conversion

Create vector images in a snap with Vector Magic

Those of us who are artistically challenged need all the help we can get when it comes to design software. A new tool called Vector Magic--the result of Stanford University Artificial Intelligence Laboratory research project by James Diebel and Jacob Norda--seems to be a valuable addition to the arsenal of free apps available for creating and editing images online.

Basically, Vector Magic takes rasterized images (composed of pixels) and converts them to vector (or scalable) images. The result is an image that can be easily resized with no blur or pixelation--an ideal format for logos or other images that need to appear both large and small. Vector Magic supports the uploading of JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, and TIFF formats, and can export its final products as EPS, SVG, or PNG files. A warning on the Vector Magic blog today warns users to be patient because of a recent upswing in the load on its servers, but I had no problem at all converting JPEG images of various sizes into vector images in no time at all.… Read more

Convert and copy with Corel DVD Copy

As discs slowly succumb to the portable drive, rippers and burners have been forced to diversify. Merely ripping and burning well will lead to crashing and burning badly: customers want to see something tech-relevant. Corel's DVD Copy 6 focuses heavily on file format conversion, and for $50 it offers a wide range of source and target compatibility including iPods and PSPs.

Free your ring, and your iPhone will follow

Here's some exciting news for those of you who have an iPhone and want to have the Star Wars Imperial March play every time your mother-in-law asks you for help installing the latest sudoku game: with a bit of file-extension tweaking and judicious use of the new iTunes 7.4 for Windows or Mac, you can now customize your ringtones without having to donate another 99 cents to Steve Jobs' favorite retirement fund.

Cranking up the conversion rates with personas and 'Persuasion Architecture'

As we gear up for another frantic holiday season, many online retailers are asking themselves two questions: 1) "How can I increase my traffic?", and 2) "How do I increase my conversion rates?" For the former, refer to my recent Practical Ecommerce article "SEO: Is Your Site Holiday-Ready?." For the latter, enter Future Now's Chief Persuasion Officer, Bryan Eisenberg, an inventor of "Persuasion Architecture," a process that helps persuade customers to make a decision on your Web site when traditional marketing methods fail.

I had the opportunity to interview Bryan in … Read more

Friction.tv promises to spark the debate

It was awhile ago that YouTube first allowed video comments on its service, and over time responses in video form began to populate the site--including those that address the original video and those that don't. In theory, Friction.tv is a Web portal built around YouTube's video response feature. In practice, there are few, if any, response videos, though people have been active leaving text comments. (In the interest of full disclosure, Friction.tv is a sponsor for the NewTeeVee Pier Screening Series in which I have been asked to speak on a panel).

Electric plane lands at air show

Flying enthusiasts around the country are descending on Oshkosh, Wisconsin for AirVenture, the biggest annual air show in the United States. It's being held July 23-29 this year and is sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association. Hundreds of thousands of aviation fans are expected to view about 10,000 aircraft parked at Oshkosh's Wittman Regional Airport.

At the show, Sonex Aircraft and AeroConversions Products unveiled their "E-Flight Initiative" for driving alternative energy research and development for sport aircraft. They showed off a proof-of-concept prototype electric powerplant that was installed in a Waiex airframe.

For a gallery … Read more

Convert movies for your iPhone (or iPod)

I'm not sure how you people can watch movies and TV shows on those little screens, but you sure are doing it! Every time I turn around on the bus or in the airport, somebody is watching video on her iPod. (If she's supercool, she's watching it on her new iPhone.)

It's easy to buy videos designed to view on those little screens, of course, but if you want to get your own DVDs and Web movies onto your iPod or iPhone, you'll have to dive into the wide world of video converters.… Read more

Movavi: A free and embeddable Web video converter

Movavi is a company that provides a variety of software solutions for video editing and conversion. Today they've launched a free, Web-based video conversion service that lets people change the format on video clips without installing any sort of conversion software on their computer. Users can upload up to five different video files, up to 100MB in total space, and choose from 11 popular formats for output. The main use for services like these is compatibility with portable devices, or Web services that require video clips to fall under a certain spec for playback--the iPod and upcoming iPhone included.… Read more