03 November 2014
Photo Advent Calendar with delicious Continental chocolates
With the new photo Advent calendar with branded German and Swiss chocolates FotoInsight extends its range of photo chocolate Advent calendars which now include the flavors: nougat, dark chocolate and hazelnut from “Sarotti”® and “Confectionery Heidel”®.
Going back to 19th century customs of counting out the days leading up to Christmas, Advent calendars, particularly for children, started to appear in the early 20th century. Traditionally, Advent calendars were made and filled at home, nowadays many families use supermarket Advent calendars with commercial pictures, often displaying children’s film characters.
Creating your own Advent calendar, without glue or scissors
Those who do not want to feed their loved once commercial Advent calendars off the shelf and would rather like to create or design an Advent calendar with a photograph to remember the best moments of the year, will find help at FotoInsight. At this online photo print service one can get own pictures printed onto a real chocolate filled Advent calendar. The Advent calendar begins on the first of December. Its 24 little doors conceal festively wrapped German and Swiss chocolate. With a nice picture for friends or family, it is easy to create an absolutely unique Advent calendar this year.
Information about the new photo Advent calendar with Continental quality chocolates
Milk chocolate (contains at least 31% cocoa, 23% milk solids); hazelnut milk chocolate (contains at least 25% cocoa, 14% milk solids, 16% ground hazelnut);dark chocolate (contains at least 50% cocoa).
Milk chocolate (contains at least 31% cocoa, 23% milk solids); hazelnut milk chocolate (contains at least 25% cocoa, 14% milk solids, 16% ground hazelnut);dark chocolate (contains at least 50% cocoa).
Filling: 95 g net weight
Price: £11.99 (inc VAT)
Turnaround time: Six working days.
Photo Advent calendar with chocolate from “Sarotti”® and “Confectionery Heidel”®:
Price: £11.99 (inc VAT)
Turnaround time: Six working days.
Photo Advent calendar with chocolate from “Sarotti”® and “Confectionery Heidel”®:
Information about the photo Advent calendar with chocolate balls
Price of £7.95.
Turnaround time: Six working days.
Individual Advent calendars
Price of £7.95.
Turnaround time: Six working days.
Individual Advent calendars
Labels: chocolate Advent calendars, personal, personalized, photo Advent calendar, printed, with chocolate, with your own photo
30 October 2012
Fresh chocolate in Advent calendars with own photograph
Yet again it’s time for Advent calendars. Chocolate photo Advent calendars are sold each year only during the run-up to Christmas, which ensures that the chocolate is fresh. Those who want to make a truly unique Advent calendar with own photographs will find help at FotoInsight; starting in October, freshly filled chocolate Advent calendars with custom photo-print will again be available online.The Advent Calendar Season Begins
Anyone not wanting to serve their loved ones with an off the shelf Advent calendar, preferring to create their one design with their own graphic or picture, perhaps reviving the best moments of the year, will find this easy to do at FotoInsight. The online photo service offers to print a digital photograph onto a chocolate filled Advent calendar. The Advent calendars start on the first of December and its 24 little doors conceal tasty milk chocolate balls in festive wrapping. Those who have a nice picture to print can liven up a loved ones Advent with their very personal Advent calendar. Labels: chocolate Advent calendars, personal, personalized, photo Advent calendar, printed, with chocolate, with your own photo
12 October 2011
Chocolate Advent Calendar with own photograph
FotoInsight presents a special Advent calendar with your own picture and 24 chocolate balls in festive wrapping as an alternative to mass produced Advent calendars.
Cambridge. 13/10/2011. - The origins of the Advent calendar go back at least as early as the beginning of the 19th century, with children physically counting down the first 24 days of December. Advent calendars used to be important craft projects, though nowadays most families use commercial Advent images purchased in department stores.
Create your own Advent calendar, without glue or scissors
If you don’t want to serve your loved ones an off-the-shelf Advent calendar, but rather create your own or design an Advent calendar with photos reviving the best moments of the year, you will find this easier with FotoInsight. The online photo service now offers to print a digital photograph onto a chocolate filled Advent calendar. The Advent calendar starts on the first of December and its 24 little doors conceal tasty milk chocolate balls in festive wrapping. Those who have a nice picture to print can give their loved ones a very happy Advent with their very personal photo Advent calendar.
Information on the Chocolate Advent Calendar with own photographSince 10 October FotoInsight offers chocolate-filled photo Advent calendars in size 23.5 x 17.8 x 2.5 cm (W x H x D). A picture uploaded over the Internet will be printed onto the 28.5 x 22.8 cm large print area (of which 2.5 cm per side folds over the edges of the chocolate box) and it costs £9.99. The usual 24 doors conceal 24 Christmas wrapped milk chocolate balls. Delivery time: six working days.
Labels: chocolate Advent calendars, Christmas calendar, personal, personalized, photo Advent calendar, printed, with chocolate, with your own photo
09 December 2010
New Photo Calendar Models Arriving
Cambridge. 9/DEC/2010. - FotoInsight is launching a new website in ecember to improve the online in-browser design experience for photo calendars. In the new website, Fotoinsight’s customers will be able to create individual photo calendars without having to download additional software. With this development come also new photo calendars on photo paper.
Calendars on photographic paperPhotographic paper has come a long way over the past two hundred years. Quality photographic paper offers sharp details, brilliant, true colours and proven longevity.
The new range of calendars on photographic paper is comprehensive, ranging from a desktop calendar with CD case size display for £9.99 to the practical A4 wall calendar and a new 30×30cm (12"×12") square format to the known A3 photo calendar. The photo calendars in A3 are now available not just in portrait format, but as an A3 landscape photo calendar. For those who want their pictures to be big, there’s the new A2 photo calendar size 40.6×60.9cm (16"×24").
Large photo calendar A2 landscape So far FotoInsight’s photo calendar range has covered everything from desktop calendars, practical kitchen calendars, and compact A4 format to A3 wall calendars. Now FotoInsight goes one larger with the A2 wall appointment calendar. This new calendar is 59.4×42cm (23½"×16½") large and offers more space for pictures and notes. FotoInsight’s Managing Director says about the A2 landscape photo calendar: “With this large photo calendar everyone has the opportunity to make individual calendars which will exceed professionally mass produced calendars from a bookshop in quality, brilliance and durability.”
A new gift idea: Name calendars
Name calendars are a great gift idea for any opportunity like as a Christmas present, on birthdays or as a name-day gift idea. His or her name will come in a different picture every month.
The integrated name feature creates personalised name calendars within minutes. Simply add a name - a picture for each month with the name drawn in will be automatically personalised. Modern computer technology will seamlessly integrate the name into each of the twelve months’ pictures creating a unique, personalised calendar gift.
Dedicated to a name!
Thanks to the different materials and many sizes, shapes, formats and calendar templates available there should be a calendar suitable for each space or occasion. Photo calendars are a great gift idea all year around, as the user can set the starting month freely. Therefore calendars can run along the academic year or from Mother’s Day to Mother’s Day.
Labels: own photographs, Photo calendar, photo paper, photocalendars, photographic calendars, picture calendar, printed, printing, software
20 September 2010
FotoInsight announces new "Designer v.4.6" Photo Book Software at Photokina.
Cologne, 21/09/2010. - To provide space where the favourite photographs can shine, photo book services like FotoInsight are constantly improving their software and their range. The latest FotoInsight Designer software upgrade incorporates many suggestions from a SirValuse Usability study and features apart from an enhanced navigation many new tools.
Automatic photo book size conversion
Until recently, when designing a CEWE PHOTO BOOK, it could only be ordered in the same size. The new FotoInsight Designer can now convert CEWE PHOTO BOOK layouts from one size into another of the same shape. For example, from a square Photo Book XL in size 12" x 12" (30 x 30 cm), users can now get a smaller square size 8" x 8" (20 x 20 cm) or a larger square size 16" x 16" (40 x 40 cm), adjusted automatically based on the original layout. The same can be done to photo books in portrait or panorama format.
Editing Assistant now recognizes human faces
The software upgrade will be shown at Photokina and will be launched as a free download from October 2010. Its Layout Assistant has been improved and can now recognise faces. That way the automatic layout assistant can now avoid covering faces on photographs. Users will also be able to create custom CEWE PHOTO BOOK Layout-Styles, for the Assistant to use when creating automatic photo book layouts.
New photographic calendars, new features
For demanding photographers wanting to create large calendars FotoInsight is now adding the size A3 photo calendar also in panorama format. Photo calendars on real photographic paper can also be designed in FotoInsight Designer v.4.6. Real photographic paper developed in a professional photo lab guarantees brilliant colours and superior durability.
The colour schemes of the application's calendar templates received a make-over and the application can now also display bank holidays in photo calendars.
More photo gifts
The software upgrade also features the option to choose the pages in spiral-bound photo cover note pads (A5 and A4) with the option of lined or graph paper. In general FotoInsight is increasing the user's choice. For example it is now possible to give each greeting card in a set of greeting cards an individual design.
The Managing Director of FotoInsight Klaas Brumann comments: "The new photo calendars on photographic paper and the new CEWE PHOTO BOOK XXL Panorama provide an impressive environment to preserve the favourite pictures from holidays and events in shiny quality. Books can be accessed at any time. Unlike videos and images on digital media there will never be compatibility problems with future digital standards. With your FotoInsight Photo Book simply turn the pages and enjoy, now and in a hundred years."
Labels: album, books, business, CEWE, photo book, photobook, photobooks, photokina, printed, printing, small print run, software
27 April 2010
Five Minutes for Eternity - a Wedding Photo Book Created in a few Steps
A wedding photo book, printed and bound as a single print or in any number of copies. Thanks to free software from online vendors such as FotoInsight and Printing-1 this has become accessible to everyone. How fast a glossy wedding book can be done and that a wedding photo book in deluxe leather cover is available for under 40.- Pounds is shown in the following article: "wedding photo book - five minutes for eternity."
The best news first: photo book software from vendors such as FotoInsight and Printing-1 is designed so that the photo book can almost completely be done in autopilot, while it still offers you the option to edit the design or to add finishing touches. Thus, even design novices can cheer the creation of their wedding photo book. But the artistically well-versed will have all the freedom to express their own ideas in the photo book.
Design software - free and self explanatory
The software for the creation of photo books is available online as a free download, for example on http://fotoinsight.co.uk/ and www.printing-1.co.uk - for both Windows and Mac computers (FotoInsight Designer is also one of the few options for Linux users). The installation is easy and takes less than 10 minutes. When opening the application, the user is given the option to edit an existing photo book layout or to create a new one. Those using it for the first time, will of course always create a new photo book.
Apart from vendors where a software download is required for the photo book design there are other online sites where photo books can be created from within the web browser. Obviously the editing features are limited to what can be delivered in a web session through a browser. Another burden is that every image has to be uploaded in full resolution; with hundreds of professionally shot photographs, this can be a frustrating and time consuming process. For good reasons most photo book services in Britain, like FotoInsight und Printing-1 offer a free software tool download.
The application interface of the photobook software of the providers mentioned above (and most others follow this layout, too) is divided into seven areas: the main menu bar, the menu tree, thumbnail images, the photo book list, the photo book page view, the toolbar and menu. A novice photo book designer can open the folder containing the images to be included in the photo book. In the case of a wedding photo book, this should be all the pictures of the wedding that should go into the wedding photo album. The images now appear in the "thumbnails" field.
Layout - complete freedom
To start a photo book, one thing to be decided from the start is the book format and type of cover. Printing-1 allows to change the page size at any stage of the design process, however, computers aren't perfect at resizing individually laid out page designs. So it is best to stick to the page size once the design has been started.
Clicking on the "layout" tab allows you to choose the number of images and text fields per page and how they should be arranged. During the design process sets of pages can be added as required. The page layout can be created, chosen or changed for each individual page in the book at any stage. To pick a layout, simply click in the "storyboard" on the double page to be changed and the layout section to pick the desired layout. The program will do the rest.
By now the photos have been chosen and the book format has been defined. Clicking on the "thumbnails" section on the "apply" button, the Printing-1 software imports the images into the photo book. With FotoInsight Designer, the "PHOTO BOOK Assistant" is activated by clicking on its icon (bottom left), dragging the thumbnails for the book form the preview into the selection box and clicking "Create Photo Book". Voila! The result can be seen in edit mode on the "Storyboard" or displayed as something closer to the real book in the "Preview".
Of course, both applications also allow to place photos individually at any location or angle in the photo book instead of having them laid-out automatically by the software. This works simply through "drag & drop", i.e. clicking on the desired picture in the "thumbnails section"; hold the left mouse button and then drag the image to the appropriate place in the photo book. Once all images have been positioned in the photo book, it is a good idea to check all the pages to ensure no layered picture is covering any important elements of a background picture and that all images have sufficient resolution for their size. If an image has a barely adequate picture quality, a yellow warning light flashes on the screen. If the picture quality is insufficient a red warning will appear; making the image smaller usually resolves the problem.
Finishing touches - image editing
As a finishing touch, images can be improved. In the FotoInsight Designer software any image can be edited through a double click and in the application from Printing-1 image editing tools can be reached through the toolbar. The applications from FotoInsight and Printing-1 offer under icons like 'page', 'new image' 'text', 'processing', 'layout adaption', 'rotation', 'frame options', 'zooming', optimization etc and includes numerous design, text and image processing tools. E.g. there is a tool to rotate images freely or in increments and another one to add text, but make sure that you select an appropriate font size. Images can also be converted from colour to black and white.
A wedding photobook becomes most interesting taking into account a few design tips: A photo book is basically about telling the "story of your wedding" through photographs. For this it is best to create chronological chapters, like preparations, civil wedding, church wedding, the party etc. Each chapter might be introduced by an overarching main picture, for example, a photo of the church for the chapter, "church wedding".
Once happy with the design of the wedding book, it is easy to order it online. Clicking on the 'order' icon in the 'main menu bar' starts the checkout process in which the address details and print data will be transmitted to a photo lab. The wedding book will be professionally printed, bound and delivered by post within a few days.
System requirements:
FotoInsight Designer 4.5.9 - Win, Mac, Linux
1 Ghz processor512 MB RAM
Windows 2000, XP, Vista; Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, Linux Kernel 2.6, glibc 2.6
Printing-1
Windows and MacOS
Articles for free publication:
"Factsheet" about FotoInsight Ltd. and Printing-1
IITM LLP | London, UK | Tel +44 (0) 20 76177469 | http://IITM.info
Labels: albums, from wedding, photo album, photo books, photobook, printed, wedding, with pictures
05 November 2009
Christmas presents with a personal touch
Should a Christmas present be practical, useful or personal? The search for the perfect gift idea continues.
Berlin, London, Cambridge. 6 Nov. 2009. Finding the right Christmas present for your friends and family is a challenge you have to face every year. When a few basic rules are observed, finding original and affordable presents can become quite easy. Last minute purchases should be avoided, it only causes stress at the wrong time of the year.
Photo crystal
Photo games at Christmas
Berlin, London, Cambridge. 6 Nov. 2009. Finding the right Christmas present for your friends and family is a challenge you have to face every year. When a few basic rules are observed, finding original and affordable presents can become quite easy. Last minute purchases should be avoided, it only causes stress at the wrong time of the year.Christmas, celebrating reunions
Searching for and buying Christmas presents can be completely relaxed when done from home on the Internet. Questions like: "What would she like or what would be useful to him?" or "Does it have to be that expensive?" have become redundant in our affluent society, where people have already bought the things they want and what they have not bought yet they don't really want. For this Christmas here a list of individual gift ideas to preserve personal memories and to celebrate families and friendship. These are largely photo gifts, personalised with own images.
Greeting cards don't have to come a of the shelf
Greeting cards with their own interesting or funny pictures are much more personal. Photo services like FotoInsight print photo greeting cards usually in sets of ten as picture postcards or folding greeting cards (with image and text on-print on all four pages) with their envelopes . Hint: The cheapest photo greeting cards are on photographic paper, where the front can be edited in full colour, costing only £3.99 including 10 envelopes.
Calendars with own photographs
There can hardly be a better Christmas present than a photo calendar, let it be a wall calendar, a desk planner, a table picture calendar or kitchen calendar, it needs a new one every year. The FotoInsight Designer software provides many calendar templates for photo calendars in different sizes. Similar to the photo book layouts, a virtually unlimited number of pictures can be applied and layered. A birthday calendar can include passport size pictures on birthdays in the calendars.
Those who want to print calendars on a printer at home (that will still be possible on the last day), will do well with the photo calendar software from greenstreet, the voucher TEST0825 gives a 48% discount (£12.99 at http://greenstreet-online.com/offers/iitm-calendar/index.htm). Photobook calendars from Printing-1 are the alternative to wall calendars. They can be up to 250 pages thick with much space for pictures and notes.
Family stories in pictures
With pictures from a family or holiday there will be a story to tell. The ideal medium to preserve these memories is a photo book, printed with personal photographs. The holiday season is the time to share these memories with the whole family. Another photobook service, Printing-1 launches a new photo book style just in time for the season. In this new glossy photo book each page is sealed with a glossy, environmentally friendly vanish. With the glossy finish the photo book should be protected from all the finger prints friends and family will leave on the pictures as the photo book is passed around.
Home decoration
Some pictures need space; they will look great as a poster or as a laminated and framed deco block. Laminating posters instead of putting them under a glass frame avoids light reflections, but still protects the colour prints from humidity and UV-light so that several generations should be able to enjoy the poster prints. FotoInsight's Designer software includes a Collage Poster and Collage Canvas feature, to create a print composed of up to 98 images.
Own photographs printed onto canvas, mounted on a wooden frame
A fine present for those with space on their walls is a photo canvas print, Especially photographs which were post edited with artistic effects that look great as an art print. 'Think Big!' photo canvas prints are available in online photo shops in a range of different formats and sizes from 20 x 30 cm to 120 x 120 cm. FotoInsight offers photo canvas prints with the option of a floating Havana frame. With this frame the fold over the edge of the wood frame is visible and the 3D effect of a mounted canvas preserved.
Photo crystalA photo heart glass block with a laser engraved photograph and other photo crystal gift ideas can be found in Fotoinsight's Crystal section. Prices range from £9.99 / €12.99 for a crystal key ring (with LED light) to £19.99 / €29.99 for a laser engraved crystal photo (the engraving process is apparently military technology).
Photo on a coffee mug
Always popular, simple and economical is a photo mug. As a German beer mug with a a photograph or a panorama print on a coffee mug (with coloured inner side), it only needs one digital image to make a practical present personal.
Cuddly moose with photo
When giving a soft toy with your own photograph, at Christmas it has to be a "photo moose" (with a red cap).
Photo games at ChristmasThe picture pairs game Remembory is ideal for families, as it suits children from the age of 4 years young and unites families. 25 of your own photos (family, holidays, et al) suffice for an individual gift (£12.99 / €13.99 +p&p), which families can play over the holidays. Photo puzzles too are popular during long winter nights.
Christmas 2009 - personal values for post consumerism
What could be more personal than a photo gift? What preserves memories in vivid colours? In the digital age the photo gift printing industry seems in tune with modern consumer values.
International IT Marketing Limited issued this press release for Printing-1.co.uk, greenstreet online Limited and FotoInsight Ltd.
About greenstreet online limited
"greenstreet online limited" are a leading developer & software publisher focusing on the sales of innovative products developed both in-house and by outside parties worldwide. Winner of major industry awards and accolades for innovation & value, greenstreet creates innovative, feature packed products at affordable prices - for Home Entertainment, SME Business & Office Markets and a well-established test department ensures that only the very best games and utility software gets the greenstreet stamp of approval.
Contact: Jeffrey S. Fenton, PhD, MSc
Email jfenton (at) greenstreet-online.co.uk
Tel. +44 (0)1480 468587
Email jfenton (at) greenstreet-online.co.uk
Tel. +44 (0)1480 468587
About Printing-1.co.uk
Printing-1 started in October 2006 as a British-German joint-venture. The Internet-Service is specialising in high quality, modern photo print products like photo books and photo canvas. The service is fully compatible with Windows and Mac PCs.
Contact: pr (at) printing-1.com
Tel. +44 20 7617 7469
Tel. +44 20 7617 7469
About FotoInsight
FotoInsight Ltd was founded in Cambridge in 2003 and runs an easy to use digital photo processing service for Windows, Mac OS and Linux users, offering an extensive array of award-winning photographic print and photo gifts as well as the photo books, photo poster and photos on canvas printing. Prints ordered through FotoInsight are developed at five state of the art photo labs in three countries.The online photo service has grown year on year faster than the photo processing industry and has expanded its services in five European languages in 32 countries.
Contact: Klaas Brumann
Email pr (at) fotoinsight.co.uk
Tel. +44 (0)8700 114911
Email pr (at) fotoinsight.co.uk
Tel. +44 (0)8700 114911
Agency contact:
International IT Marketing Ltd.
Catalina Martínez
Head of International Communication
London, UK
Email: pr (at) iitm.info
Tel.: 020 76177469
International IT Marketing Ltd.
Catalina Martínez
Head of International Communication
London, UK
Email: pr (at) iitm.info
Tel.: 020 76177469
Labels: book, calendar, canvas, Christmas, frame, game, gifts, greeting cards, personal, photo, photo mugs, photobooks, picture pairs, printed
16 March 2009
FotoInsight launches "FotoInsight Designer v.4.5" now also for Mac OS and Linux.
Photo sharing from Flickr, Facebook, Picasa and geotagging site "locr" come to personal printed photo albums. Today FotoInsight launches a new version of FotoInsight Designer with new photo book formats and new features like fading frames and festive templates.
Cambridge, 17 March 2009. - Against an ever increasing number of photo book services, FotoInsight is increasing its technological lead with the introduction of version 4.5 of FotoInsight Designer, which is now also available for Linux and Mac. The ease at which photos can freely be inserted into the book or into templates now also extends to clipart, maps, text and images from photo sharing sites like Flickr as well as the geotagging site "locr" and Wikipedia GeoNames. The photo sharing sites become an online interface for photo book building with family and friends, as users can now complement their printed photo albums with additional pictures (e.g. the Eiffel Tower form a different angle) from photo sharing sites, straight from within the FotoInsight Designer software.
Geotagging and Photosharing
In addition, with just a mouse click pictures used in a photo calendar or photo book project in FotoInsight Designer 4.5 can be uploaded to the geotagging photo community "locr". The other way around, aerial shots and maps from the geotagging community will come handy for comprehensive information of the locality in a personal travel book. "locr GmbH's" Managing Director Malte Schloen states: “The collaboration between the FotoInsight Photo Book service and locr as a geotagging and information sharing site combines two innovative leaders to the benefit of users. Geotagging communities like 'locr' free internet users from Ordnance Survey's outdated geographic information monopoly.” FotoInsight's Managing Director Klaas Brumann adds: “We are so excited that our software tool for photo book design now integrates a gateway into shared photos and geographic information and online photo sharing, that we are already working on extending the range of photo sharing sites to also include Facebook and Picasa in the following release later this year.”
Travel Diaries
For geotagged images the new software can load corresponding local information straight from "locr" or Wikipedia into the photo book. Creating area maps takes just a click. FotoInsight's Head of Communication Catalina Martínez states: “It has never been easier to write comprehensive travel diaries or even your own travel guide.” Using geotagging applications for photos or tagging the location information manually opens a new world of opportunity to relate images with locality information.
Image Layering and Blend-in Image Masks
According to Andrew White, Internet Sales Manager at FotoInsight print partner CEWE Color Ltd.: " layering images in any order or position has been one of the outstanding features of its Designer software for photo books". With the new software upgrade a range of different shapes or blend-in image masks can be used as image frames. There are also plenty of new frames and clipart to decorate photo gifts for Mothering Sunday, Easter, Father's Day etc.
New Panorama Format
After extending its range with the Photo Book XXL with editable hardcover in portrait format (H36 x 28 cm) and in faux leather with traditional screw bind in panoramic format (H30 x W42 cm) last year, FotoInsight now adds an A4 panorama size (H28 x W21 cm). FotoInsight's print resolution of 360 dpi produces crisp panorama images spreading across double pages up to 84 cm wide.
Mac OS and Linux, too
Compatible with Windows XP, Linux and Mac operating system 10.5 Leopard and above, version 4.5 of the FotoInsight Designer software is now available to download from the FotoInsight website. The software upgrade sees greater functionality for editing, sorting and arranging photos, as well as for creating personalised photo gifts that preserve photographic memories.
In Time for the Easter holidays
The Easter holiday photographs are a great opportunity to try the new FotoInsight Designer features, printing photographic memories. Therefore FotoInsight offers 10% off all photo canvas print (voucher CNV1) and a square photo book (21 x 21 cm) for £10 (saving £4.99; voucher code PBSS1C, expires 30 April 2009).
For journalists:
For questions or if you would like to test the FotoInsight photobook software "Designer" as a journalist please contact us at tel. +44 (0)8700 114911 or email pr (at) fotoinsight.co.uk. FotoInsight also offer vouchers and software for reader offers. FotoInsight Photo Book Service: http://fotoinsight.co.uk/book
Information about FotoInsight
FotoInsight Ltd was founded in 2003 in Cambridge and runs an easy to use digital photo processing service, offering an extensive array of award-winning photographic print and photo gifts as well as the photo books, photo poster, photographic calendars and photos on canvas printing. Customers benefit from patented development processes and the experience of Europe’s largest independent photo lab with an installed capacity of 18 million prints per day. Photos ordered through http://fotoinsight.co.uk are developed in one of 19 strategically located, state of the art photo labs, employing 3000 staff, with an output of over 3 billion prints per year.
Information about locr
locr is a revolutionary geotagging photo community. According to the slogan "Geotag, Print & Share - Show your World in Photos"- locr offers users the possibility of visualizing photos with the aid of street maps, satellite images and location information. locr has specialized in travel-, geophotography and geophoto-software solutions for digital cameras and mobile phones. With a GPS-Mobile Phone, a digital camera with integrated GPS or a GPS-accessory device photos can be geotagged and uploaded to locr. Within the community people from all over the world share, rate and comment the most beautiful photos. With the "locr Geophoto Book" the first travel photo book that includes auto-created street maps, locr will extend its product range with print products in spring 2009. locr was founded in September 2006 in Brunswick, Germany.
Contact
FotoInsight Ltd.
Catalina Martínez, Head of International Communication
9 Moore Close
Cambridge
CB4 1ZP, UK
Skype fotoinside
Tel. +44 (0)8700 114911
Fax +44 (0)8715 601675
Email: pr (at) fotoinsight.co.uk
http://fotoinsight.co.uk/
locr GmbH
Malte Schloen
Technologiepark
Rebenring 33
38106 Braunschweig
Tel. +49 531-482 693 34
Fax. +49 531-482 693 21
Email: m.schloen (at) locr.com
Labels: Digital photography, Facebook, Flickr, Geotagging, locr, photo sharing, photobook, photographic album, printed, printing, software
15 December 2005
Are we leaving behind a society without memories?
The digital age has improved the access to information and the speed of information distribution dramatically. Are we failing to preserve histories, images and pictures for future generations?
When the author of these lines tried to transfer some information from an eight year old computer with no W/LAN to a current PC recently, she failed. To some surprise, the only possible device the eight year old machine could write to was a 3 ½” floppy disc, a device winch looks to children like an ancient storage system, as they are not likely to ever have seen a wobbly 5 ¼” disc. Current Windows XP machines tend not to have floppy disc drives. This raises a fundamental question: What will happen to all the CD-ROMs, DVDs, memory sticks and SIM-cards and mp3 players we use to store music and pictures? Will future societies have devices which able to read current data, image and music archives?
Museums and history departments boost records of ancient books and correspondence, lovingly decorated with frames and illustrations and transferred from generation to generation as historic documents. Today, applications like SmartPic from Abelssoft help to decorate emails with clipart and Smileys, expressing the writer’s mood. A nicely laid out and decorated message is much more likely to be preserved by the recipient, but in any case only as long as the hard disk survives. Some other recent product releases illustrate the trend towards ever faster flows of information across ever bigger networks. Software developer “euris 4c” recently published “4c”, a thumbnail previews plug-in for Internet Explorer. The application replaces website description text with quick previews, allowing the user to view a thumbnail size preview of a page before clicking onto it. If 4c is active on the system, it also starts a special windows administration as soon as two or more browser windows are open. The window administration displays previews of all browsers. A mouse click on the preview is sufficient to access the website. Kai Bonfigt of developer “euris 4c GmbH”: “Parallel surfing with several browser windows open is now a child’s play.” Multiple site browsing previews clearly accelerate the information flow.
The software developer Somebytes has released tools which for little money enable Microsoft Outlook users (and therefore most personal computer users) asynchronous synchronization of Outlook folders through email. Anyone working in teams on multiple sites or across time zones will immediately understand the benefits: - appointments, contacts, tasks and notes from a home PC or office PC can be updated with defined users at any location and in any time zone to allow any colleague, family or club member access to the same schedule or information (access can be defined individually). While this certainly makes current life easier and speeds up the information access it makes any paper based time planner incompatible and redundant. Future generations of historians and archaeologists will gain access to current digital records only if hard disks will be preserved and readable. As it stands this is unlikely.
The trend towards traceless operation is well illustrated by the award winning Buyertools Reminder. This free software handles multiple bids on the virtual auction site eBay, placing the bid at the last minute before the end of an auction. This increases the chances to land a bargain, as it reduces the time other interested parties have to outbid the offer. This is followed by some electronic communication completing the process. Apart from the goods acquired on eBay everything else is fully automatic and digital. No paper receipt, no tangible traces.
According to a recent report by Ipsos Insight digital cameras held steady for the third year in a row with 22% of US consumers planning to buy one in the next three months. 22% of US consumersplan to buy an MP3 player in the next 3 months, up from 13% from 2004. The music industry is suffering from another gift season enforcing the trend towards the mp3 format. Acon Digital Media, developer of some affordable and easy to use music software tools has released a new application helping consumers to convert any piece of music into a real music ring tone in less than three minutes, available from "My Ringading". The application called “My Ringading” makes creating truly unique ring tones and transferring them to a cell phone a child’s play - infrared, cable or Bluetooth as well as cost effective WAP uploads are all available at a mouse click. Storing music on hard discs and mobile phones is converting essential cultural expression into a throw away item. Though at only EU€16.90 / US$19.90 for the software this at least reduces the amount of money ring tone consumers tend to through away on this. Even the greatest trend in puzzles and saviour of newspaper sales, Sudoku becomes available by thousands of games generated by Sudoku software on CD-ROM like “embalado’s Su Doku elements”.
Klaas Brumann has recently written a dissertation paper on the growing trend of online networking, which has been supported by new developments in social software (see Linkedin and Xing). Online networking has been expanding during the year 2005 into research and higher education with the knowledge network academici. This online network provides instant access to any information published and asynchronous communication in specialist subject groups across fields of research and academic disciplines across the globe, 24/7. Once the servers are switched off our society will return to be as advanced as the last book printed. In our present time however, interactive networking for business and academia will become essential.
The only product reviewed recently that bugs the trend and carries memories into the future is the printed photo album, like FotoInsight's photobook. The great thing about processing or printing photos is that all those digital treasures languishing on hard drives could finally see the light of day. Getting nicely laid out, perfectly printed photo album preserves photographic memories and converts digital images into gifts and pieces of reference. FotoInsight reports that in the first month it already made 12% of its revenues from photobooks alone with traditional photographic processing down sharply over the previous year.
A culture failing to preserve memories will vanish without trace. Computer users should not assume that their children will be able to read or access in any form the information currently being accumulated on memory sticks, CD-ROMs or DVDs.
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Contact:
International IT Marketing Limited
London, United Kingdom
International IT Marketing Limited
London, United Kingdom
E-mail: cm (at) IITM.info
Tel. +44 8700 114911
Fax +44 8715 601675
USA +1 202-470-3242
Tel. +44 8700 114911
Fax +44 8715 601675
USA +1 202-470-3242
Labels: academici, Acon Digital Media, BuyerTools, eBay, future, memory, Microsoft Outlook, MyRingading, photo album, printed, Reminder, Smart Pic, software, somebytes
