166 is an award-winning multimedia player with an 8.9-Inch widescreen digital TFT LCD display, support for DVD/CD/VCD discs and a variety of digital formats, an iPod dock for enjoying iPod audio and video while your device charges, and plenty more. Take your entertainment with you.

An award-winning multimedia player with an 8.9-Inch widescreen. Click to enlarge.

Play back DVD/CD/VCD discs, iPod content, and various digital formats.

Play back from USB devices and SD/MMC cards.

8.9-Inch Screen
Video looks great on the brilliant 8.9-inch widescreen. The convenient on-screen display makes navigation a breeze.

Charge and Enjoy Your iPod
The i1166 lets you enjoy both audio and video iPod content, and control your iPod with a user-friendly graphic interface. While your iPod is docked, it will receive a charge.

Wide Media Support
In addition to your iPod/iPhone, the i1166 plays back DVDs/CDs/VCDs, DivX/MPEG4 video, MP3/WMA audio, and JPEG images. Watch your favorite movies, TV shows, and video content on SD/MMC memory cards or USB flash drives, play DVD videos on the vibrant widescreen LCD display, and use fast-motion playback to find your favorite sequences again and again.

Connectivity
As mentioned above, the i1166 allows you to enjoy content from USB devices and SD/MMC cards. Dual headphone outputs let you share the entertainment--great for plane flights or back seats.

Power Options
AC and Car adapters are both included for using the i1166 without draining batteries. When you're away from a power source, you're still covered by the internal rechargeable Li-Polymer battery, which'll give you approximately 3 hours of DVD video and 4 hours of iPod video on a single charge.

Remote Included
A full-featured remote control is also provided.

What's in the Box
iLuv i1166 Main unit, Remote control (battery included), iPod holders, Car adapter, AC adapter, Instruction manual, Warranty card

Price: $299.99

Click here to buy from Amazon

NETGEAR Wireless Router for Video and Gaming WNDR37AV

Routers & Gateways - Wireless, Netgear, DUAL BAND HIGH DEFINITION-INET STREAMING RTR, WNDR37AV-100NAS

Price: $141.99

Click here to buy from Amazon

WiFi Camera 101

What is a WiFi Camera?

You may be asking yourself what is a WiFi camera? Basically, it is a camera with WiFi abilities enabling you to connect to a wireless network without the use of cables. This comes in handy as you can save pictures to your laptop or home based computer as you take them. You can also download pictures, over the network and share them with friends and family. Additionally, you will be able to store images and entire albums without the need for USB cable or a memory card. Just like your computer or wireless enabled music player, a WiFi camera utilizes wireless networking to connect to your home or office network.

What else do I need?

Well, besides the camera itself you will need a wireless network or wireless hotspot. Some cameras come with access to T-Mobile or other hotspot services so it is a good idea to double check with the manufacturer specs before you buy. A good rule of thumb: if you use a laptop to wirelessly connect to the internet at the home or office then you have access to a wireless network.

What's so great about a WiFi camera anyway?

In case you need more convincing, digital wifi cameras make taking and managing photographs much easier. They save you time, and they are really fun. Many cell phone users enjoy snapping pictures and sending them to friends or posting to social network sites on the go. The downside is that picture quality is usually not great. Imagine being able to do the same thing using your digital camera? Yep, now you can see the real advantage. Simply shoot and share or store your images online. Plus you can store many more pictures at higher quality than you can with a typical cell phone. Also, some cameras also allow you to shoot HD video as well.

Ok, sounds great. What is the downside of a WiFi Camera?

For starters, if you don't have a wireless network or hotspot then the benefit of this type of camera is eliminated. You can setup a network at home quite easily, but be aware it is an added cost. An average router will set you back around $50 to $75. Also, these wireless cameras are still somewhat limited in the market. They haven't caught on fully yet so there are not as many choices. Finally, compared to regular feature rich digital cameras, these WiFi models can lack some functionality.

Popular WiFi Camera Brands

No surprises here really...models include the Canon Powershot SD430, the Nikon Coolpix S610c, and the Panasonic Lummox DMC-TZ50S. Prices range from $150 on up to $400 again depending on options and camera capabilities.

Before you buy a WiFi enabled camera

Consider what your expectations are from a new digital camera. Are you looking for a great, easy to carry and handle camera with a solid range of features? Do you want the ability to transfer pictures without annoying wires or having to carry your laptop with you? If so, then a wireless camera is probably a great fit for you. Also, keep in mind that some cameras also have additional features such as GPS for geo-taging photos. Make a list of the items you can and can live without. That will help you decide on the best WiFi camera for your needs.

Ralph Phoenix is an expert in the WiFi Camera field. Read his WiFi enabled digital camera reviews for the blog wificamerareviews.blogspot.com

Valuable possessions for Camera and music lovers

Almost all consumers in the photography market have made the transition to digital cameras and digital photos. Digital cameras have shortened significantly in price like all consumer electronics, improved in features like megapixels, optical zoom, and the internal storage, and virtually eliminated the need to take pictures developed. Since anyone with a digital camera is collecting a outsized amount of digital photos, use of a digital photo frame that allows them to quickly display the perfect sense.

Add a digital photo frame is a logical and on one of the cheap camera accessories for anyone with a digital this gadget you can load and display your digital photos the way you want them in the living room or bedroom on the wall. It is the moving LCD screen that is the key plus point here. Many digital photo frames have built-in memory so you can upload photos directly from your computer.

Because of the numerous types of cheap digital cameras on the market, there is clearly makes sense of a wide selection of cheap camera accessories. The replacement of the battery to remote controls, scores of cheap camera accessories to help users to enjoy using their camcorders/digital cameras as long as probable.

When it comes to entertainment, music systems are undeniably one of the most important choices. With major developments in sound engineering are abundant numbers of stylish music systems available in the market. With countless options for music systems, it can be to choose the best one for your entertainment needs incomprehensible.

Previously, when you planned to buy music system, you went straight to an electronics store and selected the speakers based on their appearance, sound quality and costs. But now, the internet is overloaded with websites where you get effortlessly in a music of your choice can buying system. There are music systems for the needs of everyone on the web. All you have to do is to discover your needs, so you can make superior choices. A reputed and reliable online store will make the difference!

Liam Derbo is a freelance market analyst and is writing Digital Photo Frame of reviews and articles on Buy music system.

Oops! I made this Social Media mistake. How about you?

By Stanford Smith, Contributing {grow} Columnist

Many passionate and hardworking social business operatives are making a business-killing mistake.

Proud of their impressive Twitter followings, Facebook crowds and Klout scores they are lulled into a false sense of security.

The rude awakening often comes when they try promoting their product to their audience. Suddenly, their enthusiastic following vanishes into thin air leaving behind crickets and one or two “mercy” sales.

Their error is simple. They have invested too much time engaging their peers and have overlooked their customers in the process. This social rut is easy to fall into, let’s see if you are in danger of falling into it yourself.

Pop Quiz:

Do you spend hours trading @mentions with people with profiles identical to your own?Do you struggle to remember the Twitter handle of a customer but can rattle the usernames of 5 social media A-Listers in 5 seconds flat?Are you afraid that promoting your product would offend 90% of your followers and blog readers?Are you hoping that your followers will share their audience with you when the time is right?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions then you are in danger of being popular and broke.

But, don’t beat yourself up. I’ve been in the exact same rut. In fact, I started and shuttered two blogs before I realized that being social is different than “Social Business.”  Knowing the difference is critical to your success.

The world of Social Business is like your typical high school cafeteria.

Take a second to remember lunch hour.

Striding into the cafeteria you quickly made dozens of “life and death” social decisions. Sit with your friends? Invite the new kid to your table? Introduce yourself to the Student Government crowd or take a risk with the Jocks?

Depending on your social goals: getting a prom date, finding the best parties, not getting hassled on the school bus, you picked your “community.’

As a hormone happy teenager, I should have sat with crowd most likely to attract the cheerleaders’ attention!

Instead, I spent my time, dreaming and drooling from afar with the chess club geeks. My buddies were “Stand By Me” cool. We encouraged each other. We had our own language and didn’t miss an opportunity to hang out on Friday night.

But, my buddies rarely helped me get a date.

It’s easy to make the same mistake on social media.

Sure, it’s comforting and safe to hang out with people with similar interests. But if you are in business, you need to sit with a different crowd – your prospects.

It’s easy. We go to a popular conference in the name of research and networking. We meet some cool folks, share some raucous memories and head home snug in our mental rug.

Meanwhile, not one new person with cash and a purpose has been introduced to our blog. Oops. Not one person with signing authority has started to follow our Twitter account. Double oops.

Here’s the tough love. You should be networking and masterminding with professionals who share similar goals. You should not build your business on these comfortable get-togethers.

If you do, then you are needlessly delaying your success. You should immediately take a frank look at your activities and focus them on finding and attracting quality prospects to your blog.

Finding prospects is a different game.

By nature, prospects don’t want to be found. They lurk in the shadows only making an appearance when they can’t afford to stay anonymous anymore. When they do step into the light they sign-up for email newsletters, register for webinar, or put you on the RFP list. Retweeting, commenting, and liking isn’t their style.

Like a lion on the Serengeti your best bet is to find watering holes, where your prospects gather to network, trade advice, and share resources. The watering hole location is different for every industry and prospect type:

C-Level Executives read top-shelf trade publications dedicated to their profession. Sites like the Harvard Business Review is a likely watering hole. Comments and guest post gigs can give you instant visibility with this crowd.Passionate hobbyists hang out in niche-forums where they exchange tips and compete for social credibility. Joining these forums and being a resource for new members while discreetly promoting your expertise is a winning strategy.Micropreneurs and service professionals like attorneys, home appraisers, coffee shop proprietors and insurance agents often run in packs. You can spot them congregating around LinkedIn Groups or following one-another on Quora. Answering questions on LinkedIn, creating niche-specific twitter lists on Listorious, and hosting free webinars never fails to attract their attention.

By the way, if you blog solely for pleasure then hang out with whoever you wish.

But, If you need to show results for the time you spend on the social web then get serious about sitting with your prospects.

Make sense? What are your social business strategies for finding and attracting prospects?

Stanford Smith obsesses about how to get passionate people’s blogs noticed and promoted at Pushing Social, except when he’s chasing large mouth bass.

View the original article here