Trend Analysis on Navigation from Smashingmagazine

Navigation design plays a vital role in making a site/blog popular and equally successful. Smashing magazine has come out with a new article on Navigation menu trend analysis. The article proves to be a good reference for any creative site/blog design, as it covers most of the available menu styles and its best examples. You will end up with a clear insight and design trends of navigation menu. So gear up to redesign your blog navigation!

Article Link: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/02/26/navigation-menus-trends-and-examples/

The Morph concept from Nokia

Featured in The Museum of Modern Art “Design and The Elastic Mind” exhibition, the Morph concept device is a bridge between highly advanced technologies and their potential benefits to end-users. This device concept showcases some revolutionary leaps being explored by Nokia Research Center (NRC) in collaboration with the Cambridge Nanoscience Centre (United Kingdom) – nanoscale technologies that will potentially create a world of radically different devices that open up an entirely new spectrum of possibilities.

Morph concept technologies might create fantastic opportunities for mobile devices:
Newly-enabled flexible and transparent materials blend more seamlessly with the way we live Devices become self-cleaning and self-preserving Transparent electronics offering an entirely new aesthetic dimension Built-in solar absorption might charge a device, whilst batteries become smaller, longer lasting and faster to charge Integrated sensors might allow us to learn more about the environment around us, empowering us to make better choices.

In addition to the advances above, the integrated electronics shown in the Morph concept could cost less and include more functionality in a much smaller space, even as interfaces are simplified and usability is enhanced. All of these new capabilities will unleash new applications and services that will allow us to communicate and interact in unprecedented ways.

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Turbocharge your web application development!

Generate database and reporting applications for .NET in minutes. Quickly create visually stunning, feature-rich Web 2.0 applications that are easy to customize and ready to deploy. If you need an app built today, use Iron Speed Designer!

Simply point to an existing database and let the Iron Speed Designer wizards build a sophisticated, database-driven application that's ready to deploy. In just minutes, Iron Speed Designer generates your application's Web pages, user interface code and data access logic. Say good-bye to hand-coding ASPX pages and SQL statements.

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Professional Developer and Designer (Microsoft Software ) for students tools at no charge

For the first time, Microsoft is giving its valuable software developer and design tools directly to students worldwide at no charge! This site enables students like you to download professional-level Microsoft developer and design tools to unlock your creative potential and set you on the path to academic and career success, by supporting and advancing your learning and skills through technical design, technology, math, science and engineering activities.

Among the products available currently are Windows Server, the Expression Suite of products, XNA Game Studio, SQL Server and the new Visual Studio.

In order to get this software from Microsoft at no charge, you will be asked to establish or verify your student status once every 12 months. This process is built into this DreamSpark site itself. Verification of valid student status will enable students from around the globe to download Microsoft developer and design tools at no charge.

Note: You must be at least 18 years old or have otherwise reached the age of majority in the place (province, state or country) where you live, or if not, your parent or legal guardian must accept the Microsoft DreamSpark software license terms on your behalf, in order for you to download and use the software.

Visit DreamSpark for more details

Best CSS Tips, Web Trends at StylizeWeb.com

Stylizedweb the black and white blog, rolls out with clear focus in CSS,JS, and web trends. This has very interesting and useful postings that could make your life easier. My favorite posts from the site :

10 best CSS hacks
30 Best Firefox add-ons
PNG transparency issues
Vertical align div

FreelanceSwitch Survey Results

The most awaited survey results are out from Freelance Switch. 3700 people took part in the survey from 6 continents and 10 industries, the report they have made out this survey is displaying interesting facts. This proves to most useful information and analysis. If your are planning to switch in to freelance mode from regular job, have a look at this analysis, you have all data at your desk starting from happiness factor, load factor till hourly rate across countries. People who was part of survey has its version mailed and for others you can still get it by paying very less!
Check the link here

Quality vector, PS Brush, Shapes at Dezignus

The combination of quality stock with "Free factor" is a rare one. Dezignus is one such blog giving out quality vectors, Photoshop goodies like shapes, brushes, patterns and more design resource link. It’s all royalty free, free and free! The blog has really cool stuff for every designer and illustrators. Don’t miss it to have its daily feed. Enjoy!
link: http://dezignus.com

Yahoo for Sale !!

Microsoft Proposes Acquisition of Yahoo! for $31 per Share. Transaction valued at approximately $44.6 billion in cash and stock; provides 62 percent premium to current trading price for Yahoo! shareholders; combined entity to create a more competitive company, providing superior value to shareholders, better choice and innovation for customers and partners.
Microsoft’s proposal would allow the Yahoo! shareholders to elect to receive cash or a fixed number of shares of Microsoft common stock, with the total consideration payable to Yahoo! shareholders consisting of one-half cash and one-half Microsoft common stock.
Microsoft will probably borrow money for the first time to finance its proposed $44.6 billion takeover of Yahoo, chief financial officer Chris Liddell said.
Microsoft took on $80 million in debt from AQuantive when it bought the Internet advertising company for $6 billion in August. Both the AQuantive acquisition and the proposed take-over of Sunnyvale, California-based Yahoo are part of Microsoft’s effort to compete with Google in the $40 billion-a-year market for Internet search services and advertising.
Know more about the deal.

Rescue Time: Web Based Automated Time Management

Its a fact that comparing the time spent on individual applications, websites and blogs in a day will improve our productivity.
Rescue Time, comes as the web based automated Time Management tool accounting for the time spent and comparision data of all the applications, websites and blogs we use and visit. So finding your time spent on blogs (in the name of resarch) is on the click!

Rescue Time, works out for individual and also for business. Time tacker can applied across the team or business unit with centralized data for group tracking, accounting for the team's productivity in a given day. The interface and design so intuitive, Clean and easy for any type of users.

Here are few reviews and articles about this application: http://www.techcrunch.com/rescue-time-automated-time-management
http://www.appscout.com/2007/12/rescue_time_shows_