Orangeinks

Quikmaps Lets You Draw on Google Maps

QuikMaps is a map service editor with a few simple additional features that Google Maps can’t provide. It allows you to draw lines on the map, make scribbles and insert different markers. This is service not only helps users in providing geo locations (which Google Maps can do on its own), it also allows users to add more information in the map.

The editor is very simple and very easy to use.

• To add markers, simply drag the markers to your desired location on the map and just drag them around to move them. Left click the marker to add information on that particular marker and Right Clicking the marker will immediately delete it. There is also quite a fair amount of markers and icon sets that you can choose from.

• Drawing straight lines on the map is done in a connect-the-dots manner. Simply choose draw line on top to the map and place a dot on the point of origin and place another on a different location.

• The Scribble tool is a freehand drawing tool. You can doodle and scribble to your heart’s content using this tool.

• You can also add text labels on the map by dragging the Text Label icon to the location you want your text to appear on. To delete a text, just right click on the text and it will disappear.

• They also released their API code to the public so developers can integrate QuikMaps to their web applications.

When you are finished with your map doodling and marking, just insert a title for the map, place some information if you like and save it. You can easily access the map again for editing. The map can be easily exported to KML(Google Earth) and GPX(GPS) format or you can get the embed code to place it on your blogs and websites. Check below for the sample I took from QuikMaps.

Tags: geo location, google earth, google maps, map, quikmaps, web service

Quick Button Maker from the Buttonator

The Buttonator is a simple online button maker (I think that’s just about it). What else can I say? Just select a button design and place the text that you want to appear in it. You can select fonts for your text and choose a color that suites your taste. Oh, and you can also choose from a small list of button designs. You don’t have to register in order to create a button and download it. However, if you want your buttons to be hosted at buttonator, you have to sign up and create a profile.

Great for users who do not want to use image editors just to create a small and simple button.

Tags: button, buttonator, web service, webapp

Have Comic Strip Fun with your Photos in PikiStrips.com

PikiStrips is a free web service that allows you to create a comic strip from your photos. The service is pretty basic and simple and can be done in a few easy steps.

After registering to PikiStrips, you can immediately start creating your personal comic strips from your photos or images. Just select a comic strip layout. Edit border, background and colors. Upload a photo from your hard drive and position it to the comic strip cell of you choice then just drag speech bubbles and effects in the strip.

You can share your created comic strips with your friends. You can also order digitally printed Apparel, Mugs, Mouse mats, Posters, and Puzzles from PikiStrips. What is even better is that they ship worldwide.

This is a fun tool for creatively producing comic strip stories from your photos. It’s quick and easy to use. The only thing that concerns me is the search Flickr feature. You have to search and enter keywords in order upload a photo from Flickr. Personal Flickr account integration would be a useful feature for the service. Since most Flickr users don’t place tags in their photos, users will have a hard time searching for their images in PikiStrips. You’ll end up having to download your photos from Flickr and upload them from your hard drive.

You might also want to check out Comiqs. It’s a comic book creation service which allows you to create an embeddable comic book from your photos.

Tags: comic strip, comiqs, pikistrips, web service

CheckOutMyInk : Social Tattoo Sharing Site

CheckOutMyInk is a social networking site for tattoo artists, tattoo lovers and for those who are planning to get their bodies inked. The service was created by a group of tattoo lovers who wanted to build a community based on tattoos without charging a fee. This is a great place for people looking for tattoo inspiration or for passers by who just wants to check out the inks on others. Tattoo artists will also be given the chance to showcase their art and gain exposure through the site.

The service offers a growing database of tattoo art neatly categorized for the user’s convenience. Some of the categories in CheckOutMyInk include traditional, Asian/Chinese, Tribal, Biomechanical, Fantasy and a lot more. Users can also search through a tag cloud based on inspiration and location of the tattoos. Registration is not required if you just want to browse the site and check out the designs, commenting and uploading photos will however require you to sign up.I browsed around the site and found some very interesting body ink showcased on the site. Check some of them below.

Spiderman Tattoo uploaded by TKNY

Biomech Tattoo uploaded by Dreadu

Face Tribal Ink Tattoo uploaded by MrSteve

If you are planning to get a tattoo, CheckOutMyInk would be a good place to start looking for inspiration and asking the experts on where to place your tattoo. It will also give you an idea on where the most and least painful part of the body to get inked. Doesn’t hurt to do a little research and get some inspiration from other artists. A tattoo is permanent and you don’t want to get a mistranslated Chinese tat on your body or one that sucks.

Tags: body ink, checkoutmyink, social networking site, social newtorking, tattoo, tattoo lovers, web service

Convert PNG to ICO and Vice Versa

Convertico.com is a simple online tool where you can easily convert PNG files to ICO files and vice versa. This is a great tool if you want to change PNG files or logos found in the web and wants to turn it to a desktop icon. The produced ICO file is also compatible with Windows Vista.

The service is very fast and easy to use. Simply choose a PNG (ICO) file from your computer hard drive or enter the URL for the PNG (ICO) image, then click ‘Convert. ‘ Actually that is all there is to it. Convertico will do its job and you will be given your converted file for you to download.

The service is free and no registration is needed in order to start converting. Just head over to he site and you can start converting your PNG images and icon files.

Tags: convert, convertico, Free, ico, png, web service

Find your DriverSide

DriverSide is a web service that caters both car enthusiasts, regular car owners and those who are planning to buy their first car. It’s a great place to visit if you are in the market for a brand new or used car. You can read reviews made by other car owners and check for the current market price of the car you are interested in buying. You can also browse the site for users who are selling their cars.

Owners can share their car experiences for particular makes and models that they have recently acquired or previously owned. This will give others a basic idea about a particular car that they might be interested in.

Aside from user generated information, DriverSide also provides reviews, owner’s guide and important car tips like recall alerts, service schedule and common problems. They also provide detailed specifications of cars and they have a feature called “Cost of Ownership” which tells you how much it will cost to annually register and insure your car of choice. Repair costs approximation is also given by DriverSide which will depend on your location (Zip Code) and car model. This will greatly help car owners to get a ballpark figure on how much money they may need to have to get their car serviced or fixed.

Like most startup web services, DriverSide also have a social networking feature that lets users share to the public the car(s) they own by creating a virtual garage. Share likes and dislikes as well as aftermarket upgrades installed. The social feature however only limits users to input text descriptions of their cars. Image uploads would be a big improvement in the social networking feature of DriverSide. This will let the public view the actual image of the car being described by an owner and actually see what the upgrades look like. This will also provide helpful information to potential car buyers if ever an owner decides to sell his (her) car. Since the site is still in beta, we can expect to see more improvements and added features to the service.

Tags: buy, car service, cars, driverside, sell, Social Networking, web service