Three Useful Digital Media Tools #4

This post is the fourth in a series titled “Three simple tools that may not have hit your radar.”

As usual, I provide a high-level review of three digital media tools or applications that I have come across that I find useful and interesting. The tools and applications included in these posts are from companies that offer free versions of their wares. Some of them offer advanced features for a fee. I have confined the list to tools that I use, or have used in the past. So, here are the three.

Bump

Update: In 2013 Google acquired Bump and in 2014, it was killed by Google.

Bump has been available in the Apple App Store since 2009 and is compatible with both IOS and Android devices. The application enables transfers of files such as contact information, images, videos, and documents between mobile devices with a simple bump.

Until now, the cool factor of Bump has outweighed the practical everyday use of the app. With the new ability to transfer files between a mobile device and a PC and vice versa, it now becomes a handy tool for sharing content. The primary requirement is that the two devices are logged into the same Wi-Fi network. To quote from the Bump Blog: “Bump is now your unlimited USB flash drive that is always with you!”

SlideTalk

Swedish start-up, SlideTalk, has recently launched an interesting tool that lets you create audio-enabled presentations, with minimal effort. Unlike Slideshare, which lets you add music or other audio files to enhance your presentations, SlideTalk uses a sophisticated text-to-speech application that converts your text to clear audio. Here are some sample slides that I put together to check out this tool.

With simple commands, you are able to adjust pauses, timbre, intonations, and speed of delivery of the audio, to make it sound as normal as possible. This product is currently in beta and the output of your presentation will be publicly visible on YouTube. After the completion of the beta period, the company is expected to offer a free, as well as a paid subscription to potential users of SlideTalk.

Echograph

Update: Echograph was acquired by Vimeo in 2013. It no longer exists as a standalone product.

If you are into creating short video clips and sharing them with your friends and social connections, this app will appeal to you. Along the same vein as Twitter’s recently launched Vine, Echograph allows you to animate portions of a short video – five seconds, or less – while freezing the rest of the frame. Here is a clip that I created using Echograph, which shows five seconds of the recent Senator-Ranger game which the Senators managed to squeak through.

For now, I believe this is more of a fun app than one that would have a lot of practical use. With Vimeo, the competitor of YouTube, purchasing Echograph, the app is expected to get a lot of attention than it otherwise would have received.

Let me know if you find these apps useful. If you are aware of simple apps that I should be writing about, do include them in your comments. If you like this post, please share using the options below.