magic

Magic Camera adds effects to your Webcam

Shining Morning's Magic Camera is shareware that adds a variety of effects and overlays to your Webcam feed, screen capture window, or saved videos and pictures. It's free to try, but the free version places a watermark and includes a nag screen. It's easy to use, but the effects it adds are run of the mill, and many are poorly rendered. Recent updates include Windows 8 compatibility. We tried Magic Camera in Windows 7.

Magic Camera's user interface is colorful and simple enough, but it's not especially attractive or intuitive, and the optional skin (for … Read more

Recover Windows and other software product IDs with Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder

Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder won't help you find your car keys or point you to the Easter Bunny's stash. But if you need to reinstall Windows and can't find your product key, it might be seem magical to you. This free utility retrieves your Windows Product Key (CD key) from your registry and saves it to a text or CSV file. If you need to reinstall Windows but don't have the Product Key because you lost the original CD or case, it can save your bacon, or at least a lot of your time. It works … Read more

Lytro update unlocks manual controls, exposure lock

From the time Lytro launched its first consumer Light Field Camera in March, the company has been clear that the Lytro you buy today will be able to do much more in the future.

For example, as of today, current Lytro owners can get a firmware update via the desktop software (available for Mac and Windows) to add some more control over the camera, including shutter speed and ISO.

Without control over shutter speed or ISO, most low-light shots I've taken end up looking like the above -- grainy with poor color. That's because the camera ramps up … Read more

Magic Photo Editor creates photo collages, we hear

Magic Photo Editor is a shareware digital image editor optimized for creating photo collages, frames, and portraits using a variety of template masks, objects, and borders. It's free to try with a 30-use limit. But it has some serious issues, starting with a clunky, unattractive interface that lacks common features. More serious is a lack of basic functionality, though.

Magic Photo Editor's user interface was the first hurdle: it's colorful but too simple by half, with nothing but a sidebar listing basic controls and features. Amazingly, we could not resize the interface -- not by clicking and … Read more

Get a Panasonic three-handset phone system for $29.99

Have you switched over to a voice-over-IP phone system like MagicJack, NetTalk, or Ooma? Now's the perfect time to replace your crummy old corded phones with a spiffy new wireless system.

Or at least a spiffy refurbished wireless system, like this one: today only, and while supplies last, Tech Woot has the refurbished Panasonic KX-TG4023N cordless phone system for $29.99, plus $5 for shipping.

The KX-TG4023N comes with one base station and two additional handsets that connect to it via DECT 6.0 wireless technology. You can expand the system with up to three additional handsets (for a … Read more

Facebook finally deletes the deleted

The top tech headlines for this photo-fun Friday:

Ustream will soon launch an app that lets you stream live video to your Facebook page. Called BFF (Broadcast for Friends), it'll be available in the coming days on Android and Apple devices.

Facebook has found an answer to the photo deletion issue that Ars Technica uncovered three years ago. The problem: Once you deleted a photo, it could still be found if you had the original URL. But now, Facebook says when you delete a photo it will be gone within 30 days. Ars Technica reported that it saw photos … Read more

The 404 1112: Where we put a spell on you (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Instagram 3.0 adds infinite scrolling, lets you plot on a Photo map.

- How to control which Instagram pics show up on your Photo Map.

- Hipstamatic lays off all but six employees.

- Hipstamatic becomes the first third-party app to officially post photos to Instagram.

- Buzzfeed invites you to rub Ryan Gosling. Learn the Moonwalk from MJ too, while you're at it.

- From a visual perspective, RubGifs still don't compare to cinemagraphs.

- Google US map shows regional stereotypes by autocompleting "Why is ____ so..."… Read more

eBay to ban sales of spells, hexes, magic services

Sorry, Harry Potter fans, you're going to have to double double toil and trouble somewhere else besides eBay. The online auction giant has just issued category changes and updates for the fall. Spells and potions are on the dump list.

Discontinued categories include Tarot readings, spells, and potions. Not only are some categories magically disappearing, but those items will go onto eBay's prohibited list along with hexing, curses, conjuring, blessings, psychic readings, and the catch-all "magic services."… Read more

The 404 Show Special: Jay Chandrasekhar and Kevin Heffernan

The 404's Jeff Bakalar had a chance to sit down with Jay Chandrasekhar and Kevin Heffernan, two of the members of the comedy group Broken Lizard (Super Troopers, Beerfest). The duo has a new film out called "The Babymakers" in select theaters, iTunes, and on-demand August 3rd.

In addition to a discussion about "The Babymakers," Jay and Kevin talk to Jeff about a sequel to "Super Troopers," getting "Potfest" off the ground, and what else is in store for Broken Lizard.… Read more