Blog Lastest news about Endless Studio and new tips and techniques will be announced to share with others
Categories
All
ES News
Web Tip
 
Mint.com
January 5, 2009  |  ES News
mint.jpg
On of our colleague told me this great personal financial service website called mint.com a month ago and I made an account on last weekend. I used to use Microsoft Money, but personally mint.com is way better to use it as long as it is secured. One of the conds is it is bit slow sometimes, but other than that it is great.
Sony teases with mystery laptop
December 22, 2008  |  Web Tip
sony.jpg
by Cnet
Is Sony referring to a Netbook here?

CES 2009 is fast approaching, and rumors of new laptops are everywhere. This week though, the focus is on Sony.

Though enterprising news outlets have dug up hints at new products from the likes of Dell and Lenovo weeks before the big gadget exhibition, Sony is outing itself as having a new portable PC that will "change the way you think about laptops." A clock counting down the days and hours until January 9, when the new product is scheduled to appear, popped up on Sony's New Zealand site, as pointed out over the weekend by Engadget.

Putting the teaser in context of the photo of the oddly-shaped Sony device that popped up on the FCC's Web site two weeks ago, it certainly seems likely that this will be a notebook unlike what others are offering.

But the question is, will it be a Netbook? Sony has been conspicuously absent from the Netbook market among its Windows-wielding brethren. (Apple has held out too, but it's not price-matching with other PC makers.)

Netbooks have taken off in the past 12 months, moving from a quirky offering from Asus to the form factor that's giving the PC industry a whiff of hope. All the major manufacturers are on board, and it's paying off now since the price tags are cheaper than standard notebooks. However, how it will hurt them in the long run (dragging down average prices of notebooks, cannibalizing lower-end laptop models) is still to be determined.

The argument for Sony keeping out of the low-end fray is certainly there. Sony--like Apple--fancies itself a maker of luxury devices and is loath to get into price wars with the likes of Dell and HP. (Of course, it didn't want to wrestle with the lower-tier Vizio and Westinghouse in LCD TVs either, but the reality of the HDTV market forced Sony's hand.)

The electronics giant has also objected to the Netbook concept several times publicly. In February, Sony's head of its Vaio group in the U.S. called the Netbook movement "a race to the bottom," though by July Sony Electronics President Stan Glasgow refused to confirm or deny plans for such a product.

Most recently, though, a Sony exec in the UK told ZDNet UK that Sony is "not in for the moment" when it comes to Netbooks, clearly not ruling it out completely. Netbooks, are they are now, "are not properly designed for consumer needs," Nicolas Barendson told ZDNet.

Does that mean that they have an entirely new design that will meet the needs of people looking for a Netbook-like device? Perhaps. But the key will be the price, and low-cost laptops are not Sony's cup of tea. So if they do edge into Netbook-like territory, expect them to market it like something other than a laptop, and more like another kind of portable consumer device.
Gmail SMS Service
December 12, 2008  |  Web Tip
gmail(1).jpg
If you have a Gmail account, good news for you!
You can now send and receive SMS through Gmail. Simply, go to the setting and enable the SMS function. Go to chat box and enter the phone number and send
10 Tips for Creating an Effective Banner Ad
November 29, 2008  |  Web Tip

Creative, attention-grabbing ads will help you get campaign results. Here are 10 tips to help you craft an effective banner ad.

You've purchased graphics software and you're all set to design banner ads for your upcoming campaign.

Creative, attention-grabbing ads will help you get results. The way you combine words, colours, graphics and animation are critical to your success.

To get started, you need to define goals for your campaign. Ask yourself the following questions: What do I seek to accomplish with this campaign? What action do I want online users to take when they see my ad? Once you have done this its time to develop your advertising message.

Since banner ads use both graphics and text, it is important to consider both elements. With that in mind, here are 10 tips to help you craft an effective banner ad.

1. Study the best examples online. When designing a creative piece like a banner ad, start by identifying the best banner ads that you have seen. The easiest way to do this is to visit the major portals such as ninemsn.com.au and look at the different banner ads. Try to identify at least three banner ads that catch your attention and your interest. What, if anything, do these ads have in common? This will help you understand what techniques are effective, as well as what design style appeals to you.

2. Be clear in your graphics and messaging. Your main objective is to have people take a particular action after viewing your ad. A strong, clear message will help capture their interest. Clear communication requires that you understand your message, what you are selling and the benefit that you are offering potential customers. You will often want your primary message to be the strongest visual element in your ad.

3. Control the file size. How many times have you had to wait on a banner ad before you could view a website? To minimise user frustration, you need to limit the file size of your ad. As a general rule a 468 x 60 pixel banner should be 12 kilobytes or less. The easiest way to achieve this is to limit the number of colours you use and save your banner as an animated GIF file.

4. Say it in seven words or less. This is especially important for a banner campaign, where you are limited to a small visual space. Using fewer words means that you can make the font size bigger, which increases the impact of your message. For example, instead of saying "You will be satisfied with the speed and reliability of our plumbing repair services," you could say "Fast, reliable plumbing repairs. Guaranteed."

5. Use power words. These are single words that immediately communicate a benefit. "Free," "unbelievable," "incredible," "affordable," "heartwarming" -- a brainstorming session will help you create a list of words that are perfect for your campaign.

6. Select images carefully. Adding visuals is like cooking with spices. Too few will lead to a bland banner, while too many will destroy the desired effect. If you want to add an eye-catching graphic, royalty free stock photography is an inexpensive option. There are several websites online that offer these images. Using a drawing or chart with a limited number of colours is an effective way to catch the eye while limiting the file size.

7. Use contrast to capture attention. Your ad will likely include these elements: background colours, a bold text message, and a photograph or drawing, and animated. To be effective you need to have contrast between these elements. Contrast can be achieved using different font sizes and bolds and colours.

8. Limit your use of fonts. When designing your ad, try to use no more than two fonts. If you do use two or more fonts be sure to select fonts from different categories. There are three main font categories: serif (which have tiny "feet" on the letters), sans serif (with no decorative "feet") and decorative (which include highly decorative and script or handwritten fonts). 

9. Don't overdo it with animation. If you plan to use animation in your ad, there are a few things to consider. You want the animation to draw the eye without offending the online viewer. When setting the animation speed, look for something that changes at a slow to moderate pace. It helps to set your animations so that they stop after three cycles; some sites may insist on this.

10. Less really is more. As you create your design, remember that less cluttered messages will make a stronger impact with the online viewer. Limit the number of elements (the colors, fonts, graphics and words)

What the Font
October 20, 2008  |  Web Tip
I found this great site called What the Font. The address is www.whatthefont.com
They can identify the font for you when you upload the font image.
It's really helpful if you want to find out which font certain site uses.

1   2  



About   Diary   Blog   Work   Awards   Contact
© COPYRIGHT 2008 ENDLESSSTUDIO.COM, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED   |   XHTML   |    CSS
Contact
Use contact form
Contact Address