Smith Micro’s Anime Studio Pro 6 ($199) is a vast update over the previous versions and adds many great new features. Enhancements to version 6 include motion tracking, integrated lip-syncing, a scatter brush, auto shading, morph targets, a new sequencer, HD video support along with the ability to export to more video formats and better scripting. This edition also adds speedier production times, improved drawing and design enhancements, the ability to directly upload content to YouTube right from the application and a large collection of predesigned graphics, sounds and templates.

I decided to put Mac version of the product to the test and the results stacked up well. One thing to note is this is a very large piece of software. The installation took about 578 megabytes of disk space, so I would recommend you have plenty of space before you go ahead and decide install this product. Other than that, the installation was smooth and took only about two minutes.

Anime Pro sports a sleek, clean interface, reminiscent of Photoshop or Flash. Performance-wise, everything seemed to run smoothly and I never ran up on any errors. Because this product is designed for professional use, there’s a bit of a learning curve and training may be necessary to fully utilize the capabilities of the software, but those who have used this product before will be satisfied with the interface, commands, tools and navigation of the application.

The applications preloaded content is especially useful for people who are just starting off. Within fifteen minutes I had my own animation going (AnimeStudioPro sample). It’s simple, but it just shows that in less then fifteen minutes, someone who has never used this product can get right to work with the simple, yet familiar interface.

The product retails for $199 new or $129 to upgrade from a previous version. If you currently use previous versions of this software, the new features are definitely worth the upgrade cost.

You can purchase this product online from Smith Micro’s online store.

Home screen of the EASEUS Todo Backup software.

The interface is fantastic with large buttons for the most common tasks such as backing up your entire disk or just a few partitions, as well as an option to restore your backed up content. There’s even a clone disk option where everything on your drive is duplicated to another hard drive. On the right hand side of the interface, there is a long, easy to read menu, marked with icons for more advanced options like mounting and unmounting a disk image. EASEUS did an excellent job with navigation and presenting an easy to use application, while maintaining a clutter free workspace.

Performance was great as well. In our tests, we were able to successfully backup up our drive and then later restore it. Todo Backup works by making a disk image of your entire drive, essentially duplicating it elsewhere. If a file ever gets deleted or Windows encounters a problem, it’s simple to just restore the files you need off your backup and be up and running again. The program also has a few nice features like the ability to set a priority to a backup, compress your backup to save space, and split your backup among disks. The splitting feature alone is a great because it enables you spread your backup among drives or discs; if you had a large backup that wouldn’t fit onto just one DVD, the spitting feature allows you to place your backup between as many DVDs or CDs as you need. The application also gives you the option to create a bootable disk, meaning if you’re main hard drive were to fail — woe the day that happens — you can plug your bootable drive in and run your computer from it.

Advanced configuration options in the EASEUS Todo Backup software.

There are, however, a few things we felt Todo Backup was missing. The ability to back up on to network volumes would have been nice. Also, the the program only allows you to backup the entire disk and doesn’t give you the option to select certain files and folders to backup. It also has limited security; we didn’t see any encryption or security support at all, but clearly this free piece of software is meant for home use and not designed for enterprise users.

For all the features, ease of use, and the fact that it’s completely free, EASEUS Todo Backup is a must download for Windows users looking for an easy to use backup solution. The interface, setup, and feature list are excellent and the program does everything EASEUS advertises. While it may have room to develop, for most users looking for a quick backup, these shortfalls probably won’t be an issue. Definitely give this product a try and test it out for yourself. You can download this free product from the EASEUS website.

I’ve always felt that some of the best software is free — take Mozilla Firefox for example.  SafeHouse Explorer is another great free product and in my use, I’ve found it to be a comprehensive data encryption solution for most Windows users.

One thing that I’ve noticed and enjoy about SafeHouse Explorer is its very clean look and simplicity of use. The application is designed to have the same appearance as the Windows Explorer and some of the most frequent tasks such as the “open volume” button are well placed and labeled, making the overall interface very functional, yet simple.

SafeHouse Explorer works to protect and encrypt your files by first letting your choose the size of its database or volume file. Then you create a password. I recommend that you choose a strong password (use the password strength indicator to help you), considering this will be your “master password” to all your files that are stored in that one volume. Once this is complete, you can simply drag and drop files into the window, and the program will then index and encrypt the files upon exiting the program.

One feature worth noting is the secure move-ability. This feature enables you easily move files to the SafeHouse application, and once imported, it destroys the files in the original location where they were dragged from.

Recovering your files is simple as well, and there are a variety of ways to regain access to your encrypted files. Users can create desktop shortcuts, double click on the volume file or simply launch the application and use the “open volume” button and navigate to the database or volume file. From there, users must enter their password- in which they assigned previously when they created the volume. SafeHouse Explorer then displays all of their files and the user can make changes. It then automatically creates a network drive when it recognizes you are logged into a particular volume. Once you close SafeHouse Explorer it deletes the network drive from Windows. This option makes it incredibly easy for users to easily gain access to their files using the familiar genuine Windows Explorer without having to use SafeHouse Explorer to access files. When volume is open in the application, users can make modifications directly to the file in SafeHouse Explorer. Many other clients require you to re-import files to make changes.

The company also offers a pro version of SafeHouse that offers additional functionality, but the free version is more than enough for most Windows users just looking to safeguard and encrypt files. There’s no Mac version, however.

You can download SafeHouse Explorer for free at: http://www.safehouseencryption.com/

With many of us trying to be more secure online by choosing better, less redundant and overall more secure passwords, the real question is “How do we remember them all?” Atek, a California based company, thinks they have a solution with their Logio Password Organizer Device.

It’s tiny –  only 1/8″ thick. The device reminds me of a cheap oven timer, and with that take on things, it’s very disappointing with flimsy thin plastic that almost breaks in half if you type with firm pressure.

The keyboard is somewhat acceptable yet very cheap-feeling again. I’ve found most of the other buttons take a few presses to get the unit to respond.

I found performance to be below average but manageable when you apply heavy pressure to the keyboard, which is really just a pain. I also found the interface to be very slow, and it often took a few seconds to respond to basic commands.

The simple menus are, well, simple. However, it is extremely tedious to keep pressing the down arrow to get to your listing at the end of the list when you store many items. The unit can store up to 200 records, but I couldn’t imagine pressing the down arrow 200 times to get to the last listing.

Two hundred is also a small number, considering several gigabytes of data fit into tiny secure digital cards these days.

The Logio stores all your passwords behind one AES-encrypted master password. Try not to forget that one.

I’ve always believed that as consumers, our pockets are filled with devices. We have our mobile phones, iPods, flash drives and more strapped onto our belt and stuffed into our pockets. Smartphones are beginning to get more and more advanced and with Apple, RIM, Palm and Windows Mobile taking new approaches we might finally be able to free our pockets.

With this in mind, the Atek Logio Password Organizer seems like a safe way to organize passwords and is defiantly more secure than your traditional pen and paper, but it contributes to the device clutter problem. I believe that the prototype would be far more successful if the company could develop mobile applications with this same functionality in mind for Smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone, RIM’s Backberry devices and Windows Mobile Smartphones.

The product retails for $29.95 and is available at http://www.atek.com/

Because many people, including myself, tend to overdo it and take far more photos than needed, digital slideshows have become increasingly more popular. But while the concept seems so simple, many people who would like to create a slideshow end up being lost in the creation process.

FXFoto 6, a photo editing application and advanced slideshow application, is attempting to change that. The company offers a few versions of the software, but I decided to stick with the free standard edition for the purposes of this review.

Starting with the installation, the process went exceptionally well. After about a minute and a half the program was up and running. I first tried to import photos, which wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped. The program gives users the ability to import folders; however, I couldn’t seem to get that to work. When using the control key to try to import multiple photos simultaneously, the program would only select one photo at a time, which was a major negative.

After the tedious and frustrating import process, I decided to try out the built-in photo editor to touch up my pictures and remove some red eye off of the subjects. I found the editing process to be the best feature of the application. Although Photoshop obviously blows it out of the water, the basic photo editing that FxFoto 6 provides works. But one disappointment is the lack of options such as brightness and contrast adjustment.

As for the slideshows themselves, I was not impressed at all. The user interface is unorganized, unappealing and poorly designed. I can’t see how any basic user or even a slightly more skilled user could figure out how to effectively produce slideshows with this program.

On top of the aforementioned downsides, the company does not support the Macintosh platform.

Personally, I would stay away from FxFoto 6. As an alternative, the Web site Photobucket (http://photobucket.com) offers a great slideshow creator and powerful image editing tools all for free. Users can also take advantage of online Web hosting so they can share the slideshow they just created with friends and family.

Memeo Inc., a California-based company is ready to take on the challenge with a new product called Memeo Share. Memeo share is a desktop application designed for Microsoft Windows XP that allows users to upload photos to Memeo’s servers where other the recipient(s) can automatically download the full quality photos to be viewed. The service also features a setting that allows the user to upload pictures directly to Facebook and is an overall easy way to transfer photos among computers.

My experience with the photo sharing application left much more to be desired. The download and install was very quick and user friendly but I felt many other photo sharing sites such as Flickr, Photo Bucket or even Apple’s Mobile Me service offers many more options such as RSS feeds, embed codes, photo editors, comments and better photo tagging options, without the need to download and install an application. The interface of the application was designed well and very user simple and the performance of was good as well. The application ran well and seemed to work well without using hardly any system resources.

Overall I just can’t use using Memeo Share as a primary photo sharing application. Sure, it’s better than email, but Flickr and Photobucket provide far more features in a web experience and give Memeo Share a run for it’s money.  Though I’m not a huge fan of Memeo Share, you can give it a try for yourself and let others know your experience by commenting below.

Until recently, the most common ways to tweet were via Instant Message, Web, SMS or a desktop application; however, TwitterFone has developed a system that enables users to make a phone call, record their tweet, and let the company take care of the rest.

TwitterFone just launched into private beta and is currently inviting users to try out the service, so I figured I would give it a shot.

My experience with the service has been excellent. The registration process was extremely easy; just visit their website and fill out a form. Within minutes, I was given a number to instantly record my tweet.  Once again, the process was very user-friendly. Twitterers merely dial the number, record their tweet and hung up. The recorded message is then sent to TwitterFone where it is transcribed and relayed to your Twitter account.

I decided to put the service to the test by recording a tweet right when I woke up and got of bed in a voice still clogged with sleep and TwitterFone was able to understand my message without any mistakes. During the day, I decided to record even more tweets while I was out, and the service’s performance and reliability were top-notch.

Overall, TwitterFone is a new, great, convenient way of tweeting without the need to be stuck at your computer or using up valuable text messages for sending status updates. The service is currently free under private beta, but it’s unclear if the company will eventually begin charging users. If you’re interested in trying out TwitterFone, you can apply for an invite at: http://www.twitterfone.com/.

It has greatly expanded dramatically in the new millennium. Today you can access your mail on everything form cell phones to iPods. With email usage booming, many companies have jumped on the bandwagon and developed their own email service. With larger services like Google’s Gmail, Microsoft’s Windows Live/Hotmail and Yahoo Mail, everyone is sure have an account somewhere down the line.

Many companies and small businesses want email with their own domain name (like preble.m@blastmagazine.com) and access to their email beyond their company server, but that can be expensive and require technical staff or knowledge. That’s where Palo Alto Software comes in with their new Email Center Pro, trying to make this process easier and more cost friendly.

Rather than relying on a third party, Email Center Pro essentially lets you use your domain name to create multiple email accounts, versatile mail folders, notes for coworkers and templates for different users.

There is a free version available, but you’re limited to 250 emails per month with five users. The Basic Plan includes five gigabytes of storage, two thousand five hundred emails per month, an unlimited amount of users, five accounts and POP support for $19 a month. The Standard version includes 10 gigabytes of storage, 5,000 emails per month, unlimited users, five mailboxes and POP support for $49 per month. The Premium version includes 20 gigabytes of storage, 10,000 emails per month, an unlimited amount of users and mailboxes and POP and SSL support for $99 per month. Finally the company offers a Pro package which includes: 30 gigabytes of storage, 15,000 emails per month, and unlimited amount of users and accounts, POP and SSL support for $149. All packages also include free backup as well.

After evaluating their Pro package service for a few days, I wasn’t that impressed. The web-based interface was passable, but it wasn’t even as user friendly and feature packed as my free Gmail account. I was also disappointed that there wasn’t any IMAP connectivity — a big letdown considering the high price of the service. There also isn’t an unlimited message package.

While I was testing the service, I noticed that after I clicked the send button it took around two minutes for an email message to leave the Email Center Pro’s server and to make it into my Gmail server. I also experienced downtime with the service as well, which leaves me questioning how reliable it’s going to be in a pinch.

I did like the ability to add notes into a message. There is some good “corporate” customizability there.

You can sign up for a free account here, but I’ll stick with Google for now.

I recently came across UpdateStar, a great, easy-to-use application that lets you sit back and relax while it take care of all the updating.

The initial installation went quite smoothly. Within a few minutes, I had the program recognizing all my applications. When UpdateStar first launched, I was blown away by its Microsoft Office 2007-esque toolbar with the ribbon-like view. UpdateStar really offers a very simple and well-designed user interface. On the start page, UpdateStar includes a pie graph with detailed information about your application updates. It even includes vast list of all the available updates that are yet to be installed. The ribbon-like menu system gives you the ability to update programs, news, configure settings, increase the text size and so much more. Without a doubt, this has to be one of the best well layout and user-friendly applications I’ve ever used.

But UpdateStar doesn’t just focus on updating programs. It’s also is a great way to uninstall programs – far more intuitive and easier to use than Windows’ “Add & Remove Programs ” pane. Simply click on the programs tab on the ribbon menu system, highlight the program that you wish to uninstall, and click “Uninstall” and it’s done.

Best of all, it’s free. In my experience, the program keeps the user experience in mind as it performs very well, delivering all the latest updates to one’s computer in a timely and effective manner.

Essentially Tinbot cases are custom pre-designed solid tin cases, with cut-outs for the iPod’s ports. Tinbot offers 11 great designs, starting at $19.99 for a plain white design and $29.99 for other design cases. Orders must be placed online at http://thetinbot.com and the company is working on expanding their product line to allow custom designs.

In person, it’s amazing how the design just “pops” out. The colors are vibrant and the contrast excellent; however, I was not so impressed at the overall case itself. The form factor of my Tinbot wasn’t good at all, and the case didn’t feel right in my hands.

The overall shape is very “boxy,” and it was a real pain prying the lid off the case when changing songs. The case feels extremely cheap and after a week of use the hinge is ready to fall off any day now. These issues cheapen features like the nice padding inside and excellent design.

Dare I say, the product is kind of tinny.

Tinbot leaves much more to be desired and I would not recommend purchasing, mainly because as of now, the unit is so cheap that I wouldn’t even trust my iPod in it. Overall, it’s low quality for a high price.

Overall: 2 out of 5 stars

We store our work documents, pictures, music, videos, precious family photos and more on our computers, and with one hard drive glitch all our important files can be gone forever. Luckily, there are plenty of easy ways to prevent data loss by backing up your system.

Essentially, backing up produces copies of all your hard drive contents and exports them to one file, typically stored on a remote drive. In the old days this was done with tape drives and CD-R discs, but now this can often be done with external hard drives or flash memory.

Finding the right backup program can be quite tricky, but I recently came across Roxio BackOnTrack 3, and it seems to make backing up my PC easier than ever.

My experience with BackOnTrack has been excellent. The installation process went exceptionally well. Once the program was fully installed, I was taken to a preference window to customize my backup options.

Once that was out of the way, I was brought to a beautiful, simple, well-designed interface where all the options were just a click away. The software makes a statement with its easy to use interface of big buttons and easy to follow prompts.

I started out backing up a 100MB video file, and soon it was in a folder on my drive ready to be restored. I then deleted the file off my internal disk and restored it with BackOnTrack, and again within a few minutes a notification window came up telling me that my restore was completed successfully.

Finally I decided to backup my whole system and see how the product performed. All you have to do is click the “backup drive” button in the frequent tasks pane, select the drive you wish to backup, select the destination drive and click the large orange “go” button. Restoring files is just as easy.

In my tests, Roxio BackOnTrack exceeded expectations, mainly because of its ease of use, large buttons, great interface and overall great functionality. I would definitely recommend the software to anyone who wants an easy backup solution and piece of mind knowing that their files are safe.

It does have a few downsides, like when you try to back up individual files. The program only gives you the option to select email messages, financial data, photos, productivity documents videos and music. I would prefer if you could use the windows explorer and select the files to be backed up, rather then using its choice interface.

With its great features, functionality, ease of use, $49.99 price tag and it’s great user interface, Roxio BackOnTrack is a must have for any PC user.

Quck Hits:

Publisher: Roxio
Developer: Roxio
Platform: Windows XP or Vista
Genre: Backup Utility

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

A company in Sunnyvale, Calif. named Kovio Inc introduced advancements in the microchip field. The company released an all printed, high performance silicon thin-film transistor which will greatly improve print quality and reduce ink costs while providing a faster cycle time. The technology inside this product is very advanced, consisting of dropped silicon, metals and insulators for a more precise and detailed print, compared to standard lithography-based silicon.

Providing better print quality while reducing the price isn’t all Kovio’s goal. The company also will offer low-cost Radio frequency identification tagging system (RFID).

Essentially RFID is a tagging system, which contains detailed product information, far more advanced than a traditional UPC code. The information is then broadcast wirelessly, where RFID readers in range can identify the product, unlike bar code readers where the UPC must be individually scanned.

Because each RFID uses serial identification numbers and is able to identify each individual product regardless of the style or brand, stores will no longer need to count how many products are in stock. RFID technology is soon to be implemented an in variety of places like retail locations, hospitals and transportation facilities.

In recent news Dillards Department stores will be installing and using RFID technology keep track of their inventory, resulting to an overall better shopping experience for their customers. As more and more companies adopt RFID technology, our shopping experience will soon get better and companies will be able to quickly realize that their running out of product supplies and submit additional orders accordingly.

The Magicmirror is one of the first devices to use RFID tagging technology to assist in a better shopping experience. The product uses the RFID technology, which is embedded within the tag of the retail products to quickly identify a given product. The mirror can then offer suggestions of similar products or allow the customers to request a size change.

Kovio’s new innovative technology will have a large impact in the Technology and Science industries — and maybe the common world as well. The tech may change the way users interact with machines doing their everyday tasks, like ordering a travel or show tickets or shopping for groceries.

Because developers are able to construct microchips so small so to be embedded in product tags or transportation fare cards, the overall process should provide customers a simpler, more automated way of completing everyday tasks.

This new advancement may also have impact in the science industry, because we are able to reduce the size of microchips which will result to constructing, smaller, powerful robots that can do dangerous tasks, in effort to save lives.

Kovio’s new technologies are eco-friendly as well, due to the fact that they consume less energy than existing technologies. Kovio has already signed deals with Toppan Forms Co. LTD., a large company and Cubic Transportation System that plans to utilize Kovio’s RFID technology in their fare collection systems, all in effort, to better serve their customers. Eventually, I look forward to buying a printer that uses Kovio’s new, silicon thin-film transistors as well as having a mirror or other device that can identify the any given product wirelessly.

Essentially iShowU is an application for the Macintosh platform that captures your computing activity and outputs it to common video formats. This piece of software is especially useful for providing quick tips, tutorials or addressing simple computing problems, while offering the viewer an optimal experience of being able to actually see a detailed view of what’s going on — far superior to reading standard text directions.

The installation process went exceptionally well. I was able to get the application up and running in a matter of a few minutes. Once the program launched, I was surprised on how easy and well set up the interface looked. The interface provides an exceptional experience that caters to both the standard user and the advanced user. On the left hand side is an array of video quality presets, which can easily be adjusted to fit the user’s needs. Separated on the right, is a more advanced pane which lets, the more experienced users adjust, audio quality, input devices, video frame rates, scale size, compression settings and more.

Once the output settings are complete, iShowU gives you the ability to select what you want to be recorded. Users can select from the available presets or drag a custom box around the subject to be recorded. Once finished, click the record button and you’re off. iShowU will even give you a countdown before it records. When the recording process is complete iShowU will open up the video up for playback and save the completed work.

I decided to put the product to the test by making a few short videos, tweaking settings such as quality, compression and more. The finished videos looked great and the product preformed as expected. I was then able to easily upload the video off to YouTube for the world to see.

My overall experience with iShowU was great. The product met my expectations and preformed well for the $20 price tag. One feature that I would like to see is the ability to place arrows or small captions in the recording. If you are looking to screen cast or help friends/family I recommend iShowU for your entire screen casting needs.

Quick hits:

Publisher: Shinywhitebox
Developer: Shinywhitebox
Platform: Mac OS X 10.4 or higher
Genre: Utility
Launch Date: October 26, 2006 (New version on November 26, 2007)

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Essentially 4D’s Web 2.0 Pack v11 is an online Internet application, which allows business users access to use a simple drag and drop interface, essential to perform a variety of tasks like: the ability to create graphs, perform basic calculations and much more, all without the need to ever write JavaSript.

4D’s Web 2.0 Pack v11 is mainly designed for mobile platforms such as Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch, however it will also run on you standard browsers seamlessly. This new update offers support for the 4D V11 SQL as well while providing a few advancements, such as improved performance and bug fixes; all in effort to provide a better user experience.

“The iPhone’s tremendous popularity has increased the need for powerful, mobile business tools,” said Brendan Coveney, President and CEO of 4D Inc. “We developed the Business Intelligence Dashboards for 4D Web 2.0 Pack v11 to give developers the cutting-edge tools they need to meet those business needs.”

The new AJAX powered software is priced at $599 and includes a six-month subscription to any further updates. The company will also provide an additional 12-month maintenance plan, which can be purchased for $249.

Overall it’s nice to see more productive tools for the iPhone and iPod touch mobile platforms. This new advancement will give business access more functionality, all on a simple, familiar drag and drop interface, without all the code.

Click here for more information and a complete list of features.

By the way:
Due to reporting errors, the name of the 4D V11 SQL was reported 3D V11 SQL. The price of the 4D Web 2.0 Pack V11 is $599, not $600, and the 12-month maintenance plan is $249 not $250.

Formats include: Open Document Format (.ODT), Excel (.XLS), Comma Seperated Values (.CSV), Extensibile Markup Language, HTML, xHTML, Scalable Vector Graphics (.SVG), Bitmaps (.BMP), Portable Network Graphics (.PNG), Tagged Image File Format (.TIF or. TIFF) and Joint Photographic Experts Group (.JPEG).

My experience with this product was fairly good. The product installed very quickly and within a few minutes and I had the program up and running. The importing process was very easy as well.

Just drag a PDF located on the desktop into the program and a large preview will appear. Then just select your desired output format and tweak any advanced settings if necessary and once done, click the convert button at the top.

Within seconds the document was finished converting and opens itself up for viewing. The conversion process went seamlessly and seemed very effective. I couldn’t find any traces of distortion, which was a plus.

The trial version lets you convert one page documents, so you’ll have to buy UNPDF to go further.

My overall satisfaction of this product was fairly good, but this product does need improvements. I found that when importing large files the program unexpectedly quit which can be a problem. I would like to see more “eye candy” on the user interface, because having detailed buttons and animations make the user feel more at home, especially if they are running it with Windows Vista.

The price is also very high at $59.95 for a single user license and $269.95 for a five license pack, and it jumps up from there. Most consumers would purchase the single license pack, and I think $29.95 is more than enough for a relatively simple piece of software.

So is this product worth buying? It works as advertised and does its job well. It is expensive, but it’s really up to the consumer if Docudesk’s desk UNPDF is worth the money for the functionality.

Give it a try for free.

Quick hits:

Publisher: Docudesk
Developer: Docudesk
Platform: PC/MAC
Genre: Desktop Publishing Utility
Launch Date: November 27, 2007

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars

DNA 11 offers three innovative and personalized products, and each one will never look the same because it’s unique to yourself. They are sure to make any empty wall look great while adding a personalized touch.

The portraits use customer’s DNA results, which tend to look like small or large rectangles. Customers can customize the portraits with color choice by logging on and choosing one of multiple setup options — such as one person’s DNA or as many as four people’s DNA displayed on one canvas.

The portraits start at $390 frameless and increase in price with people and options. Sizes include 18″x24″ ($390) 24″x36″ ($490) and 36″x54″ ($790). There are also 25 color presets and optional framing.

Personalized signatures and high resolution downloads can also be purchased. After selecting from these options, the customer receives a DNA collection kit, which includes a swab to collect cheek cells that get mailed back so the company can produce the DNA portrait.

DNA 11 also offers signature fingerprint portraits, which expresses a great deal of individuality.The collection and design process is similar to the DNA portraits where customers go online and choose from the standard 12″x12″ size ($190), 20″x20″ or the large 40″x40″ ($490).

Next, the customer must choose a color from the 25 presets or by choosing a custom color from the color palette. Similarly, to the DNA portraits, customers may opt to add a signature ($50) and may purchase a high resolution downloadable image ($50) and can choose from framing options.

DNA 11 also offers “kiss portraits” — outlines of a person’s lips.

The creation process is actually quite simple. First, customers select the configuration of their choice between a single lip outline, double lip outline, close-up or multiple lips. Prices range from one standard kiss portrait ($290) all the way up to kiss double close-up for two people ($390).

Next, customers can choose between the two available sizes 20″x20″ ($290) or 40″x40″ ($490). Once again, customers can choose their preferred color from the 25 presets colors or from the color palette and can then choose from the optional frames available for the selected size. The customer can choose to add their signature ($50) or purchase a high resolution image ($50).

The Kiss collection kit allows the customer to apply the included M.A.C VIVA Glam lipstick and kiss the included sheets until they get the perfect lip print.

DNA 11 products allow customers to personalize art and offer a unique way to decorate any wall where no two pieces will look the same.

A portion of money from Kiss portrait purchases goes to help purchase 1000 condoms in India or 16 HIV tests in Haiti.

Then I heard Apple would release an iPhone without the phone. The 16gb iPod Touch is now in my hands.

The Touch’s design is astonishing, with its gorgeous three 3.5” widescreen display, multi touch user interface and its supermodel thinness at only .31 inches. It’s for any commuter looking to carry around their music, video collections, photos and the internet.

The unit comes in two versions, 8gb and 16gb, respectively priced at $300-$400.

I would strongly advise getting the larger capacity model because it’s still not a ton of space – considering older iPod’s gave you 20gb for just music — if you own a lot of music, videos or pictures, the device will fill up quickly. The operating system alone takes up over a gigabyte.

After using the iPod touch for a few months, my thoughts haven’t changed. The product packs a lot of functionality, which I adapted to very quickly.

One of the key features is the Safari browser. I find it extremely useful to be able to log in to social networking sites and surf the web. I can also read current events, stream media, and do regular tasks I would perform if I were on my computer.

It’s very rare that you find an ultra portable device like the iPod Touch that can stream both audio and video podcasts directly to the unit. It’s $400 spent wisely just in that feature alone.

The revolutionary touch screen interface built on Mac OS X is a head turner. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been complimented on the easy to use interface, which offers the user an optimal experience in every task.

It’s so nice flipping music with a swipe of a finger being able to quickly select a song. If you rotate the iPod Touch into landscape position, the built in accelerometer detects the position and displays you music in Cover Flow mode, similar to an iPhone feature.

Cover Flow is a technology which lets you see all the album art in you music collection. Gently tap on the cover art, and it spins around and lets you select a song within the album.

Sound quality is also impressive, with no skips because of reliable internal flash memory. The touch also offers the built-in iTunes WiFI Music store. I’ve bought a few tracks off WiFi store and was surprised on how seamlessly the store integrates with my music library.

You can browse the top one hundred songs of each genre or the top 100 songs on the iTunes store or search by name, artist, etc. for the song you want. The song will immediately download and appear in the users’ music library.

You can’t download movies, podcasts, games or music videos, but it’s a great start.

The rest of the features like video playback, the photo viewer, clock, calendar, calculator and YouTube application all work the same way as they do on the iPhone.

One suggestion that I have is if you plan to download podcasts, download the file with the Large QuickTime encoding. If you download the small QuickTime version, the video will be fuzzier and pixelated.

When watching videos, I was amazed at the quality of the picture. I sometimes forgot I was watching on a three and one half inch screen because the picture quality is so detailed.

The iPod Touch has minor drawbacks like its battery life, which in normal life only gets three hours when connected to WiFi and less than 20 hours of straight music playback if you enjoy flipping through cover flow and using some of its power hungry features.

Some other drawbacks are that Apple has blocked third party developers from creating native applications. You also can’t add calendar events on the go or download audio files other than the iTunes WiFi store.

There’s also no mail support and no flash support for viewing flash enabled sites, although hackers recently found ways to break through Apple’s encryption to add thirty party applications and features.

Overall, Apple really did a great job creating a device that provides so many useful features. I’m glad to see that Apple has taken the features from its popular iPhone and has added them into a device without the ongoing financial commitments.