Some people like to travel light and easy. Some cannot do without their ipods and their music systems. They carry along the speakers, the most important accessories that make the music sound perfect while travelling. While there are many options for portable speakers, the folding speakers are perfect for those who need to pack a punch in a small briefcase. A folding speaker is ideal and needs less space. The hallmarks of these speakers are high portability and compactness. They are designed to compactly fit the ipod or even MP3 but they are not good for docking. The speakers can also be plugged to the laptop or with the adaptor used with the cell phones. It comes in an attractive case also. It fits in the suitcase snugly and does not break as the casing protects it. They can be charged with batteries too. Long haul travellers can enjoy music and not get bored with a huge play list. It can also have a deep bass sound.

Some of the specifications of Folding Speakers in general are listed below:

* Fold-up amplified portable speakers
* Compatible with iPods and mp3 players, cd players, pc’s
* Unique design
* Battery or AC power, operated
* Detachable iPod/MP3 holder
* Cable storage

As more and more music lovers are addicted to their ipods and other new music devices the sound and vision are undergoing changes. Portable speakers can also be customised. Truly big things come in such small packages. Folding speakers can be the ultimate boom boxes when brought by the right brand name. Despite it being small in size there is no distortion in the sound quality nor does the device vibrate. It is so tiny that it can fit a purse also! Portable speakers have reduced in size but have retained their output of sound quality. Folding speakers are compact and new designs are compatible with models of iphones and ipods and MP3 players. Foldable speakers are a higher end product. Only top manufacturers such as JVC, Sony and few others have managed to come out with foldable speakers that meet the customer’s expectations. Some of the big challenges associated with such a product are battery life, quality of sound and physical features. Foldable speakers are available for whole range of gizmos like DVD players, portable music players and laptops. But the folding speakers are ideally suited for music players.

Yes, it is possible to take good photos on your iPhone without shoving it through a lo-fi photography app. And as cool as it may seem to make your party photos look like they were taken in 1976, one can’t help wonder what we will think of them in retrospect.

“iGranny,” your offspring will ask in 2050, “why is that photo of you from 2011 so tattered and old?”

“Well, listen close, Hansolo,” you say as you take him on your cyborg knee. “In 2011, we had our hands on some incredibly advanced mobile phone and camera technology. And instead of using it to properly record our moment in history, we took photos in applications that destroyed all of the detail to apply an antique effect because we didn’t feel like our generation had enough cultural credibility.”

Now you made little Hansolo cry. Are you happy?

Lo-fi apps have their place, but for photographers who want to use their iPhone for higher-quality image capture and editing, here are some useful and fun apps. Click any screenshot for a larger image.

[Don't Miss: 9 Apps to Transform Your Android Phone into a High-End Camera ]

PhotoForge 2 has all of the basic options that you have come to expect from iOS editing apps, with the added muscle of more serious photo software. PhotoForge 2 can open almost any image type, including RAW formats and files as large as 20 megapixels. It edits images at full resolution so you can see exactly what your final photo will look like at any stage during the editing process.

The sequel to the popular PhotoForge app, PhotoForge 2 has most of the features from its predecessor as well as some new updates to prevent crashes when editing large-format files. Curves, levels, brightness and contrast, shadows and highlights, and auto white balance are all available and the app also has over 30 customizable filters that range from sepia toning to vintage 3D. At any time during the editing process, you can access a visual history feature that allows you to see your photo at various stages of the editing process.

When you are done editing, you can choose an image size and export your photo directly to social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Dropbox, Picasa, and Tumblr. The app has complete layer functionality and masks that allows for cool effects, such as color emphasis a-la Color Splash . The layers option also allows for watermarking your images by importing your watermark on a new layer.

Photoforge ; $3 (iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad)

If you are looking to download just one app to suit all of your basic photographic needs, look no further than Taptaptap’s Camera+. It does everything-you can take, edit, and export your photos all within the app. The coolest part about Camera+, though, is definitely its capture options. When you are composing your shot, use two fingers to lock the separate focus and exposure points before taking a photo using the normal, stabilizer, timer, or burst mode. The capture feature also gives you a grid overlay so you can obey the ever-important rule of thirds.

After you have taken the photo, pull it up in Camera+’s lightbox where you can add filters, digital flash, crop (using its built-in “golden ratio” tool) and put a border on it. In the Scene modes feature, you can choose from different options like Sunset, Portrait, and Backlit to automatically adjust settings for better photos. From there, share it on Facebook, Twitter or Flickr. See our full review of Camera+ here .

Taptaptap ; $2 (iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad)

Create a comic book about your life complete with text and flashy onomatopoeias with 3DTopo’s ComicBook app. First, import your existing photos into one of the 30 pre-made layouts. The layouts come in both portrait and landscape mode and can fit up to seven different photos.

After you have added a photo and sized it to your liking in the layout, choose one of the nine photo filters like sketch, vibrant, or manga to make your photos look more animated. Once you have found the right effect, add captions and exclamations. You can change the fonts, size, angle, and source of the speech bubbles as well as add some of the 55 different classic comic book graphics. Then *POW!* upload it to Twitter or Facebook!

3DTopo ; $2 (iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad)

Available on both iPhone and iPad, Filterstorm is an excellent program for editing and enhancing your images. Filterstorm makes good editing extremely easy. To make the blown-out sky in your landscape photo more dramatic, you can curve out the highlights and apply it using a mask brush. There are brightness and contrast options as well as a saturation control. More advanced options include a clone tool, a multi-exposure tool, and border effects. And if you want to see your progress, the app features a 10-step visual history.

Once you are done, you can save your edits as automatons so you can quickly apply them to other images to give batches of photos the same unique look. Export your new and improved photos (you can size them up to 3072-by-2200 pixels) and send them to friends over Email, FTP, Flickr, and Dropbox.

Filterstorm ; $4 (iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad)

Next: Dermandar, Slow Shutter, TiltShift Generator and Dynamic Light

M assachusetts drivers are still sending and reading text messages, despite a statewide ban on texting behind the wheel.

Between the Sept. 30 start of the ban and the end of May, 733 citations for sending texts – about 3 per day – have been issued by police.

State officials and safety groups say it’s too soon to know if the threat of tickets is stopping drivers from texting. The number of citations so far is encouraging to some, while disappointing to others.

“Unfortunately, it’s not surprising,” said Jeff Larson, president of Safe Drivers Alliance, a safe driving advocacy group that supports laws aimed at curbing distracted driving. “It’s a difficult law to enforce and there needs to be strengthening of the law.”

While the state law bans texting, it still allows drivers to talk on their phones. Larson said this makes it tough for law enforcement to know when someone is illegally texting or legally dialing a phone number. A solution, he said, is another law requiring drivers to use hands-free devices when talking on their phones. He said that would decrease distractions and eliminate any excuse to hold a phone.

The new law bans drivers from reading or sending text messages and emails, and scanning the Internet. If caught, even at a stoplight, motorists face fines ranging from $100 for a first offense and up to $500 for repeat offenses. Massachusetts was the 30th state in the nation to introduce a texting ban.

Under the new law, another 344 drivers have been ticketed for improperly using their mobile phones – such as by taking both hands off the wheel to grab a phone or by driving erratically.

Police also ticketed 41 drivers under the age of 18 for using their phones. Teen drivers are not allowed use their phones for texting or talking. A ticket comes with a 60-day license suspension.

“I’m encouraged by the number of citations being issued, because that would indicate officers are being vigilant in their observations,” said Chief Wayne Sampson, director of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association.

A recent study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that enforcement, not just the threat of enforcement, was a key to cutting back the number of texting drivers. Distracted driving violations fell dramatically in Hartford, Conn., and Syracuse, N.Y., after police stepped up visible enforcement of distracted driving laws.

Hartford saw a 57 percent drop in drivers talking on cell phones and a nearly 75 percent drop in texting. In Syracuse, distracted driving dropped by 33 percent.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 5,474 people were killed nationwide in crashes that were reported to have involved distracted driving in 2009, the most recent year data is available. Of those fatal crashes, 995 (18 percent) involved a cell phone as a distraction.

Under the new texting law, Massachusetts police have handed out seven citations for injuries from negligent driving caused by mobile phone use. And texting may have a played a role when 17-year-old Aaron Deveau was using a cell phone Feb. 20 and his car crossed the center line and struck another vehicle in Haverhill. The driver of the other car, Donald Bowley of Danville, N.H., died.

Deveau pleaded not guilty in May to charges including negligent operation of a motor vehicle causing injury due to mobile phone use, and being a person under the age of 18 using a mobile phone while driving.

Police departments across Massachusetts say they’ve been able to successfully integrate enforcing the new law into their daily duties.

Sgt. John Delaney, a spokesman for the Springfield Police Department, said teen drivers are especially deterred by stiff penalties from using their phones.

However the advent of mobile telephony has completely transformed the scenario. Mobile handsets are used for multiple purposes to day and no less potent use is for the purpose of listening to music, commentaries, and other audios. However the sound volume of handsets is not only limited but also you cannot use them by creating a couple of objection by others around. Hence the best use of it is to plug on the bluetooth headsets to your cell phone and enjoy.

The world of cell phone is constantly developing. New innovations are finding the daylight almost at regular intervals. Multiple new mobile phone accessories have hit the market recently and obviously the bluetooth headsets features somewhere in the top rung of the ladder. Of course they are different from the traditional tape recorder headsets and the cell phone accessories are becoming not only useful but also highly stylish day by day.

Slim and thin is the order of the day and every thing related to mobile telephony is now gradually taking the trend. Take for instance the mobile phone batteries. They are becoming thinner and slender day by day. Most of the accessories are now available in miniature packages. Yet these accessories have amazing capabilities that was not found in their comparatively bulkier predecessors. That is why the current headsets with blue tooth features are handy, small and slim and can be hardly visible despite your plugging them on to your ears. The best part of it is that some are available in form of miniature batteries that give almost the same amount of power as the regular batteries and yet they do not require any additional mobile phone chargers.

In fact the mobile accessories have come up a long way today. In the past they were just fashionable and at most times their stability as well usability came under the scanner. Not so with the modern accessories like the headsets. Not only their utilities are proven but they also come in great designs that are attractive and at the same time highly durable. While some of the headsets are carried in separate accessory cases, some can easily be carried in the mobile phone cases as they are made with a view to carrying them in that way.

Popularity of mobile phone accessories like the headsets can be attributed to one of the simplest reasons. The fact is that users love accessorizing their devices. Since manufacturers have to take care of the demands of their customers, they come up with accessories that are not only stylish and durable but also user friendly. In essence such devices should be functional enough and also cater to the needs of the client perfectly. The Bluetooth headsets pass on both the grounds and therefore are one of the most popular accessories for cell phone users today.

The iPhone is good for more than just playing Angry Birds and making on-the-fly Twitter updates. The device has become a surprisingly popular tool for the medical community– MediBabble , for example, offers a translation tool for doctors dealing with non-native English speakers in the emergency room. But MediBabble just scratches the surface of the iPhone’s medical capacity. Below, check out some of the most futuristic health-related iPhone apps.

The Sodium and Glucose-Tracking Tattoo (And Accompanying iPhone App)

Researchers are working on a nanosensor “tattoo” that monitors sodium levels (to prevent dehydration in cyclists), glucose levels (for diabetics), and blood oxygen levels (for anemic patients). Designed by a team at Northeastern University, the “tattoo” is attached to a subject by injecting a nanoparticle-containing solution into the skin.

According to MIT Technology Review , the nanoparticles fluoresce when exposed to target molecules like glucose and sodium. An iPhone tricked out with a nine-volt battery, a camera filter, and three LEDs tracks the tattoo’s changes in fluorescence and records them. This isn’t an iPhone app as much as an iPhone hack–so far. But it’s only a matter of time before we can use our iPhones to track various substances as they move through our bodies.

MelApp: The Skin Cancer Risk Assessment App

Worried about that misshapen mole on your arm? MelApp , a $1.99 app, can help tell you if it’s cancerous. The app, which has been has been validated with an image database from John Hopkins University Medical Center, can spit out a low or high-risk diagnosis for any mole snapped by an iPhone or iPad camera. The diagnosis is based on five factors: asymmetry, border irregularity, color, diameter, and evolution. Constant worriers, commence picture-taking.

The Blood Pressure Monitor

If the stress of taking pictures of your possibly cancerous moles is taking a toll, Withings has just the fix: a blood pressure monitor (pictured above) that connects to the iPhone. Users simply wrap the monitor’s sleeve around their arm, plug the attached cable into the iPhone, wait for the sleeve to inflate and release pressure, and voila, instant iPhone recordings of your blood pressure and heart rate. Since the app records the time and date of all readings, users can track blood pressure statistics over time (the app displays the info in graphs). It might just save you a trip to the doctor–if you’re willing to shell out $129 for the device.

The Malaria Detection App

A group of college students recently modified a Samsung Focus smartphone with a microscopic camera lens to quickly and easily detect malaria. The software application, designed for Microsoft’s annual Imagine Cup, analyzes a user-snapped picture of a blood sample to find malaria parasites, detect how much malaria is in the sample, and show the parasites to the user. In the future, the app could be used by health care professionals working in, say, remote areas of Africa where there aren’t any testing facilities. Reuters explains that the team is currently working on patenting and marketing the app–and while it’s only compatible with Windows 7 smartphones for now, we imagine that the iPhone can’t be far behind.

Mobile MIM: Diagnostic Radiology App

The first medical iPhone app to be cleared by the FDA, Mobile MIM allows physicians to clearly view images from CT, MRI, and PET scans on their phones. Thanks to the FDA, doctors are legally allowed to make diagnoses based on the app, which allows users to make annotations and measure regions of interest and distance, among other things. This means that a doctor could remotely make a diagnosis–all the hospital or office has to do is send a copy of the scan to their iPhone.

[ Images from top to bottom: Heather Clark, MelApp, Withings, Mobile MIM ]

Reach Ariel Schwartz via Twitter or email .

: The Future Of Medical Technology Is Apps, Games, and Movies

Let’s be honest. In today’s day and age, a person’s cell phone is literally an extension of their personality. With all of the mobile phone customization options and accessories available today, it’s easy to express yourself with your mobile phone.

Is mobile phone customization for everyone? Of course not. Some people are simply content with a plain, boring, everyday cell phone. If you’re one of those people, then this article isn’t for you. However, if you’re one of those who enjoy personalizing your stuff, this article will give you some great tips and ideas for making the most of your cell phone.

The first (and easiest) way to customize your cellular phone is with ringtones and customized wallpaper. These are cheap and easy ways to make your cell phone stand out from the crowd.

Another great cell phone accessory that you should check out is a customized faceplate. Faceplates usually aren’t very expensive and they can really work wonders when it comes to altering the appearance of your stock mobile phone.

A favorite cell phone accessory of my daughter is a bling kit. She has decked out her phone top to bottom in fake diamonds and the thing looks like a million bucks. We don’t go anywhere without someone commenting on her “bling” and asking where she bought it.

Hopefully this article has given you a few cheap and easy ideas for cell phone accessories. Customizing your cellular phone doesn’t have to cost a fortune and it certainly doesn’t take much time. So, if you’re like me and hate being like everyone else, take a few minutes to customize your cell phone with some cool ringtones and accessories. I guarantee that you’ll have a lot of fun with it and will be happy once you’re finished. Enjoy!

Seoul, KRJul 27, 2011 in Music

[prMac.com] Seoul, Republic of Korea – THISISFX today is pleased to announce Ringtone Star 1.7 for iOS, a major update to their highly rated Music app that allows users to create an unlimited number of ringtones, each up to forty seconds long from: songs from their iTunes Library, music from their iPod Library, music videos, etc. Much more than just a ringtone maker, the app’s features include: music and video player (foreground or background), video to audio-only converter, automatic downloader, file sharing, folder-based music management, and email, Twitter, MMS, and Facebook connectivity.

Rated five out of five stars on The New York Times Company’s About website, Contributing Writer Tanya Menoni was highly complimentary. “The editing interface is highly sensitive, so I was able to quickly select the correct portion of each song. Ringtone Star adjusts using two sliding scales, and it is much easier to maneuver than most apps I’ve tested.

“What really sets Ringtone Star apart, however, is its support for music videos in addition to audio files. I was able to search for a particular song on Google Videos, download it…” and “…transform the video into a ringtone in minutes. This is the only ringtone app I’ve tested that has this feature, and I was very impressed by how easy it was to create ringtones from a downloaded video. You can also record your own voice or sounds using the iPhone’s built-in microphone.”

Ringtone Maker Features:
* Highly accurate, simple to operate editing interface
* Highly sensitive controls allow editing to a fraction of a second
* Set in-point and out-point with slider interface and fine scrubbing control
* Displays music waveform without song loading delay
* Supports swipe gestures to switch tracks
* Scrolling music selection interface as used in iPod
* Use either audio or video files to create ringtones
* Supports iPod (iPhone) Music Library
* Supports video and audio files downloaded from web
* Convenient downloading interface

Music and Video Player Features:
* Automatically play, fade in/fade out, AB repeat On/Off, and swipe to move to Previous/Next
* Background playback of videos
* Continuous playback of videos and audio
* Shuffle function
* Supports iPod playlists and downloaded file playlists
* Easy to use music selection interface for iPod (iPhone music library)
* Powerful folder management
* File transferring via USB (iTunes File Sharing Documents)
* Supports Open in
* Supports Twitter, Facebook, and MMS for sharing links for music video on player

Downloader Features:
* Quickly set up files for individual or batch downloading in the background
* Built-in Google search box to easily find videos with one-touch downloading
* Supports automatic conversion of song titles into file names
* Supports more sites than most downloading apps (e.g., Pandora TV)
* Open downloaded files from other apps

“Now you can download a video with a single touch or dozens of videos at once, and enjoy playing videos and music without annoying buffering and sync,” explained developer Duckyoung Oh. “If you find a good source for a ringtone while watching a video or listening to music, Ringtone Star makes it easy to create and save your new ringtone, and then immediately go back to your video or music.”

Language Support:
* US English, Bokmal, Norwegian, Catalan, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese

Device Requirements:
* iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
* iOS 4.0 or later
* 6.8 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Ringtone Star 1.7 is only $1.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Music category. Ringtone Star Lite 1.7 is available free. Review copies are available upon request.

Located in Seoul, Republic of Korea, the THISISFX Inc. team is a small independent company founded by Duckyoung Oh in October of 2007. With over ten years of software experience, THISISFX desires to share and enjoy their applications with the world.