shift

There are quite a few calendar apps in the iOS app store, many of them offering pared-down, intuitive interfaces that interact with Facebook and other online services. Shift Worker's Calendar is designed to serve a specific niche of individuals and managers in industries with shift workers. Integrating tools for recording overtime, shift schedules and total compensation, it has as lot of promise, but ultimately falls flat due to clunky, at times frustrating design choices, unnecessary tools and a lack of resources to guide in setup.

It's not immediately clear who this app is for, whether it would be … Read more

Instagram is a free and fairly simple photo enhancement app that requires only a couple of touches to produce great-looking images. But what's really special about Instagram are the sharing capabilities that let you tell the story of your life through photos.

Start by signing up with Instagram with an e-mail address, username, and password. From there you can configure Instagram to autopost to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr, Foursquare, and Posterous, or just choose to share images from within the app or via e-mail. You can also turn any of these options on or off if you don't … Read more

When Instagram finally arrived on Android, it was missing a major photo effect that iOS users had been enjoying for some time: tilt shift. Just over a month after its release, Instagram for Android has been updated to finally include tilt shift. It's a fun little effects tool that can make subjects in your photos appear miniature or to create a shallow depth of field.

Here's how to use tilt shift:

1. After choosing a photo, tap the new teardrop icon in the effects toolbar and choose whether you want a radial or linear tilt shift.

2. By … Read more

Yes, Maingear has added Intel's new Ivy Bridge third-generation Core CPUs to its desktop lineup. So will all other PC vendors if they haven't already. Click here for a list of Ivy Bridge systems currently on sale.

Far more interesting is that with its new case designs, also announced today, Maingear is demonstrating it understands the power of an easy-to-understand product lineup.

Joining Maingear's existing full-tower Shift gaming desktop are a new version of the standard-tower F131, and the new Potenza, which is smaller. The F131 has existed in name for a few years, but both it and the Potenza now come in vertically oriented case designs.

Not only do those designs have technical merits -- the narrowed chassis channels hot air up and out of the system for efficient cooling -- the size difference between them also makes it immediately clear where each model fits in the performance spectrum.… Read more

We heard from the Voltisti, get an earful about carbon buildup, muse MPG and shifting, and find more answers in the question of the ages: why does a '96 Buick get such good mileage?

The Paradigm Shift A2 speaker can be used alone or in stereo pairs with iPods and other music players, desktop computers, home DJ decks, and game consoles.

The A2 is bi-amped, with one amp for the 1-inch aluminum dome tweeter, and another amp for the 5-inch, satin-anodized aluminum woofer. There are a total of 100 watts of power per speaker. Connectivity is a little unusual in that each speaker has stereo RCA and 3.5-mm minijack inputs and outputs. It is also compatible with AirPort Express. The speaker doesn't have a bass port; it's a sealed (acoustic suspension) … Read more

To achieve a miniature, tilt-shift effect on subjects, one can typically rely on specialized lenses or miniature-styled programmed modes found in today's cameras. A Norwegian design studio called Skrekkogle has done the opposite with its Big Money Project.

Instead of "shrinking" a subject with special effects, they have created a massive 20:1 euro cent coin to make a subject appear small, like a miniature scale model, in comparison.

Skrekkogle's giant coin was available for sale at its Web site, but is, alas, currently out of stock. More pics below. … Read more

Instagram is a long-time favorite photo app with users that lets you apply retro filters to your iPhone photos to turn quick mobile shots into art. It's easy to use, makes sharing photos simple and fun, and, best of all, it's free. The app has been out for quite some time and is extremely popular with users, but if you haven't had a chance to check it out, we think it's an app just about anyone can appreciate. Just beware: Instagram is addictive.

Instagram (free) requires only a couple of touches to produce great-looking images, but … Read more

Most people fake tilt-shift photography with plug-ins and apps. That's mostly because true tilt-shift photos require an expensive camera and a lens that's not only pricey, but takes some skill to use correctly. But if you're up for investing nearly $2,000 for a lens, this $149 toy camera now available from Photojojo might be enough to satiate your desires.

This tiny 5-megapixel pocket camera has an actual tilted lens to create the depth-of-field needed to make your subjects look like tiny toy models. The camera also has lo-fi toy camera and pinhole effects you can shoot … Read more