New Technology Reviews!.: Teens

<ADDRESS class="Note byline"> <a href="" title="#jsArticleIntroImageCredit rel=thinbox></A> A cool cartoon avatar can represent a teen in chat, forums and blog posts. There are many places to use an avatar online. Forums, blogs and other social sites attract teen attention on <A">the Internet</A> every day. To keep anonymity, creating a cartoon teen avatar can represent a teen in a cool way. Virtual avatars are made to simply show an appearance of a person on a bio page, next to a blog post or next to a forum conversation. It represents the person who is engaged in the conversation, but does not necessarily need to be a true depiction of the person. Difficulty:ModerateBrowser Microsoft Paint or Graphics program 1 Open the Internet browser and navigate to Anime Face Maker (see Resources for a link).2 Click on the skin color and background color to start the new avatar.3 Click the hair selection button and choose a hair style and hair color. Continue creating the avatar with eye shapes, mouth shapes, eyebrows, and accessories. When satisfied with the image, right-click on the avatar and choose "Zoom In" from the menu.4 Hit the "PrntScr" button on the keyboard to take a screen capture of the avatar.1 Open the Paint program by clicking "Start," "All Programs," "Accessories" and then selecting "Paint." A blank image file opens.2 Click the "Paste" button. The screen capture will appear inside the Paint window.3 Click the "Select" button. Put the mouse pointer over the upper left corner of the avatar box. Click and hold the mouse button and drag it to the lower right corner of the avatar box. Let go of the mouse button. An outline will appear around the avatar.4 Click the "Crop" button. The surrounding screen capture will disappear and the avatar will remain in the paint window.5 Click the "Paint Button," "Save As..." and then choose "JPEG picture." Name the file and place it in a directory that is easy to remember. The Paint program comes with all versions of Microsoft Windows. The "My Documents" and "My Pictures" folders are the best place to keep an avatar image. Using a true image of a teen can invite Internet predators. It is better to create a cartoon or use an image that does not closely match a teen's appearance.<a class="readNext jsNoFollow" rel="http://www.ehow.com/how_6495715_create-virtual-person-virtual-world.html"></A><a class="twitter-share-button" data-count="horizontal" data-text="How to Make a Virtual Avatar for Teens" data-url="http://www.ehow.com/how_7665879_make-virtual-avatar-teens.html" data-via="ehow" href="http://twitter.com/share"></A></ADDRESS>

How to Make a Virtual Avatar for Teens

A cool cartoon avatar can represent a teen in chat, forums and blog posts. There are many places to use an avatar online. Forums, blogs and...

<img alt="" class="alignright size-full wp-image-421537" height="225" src="/bestgadgetsteens.jpg" title="best gadgets teens" width="225"> <a href="" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">This post</A> originally appeared on <a href="http://mylifescoop.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">My Life Scoop</A>, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about using social media and technology for a more connected life. Knowing what gifts to buy teens can be a tough call — after all, what was such a hit just a few months ago can become a big miss overnight. A teen-friendly gadget is a good bet, though, as it’s a functional item that will prove useful, and if you’re lucky, even educational. While we wouldn’t dare to suggest anything as personal as choice of phone, portable media player or even gaming device — no doubt your teenager has clear ideas about what’s cool in those areas — we do have 10 terrific products that are perfect for tech-savvy teens. Read on for our suggestions and let us know any other gadgets you’d recommend for the connected teen in the comments box below.<img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-421355" height="250" src="/lacie.jpg" title="gadgets gift ideas teens teenagers " width="344"> A portable hard drive comes in very handy for teens who work across multiple computers at school and home. It offers a great way to back up important school work and is a useful way to carry around media files. The compact LaCie Skwarim adds that extra bit of spunk that other devices don’t have, and it provides 60GBs of on-the-go storage. Cost: $99.99<img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-421631" height="250" src="/Bloggietouch1.jpg" title="gadgets teens" width="389"> The Bloggie Touch makes posting photos and video to YouTube<a class="blippr-inline-smiley blippr-inline-smiley-07" href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336658-YouTube" rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336658-YouTube.whtml" target="_blank">YouTube<img alt="YouTube" class="wp-smiley" height="14" src="/inline-face07.png" width="14"></A>, Facebook<a class="blippr-inline-smiley blippr-inline-smiley-05" href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook" rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336650-Facebook.whtml" target="_blank">Facebook<img alt="Facebook" class="wp-smiley" height="14" src="/inline-face05.png" width="14"></A>, Picasa<a class="blippr-inline-smiley blippr-inline-smiley-05" href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/507846-Picasa" rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/507846-Picasa.whtml" target="_blank">Picasa<img alt="Picasa" class="wp-smiley" height="14" src="/inline-face05.png" width="14"></A> and Flickr<a class="blippr-inline-smiley blippr-inline-smiley-05" href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336659-Flickr" rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336659-Flickr.whtml" target="_blank">Flickr<img alt="Flickr" class="wp-smiley" height="14" src="/inline-face05.png" width="14"></A> a breeze, while the full 1080p HD video recording resolution and the 12.8-megapixel camera should ensure the content is great quality. The flip-out USB arm for uploading and charging is a nice touch and it renders the inevitable lost cables a non-issue. Cost: From $179.99<img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-421391" height="250" src="/kindle.jpg" title="gadgets tech gifts teenagers teens " width="190"> As more and more books are getting digitized, the Amazon <a href="">Kindle</A> can offer a solution to carting around tons of heavy tomes. And if the eBook platform excites your teen enough to want to dip into some literature too, then that can only be a good thing, right? Cost: $139<img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-421403" height="250" src="/cinswivel.jpg" title="gadgets for teens " width="231"> This super-fun solution will enable your teen to share slide-shows, video and other media from iPods, iPhones, PSPs, digital cameras, portable DVD players, netbooks, smartphones and more. It’s capable of projecting a 60-inch image from eight feet away, perfect for creating a movie theater feel in your own home. Cost: Around $300<img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-421607" height="250" src="/creative.jpg" title="great gadgets teenagers" width="391"> It’s fairly safe to say that all teens like music and with these colorful speakers from Creative, they can enjoy it without the wires. The D100 can stream music from Bluetooth<a class="blippr-inline-smiley blippr-inline-smiley-05" href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/390680-Bluetooth" rel="http://www.blippr.com/apps/390680-Bluetooth.whtml" target="_blank">Bluetooth<img alt="Bluetooth" class="wp-smiley" height="14" src="/inline-face05.png" width="14"></A>-enabled devices, as well as play audio from other wired devices via an aux-in port. It can run for up to 25 hours of non-stop music on four AA batteries. Cost: $79.99<img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-421411" height="250" src="/teensgadgets.jpg" title="teens gadgets" width="303"> Compatible with all the major video chat software, this tidy webcam offers 720p high-def video, giving your teen the ability to grab decent-sized stills, alongside some clever tech to help enhance audio and visual quality. After recording, it features one-click uploading to the likes of Facebook and YouTube, while younger teens may enjoy the bundled special effects such as neon splashes and fish-eye distortions. Cost: $49.99<img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-421501" height="250" src="/parrot.jpg" title="best gadgets teens " width="187"> While most parents try and be reasonable about the various health scares that hit the headlines, sometimes you can’t help thinking there might be some truth in the argument that radiation from phones affects young brains. A speakerphone should help rest your mind at ease during those many hours your teen spends on a cellphone. It also gives teens a fun, flexible way to chat to their friends and can be used in a car as a hands-free solution. Cost: $99.99<img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-421429" height="250" src="/sony.jpg" title="gadgets teens teenagers " width="156"> We can’t all pay attention 100% of the time. If your teen isn’t a good note-taker, or is someone who absorbs knowledge best after hearing it twice, a digital voice recorder to record classes and lectures could really help them out with school work. It also doubles as a fun recording device for any budding musicians. Cost: $99.95<img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-421439" height="250" src="/RP-HTX7R500.jpg" title="great gifts tech gadgets teens teenagers " width="250"> A quality pair of headphones will perform better at lower volumes, meaning your teen will not be forced to turn the music up too loud. These old school Panasonic headphones come in various cool colors, and with the size, you can be sure your teen won’t get away with listening to them in class. Cost: $59.99<img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-421509" height="250" src="/chumby1.jpg" title="gadgets gizmos teenagers teens " width="261"> It’s hard to describe the Chumby. Think of it as an ultra-connected alarm clock. It’s a box for your teen’s bedside table that boasts 1,500 widgets to bring news, weather, podcasts, music, games and more via your Wi-Fi network. And let’s face it, one more alarm in the morning to try and get your teen out of bed really isn’t going to hurt… Cost: $119.95

10 Useful Gadgets for Connected Teens

This post originally appeared on My Life Scoop , where Mashable regularly contributes articles about using social media and technology for ...