1st July 2003:
Ok, Ok..... Im the first to admit this mini review is not strictly digital graphics related but this little unit is so cool that I couldnt help but write a few words about it.

So, what is it? The 'Initial DVD-9510' is a portable DVD player that's not only capable of playing DVD's on its built in 4 inch color TFT screen, but also supports playback of regular audio CD's and CD's containing MP3 files.... also supports JPEG and Kodak Picture CD, CD-R, CD-RW, HDCD. Ive also heard reports that VCD and SCVD are supported but I cannot confirm as I dont have a test unit at this stage.

Comes with Rechargeable lithium battery giving up to 4 hours playback when fully charged, AC power adapter, cigarette lighter adapter for car use, audio/video cable, remote control. Weighs approximately 3.6 pounds.

The unit has composite video output so you can hook it up to your bigscreen and take your player with you when you go to a hotel or even use it on your home system as your main player. Dolby Digital/DTS surround sound output (coaxial), Analog stereo output, Built-in stereo speakers Stereo headphone output. The only downside is the built in screen is not widescreen aspect although you can still view movies in widescreen mode (with black bars at the top and bottom of screen), an extra $10 will get you the next model up with true widescreen (see below) but for those of us on budget this is a bargain not to be overlooked. This is quite a package and at US$169 its a bargain.

<Buy one here>

Portable DVD/MP3 Player - $178.43
4.2inch Widescreen Format

For those of you not content without a widescreen then an extra ten bucks on the model above gets you a true widescreen format model.

The Initial IDM-9520 portable DVD player with MP3 playback capability offers all the same great features as the 'Initial DVD-9510' but with added advantage of widescreen for all you movie junkies.

<Buy one here>

21st May 2003:
Those of you with either Nikon Coolpix or Sony Cyber-shot Digital cameras should check out the following Ebook offerings from Peter iNova. Both Ebooks are on CD and Action Addiction has secured a major discount for its readers with free shipping on either Ebook, but only if you order using the direct links below.

If you have always wondered how to get the best from your camera then look no further than the two Ebooks below.

Mastering Nikon™ Compact Digital Cameras
By Peter iNova
With 458 pages (8.5 X 11 big) and over 1200 color illustrations, charts, graphics and tables, this eBook on CD has been reviewed with tremendous praise and endorsement by both customers and Internet reviewers all over the world.

But the icing on the cake are the iNovaFX Photoshop Action Filters. These are over 350 tools one uses within the full version of Photoshop. Tools that correct problems, solve "issues" and produce amazing graphic results. Some are relatively simple, but most are quite complex and achieve jaw-dropping results.

The latest edition of this Ebook adds even more late model Coolpix cameras by adding the Camera Operation of the Coolpix 5000, CP4500 4-megapixel twist-body camera and CP5700, 5-megapixel 8:1 zoom camera. Plus new iNovaFX Photoshop Action Filters that are geared to the special requirements of 5-megapixel images.

US$49.95 with Free USPS shipping for ActionAddiction readers.
<More info here>

The SONY™ Advanced Cyber-shot eBook
By Peter iNova
The SONY eBook has all the things iNova's eBooks are famous for. The secrets, lore, special techniques, interactive cross links... There is even direct interaction with the Internet by clicking on highlighted text.

The eBook details the DSC-F707 and DSC-F717 Advanced Cyber-shot cameras over ten chapters.

All the viewing software for Windows and Mac computers is included.

• Sony's surprisingly deep history in electronic imaging
• Digital photographic myths and superstitions (or are they?)
• Hands-on Cyber-shot camera wrangling, button by button
• The famous iNova 7-step Photoshop course
• A huge "How Do I..." chapter that reveals over forty useful techniques
• A 22-exercise photography course--to get the creative juices flowing
• Printing tips and techniques you'll never see in a printer manual
• Special effect production for all seasons and reasons
• Answers to the vexing FAQs that might have frazzled you

And a guide to all of the 320+ iNovaFX Photoshop Actions that bring you into new realms of ability, creativity and sheer delight ... plus interactive Appendix, Index, FX booklet and a Gallery of images.

US$49.95 with Free USPS shipping for ActionAddiction readers.
<More info here>

5th April 2002:
Nikon USA have announced massive mail-in rebates on 5 of its Coolpix Digital Camera models as shown below:

Coolpix 5700 - $100 rebate
Coolpix 5000 and 4500 - $200 rebate
Coolpix 3500, 2500 and 2000 - $50 rebate

To qualify, you must purchase a new camera between April 1, 2003 and June 30, 2003. Only purchases made and delivered in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands qualify.

If you are thinking of upgrading or taking your first step into digital photography then now is a great time to do so.

Action Addiction has also sourced some excellent prices well below RRP on the following cameras, just click the camera image for more info (Prices correct at time of writing & subject to change).

Nikon Coolpix 5700
US$949 (US$849 after rebate)
5-megapixel resolution with professional features including a rugged magnesium alloy body, 8x optical zoom lens with 14 elements, electronic through-the-lens viewfinder and variable shutter speeds from 1/4000 to 8 seconds.

Nikon Coolpix 5000
US$884 (US$684 after rebate)
With 5-megapixel resolution, this camera truly delivers results that rival film. It also features a top-quality Nikkor 3x zoom lens, swiveling color LCD screen and takes detailed photos that can be enlarged to make 16-x-20-inch prints. Ideal camera for wide angle photography due to its standard wide angle lens (equal to a 28mm lens in 35mm format).

---

Nikon Coolpix 4500
US$598.42 (US$398.42 after rebate)
4.0-megapixel effective resolution, 4x optical/4x digital zoom, 1-touch upload to PC. 16 pre-programmed scene modes and high resolution for prints up to 11 x 17 inches. Versatile swiveling lens for taking photos from unusual positions such as overhead. An excellent camera at an entry level price but with features usually found on far more expensive models.

Nikon Coolpix 2500
US$260 (US$210 after rebate)
2.0-megapixel effective resolution, 3x optical/4x digital zoom, 1-touch upload to PC. A good beginners camera with decent zoom and budget price.

1st March 2003:
Some of you might remember late last year I published a news item about a new 360 lens that was nearing release, well Ive just been told by the supplier that it has now been released but the entire first production run has been presold already...... sheesh, talk about popular. Dont worry though, a new shipment is due sometime mid march.

For those of you who dont know what Im talking about..... in the past few months I've been doing some research into camera lenses that take a 360 degree panorama in a single shot (what tha??? I hear you ask). Yep, a single shot, you heard me right. Basically it involves the use of a dome shaped mirror in front of the lens, the camera actually points directly up at the sky and captures the entire reflected 360° scene in just one shot with a 100 degree vertical field of view. The image looks like a donut to start with but once processed through specialised software it unfolds the donut to a true 360° panorama. Cool or what!

There are several lens on the market that will do the job but they are generally very expensive. I recently recommended one to a client that cost near on US$1000, but Ive just discovered a new lens that's half the price, has all glass optics, aluminium casing and from what Ive seen, appears to give great results. The lens is the creation of a small company known as 0-360, and is set for big things.

At the initial release price of US$495 this is quite an affordable lens for those with a need or interest in panoramic photography. Traditionally it has been the real estate market that has benefited most from the use of online panoramas. This lens is sure to make light work of what was once a very complex and time consuming task. It will also enable real estate agents themselves to enter what was previously the domain of specialist panoramic photographers.

Dont get me wrong, you can get better results from taking a series of images with a high end digital camera and stitching them together but this is a very time consuming task and is open to problems if you dont have the right tripod head. When time is money and your output is destined for the web rather than print then the 0-360 lens is the ultimate solution.

The $495 is a special price until mid April only. After that, the price will return to $595 so I suggest you get in quick as these things seem to be selling out VERY fast.

I want one......... anybody want to donate a few bucks to my cause??

<More info here>

12th February 2002:
ActionAddiction's sister site over at www.Fontgod.com is having a sale during February, "We are offering to convert your own handwriting into a TrueType font for just US$64.95 including a free additional signature font, a saving of US$29.95".

If you ever wanted to be able to type with your own handwriting, now's a good time to check it out. You'll be supporting ActionAddiction.com if you decide to purchase. What better reason it there?

<Click here for Handwriting Font Conversion>

20th August 2002:
Xara have just announced the latest update to Xara 3D with the release of version 5.

ActionAddiction.com has been recommending this software for a number of years now based on its ease of use, speed, price and incredibly lightweight installation size. Whilst not suitable for complex 3D renderings it does to an amazing job of creating 3D text with countless variations and is a "must have" for every designers software collection. Xara 3D Makes light work of producing 3D logos both single frame and animated.

Some of version 5's updated features include Flash export, screen saver creation, animation timeline, per character animations, accurate text positioning and more. In total there are more than 30 new features or enhancements over version 4.

To sweeten the taste, Xara are now selling the CD only version for just US$29.00 or you can get the boxed version for just US$10 more. There's also major discounts if you are upgrading from an older version.

Go download the free trial and check it out. The file is just 1.33mb but don't be fooled by its tiny size, this is one awesome piece of software and one which I can certainly recommend.

<Download free XARA 3D trial - 1.33mb>

5th August 2002:
If you have been looking for an alternative to jpeg compression after the recent worries concerning patent royalties and virus laden jpegs then MyPhotoZip may be the answer you are looking for. Especially when their solution offers far greater compression with virtually no loss of image quality.

MyPhotoZip marketing hype states "the only compression tool in the World to Ultra-Compress images up to a phenomenal 100 to 1 and more, without visible loss of quality!"

First looks by ActionAddiction revealed interesting results. We scanned a photo image in Photoshop 7 and first tried saving for web as a jpeg using maximum compression. We then used the same raw image and saved it using MyPhotoZip and tried to match the filesize of the jpeg image to within a few bytes. We then compared the two images on screen side by side and the image compressed using MyPhotoZip was noticably better and did not contain the prominent "artifacts" that are common in heavily compressed jpeg images. However, the claim that their software compresses "without visible loss of quality" is probably stretching the truth as it was quite evident that the compressed image was not of the same quality as the original and even more evident when using the 100 to 1 compression level.

There's a free 30 day trial available so go download it now and test it out for yourself.

<More info here>

4th June 2002:
Well it's taken us over a year but we finally decided to put our forum's back online. So what are you waiting for, get in there and start posting your questions and hopefully someone in the ActionAddiction community can help you out. We also have forum areas for Photoshop resources, links, employment, tutorials and more.

Sign up and become a forum member for special privileges

<Visit the Forums here>

One Clickers contains 50 styles for use with Photoshop 6 & 7. A fantastic combination of text & shape effects for as many uses as you can dream up. For use in your web or print projects. Photoshop styles are flexible enough to use for any graphics related project you can dream up.

With a simple click from the Style Palette to apply any of the 50 effects to text or shapes that you have created. Cut major time off your project development time. One Clickers Set 1 includes some of the most useful styles found on the net. Take the pain out of creating professional looking effects by ordering the One-Clickers Set 1 at this great introductory cost! You'll be using these effects within minutes. Nothing is easier when creating professional looking graphics than using One Clickers for Photoshop!

See below for just a few samples of the 50 total effects available for just US$3.99. Thats not much more than a Big Mac and I can tell you now that the enjoyment from this pack will last a lot longer.

<Click for More Info>

ActionAddiction has released its latest service, conversion of your own handwriting into a truetype font. We accept most major credit cards as payment. Services start from just US$29.95.

Those of you who run graphics or font related websites might be interested to know we have implemented an affiliate program for FontGod whereby you can earn 20% commission on sales you refer to us.

<Click here for Handwriting Font Conversion>

Those of you who havent been hiding your head under a stone recently will realise that Adobe Photoshop 7 is now in the wild. ActionAddiction has spent a few hours looking over it's new features and the initial reaction is that this should not be regarded as an essential upgrade if you already have Photoshop 6 in your stable.

Don't get me wrong, many of the new features are very handy indeed, notably the new file browser feature which allows easier viewing of your image library from within Photoshop. I am sure that the benefits of the new healing brush will come to light more as time goes on, but at present I feel that many PS artists are already comfortable touching up photos with the cloning tool and this will be just another tool to have to learn effectively.

Visually, Adobe have prettied up the interface considerably with new 3d look icons. You will also find that some of the menu items and tools have moved to new positions, which might take a little bit of getting used to as always.

Ive only touched on a few of the more obvious changes but if you already have Photoshop 6 then then check to see if the new features really warrant your hard earned cash before upgrading. However if you currently own version 5.5 or lower then Photoshop 7 is a much recommended upgrade.

We have recently added a software reviews section to the website. First cab off the rank is the extremely capable DreamSuite software from AutoFX. DreamSuite works as both a standalone program or plugin for Photoshop and other graphics apps.

<Read Review>

Some of the greatest Photoshop actions and styles ever created are contained in this first in a series of special cds. A fantastic combination of text effects, textures, templates and photo effects. By the time you are finished with this cd, your friends will think you are a master of design using Photoshop.

As a promotion with DigitalTropic we are offering the Photoshop Stuff cd to you for only US$10.89! <Order Here>

If you are an experienced Photoshop user or a newbie, you will surely learn to use this cd for graphic inspiration or to cut major time off your project development time. Photoshop Stuff includes some of the most impressive techniques from the best Photoshop Gurus in the world. No Photoshop user should be without this effect packed cd. The cd also includes several tutorials to help you learn even more! No previous experience needed! Learn to create the effects you see in magazines, television, brochures, books, billboards and advertisements. Its never been this easy to create stunning graphics!

Over 200 amazing effects using actions for Photoshop 5 and higher!
Over 100 cool effects using styles for Photoshop 6!
10 Awesome Tutorials!
HTML based cd! You can grab anything off the cd through your browser!
Contact information for each effect!

<Order Here>