Freeware - Digital Imaging

Why spend more? Use freeware

Free software, or freeware, is getting better and better while remaining free of charge. LIM YEE HUNG shows you the top picks to save you time and money.

The cost of software from commercial vendors can be hefty. YOU wonder, sometimes, what drives people to create computer programs without price tags. A passion for programming? Or a great desire to spite the likes of Microsoft?

I don't know, but who cares when you can have the Gimp Image Editor, a program that gives Adobe Photoshop a run for its money, without a single cent.

And while most commercial programs have the upper hand in terms of features, that advantage is usually not big enough to justify the difference in price. Sometimes, the free alternative can even be better.

With the global economy looking wobbly, there is no better time to be more adventurous - and cheap. No apologies about it. Here we go.

# Digital imaging

IN THE age of Facebook, the need for photo editors is greater than ever, particularly among the image-conscious. Adobe Photoshop is the industry leader but it comes with a big price tag.

Gimp, dubbed the 'free Photoshop', is a full-featured digital photo editor with transformation, selection, layer and masking tools.

However, it is not designed to be a Photoshop clone, so it's incompatible with most of the plug-ins designed for Photoshop.

Google-owned Picasa comes with far fewer features than Gimp and is targeted at normal users who need only slight alterations to their photographs, such as photo cropping and red-eye reduction.

<

However, it makes up for its no-frills limitations with an in-built photo uploader which streamlines the process of getting your photos off your camera and onto the Web.

For the artistically inclined, Paint.NET is an easy-to-use and effective digital imaging program. Originally intended as a free replacement for Microsoft Paint, it features an intuitive user interface with special effects, support for layers and other nifty tools, making it perfect for budding digital artists.

And did I mention Adobe's just-launched Beta of its Web-based Adobe Photoshop Express? Yes, even Adobe knows the words 'free' and 'online'.

# GIMP: gimp-win.sourceforge.net
# Picasa: picasa.google.com
# Paint.NET: www.getpaint.net
# Adobe Photoshop Express: www.photoshop.com/express

Some Ways to Fire Up Your PC!

Fire up your PC!

Thanks to Digital Life and Chester Chen, a PC enthusiast and freelance writer for writing this article which is a great helps to many of the PC users

Don't chuck your PC just yet. Here are some sure-fire ways to boost its performance. YOU don't want to change your PC system - it's less than three years old. But you do want to put on some computing muscle, so you can do some 27 things at once without everything slowing down to a crawl.

Three areas can be boosted - CPU, graphics video card and RAM - with varying effects on the overall performance.

CPU

MULTI-CORE processors are now the rage. If you are still using an old single-core processor, this can be a major boost in performance, especially for multimedia applications, 3D modelling and super complex maths calculations.

There are two players in this market space - Intel and AMD. The manufacturer you go with depends on your current motherboard.

Intel offers dual-core and quad-core processor, but in order to use these you need to have a compatible LGA775 (Socket-T) processor socket. Without it, you will need to upgrade both the processor and motherboard. Also, insist on the Core 2 Duo, not the older Core Duo or Pentium D systems.

AMD's product offerings are dual-core, triplecore and quad-core systems and use a Socket-AM2.

A CPU upgrade will set you back from $110 to a whopping $1,699. The price is tagged to the clock speed of the CPU, the total number of cores (engines) and the on-board RAM cache. More core processors mean better multi-tasking.

VIDEO GRAPHICS CARD

VIDEO cards transform the digital bits into a display pixel (picture element) on your monitor. Simple video graphics systems are built into the motherboard. Most of these systems with built-in graphics usually have upgrade capabilities for a stand-alone card. If you have an older system, it may use an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) or the newer standard PCI-E (PCI Express) slot. The latter is the better of the two and the current standard. Note: The slots are not interchangeable.

The graphics card has a CPU and memory of its own that do all the mathematical computing for 3D graphics. This eases the computing burden on the main CPU and translates to better performance. Prices start at $150 for a low-end nVidia 8600 or ATI HD3650, to $500 for a high-end nVidia 9800 or ATI HD3870.

RAM

SYSTEM memory affects the overall performance. So, souping up this component will bring about faster start-ups, faster loading times for applications and less hard drive accessing.

Today, DDR2 (Double Data Rate Two) is the standard. And you should have 1GB for Windows XP systems and 2GB for Windows Vista. Going beyond 3GB will not yield better results because the area above 3GB is reserved for other system devices like video cards and sound cards.

With RAM price at an all-time low, you should be able to find a 1GB DDR2 memory module for as low as $30.

System performance can also be improved by using a ReadyBoost-enabled flash memory USB stick with Windows Vista. The memory stick is a non-moving part file store and will be faster to access than the hard drive. It acts as a cache for recent or frequently accessed files. A ReadyBoost-enabled 4GB flash memory USB stick can be had for as little as $30.

Ed's note: If your performance boosting exercise requires changing more than one component, it may be wiser to wait a while longer and do a system overhaul. Components become obsolete quickly and once a new standard is in place, the older less prolific technology parts become less costly. Alternatively, get a new PC.

FREE PERFORMANCE BOOST

A LITTLE housekeeping can also go a long way.

# Delete all the temporary files that are not properly flushed out of the system because of a misbehaving application or software bugs. Open the Command Prompt and type 'CD %temp%'. Press ENTER. Use the DOS command, DEL, to remove the files.

# Delete all the temporary Internet files created by Internet Explorer. In the browser, access the Tools menu where you will find an option to delete Temporary files.

# Use the built-in defragmenting program to optimise the files so they are contiguous, and clear the free space. Press Windows Key-R and type in DFRG.MSC and press OK. Follow the on-screen instructions.

# Remove any of the extra applications sitting in the Windows System Tray. Use the Add/Remove programs in the Windows Control Panel to do it.

By Chester Chen, a PC enthusiast and freelance writer

GPS for your Phone

YOU'VE probably heard a lot about mobile phones with GPS (Global Positioning System) capabilities. But alas, the phone that you bought just a few months back doesn't have GPS, and your subscription contract doesn't allow you to trade your phone in just yet.

As an alternative, you can try the Nokia Bluetooth GPS module LD-4W. It's a GPS receiver that can be used with compatible Bluetooth phones, Nokia or otherwise. Just make sure your phone supports Bluetooth v2.0 with EDR, Serial Port Profile, and NMEA 0183 v3.01 protocol

The LD-4W is a simple gadget. On the device, there're only a power button, charging port, and three LED indicators for power, Bluetooth and GPS status. I liked its clean and slim design, which looks very much like the original iPod Nano, except that it's slightly shorter.

There are a couple of useful accessories included in the box. For one, car drivers can stick the module to their vehicle windscreen with a suction cup. If you're on foot, use the belt clip or keyring. It's even splash proof, but not waterproof, so don't go jumping into the pool with it.

Unfortunately, only a car charger, not a conventional wall charger, was bundled with the device.

I tested the device with a Nokia N81 and a HTC Touch. On the N81, which already had Nokia Maps preinstalled, it was a pretty straightforward affair. I just had to pair it like I would with any other Bluetooth device.

For a list of compatible Nokia phones, check Nokia's website. Maps are free for download, but you'll have to pay for the optional Voice Navigation feature.

Getting it to work with the HTC (which was installed with Windows Mobile 6 Professional) involved a few more steps. I had to download and install MapKing (most navigation software should work though) and set the Com port manually.

Next, I stuck the GPS module to my car windscreen and I was ready to go. I used a car holder to hold the phone - Nokia has a couple of these available, but a generic one will do.

The module typically took about three minutes or so to latch on to a GPS signal from a cold start - similar to other GPS devices that I have tested. Although I would lose the GPS signal whenever I entered the CTE underground tunnel, it managed to re-lock on quickly when my car emerged from the tunnel. And to my surprise, it even worked when I slipped it into my trousers pocket while on foot.

FINAL SAY

If you've been hankering for a GPS gadget, the LD-4W is probably one of the best solutions if you have a compatible phone.

By Melvin Seah