Nov 17: HP Photosmart 2710 All-in-One Printer Announced

The HP Photosmart 2710 All-in-One Printer incorporates a printer, scanner, fax and copier all into one machine. It allows users to preview, select, edit and print photos directly from a digital camera (bypassing the need for a computer) either using the memory card slot or via PictBridge (USB).

Print speeds are up to 30 pages per minute (black and white) or 20 pages per minute (color). Get more information on the HP Photosmart 2710 All-in-One Printer from the following press release from HP.
HP UK Press ReleaseHP Introduces Two Top of the Range New Photosmart All-in-Ones for Best-in-Class Printing

HP Photosmart 2710 and HP Photosmart 2610 All-in-Ones offer a stylish answer to print, fax, scan and copy demands

LONDON, UK, 16 November, 2004. HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) announced the launch of two new All-in-Ones, the HP Photosmart 2710 and HP Photosmart 2610. Designed for creative home or home office users, these two All-in-Ones offer a range of high quality print, flatbed fax, scan and copy functions in a compact and sophisticated device.

Both new models offer users integrated home networking with easy set up, enabling fast, multi-user printing, scanning and sharing of photos. The HP Photosmart 2610 and HP Photosmart 2710 All-in-Ones connect to the network using the quick, reliable, built-in 802.3 Ethernet. Additionally, the HP Photosmart 2710 All-in-One connects simply by using the embedded wireless1 (802.11g) LAN technology for secure, wireless sharing.

The HP Photosmart 2710 and HP Photosmart 2610 enable users to preview, select, edit and print their photos directly from a digital camera without having to connect to a computer. This can be achieved by using the built-in memory card slot2 or by connecting a PictBridge-enabled digital camera to the All-in-One via the front USB port. By using the memory card slots on these All-in-Ones, users can preview images on the 8.8 cm colour LCD screen on the HP PSC 2710 or the 6.4cm colour LCD screen on the HP Photosmart 2610, and crop, zoom, edit or rotate photos.

HP’s unique Photo Proof Sheet allows users to choose their perfect shot from thumbnail images, saving time and money. Both models boast full borderless printing including 10 x 15 cm, 10 x 30 cm panorama size3, A4 and double A4 (210 x 594 mm). In addition, these new models feature an automatic paper type sensor which adjusts settings to best suit the paper loaded.

With the optional HP bt300 Bluetooth wireless printer adapter (not included), users can conveniently print colour photos directly from a Bluetooth camera phone, digital camera, PDA or other Bluetooth device.

For those who want to print images from a video, these new HP All-in-Ones allow video action printing. Any short video clip can be printed in frames and used to create a dynamic storyboard of high quality photo images.

With print and copy speeds of up to 30 pages per minute (ppm) black and up to 20 ppm colour, the HP Photosmart 2710 and HP Photosmart 2610 All-in-Ones offer increased productivity. When printing from a computer, people can produce virtually grain-free and professional photo quality prints at up to 4800-optimised dpi (1200-input dpi). Optional 6-ink colour (available with purchase of HP No. 348 Photo Inkjet Print Cartridge) through HP Photoret IV precision technology offers superb photo quality and a wide range of colours. Professional black-and-white photo printing is available with purchase of optional HP No. 100 grey photo inkjet print cartridge.

The flatbed scanner lets users scan high quality documents, photos and even 3D objects at 2400 x 4800-dpi optical resolution and 48-bit colour. With the HP Photosmart 2710 and HP Photosmart 2610 All-in-Ones, users can fax black and white and even colour documents using the simple, easy to use functions and the 33.6 kbps modem – all independently of the computer. Users can save time and effort with the 75 speed dials, while a 90 page memory ensures incoming faxes are saved even when the paper tray is empty.

HP’s unique Instant Share technology makes it easy for users to share photos via the web or e-mail without large attachments and without turning on the computer. Friends and family simply choose which photos to download. It also allows users to print files while on the go and pick up on the other end, using the remote printing feature.
Supplies that complete HP’s printing systemHP recommends using only HP inks, inkjet print cartridges and print media which have been specially formulated to work with the HP Photosmart 2610 and 2710 All-in-Ones, to achieve the best possible finish. The HP Photosmart 2610 and 2710 All-in-Ones are compatible with HP’s next generation of inkjet print cartridges which offer increased print speed, without compromising on the quality or fade resistance of the finished print out. This new range of inkjet print cartridges features new ink formulations and when used in conjunction with HP Premium Plus Photo Paper, allows users to print true borderless photos.

The HP Photosmart 2610 and 2710 All-in-Ones come complete with the HP No. 339 black inkjet print cartridge for laser-quality sharp black text and professional results and the HP No. 344 tri-colour inkjet print cartridge to produce vivid colours for vibrant colour documents, charts and presentations. Both these print cartridges come in different sizes for greater choice.

For ultimate creative control, customers can also purchase other print cartridges from the range and swap them in so they have the right set of inks available for their print job. Inkjet print cartridges not in use can be stored in a print cartridge protector (supplied) to ensure the inks don’t dry out. When printing photos, users can combine the HP No. 343 / 344 tri-colour inkjet print cartridge along with the HP No. 348 photo inkjet print cartridge for a true-to-life photos with accurate skin tones and a wide range of colours. To print black and white photos customers can swap these cartridges for the HP No. 100 grey photo inkjet print cartridge containing light grey, dark grey and photo black inks.

HP’s Premium Plus Photo Paper offers outstanding image quality, a professional weight of 280 g/m², and a choice of high-gloss or satin-matt finish for the look and feel of a traditional photo. Printed in combination with HP´s next generation inks, photo prints offer exceptional fade resistance, even surpassing that available with HP’s previous generation of inkjet print cartridges4.
Availability and pricingThe HP Photosmart 2710 All-in-One will be available at selected retailers from December 2004 with a recommended street price of £349.99.
The HP Photosmart 2610 All-in-One will be available at selected retailers from November 2004 with a recommended street price of £299.99.
About HPHP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company’s offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended April 30, 2004, HP revenue totaled $76.8 billion. More information about HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) is available at www.hp.com.

00This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the possibility that the market for the sale of certain products and services may not develop as expected; that development and performance of these products and services may not proceed as planned; and other risks that are described from time to time in HP’s Securities and Exchange Commission reports, including but not limited to HP’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 31, 2002, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 21, 2003, and subsequently filed reports. If any of these risks or uncertainties materializes or any of these assumptions proves incorrect, HP’s results could differ materially from HP’s expectations in these statements. HP assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements

1 Wireless performance is dependent upon distance and terrain between network clients and printer
2 Compatible with Compact Flash, Smart Media, Sony, Secure Digital and xD-Picture Cards
3 Available from 1 September 2004
4 Tests conducted by Wilhelm Imaging Research, with HP Premium Plus Photo Paper on a HP Photosmart 7960 delivered fade resistance of up to 73 years with colour printing (using the HP No. 57 and No. 58 inkjet print cartridges) and 115 years for black and white images (using the HP No. 59 grey photo inkjet print cartridge).

Results of early internal HP testing indicate that three and four ink colour photos printed on HP Premium and HP Premium Plus photo papers should resist fading longer than with previously introduced HP six and eight ink printing systems. Fade resistance tests with the new HP inkjet print cartridges for six and eight ink colour photo printing are in progress with Wilhelm Imaging Research. Based on internal HP test results, HP is confident that colour photos printed on HP Premium and HP Premium Plus photo papers will resist fading longer than with previously introduced six and eight ink printing systems.

Internal HP testing show that black and white photos printed with the new HP No. 100 grey photo inkjet print cartridge will yield the same excellent fade resistance as the HP No. 59 grey photo inkjet print cartridge (introduced in 2003).

Nov 17: HP Photosmart 2610 All-in-One Printer Announced

The HP Photosmart 2610 All-in-One Printer incorporates a printer, scanner, fax and copier all into one machine. It allows users to preview, select, edit and print photos directly from a digital camera (bypassing the need for a computer) either using the memory card slot or via PictBridge (USB).

Print speeds are up to 30 pages per minute (black and white) or 20 pages per minute (color). Get more information on the HP Photosmart 2610 All-in-One Printer from the following press release from HP.
HP UK Press ReleaseHP Introduces Two Top of the Range New Photosmart All-in-Ones for Best-in-Class Printing

HP Photosmart 2710 and HP Photosmart 2610 All-in-Ones offer a stylish answer to print, fax, scan and copy demands

LONDON, UK, 16 November, 2004. HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) announced the launch of two new All-in-Ones, the HP Photosmart 2710 and HP Photosmart 2610. Designed for creative home or home office users, these two All-in-Ones offer a range of high quality print, flatbed fax, scan and copy functions in a compact and sophisticated device.

Both new models offer users integrated home networking with easy set up, enabling fast, multi-user printing, scanning and sharing of photos. The HP Photosmart 2610 and HP Photosmart 2710 All-in-Ones connect to the network using the quick, reliable, built-in 802.3 Ethernet. Additionally, the HP Photosmart 2710 All-in-One connects simply by using the embedded wireless1 (802.11g) LAN technology for secure, wireless sharing.

The HP Photosmart 2710 and HP Photosmart 2610 enable users to preview, select, edit and print their photos directly from a digital camera without having to connect to a computer. This can be achieved by using the built-in memory card slot2 or by connecting a PictBridge-enabled digital camera to the All-in-One via the front USB port. By using the memory card slots on these All-in-Ones, users can preview images on the 8.8 cm colour LCD screen on the HP PSC 2710 or the 6.4cm colour LCD screen on the HP Photosmart 2610, and crop, zoom, edit or rotate photos.

HP’s unique Photo Proof Sheet allows users to choose their perfect shot from thumbnail images, saving time and money. Both models boast full borderless printing including 10 x 15 cm, 10 x 30 cm panorama size3, A4 and double A4 (210 x 594 mm). In addition, these new models feature an automatic paper type sensor which adjusts settings to best suit the paper loaded.

With the optional HP bt300 Bluetooth wireless printer adapter (not included), users can conveniently print colour photos directly from a Bluetooth camera phone, digital camera, PDA or other Bluetooth device.

For those who want to print images from a video, these new HP All-in-Ones allow video action printing. Any short video clip can be printed in frames and used to create a dynamic storyboard of high quality photo images.

With print and copy speeds of up to 30 pages per minute (ppm) black and up to 20 ppm colour, the HP Photosmart 2710 and HP Photosmart 2610 All-in-Ones offer increased productivity. When printing from a computer, people can produce virtually grain-free and professional photo quality prints at up to 4800-optimised dpi (1200-input dpi). Optional 6-ink colour (available with purchase of HP No. 348 Photo Inkjet Print Cartridge) through HP Photoret IV precision technology offers superb photo quality and a wide range of colours. Professional black-and-white photo printing is available with purchase of optional HP No. 100 grey photo inkjet print cartridge.

The flatbed scanner lets users scan high quality documents, photos and even 3D objects at 2400 x 4800-dpi optical resolution and 48-bit colour. With the HP Photosmart 2710 and HP Photosmart 2610 All-in-Ones, users can fax black and white and even colour documents using the simple, easy to use functions and the 33.6 kbps modem – all independently of the computer. Users can save time and effort with the 75 speed dials, while a 90 page memory ensures incoming faxes are saved even when the paper tray is empty.

HP’s unique Instant Share technology makes it easy for users to share photos via the web or e-mail without large attachments and without turning on the computer. Friends and family simply choose which photos to download. It also allows users to print files while on the go and pick up on the other end, using the remote printing feature.
Supplies that complete HP’s printing systemHP recommends using only HP inks, inkjet print cartridges and print media which have been specially formulated to work with the HP Photosmart 2610 and 2710 All-in-Ones, to achieve the best possible finish. The HP Photosmart 2610 and 2710 All-in-Ones are compatible with HP’s next generation of inkjet print cartridges which offer increased print speed, without compromising on the quality or fade resistance of the finished print out. This new range of inkjet print cartridges features new ink formulations and when used in conjunction with HP Premium Plus Photo Paper, allows users to print true borderless photos.

The HP Photosmart 2610 and 2710 All-in-Ones come complete with the HP No. 339 black inkjet print cartridge for laser-quality sharp black text and professional results and the HP No. 344 tri-colour inkjet print cartridge to produce vivid colours for vibrant colour documents, charts and presentations. Both these print cartridges come in different sizes for greater choice.

For ultimate creative control, customers can also purchase other print cartridges from the range and swap them in so they have the right set of inks available for their print job. Inkjet print cartridges not in use can be stored in a print cartridge protector (supplied) to ensure the inks don’t dry out. When printing photos, users can combine the HP No. 343 / 344 tri-colour inkjet print cartridge along with the HP No. 348 photo inkjet print cartridge for a true-to-life photos with accurate skin tones and a wide range of colours. To print black and white photos customers can swap these cartridges for the HP No. 100 grey photo inkjet print cartridge containing light grey, dark grey and photo black inks.

HP’s Premium Plus Photo Paper offers outstanding image quality, a professional weight of 280 g/m², and a choice of high-gloss or satin-matt finish for the look and feel of a traditional photo. Printed in combination with HP´s next generation inks, photo prints offer exceptional fade resistance, even surpassing that available with HP’s previous generation of inkjet print cartridges4.
Availability and pricingThe HP Photosmart 2710 All-in-One will be available at selected retailers from December 2004 with a recommended street price of £349.99.
The HP Photosmart 2610 All-in-One will be available at selected retailers from November 2004 with a recommended street price of £299.99.
About HPHP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company’s offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended April 30, 2004, HP revenue totaled $76.8 billion. More information about HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) is available at www.hp.com.

00This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the possibility that the market for the sale of certain products and services may not develop as expected; that development and performance of these products and services may not proceed as planned; and other risks that are described from time to time in HP’s Securities and Exchange Commission reports, including but not limited to HP’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 31, 2002, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 21, 2003, and subsequently filed reports. If any of these risks or uncertainties materializes or any of these assumptions proves incorrect, HP’s results could differ materially from HP’s expectations in these statements. HP assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements

1 Wireless performance is dependent upon distance and terrain between network clients and printer
2 Compatible with Compact Flash, Smart Media, Sony, Secure Digital and xD-Picture Cards
3 Available from 1 September 2004
4 Tests conducted by Wilhelm Imaging Research, with HP Premium Plus Photo Paper on a HP Photosmart 7960 delivered fade resistance of up to 73 years with colour printing (using the HP No. 57 and No. 58 inkjet print cartridges) and 115 years for black and white images (using the HP No. 59 grey photo inkjet print cartridge).

Results of early internal HP testing indicate that three and four ink colour photos printed on HP Premium and HP Premium Plus photo papers should resist fading longer than with previously introduced HP six and eight ink printing systems. Fade resistance tests with the new HP inkjet print cartridges for six and eight ink colour photo printing are in progress with Wilhelm Imaging Research. Based on internal HP test results, HP is confident that colour photos printed on HP Premium and HP Premium Plus photo papers will resist fading longer than with previously introduced six and eight ink printing systems.

Internal HP testing show that black and white photos printed with the new HP No. 100 grey photo inkjet print cartridge will yield the same excellent fade resistance as the HP No. 59 grey photo inkjet print cartridge (introduced in 2003).

Nov 17: Camwear Model 100 - Wearable Instant Replay Camera

PCWorld reviews the Camwear Model 100 - a wearable instant replay camera and writes:

'A baby's first step, an child snarfing milk through the nose, or a home run by a cub-league slugger. What do these things have in common? They are all regretted missed moments by camcorder-wielding home moviemakers.

But these priceless moments no longer have to be missed. A company called Deja View has introduced a tiny $400 wearable video camera called the Camwear 100 that clips to the bill of a baseball cap or the side of a pair of eyeglasses and captures everything in its line of sight.

The camera is about the size of a pair of dice with a cord coming out its back that attaches to a paperback-book-size base unit that clips to a belt. The system records constantly, but caches only about 30 seconds worth of video and audio. Deja View designed the Camwear 100 to act as a kind of replay device that lets you capture the previous 30 seconds of what the camera records.

When you witness something of interest, simply wait 30 seconds and press the Record button on the base unit. The camera stores a short video onto a removable Secure Digital media card. (The Camwear ships with a 64MB SD card, which is good for about sixteen 30-second clips, but it can be upgraded to support a 512MB SD card.)'

Read more at PCWorld.com - First Look: Wearable Camera Debuts

Nov 17: MAGPIX Intros Digital Pocket Photo Album

Magpix Press Release
When you don’t want to carry a digital camera around, but want to have pictures with yo'MAGPIX Introduces Ultra Portable, Digital Pocket Photo Album

First-of-Its-Kind Mini-Sized Digital Photo Album Allows Consumers to Share Pictures With Friends And Family Anywhere, Anytime

AMESBURY, Mass., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ – MAGPIX Inc., creators of lifestyle enhancing digital products, today announced its Pocket Photo Album, redefining how we carry and share our digital pictures and allowing users to share hundreds of digital pictures in an ultra-portable design. The Pocket Photo Album is available today in Titanium Silver and Pink Thistle for only $99 MSRP.

Weighing only 2.2 ounces, the MAGPIX Pocket Photo Album features a stylish, lightweight anodized aluminum design. It offers a super bright 1.5-inch TFT LCD screen, which makes viewing photos easy and fun. It can also connect directly to a television to easily share photos on a larger screen without the need for a PC or projector.

The Pocket Photo Album has 16MB of built-in internal memory, which can hold upwards of 200 pictures and also includes an SD/MMC memory card slot for additional image capacity. It offers viewers the ability to zoom, scroll, view thumbnails, and perform slideshows.

“Online photo sharing sites, specialized ink jet printers, PDAs and picture phones changed how we share our pictures”, said Albert Ting President of MAGPIX. “The Pocket Photo Album is taking it to the next level, fundamentally changing how everyday people will share their favorite pictures – giving them a tiny, affordable device dedicated to presenting their photo albums anytime, anyplace.”

The MAGPIX Pocket Photo Album includes album management software to optimize high-resolution images for transfer to the Pocket Photo Album. MAGPIX’s PhotoManager Software enables users to easily find digital photos on a computer, organize, and transfer entire photo collections to the Pocket Photo Album. The software also offers a unique capability that enables users to capture screen images directly from their computer to share images of presentation slides, Web pages, illustrations and graphics.

The Pocket Photo Album is available immediately for a suggested retail price of U.S. $99.99.

ABOUT MAGPIX
Founded in 2002, MAGPIX produces innovative and easy to use products to enhance the digital lifestyle. MAGPIX offers a complete family of powerful digital camera binoculars, elegant digital cameras, and its ultra-stylish and groundbreaking mini-sized Pocket Photo Album. MAGPIX is highly regarded for its pioneering, proprietary optical lenses as well as inventive digital imaging designs. MAGPIX is headquartered in Amesbury, Massachusetts and has operations in the US, Europe, and Asia. www.magpix.com

CONTACT:
Karin Klapak
+1-978-388-1324
karin.klapak@magpix.com

Brian Solis
+1-408-428-0895 ext. 101
brian@future-works.com

Nov 16: Inkjet Printer Popularity is Fueling Specialty Media Growth

'According to InfoTrends/CAP Ventures’ research, nearly 80 million inkjet devices were installed last year, making this the dominant printer technology in the desktop arena. The number of inkjet multifunctional imaging devices installed in the U.S. is growing very quickly due to customers’ desire for increased functionality within a single product. This increased desire has been a major enabler of the specialty media market.

Out of the 116 billion prints produced on paper-based media by inkjet products in 2004, specialty media was used for nearly 30 billion of these prints. Commodity and specialty media are expected to experience steady growth between 2002 and 2007. During that same timeframe, inkjet media will continue to show signs of growth and will increase at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 3.5%.'

Read more at InfoTrends/CAP Ventures Reports Inkjet Popularity is Fueling Specialty Media Growth

Nov 16: Norcent DC-420

Norcent Technology Press Release
Norcent Packs Pixels and Features into Slim, Lightweight Digital Camera for the Holidays

Ultra-Slim 4.2 mega pixel DC-420 fits anywhere, goes everywhere

San Dimas, CA - November, 2004 - Norcent Technology, a leading supplier of consumer electronics products, has introduced the Norcent DC-420 digital camera just in time for the holidays. The DC-420 is the first pocket-size digital still camera to include all the advanced features of full-size models.

At just over an inch thick and weighing only 4.4 oz, this ultra-slim, lightweight camera is small enough to fit in your pocket yet offers a long list of advanced features. The exceptionally large, scratch-resistant 2-inch color LCD display provides enhanced image viewing, and 3.0x optical zoom and 3.6x digital zoom helps zero in on subject matter and crop the image size without sacrificing quality.

“Consumers no longer have to compromise,” said Jennifer Long, CEO at Norcent. “The DC-420 provides amazing features like the largest LCD display available on a camera of this size, both optical and digital zoom and a high resolution 4.2 Megapixel imager. Yet, this camera is so compact and slim, it slips into a pocket or purse so users can save their snapshot or video memories anywhere. Plus the DC-420 provides all of this at a price of under $300, making it an outstanding consumer value.”
Rich feature set in a compact form factor.

The DC-420 is a 4.2 mega pixel camera that captures crisp, clear digital images at resolutions of up to 2272 x 1704 pixels. With an extra-large display that occupies nearly two-thirds of the camera’s back surface, the DC-420 allows users to instantly view and share memories the moment they are captured. Optical and digital zoom capabilities make high-quality close-ups easy to take.

Offering many flexible flash options, the DC-420 provides auto, forced, night scene, suppressed and red-eye reduction—as well as daylight and cloudy balance settings to provide the right exposure in a variety of lighting conditions. Outside on a rainy day or inside a candle-lit restaurant, the DC-420 provides the right amount of brightness and clean detail every time.

Users can capture 100 images per charge. When in movie mode, the DC-420 captures video clips at 320 x 240 resolution, and even lets users add a 30-second voice memo after recording. Other features include a self-timer, support for seven languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, and Italian) and a 3.7-volt lithium ion rechargeable battery with AC-DC adapter.

According to Consumer Electronics Association’s (CEA) 11th Annual Holiday Sales and Forecast survey released this October, seventy-six percent of U.S. consumers plan to buy at least one consumer electronics product as a gift during the upcoming holiday shopping season. The survey found that digital cameras displaced DVD players as the number one “planned gift” this year, with projected sales increasing from 24% to 29%.

Pricing and availability
Norcent’s DC-420 digital camera will be available at retailers nationwide beginning in November, with an MSRP of $299.99.

About Norcent Technology, Inc.
Norcent Technology, Inc. is a worldwide, award winning consumer electronics manufacturer dedicated to bringing the latest in high-tech digital technology to the mainstream consumer market. Norcent's key investments in technology partners, ability to leverage the most competitive ISO certified manufacturing facilities and dedicated distribution support throughout the Americas allows it to provide cutting edge digital products to consumers at the best overall value. For more information please visit norcent.net

Nov 16: Fujifilm Finepix S3100 Review - Imaging Resource

Imaging Resource reviews the Fuji Finepix S3100 and writes - 'The previous Fuji FinePix 2800 and 3800 Zoom cameras turned out to be exceptional values for the money, and the updated FinePix S3100 offers the same great value with the addtion of a 4.0-megapixel CCD. The S3100's higher resolution is a welcome improvement, providing great image quality for a budget-priced digicam, and its 6x optical zoom is excellent for distant subjects. Though it lacks "enthusiast" features such as full manual exposure options, the S3100 does feature an adjustable aperture setting, adjustable flash intensity, and a selection of preset "scene" modes. For everyday outdoor shooting, the S3100 does very well and really sets a benchmark for an affordable long-zoom digicam.'

Read more about the Fujifilm Finepix S3100

Nov 16: Ricoh Caplio R1 Review - Photography Blog

Photography Blog reviews the Ricoh Caplio R1 and writes - 'Ricoh seem to have taken one step forward and two steps back with the Caplio R1. Image quality has dramatically improved in comparison with previous Ricoh models, with only soft out-of-camera images spoiling a great perfomance (which is easy to fix with software anyway). But just as this long-standing issue seems to have been successfully addressed, Ricoh have made the R1 a lot less useable than cameras like the Caplio GX and RX, by using a shiny, slippery plastic material for most of the external controls. What should be a simple to use digicam is actually a frustrating experience. The 28-135mm lens is a great feature on such a compact model, offering true wide-angle and portrait options, but when zooming from telephoto to wide-angle, it almost sounds as though there is something mechanically wrong with the zooming mechanism.'

Read more of this review at Photography Blog: Ricoh Caplio R1

Nov 16: Cameras of 2005

Popular Photography has an interesting article that takes a sneak look at some of the new cameras of 2005. They write:

'This has been an amazing year for photography. But it's not over yet. Camera makers still have a few tricks up their sleeves, and our sources have shared a few of them with us.'

Nov 16: Olympus Mju Mini Review - DigicamReview

DigiCamReview reviews the Olympus Mju Mini and writes - 'The Olympus Mju Mini Digital / Olympus Stylus Verve is an ultra compact weatherproof 4mp, 2x optical zoom digital camera with a great 1.8" colour screen. If you want an ultra compact, extremely cool and stylish, weatherproof digital camera, with a quick response time and want high quality photos outside, inside, or for macro photos, then this camera is excellent. The camera can also record unlimited videos with sound. For around £199 (UK) $325 (US) from Amazon this camera offers very good value for money. The camera is available in 6 different colours, so you get to have the camera in a colour that suits you. I love this camera and HIGHLY recommend it - I expect it will be VERY popular, and would make a brilliant Christmas present.'

Read more reviews of the Olympus Mju Mini

Nov 16: Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 Review - DPReview

DP Review reviews the Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 and writes - 'If you are on a tight budget and/or are a beginner, Photoshop Elements 3 will go a long way and is an excellent starting point on the Adobe Photoshop learning curve. It gives you the benefit that most of what you learn in Elements 3 can be used again in Photoshop CS, should you decide to upgrade in the future because most of the commands and shortcuts are the same.'

Nov 16: Konica Minolta Announces Trio Of Enhancements For Printing From Digital Files

Konica Minolta Press Release
Konica Minolta Announces Trio Of Enhancements For Printing From Digital Files

New DS-3000 Workstation for R SUPER digital minilabs designed to meet
rapidly expanding market demand for digital prints

Mahwah, NJ (November 12, 2004) – Konica Minolta Photo Imaging, Inc. announces the availability of several enhancements for making prints from digital files including the new Konica Minolta DS-3000 Workstation for the Konica Minolta R SUPER family of digital minilabs. This new digital media input station is designed to meet the rapidly growing consumer demand for prints from their digital cameras. Also announced is the new Hyper CD Burning software for R-Series equipment that improves CD burning productivity by 66% to 20 CDs per hour. In addition, a new Windows prints driver (ver. 2) is available which enables lab owners to output their office and graphics documents directly to their R-Series equipment.

“By providing open systems with high connectivity and expandability, based on the R SUPER series of digital minilabs, Konica Minolta continues to offer powerful support and increased productivity for our customers whose needs are growing thanks to the expanding digital print business,� said Todd Tereshkow, Vice President of Technical Service and On Site Marketing for Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc.

The new Konica Minolta DS-3000, a digital media input station for the Konica Minolta R SUPER digital minilabs, was designed especially to enable efficient printing of digital images on high-quality silver-halide paper. It can be combined with order stations, self-service kiosks, and PCs equipped with Konica Minolta’s optional printer driver to take full advantage of the network capabilities of the R SUPER series and enhance the productivity and business opportunities of photo shops.

The Konica Minolta DS-3000 Workstation comes with an input PC, LCD display, flatbed scanner, special keyboard, card reader and a mouse. In addition, the DS-3000 Workstation also comes with CD burning capabilities and Red-Eye correction.

The principal features of the Konica Minolta DS-3000 Digital Media Input Station are as follows.

Usable as a dedicated digital media printer
The Konica Minolta DS-3000 can be used as a dedicated digital media printer, supporting input and output of all major types of digital media. Except for functions related to film prints, it inherits the functions and interface of the acclaimed R SUPER digital minilab series, making it easy to use even for novice operators.

Usable as a high-performance network printer
By connecting order stations, kiosks, and client PCs, the Konica Minolta DS-3000 can be used as a high-performance network printer capable of high-quality silver-halide print output.

Connectable minilabs: Konica Minolta R SUPER series digital minilabs

• R1 SUPER 1400 (available since February 2004)
Featuring world-class processing power (1,400 prints/hour) in addition to ease of operation.
• R2 SUPER 700 (available since April 2004)
• R2 SUPER 1000 (available since April 2004)
Equipped with the next-generation S.E.A.D. exposure engine* for even higher image quality, with a choice between processing capacities.

*S.E.A.D: Solid state Electro-optic shutter Array Device exposure engine

About Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc.
Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc., headquartered in Mahwah, NJ, is the North American sales and marketing subsidiary of Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc. (Tokyo, Japan). On August 5, 2003 Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc. was formed to enhance both the competitive business capabilities and earning capacities of Konica Corporation and Minolta Co., Ltd.

Consumers around the world have come to know and trust the Konica and Minolta brands for all their imaging needs. Since the earliest days of the photo industry, Minolta and Konica have applied their talents and resources to create products and services that are essential to the world of imaging. Today, these efforts concentrate on the most important aspects of imaging: the quality of the images, the tools and methods for creating images, and the creation of environments for the application of images.

This focus on the essentials of imaging ties together the company’s key business and consumer product lines. Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc. is a leading manufacturer and marketer of 35mm and Advanced Photo System film, single-use cameras, digital and 35mm film cameras, accessory lenses, binoculars, photographic and color measurement meters. In addition the company offers color print photo papers, inkjet photo paper, digital minilabs, digital film scanners, optical instruments, software and advanced imaging and sensing technologies. Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc. also provides wholesale photofinishing services and Internet imaging services. It is a complete imaging company, from input through output. For more information about Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc., its products and services, visit www.konicaminolta.us.

All brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Nov 15: MAGPIX SX3 Digital Camera Binocular

MAGPIX Press Release
MAGPIX Magnifies Product Line with 3.1 Megapixel Digital Camera Binocular

SX3 is the only true 3.1 megapixel camera/binocular on the market, providing professional-grade optics at a consumer-friendly price

AMESBURY, Mass., Nov. 12, 2004 -- MAGPIX Inc. today announced its third generation digital camera binocular. The MAGPIX SX3 offers a series of innovative features never-before-seen in the binocular camera category and is the first and only true 3.1 CMOS megapixel on the market today. At only $149, the SX3 is easy to use, compact, and durable, making it perfect for any outdoor activity, from sporting events and site seeing to wildlife and nature viewing.

Powerful and sleek, the SX3 offers viewers 10X optical camera lens magnification through its 10 x 25mm ruby coated lenses. The SX3 allows users to take pictures from near to far (~45ft. to infinity) with an innovative lens focusing system, an industry first in a digital camera binocular. The included Light Guide attachment, similar in concept to those seen on lenses at professional sporting events, enables users to take superior digital photos in bright daylight and at great distances. With a shutter speed of up to 1/8000 of a second, the SX3 ensures that viewers don’t miss any fast-paced action - even from far away.

“The ability to take digital pictures represents the next evolution in binocular technology, adding an entirely new dimension of capabilities to outdoor observer activities,� said Albert Ting, President of MAGPIX. “The SX3 represents the first pair of binoculars on the market that combine the best of both optical and digital technology, allowing viewers to accurately and vividly capture what they see through the lens – at a price that’s incredibly attractive to hobbyists, adventurers, and enthusiasts at any level.�

The SX3 features a lightweight, sleek and sturdy design to endure the rigors of outside use. A tripod mount for fixed viewing and photography is perfect for all observation applications. It also offers a TV-out connection that transforms the SX3 into a surveillance tool as well as projection solution for viewing pictures directly on a TV.

The SX3 includes 16MB built-in flash memory as well as an SD/MMC memory card slot for further image capacity.

The SX3 Binocular Camera is available at RCS Experience, Walmart.com, HSN.com, and magpix.com.

ABOUT MAGPIX
Founded in 2002, MAGPIX produces innovative and easy to use products to enhance the digital lifestyle. MAGPiX offers a complete family of powerful digital camera binoculars and elegant digital cameras. MAGPIX is highly regarded for its pioneering, proprietary optical lenses as well as inventive digital imaging designs. MAGPIX is headquartered in Amesbury, Massachusetts and has operations in the US, Europe, and Asia. The website is located at www.magpix.com.

Nov 15: Pixel Genius PhotoKit Color

Pixel Genius Press Release
Pixel Genius LLC releases PhotoKit Color, a new product by PixelGenius. PhotoKit Color is an Adobe Photoshop Plug-in that applies precise color corrections, automatic color balancing and creative coloring effects. With a retail price of $99.95, PhotoKit Color offers a comprehensive set of coloring tools for Photoshop 7.0 and Photoshop CS for both Macintosh and Windows.

Color plays a huge role in how we perceive and describe the world we see, so it’s hardly surprising that one of the first things we want to do to a photograph when we bring it into Photoshop is to adjust accurately or play creatively with the color in the image. Photographers in particular have long desired to reproduce traditional photographic processes digitally using Photoshop. PhotoKit Color provides a comprehensive suite of effects that let you recreate creative effects like black and white split toning and cross processing. All these effects are applied as separate layers so the user can make further variations, adapting each effect to suit their own tastes. But that’s not all! With PhotoKit Color, you can enhance specific colors in your photographs. You can make skin tones less red or lighter. With the Blue Enhance effect you can darken a blue sky and enhance the cloud contrast. And with the RSA Gray Balance set, you can automatically remove color-casts from almost any type of image.

PhotoKit Color provides the following effect modules:

Cross Processing provides 14 types of cross processing effects in varying strengths that match the conventional film techniques for processing negative film in transparency chemistry and processing transparency film in negative chemistry. Included are 6 Lab Color-based effects, which can produce vivid color results, and also inverted Lab color effects that simulate shooting with infrared color film.

Color Overlay offers a set of 9 different color overlays that apply rich color filters to any image and add a subtle split color effect between the shadow and highlight colors.

Split Toning can be applied to color or black and white images in RGB mode. The 12 split toning effects loosely match the conventional photographic processes used in the black and white darkroom. But the effects apply just as effectively to full color images as well.

Tone Enhance is a set of effects which first appeared in the original PhotoKit plug-in and have now been updated and incorporated into PhotoKit Color. The 12 Tone Enhance effects allow you to increase or decrease the exposure and modify the image contrast in precise increments.

Color Enhance lets you modify colors selectively in an image. For example, the Blue Enhance effect returns two layers that let you selectively darken the blues in an image and adjust the blue saturation. The Green Enhance effect lets you lighten the green colors selectively in a dark forest scene and boost the green contrast. Color Enhance contains a total of 18 effects that include: Blue/Amber grads, Warm/Cool filters, plus grainy pastel and grainy contrast effects, which simulate shooting with high speed color film.

CC Correction offers a set of 18 effects that match the conventional Color Compensating filters that photographers have traditionally used to make small, precision color corrections. These CC effects are optimized for the main RGB color workspaces commonly used in Photoshop and they provide exact, reproducible color adjustments, no matter which common color space you prefer to use as your default workspace. The color working spaces directly supported are: Adobe RGB, ColorMatch RGB, Pro Photo RGB and sRGB.

CT Correction produces larger color shifts using 5 orange/warming and 5 blue/cooling filters. These are also optimized for the main RGB color workspaces used in Photoshop, to provide exact, reproducible color temperature shift adjustments.

RSA Gray Balance provides a revolutionary new type of automatic color correction. RSA Gray Balance Standard is a fast general purpose gray balancing tool which will color correct most photographs. RSA Gray Balance Fine offers a more accurate, but slower, method of color correction for trickier images. And finally, there is a RSA Neutralize that can effectively zap any deep colorcast.

Like all PhotoKit effects, PhotoKit Color effects are non-destructive layer-based edits that never touch your original image data. Because they are layer-based, you can increase or decrease the strength by changing layer opacity, or make local adjustments using layer masks, so you always remain in control. PhotoKit Color will never modify the original pixels in your image so you are free to experiment and be more creative.

For additional information about PhotoKit Color, please see the product page at: http://www.pixelgenius.com/color

About PixelGenius
Founded in 2001, Pixel Genius, LLC. is a collaboration of industry leading experts dedicated to creating leading edge products and services for the photographic and digital imaging industries. PixelGenius is an Illinois Limited Liability Corporation headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Company principals: Martin Evening, Bruce Fraser, Seth Resnick, Andrew Rodney, Jeff Schewe and Mike Skurski.

Nov 15: Pentax Optio MX4 Review - Pocket Lint

Pocket Lint reviews the Pentax Optio MX4 and writes - 'Pentax has taken a standard feature on digital cameras and through the styling of this model made it the main feature. It’s a brave attempt and one that works quite well especially as unlike most digital cameras there isn’t a restriction on the amount of footage you can record. All you are limited by is the SD or MMC Card you put in the unit.

It’s not going to be good enough to make the next blockbuster, however should be able to cope when it comes to making small home movies of the kids. So should you ditch the digital camera? Unless you use the movie feature, probably not. Picture quality was good, but compared to other 4 megapixel cameras dedicated to taking pictures the size just doesn’t compete.'

Get more information about the Pentax Optio MX4

Nov 14: Middle America Lagging Behind on Digital Imaging

' The digital revolution has changed the way people take and process pictures. Last year was the first year digital camera sales overtook film cameras in the United States.

Bob Hanson, owner of Harold's Photo in Sioux Falls, said people like digital photography because they can see their pictures right away and can do touchup work on the images with their computers.

Mark Griffin of Lewis Drug agreed the digital trend is sweeping the nation. But the middle of the country is a little behind, he said, adding that many people still rely on their film cameras.

"A lot of people shoot both ways, and there is still a large market for film and traditional photo finishing. I don't think you'll see that go away for quite some time," Griffin said.

Photo processors now offer more digital services. Most drug, discount and warehouse stores allow customers to select and print only the photos they want.

"And with high-quality digital cameras becoming more affordable, more people are making the switch to digital," Hanson said.'

Read more at Digital images change photo processing business

Nov 14: Casio Exilim EX-Z55 Review CNET

CNET reviews the Casio Exilim EX-Z55 and writes - 'By and large, the Z55 delivers evenly exposed indoor shots when there's adequate lighting. However, the same can't be said for its performance in daylight; the Z55 falls victim to worse than average purple fringing at high-contrast edges and obliterates white highlights in otherwise perfectly exposed shots. To its credit, Casio has done an admirable job of limiting the noise captured by the camera's CCD, so if low-noise performance is a priority for you, the Casio Exilim EX-Z55 may deserve a serious look.'

Read more information and reviews on the Casio Exilim EX-Z55

Get the Latest Price on the Casio Exilim EX-Z55

Nov 14: Kodak EasyShare DX7440 Review - DCRP

DCRP reviews the Kodak Easyshare DX7440 and write - 'As with all Kodak cameras, the DX7440 is very easy-to-use. Their EasyShare system makes printing or e-mailing photos a piece of cake. You can use the camera in automatic or one of the many scene modes without any trouble. For those who want more control over exposure, the 7440 offers manual shutter speed and aperture settings. Shooting performance is excellent, most notably in the focusing area -- this is one of the fastest focusing cameras out there, even in low light. Speaking of which, the larger-than-average-sized LCD "gains up" in low light so you can see what you're looking at. In bright outdoor light, the LCD is remarkably viewable as well. The 7440 has as good -- but not great -- movie mode which lets you record 640 x 480 video until the memory card fills up, albeit at a sluggish 13 frames/second. The camera is expandable as well, with support for numerous conversion lenses and filters.'

Get more information and reviews of the Kodak Easyshare DX7440

Nov 14: New Colors for Casio Japan

Camborg write that Casio Japan are releasing a 'glossy white' version of their EX-S100. It will be called the Casio EX-S100WE. Also in new colors of the Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z55 are the EX-Z55BE (blue) and the EX-Z55BN (brown).

Read more at CASIO News Release (Japanese)

The Exilim EX-S100 will be available in a glossy white casing (EX-S100WE). The Exilim ZOOM EX-Z55 will be available in blue (EX-Z55BE) and brown (EX-Z55BN). Most likely those colored Casio cameras will not be sold outside of Japan. The cameras launch on November 19th.

Nov 14: HP Photosmart 435

Digital Camera Info reviews the HP Photosmart 435 and writes - 'First and foremost, the Photosmart 435 is a budget, entry-level point-and-shoot camera. This means it cannot be expected to have manual features that would impress photojournalists or a zoom lens that would make you feel important. That said, the Photosmart 435 is a great beginner’s camera, especially for the price, and can prove to take some solid pictures. The fact that it does not have any manual control options can be either seen as a limitation (if this is the case, you need to accept that you will have to spend more), or as a relief. How you perceive this will really decide if this is the camera for you.'

Nov 13: Casio Exilim EX-Z50 Review - CNET

CNET reviews the Casio EX-Z50 and writes - 'Five megapixels? Check. Bright, 2-inch LCD screen? Check. Portable, pleasing design? Check. Like its slightly snazzier brother, the Z55, the Casio Exilim EX-Z50 has a sprightly build and a user-friendly interface. The only difference between the two is that the Z55 has a larger screen (2.5 inches) and costs about $50 more. The camera's rear buttons are laid out differently than on the Z55 but still feel properly placed.' Rating: 7.2

Read more information and reviews on the Casio EX-Z50

Get the Latest Price on the Casio Exilim EX-Z50

Nov 13: 6 5 Megapixel Point and Shoot Digital Cameras Compared

G4techTV reviews 5 of the Smallest 5MP point and shoot cameras.

'A point-and-shoot digital camera should be like a cell phone and slip easily into a pocket. After all, if a camera puts a happy-to-see-you bulge in your pocket, you probably won't be carrying it to capture those precious moments. That's where these pint sized shooters come in. Now topping 5-megapixels, these tiny cameras can be with you all the time – a daily shooter if you will. Best of all, you'll be able to print 11 by 17's of those memories.'

They review the:

- Konica Minolta DiMAGE X50 - 2 Stars
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX7 - 2 Stars
- Casio Exilim Z55 - 3 Stars
- Sony Cyber-shot T1 - 4 Stars
- Canon PowerShot S500 - 4 Stars
- Fujifilm FinePix F450 - 4 Stars

Nov 12: Nikon Profit Triples on Chip Equipment, Camera Sales

'Nikon Corp., a maker of cameras and lithography equipment, said fiscal first-half profit more than tripled on demand for chipmaking equipment and digital cameras. Net income probably totaled 7.8 billion yen ($74 million) in the six months ended Sept. 30, up from 2.05 billion yen a year earlier and better than the Tokyo-based company's 3 billion yen forecast, Nikon said today in a preliminary earnings release. Demand for liquid-crystal displays, especially in Asia, is fueling higher sales of equipment to make the chips that drive the devices. Digital cameras such as the company's D70, which features detachable lenses, also helped boost profit, the company said.' Read more at Nikon Profit Triples on Chip Equipment, Camera Sales

Nov 12: Digital Camera Buying Guide

Tech Tree has just published a PBasic Digital camera Buying Guide that may be of use for those of you in the process of searching for a new digital camera.

'Digital imaging is advancing rapidly, thanks to the rapid innovation and technological advancements in this field. In this hi-tech age, choosing the right digital camera can be an uphill task, especially with the choice available to you. This guide has been written keeping in mind novices and first time buyers. Before laying down the technical factors and assessing the market situation, let's first start with what a digital camera is all about....'

Measured in Megapixels, a digital camera captures images in various resolutions. The higher the resolution the better is the ability to capture detailed images; however, the quality of image depends on the sensor and the lens. The resolution does not influence the image quality. Larger resolution means more data recorded per frame, thus allowing bigger prints. Typically, a 3.2 MP sensor captures 3.2 million pixels for single frame/shot. A 3.2 MP camera produces images with a max resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels.

Nov 12: WD Passport Portable USB Hard Drives

WD Press Release

WD SIMPLIFIES DATA STORAGE FOR TRAVELERS WITH SMALL, RUGGED USB DRIVES

WD Passport Portable USB Hard Drives Provide 80 GB of Pocket-sized, Plug-n-play Storage

LAKE FOREST, Calif. - Nov. 9, 2004 - Simplifying transport of large quantities of digital content and information, Western Digital Corp. (NYSE: WDC) today unveiled its new WD Passport Portable USB Hard Drives. With no need for a separate power supply (for most systems), WD Passport Portable Drives, available in capacities of 40 or 80 GB, are easy to use anywhere - simply plug and go.

WD Passport Portable Drives are outfitted with high-performance, low-power consuming, cool and quiet-running WD Scorpio 2.5 inch EIDE hard drives, a rugged, protective case and Data Lifeguard protection to provide maximum safeguard from data loss.

WD Passport Portable Drives were designed to serve as a digital file briefcase by enabling owners to add instant extra storage; slip the drive in their pocket for on-the-go convenience; back up their notebook computers for extra data safety; easily share files between computers; and lock up the portable hard drive for extra security. An 80 GB WD Passport Portable USB Drive can store approximately 20 2-hour DVD-quality movies or over 1,300 hours of music.

WD Passport Portable Drives will be available at retail stores next month. For customers who prefer the ease of online shopping, WD's new Portable USB drives may be pre-ordered via the company's online store (www.westerndigital.com/wdpassport). Customers who pre-order a WD Passport Portable Drive by Nov. 30, 2004, are eligible to receive free shipping with delivery scheduled on or before Dec. 24, 2004, making WD Passport Portable Drives available as a holiday gift for travelers. Full details of this promotion are available on WD's online store. Suggested retail pricing for WD Passport Portable USB Drive 40 GB capacity is $199 (USD) and $249 (USD) for 80 GB.

WD Passport Portable Drives are able to withstand the rigors of mobile professionals and other users who prefer to take their data with them. Safety tests make them one of the few external drives with certification to meet all applicable safety requirements. A product specification sheet and photos of WD Passport Portable Drives are available on the company's Web site at http://www.westerndigital.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=110.

"No one does more to safeguard customers' data than WD," said Lonnie Arima, vice president and general manager for WD's retail products group. "Only a hard drive manufacturer has the in-depth expertise to design enclosures that protect users' data. And only WD combines Data Lifeguard data protection with WD Scorpio 2.5-inch hard drives -- the most rugged and reliable 2.5-inch hard drive in its class -- to deliver a portable USB hard drive dependable enough for our customers to consider it the portable file for their digital life."

About WD
WD, one of the storage industry's pioneers and long-time leaders, provides products and services for people and organizations that collect, manage and use digital information. The company's core business produces reliable, high-performance hard drives that keep users' data close-at-hand and secure from loss.

WD was founded in 1970. The company's storage products are marketed to leading systems manufacturers and selected resellers under Western Digital and WD brand names. Visit the Investor section of the company's Web site (www.westerndigital.com) to access a variety of financial and investor information.

Nov 12: Archos Gmini400 Digital Audio Player

Sangers Group Press Release
Gmini400 Provides the Ultimate Portable Entertainment Experience with Music, Video, Photo and Gaming Capabilities

A revolutionary new hard-drive-based digital audio player, the Gmini400 features the industry's first 2.2-inch colour LCD screen and advanced features such as video playback, photo viewing, and gaming for the ultimate portable entertainment experience.

The Ultimate in Portable Entertainment
The new Gmini400 allows consumers to enjoy:
Pocket Music – record, listen to and archive entire music collections (MP3, WMA, and WAV files) – up to 300 hours*. Make a playlist directly on the device and organise music without the need for a computer.

Pocket Video – playback MPEG-4 videos and movies on the 2.2-inch colour LCD screen, with 640x400 @ 30 f/s resolution. View video externally on a TV display or projector.
Pocket Photo – store and view photos transferred from a digital camera or computer (PC or Macintosh). Copy images from CompactFlashÔ cards using the built-in CompactFlashÔ reader. An optional adaptor is available for SmartMedia™, MMC, SD or Memory Stick™ and Memory Stick® Pro cards.
Pocket Games – The Gmini400 incorporates the mophun™ gaming accelerator from Synergenix Interactive. Currently, there are more than 200 games developed for mophun and a selection of these, as well as other new games, will be made available to ARCHOS users. One free game is included with the Gmini400 and more games will be made available for purchase on the ARCHOS web site.
Pocket Storage – store all-important data to take on the road on the 20GB hard drive.

ARCHOS is once again introducing true innovation to the portable audio player space with the introduction of the Gmini400, the first digital audio player to offer superior audio and video playback, photo viewing, and gaming for the ultimate in portable entertainment. The Gmini400 goes far beyond music to bring exciting new features such as a colour LCD display for viewing photos and videos, a built-in CompactFlash™ reader for storing photos and data, and the ability to access and play games directly on the device.

Measuring approximately 106 x 60.3 x 17.4 mm, the Gmini400 is smaller than most HD-based MP3 players in the market. With the Gmini400, users can record up to 300 hours* of music and play MP3, WMA and WAV music files. In addition, users can store and view up to 200,000 digital photos*, play games or play up to 80 hours* of MPEG-4 videos – all on the colour LCD or TV display.

Pricing and Optional Accessory Information
The Gmini400 will be available in stores during September with a suggested retail price of £269.99 (VAT included). For further information call Sangers on 0844 – 477 0121. Additional accessories include a 4-1 CompactFlash Adaptor, FM Radio and remote control, car charger and convenient carrying case.

Nov 12: SOYO Cigar Pro 2 HD20 Mobile Hard Drive

SOYO Press Release
SOYO Announces Rugged USB 2.0, 1.8-inch Mobile Hard Drive That Stores 20 Gigabytes

ONTARIO, CA - SOYO, Inc. (OTCBB: SOYO) has announced the Cigar HD20 -- a mobile USB 2.0 interface 1.8" hard drive with 20GBs of storage capacity.

The Cigar Pro 2 HD20 features a USB 2.0 interface (downward compatible to USB 1.0) to efficiently transfer your data at up to 480 MBPS. The SOYO Cigar HD20 is powered by the USB port and does not require a battery or power adapter.

The rugged magnesium alloy casing protects your data physically with G-shock absorbing capability. The SOYO Cigar HD20 is bundled with specialized software that can compress and decompress data, which enables the HD20 to store up to 40GB of data into the 20GB capacity drive.

The drive measures 4.02 x 2.36 x 0.43 inches and weighs 2.8 ounces. It is compatible with both PCs and Macintosh systems with USB interface. The package includes the Cigar HD20 (ATA to USB 2.0 External Portable Hard Drive); USB 2.0 Cable (5pin × 4pin); Protective bag; Driver CD and Manual.

MSRP of the Cigar HD20 is $199.

Nov 12: Casio Exilim Underwater Casing - EWC-55

Casio Press Release
Simply dive in and take photos: The new EXILIM underwater casing EWC-55 makes it possible

Norderstedt, November 2004 - With the EWC-55, CASIO is bringing an underwater casing on the market especially for the digital camera EXILIM Zoom EX-Z55. One more reason to escape the snow and soft hail of the German winter: spontaneous holidaymakers are packing their cases and flying in the direction of the South Seas, where they take part in diving expeditions with the new underwater casing EWC-55 and EXILIM Zoom EX-Z55. The new duo turns the fascinating beauty of the world under water into a marvellous experience: corals and colourful fish are photographed and can be viewed particularly well on the extra-large 2.5 inch TFT colour display. The casing, which measures 128.0 × 86.0 × 70.5 mm, is ready for use up to 40 metres under water. The transparent eye-catcher with its orange-coloured accents only weighs around 270 g and also protects the EXILIM EX-Z55 above sea-level against dust, spray-water and dirt. The digital camera plus casing are a dream-team for impressive photos that will remind you for a long time in cold Germany of the spontaneous short trip to the sunny South. The EWC-55 is available from November 2004 in well-sorted specialist shops. The casing comes with a flash diffuser, a strap, silicon paste as well as an anti-mist kit.

Nov 12: Casio EXILIM Zoom EX-Z50 "Blue Ice"

Casio Europe Press Release

Proven technology, new look: The new Special Edition EXILIM Zoom EX-Z50 "Blue Ice"

Norderstedt, November 2004 - Let the winter fun begin! Whether you're snowboarding in the mountains or enjoying an evening in a mountain hut: the new Special Edition EXILIM EX-Z50 "Blue Ice" in winter-blue captures the mood perfectly. The high resolution with 5.0 megapixels and 3x optical zoom take care of this. The "cool blue one" conjures up sharp photos in a jiffy.

Get the Latest Price on the Casio Exilim EX-Z50

Party until deep into the night. No problem with the EXILIM Zoom "Blue Ice". Equipped with a SUPER LIFE battery, it has staying power until dawn: after only one charge of the Lithium-Ion battery, it takes up to around 390 pictures1). The 2-inch TFT colour display allows the photographer to recognise his motif before he presses the shutter release. Darkness can't harm the nippy party camera: if a photo has turned out too dark, it can be brightened up mostly automatically with the Flash Assist function. The snapshots are as cool as the "icy little one". Thanks to the Direct On function, the camera is ready for use in around 1.6 seconds2), and with a shutter release time lag of only 0.01 seconds3), even the fastest skier can still be photographed with no problem. The movie function will assist you during a fast bobsleigh run in the ice-channel. It records a film with sound with no time limit4). Every situation demands its individual setting: with the BESTSHOT function the photo-lover has the choice between 23 pre-recorded scenes for all different kinds of pictures. A further highlight of the lifestyle camera is the new Auto Macro function, which automatically switches from the auto focus to the macro mode and back again as required and enables uncomplicated photography. With so much technology, the Icon Help function helps by explaining the symbols of the mode that the photographer is currently using.

The camera charges the Lithium-Ion battery for the next excursion in the snow via the USB docking station or controls the data transmission from the camera to the PC. The docking station and the storage battery are included in the delivery package, as well as extensive software on CD-ROM and a carrying strap.

The EXILIM Zoom EX-Z50 "Blue Ice" is available from retailers from the end of November.

Nov 12: ProFotoSoftware PFS Image Darkroom

ProFotoSoftware Press release

ProFotoSoftware have today released version 1 of PFS Image Darkroom for Windows, a program for converting Canon RAW images from EOS Digital SLRs into 16 bit and 8 bit TIF files as well as 8 bit JPEG files.

PFS Image Darkroom improves digital photographer's workflow by removing the frustrating delays associated with Raw image processing. The software remains fully operational during Raw processing, enabling users to prepare the next image or set of images for processing instead of pausing whilst the processing is performed.

PFS Image Darkroom provides an Instant Preview of changes to development settings, enabling the user to quickly select the best settings for each image, as well as multiple images simultaneously.

The program processes the images quickly - on our test PC (Pentium 4, 2.5 ghz, 512 megs RAM, Windows NT4) a batch of 400 EOS 300D images was developed into 16 bit TIF files, complete with IPTC and ICC information, in just 80 minutes.

A trial version can be downloaded from: http://www.profotosoftware.com/eos_raw.php

Nov 11: Casio EX-S100 Selected for 'Best of Whats New Award'

Casio Ex-S100 Press Release

CASIO'S EXILIM CARD EX-S100 SELECTED FOR PRESTIGIOUS 2004 'BEST OF WHAT'S NEW' AWARD BY POPULAR SCIENCE

DOVER, NJ - November 10, 2004 - Casio, Inc., a global leader in digital imaging products, announced today that its 3.2-megapixel, super slim EXILIM CARD EX-S100 digital camera has been honored with a 2004 ‘Best of What's New' award in the Photography Category by the world famous Science and Technology periodical, Popular Science.

Get the Latest Price on the Casio Exilim EX-S100

Now in its seventeenth year, the 2004 Popular Science BOWN awards recognize consumer technology products that exhibit excellence in design and engineering. Product evaluations are based on several criteria including: the significance of the innovation; the quality of the design and the finished product; the originality of thought and the ambition and scope of the project.

"It is a great honor to be acknowledged by Popular Science in this year’s BOWN awards," said John Clough, president of Casio Inc., "These awards underscore Casio's ongoing commitment to offer the most groundbreaking technologies, while simultaneously delivering the most outstanding value to our customers worldwide."

At an astounding 3.46” x 2.24” x .66”, the wearable and super-slim EXILIM CARD EX-S100 is the world’s smallest credit card-sized digital camera with optical zoom lens (as of

August 25, 2004). Combining a 3.2-megapixel CCD and an ultra slim 2.8X optical zooms lens, the EX-S100 offers the user the ultimate in portability and convenience in a high quality stainless steel body. The EX-S100’s compact form factor gives up nothing in functionality with a 2” large LCD that offers the clearest possible picture display.

The EX-S100 features the world’s first transparent ceramic lens using LUMICERA, a transparent ceramic developed by Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. This lens is what enables Casio to pack the powerful 2.8X optical zoom lens into such a small camera.

Casio has been able to create a ceramic lens with extremely high levels of precision thanks to several factors. The material itself has been refined for use in digital camera optical lenses by endowing it with improved transmission of short wavelength light and eliminating pores (air bubbles) that reduce transparency. Casio has also established a complete process involving the perfect combination of polishing material, time and pressure, and by treating the lens with a special coating compatible with a high refractive index.

By incorporating this lens into the construction of the zoom lenses developed by CASIO, a reduction in profile of approximately 20% has been made possible.

Additional convenient features include the ‘Best Shot’ setting, an easy, automatic camera set up for various photographic situations; the ‘Business Shot’ setting, allowing the user to take a trapezoidal distorted picture of a projector, white board, document or business card from a side angle and correct it to a rectangle automatically; the ‘Auto Macro’ setting that removes the need to change the focus mode between normal and macro manually; and a ‘Flash Assist’ setting that makes up for underexposure by insufficient flash light.

LUMICERA is a trademark of Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

EXILIM is a registered trademark of CASIO COMPUTER CO. LTD. Any other company or product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of those companies.

Casio, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan. Casio, Inc., markets calculators, keyboards, digital cameras, mobile presentation devices, portable color TVs, timepieces (Wrist Technology), cash registers and other consumer electronic products. Casio, the unexpected extra – for more information visit our web site at www.Casio.com.

Read more about the Casio EX-S100

Get the Latest Price on the Casio Exilim EX-S100

Nov 11: Casio Wins Three CES Innovations Awards

Casio Press Release

CASIO HONORED WITH THREE CES INNOVATIONS 2005 DESIGN AND ENGINEERING AWARDS

DOVER, NJ - November 10, 2004 - Casio, Inc., a leading innovator in digital cameras and timepieces, has been selected to receive CES Innovations 2005 Design and Engineering Awards for three of its products. Casio's award-winning products include the EXILIM CARD EX-S100 and EXILIM PRO EX-P700 digital cameras, and the ANA-DIGI Atomic Solar G-Shock GW1200BA-1AV timepiece.

These prestigious annual awards are announced each year in advance of the Consumer Electronics show. The award-winning products will be featured as part of a special display in the Grand Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center during the 2005 International CES in Las Vegas, January 6-9, 2005.

The Innovations 2005 Awards recognize consumer technology products that exhibit excellence in design and engineering. Product evaluations are based on several criteria including engineering qualities, product’s intended use and functionality, unique and novel features, improvement to company, aesthetic and design qualities, and the contribution to quality of life.

“As a leader in digital cameras and timepieces, Casio is honored to be acknowledged these categories at the 2005 CES Innovation Awards,” said John Clough, President of Casio Inc. “These awards underscore Casio’s ongoing commitment to offering the most innovative and advanced technologies, while delivering the most outstanding value to our customers worldwide.”

The following Casio products were selected as honorees in the Innovations 2005 Design and Engineering Showcase:

EXILIM CARD EX-S100 (MSRP $399.99)
At an astounding 3.6” x 2.24” x .66”, the wearable and super-slim EXILIM CARD EX-S100 is the world’s smallest credit card-sized camera with a 2.8X optical zoom (as of August 25, 2004). The EX-S100 features a 3.2 megapixel CCD and offers the user the ultimate in portability and convenience in a high quality stainless steel body. The EX-S100’s compact form gives up nothing in functionality with a 2” large LCD that offers the clearest possible picture display. The world’s first transparent ceramic lens is what enables Casio to pack the powerful 2.8X optical zoom lens into such a small camera.

EXILIM PRO EX-P700 (MSRP $599.99)
The EXILIM PRO EX-P700 is a Pro/Consumer digital camera that matches all the advanced features you will ever need with the standard EXILIM ease-of-use features found in other Casio digital cameras. The EX-P700 offers a 4X optical zoom (coupled with 4X digital zoom), combined with a large 2.0-inch LCD screen, offering users high performance. With its amazing 7.2 million megapixel CCD, and fast-response design, this high-end digital camera assures a new level of imaging capability. It’s full array of functions and features, such as the Business Shot setting, allowing the user to take a trapezoidal distorted picture of a projector, white board, document or business card from a side angle and correct it to a rectangle automatically, also raise the bar one notch higher in terms of usability.

ANA-DIGI ATOMIC SOLAR G-SHOCK GW1200BA-1AV TIMEPIECE (MSRP $400.00)
The toughest watch in the world is now the smartest watch in the world. Shock resistant and water resistant to 200 meters, the Atomic Solar G-Shock is so smart and self-sufficient you don’t have to worry about changing its battery or even setting the time. Casio’s Atomic Solar GW1200BA-1AV uses a time calibration device that receives data such as time and date from the Atomic Clock in Fort Collins, Colorado. Multiple times a day, data is transmitted each second for a minute to keep the time and date accurate and reliable. Fashionable, yet tough, this timepiece provides the added superior strength of titanium enhancements to create the hottest G-Shock available. Features include: Atomic Timekeeping, Tough Solar Power, Shock Resistant, 200M Water Resistant, Auto Super Illuminator light, 5 Alarms, World Time (30 cities), Countdown Timer, 1/100-second Stopwatch, and 12/24 formats.

Casio, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, Casio, Inc., markets digital cameras, calculators, business organizers, mobile presentation devices, keyboards, portable color TVs, timepieces (Wrist Technology), cash registers and other consumer electronic products. Casio, the unexpected extra – for more information visit our website at www.casio.com.

Nov 11: Digital Camera Makers Worried about Camera Phones

'With the mainstream resolution of phone cameras gradually rising from VGA to more than one megapixel, Taiwan digital-camera makers say they are worried that demand for their products will be replaced by demand for camera phones.

Japan-based Techno Systems Research (TSR) forecasts that global demand for digital cameras in 2005 will grow 29.5% on year to 64 million units, while demand for camera phones will rise 139% to 132 million units. However, last year JP Morgan projected global digital-camera demand would reach 83.4 million units in 2005. The financial firm has since adjusted its projection downwards, to a figure closer to TSR’s forecast, due to the explosive growth of camera phones.'

Read more at Taiwan makers: Digital cameras under competitive pressure from camera phones

Nov 11: Even Digital Memories Can Fade

The New York Times has this feature on Even Digital Memories Can Fade

'The nation's 115 million home computers are brimming over with personal treasures - millions of photographs, music of every genre, college papers, the great American novel and, of course, mountains of e-mail messages.

Yet no one has figured out how to preserve these electronic materials for the next decade, much less for the ages. Like junk e-mail, the problem of digital archiving, which seems straightforward, confounds even the experts.

"To save a digital file for, let's say, a hundred years is going to take a lot of work," said Peter Hite, president of Media Management Services, a consulting firm in Houston. "Whereas to take a traditional photograph and just put it in a shoe box doesn't take any work." Already, half of all photographs are taken by digital cameras, with most of the shots never leaving a personal computer's hard drive.'

Nov 11: Inkjet Printer Speed doubles every 18 Months

A quote from Vyomesh (VJ) Joshi, the executive VP, Imaging and printing for Hewlett Packard.

'“Every 18 months, we are doubling our inkjet printer speed,” he says. The current generation of HP inkjets can print 18 million drops per second.” I think we will double again and continue to innovate and drive our speeds on this path.”'

Read more at Moore's Law for Inkjet Printers

Nov 10: Photo Finish Book Review - Photography Blog

Photography Blog has a good Review of the book by the title of Photo Finish. They write:

'Photo Finish" is a new book from digital imaging experts Jon Canfield and Tim Grey which explores the different ways of presenting your photographs after you have taken them. Capturing a great image is only half the battle; showing it off to the rest of the world is also an essential part of any photographer's workflow, whether it be to your family members, to clients or for an exhibition. Written from the viewpoint of the digital photographer, "Photo Finish" looks at a wide range of techniques, including printing using an inkjet printer, using traditional print labs and online print services, displaying images on the internet, creating digital slideshows, and finishing and exhibiting prints. During 316 pages, the authors clearly explain why and how you can present your work in the best possible way and make your photographs stand out from the crowd.'

Read more at PhotographyBLOG -:- Reviews -:- Photo Finish

Nov 10: Olympus to hike in-house digital camera output

'Japanese precision equipment maker Olympus Corp said on Tuesday it will boost in-house production of digital cameras to 50 percent in one or two years to help nurse its loss-making camera division back to health.

Olympus currently outsources 60 per cent of its digital camera production to other firms including Sanyo Electric Co, giving it less flexibility to adapt to market changes than rivals such as Canon Inc, which produces all its cameras in-house.

The move is part of a broader plan to strengthen its camera operations after steep price falls and sluggish sales of digital cameras caused a 57 per cent decline in its net profit for the April-September first half.'

Read more at Olympus to hike in-house digital camera output

Nov 10: Finding the Best Photo Printer

'I've been trying out some of the latest models of color ink-jet photo printers from Canon, Epson and HP. Each is designed to make high-quality photo prints, up to 8 1/2" x 11", as well as black and white documents, making these ideal for general use in the home or small office. All have the same list price of $199 and work with both PCs and Macs.

I looked at the Canon PIXMA iP5000, the HP 8150, and the Epson Stylus Photo R320. According to the manufacturers, each of these printers makes the best color prints of any of their models in this price range.

For my testing I printed a variety of images of people and landscapes at the best image quality setting, then printed typical Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents on plain paper. For each printer I used that printer company's own best quality photo paper for all of the photo prints.'

Read more at Finding the Best Photo Printer

Nov 10: Fujifilm Worldwide Travel Charger

Fujifilm today introduces its Worldwide Travel Charger, a new electrical accessory that can be used anywhere in the world, making it perfect for adventurous travellers and photographers alike. The charger can be used again and again to help power batteries for a host of electrical equipment, from digital cameras to portable music devices to travel alarm clocks, which means it is not just economical but also environmentally friendly.

The Fujifilm Worldwide Travel Charger has universal voltage, making it compatible with the mains electricity supply of every single country around the globe. Capable of taking all forms of AA and AAA batteries, the charger has a maximum charge time of just four hours, so you won't be kept waiting around either.

For travellers that spend a lot of time on the road, it even comes with a car adaptor, allowing you to charge batteries using your car's cigarette lighter. In addition, four long-life 1800mAh Ni-MH AA batteries are included, which are ideal for use with digital cameras.

The Fujifilm Worldwide Travel Charger is available from all good electrical and photographic retailers throughout the UK and costs £34.99 including VAT.

Nov 10: Sandisk Introduces 4 and 8GB Industrial CF Cards and 16GB Industrial PC Cards

Sandisk Press Release
SANDISK INTRODUCES 4 AND 8 GIGABYTE INDUSTRIAL CF CARDS AND 8 AND 16GB INDUSTRIAL PC CARDS

Speed, Reliability and Cost Efficiency Offer World-Class Flash Storage Solutions For Today's Demanding Industrial Applications

Munich, Germany, November 9, 2004 - Providing a reliable storage alternative to hard drives, SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today announced significantly higher capacities and faster read/write times for its industrial product line including Industrial Grade and Standard Grade Flash ATA cards. These new cards now provide memory options of as much as 16 gigabytes (GB) for PC Cards and up to 8GB for CompactFlash cards. The announcement was made at Electronica 2004, where SanDisk is exhibiting in Hall A4, Stand 243 of the New Munich Trade Fair Center.

The new cards double the current maximum flash storage capacities of these form factors. The highest capacities for industrial CF cards, which are the more popular Type I form factors, are increased from 2GB to 4GB (industrial grade) and from 4GB to 8GB (standard grade). Likewise, the PC Cards, which are Type II form factors and are based on state-of-the-art 90nm (nanometer) NAND flash technology, will go from 4GB to 8GB for industrial grade and from 8GB to 16GB for standard grade. The cards are expected to be available starting in December. Pricing is being determined and will vary from region to region.

The CompactFlash card, invented by SanDisk, weighs just half an ounce and is the size of a matchbook. With an industry-standard ATA compatible 50-pin cartridge, it can be easily designed into virtually any application, providing reliable, low-power storage. The ATA PC Cards provide interoperability across virtually all platforms and are ideal for devices that require high capacity, low-power storage solutions. For industrial grade cards of 256MB and up, read/write performance clocks out at a speedy 20 megabytes per second.*

“These higher capacity points and performance of the CF and PC cards will enable a wave of new applications driven by lower price points,” said Norm Frentz, SanDisk’s product marketing manager for industrial products.

“Manufacturers will be able to replace hard drives and design in solid-state flash solutions that are durable and reliable. These new specifications are industry-leading in terms of capacity and sequential file performance,” he said. Among companies that can benefit from converting to flash memory ATA solutions are those in the networking and telecom, medical, military, automotive and factory automation channels, said Frentz.

The industrial grade CF and PC cards offer extended temperature ranges, extreme endurance, an MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) of 3 million hours, extended shock and vibration resistance, complete serialization and traceability, and a seven-year warranty. The standard grade cards offer a competitively priced product with high endurance and 1 million hours of MTBF.

All SanDisk industrial ATA products provide superior random access times for booting, firmware that can be upgraded in the field, industry-leading write abort brown-out handling, and exceptional reliability and endurance. SanDisk’s statistically based quality control system offers 100 percent testing of all industrial products.

SanDisk, the world’s largest supplier of flash memory data storage card products, designs, manufactures and markets industry-standard, solid-state data, digital imaging and audio storage products using its patented, high density flash memory and controller technology. SanDisk is based in Sunnyvale, CA.

* Based on HD Bench software testing and average sustained data rates for large sequential file transfers.

Nov 10: Sandisk Industrial Cards and Transflash Modules

Sandisk Press Release
SANDISK LAUNCHES HIGHER CAPACITIES AND WIDER TEMPERATURE RANGES FOR INDUSTRIAL SD CARDS AND TRANSFLASH MODULES

Growth Potential Seen For Embedded Systems and Automotive Telematics

Munich, Germany, November 9, 2004 - Responding to an increasing demand for durable flash memory in automotive telematics, military and medical applications, SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today announced larger capacities and extended operating temperature ranges for its line of industrial-grade SD flash memory cards and tiny TransFlash modules. The announcement was made at Electronica 2004, where SanDisk is exhibiting in Hall A4, Stand 243 of the New Munich Trade Fair Center.

SanDisk introduced a 1-gigabyte (GB) industrial SD card and a 256-megabyte (MB) industrial TransFlash module, providing twice as much memory as their previous highest capacities. Also, the company is offering high reliability with an improved temperature range of -40 to +85 Celsius (-40 to +185 degrees Fahrenheit) for both form factors. The new SD and TransFlash models are expected to ship worldwide starting in January. Pricing is being determined and will vary from region to region.

Norm Frentz, SanDisk’s OEM marketing manager for industrial products, said the emerging technology of automotive telematics – the merger of wireless communications, vehicle monitoring systems, location devices and “infotainment” services -- is prompting the need for higher density solid state memory solutions that can store large amounts of data and code and withstand greater temperature extremes and vibration.

Phil Magney, president and chief analyst of Telematics Research Group, Inc., of Minnetonka, Minnesota, said that flash memory plays a major role in telematics, audio and navigation systems. “We live in a connected world, and we want to extend that to our vehicle. And when it comes to digital entertainment, the key is transportability,” he said. Magney also sees a need for transportable storage media that can be used for various applications including entertainment, navigation, address books or vehicle diagnostics. Also, several models of new cars are equipped with flash drives within the vehicle's multifunction “headunit” – the central control for audio navigation and telematics.

Flash memory offers a storage solution that is rapidly becoming as economical as a hard drive, with the added benefit of no moving parts, said Frentz. “For OEM manufacturers, using an SD card or TransFlash module provides cost/benefit savings, dependable performance, a smaller form factor and simpler integration,” he said. SanDisk’s industrial SD card has seen service in commercial and military aircraft and in medical instruments. It is also found in handheld computing and data collection devices such as those used by car rental companies and package delivery services.

With advanced 90 nanometer memory technology, the industrial grade SD card offers sequential read and write speeds of up to 20MB per second* on high capacities. It has advanced controller technology, a sophisticated defect and error management system, a powerful error correction code, an MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) of 2 million hours, extreme endurance, and a seven-year warranty. The SanDisk industrial grade SD card comes in capacities ranging from 32MB to 1GB.

TransFlash, designed initially by SanDisk for mobile phones, is the world’s smallest semi-removable mass storage memory module, measuring just 11mm by 15mm and 1mm thick – about the size of a fingernail, making it the ideal solution to replace other embedded components. With an SD adapter, it is compatible with all SD form factors.

The new industrial version offers OEM designers several major benefits. Among them: Saving costs by allowing for the minimum amount of embedded internal flash memory (and upgrading easily when needed), occupying less space than any flash card in applications where board size is limited, and providing simpler pin connections.

SanDisk, the world’s largest supplier of flash memory data storage card products, designs, manufactures and markets industry-standard, solid-state data, digital imaging and audio storage products using its patented, high density flash memory and controller technology. SanDisk is based in Sunnyvale, CA.

* Based on HD Bench software testing and average sustained data rates for large sequential file transfers.

Nov 10: Nikon D70 - Popular Photography Magazine Camera of the Year

Popular Photography Magazine has been awarded the Nikon D70 'Camera of the Year' status.

'The Nikon D70 was precisely the camera that the photography world needed this year.
A revolution began in 2003 with the Canon EOS Digital Rebel—its $899 sticker, its 6.3-megapixel sensor, and its attitude of "Everybody into the digital SLR pool; the water's fine!"

The question for '04 was how quickly a camera maker would seize on this revolutionary fervor, and add some sophistication, features, fine-tuning, and, well, "maturity" to what the D Rebel had wrought…without pushing the price to a pro-caliber level.

Nikon worked fast, and we had our hands on a nearly completed D70 in time for our May issue. As that article and our lab test of a production model in our June issue showed, Nikon got it right.'

Read more at Popular Photography Magazine - Camera of the Year 2004

Nov 10: Rollei Prego dp5200

Rollei Press Release

Versatile new compact Rollei Prego dp5200 digital camera with 5.2 megapixels offers large and easy-to-read 2.5-inch TFT color display

The powerful new Rollei dp5200 compact camera nicely fits into the "middle class" of digital cameras: It is an attractive combination of stylish, practical design and extremely high operator comfort as well as sophisticated shooting functions. Its extra-flat, stylish metal body houses a 3x zoom lens supported by a 4x digital zoom. Numerous additional functions include the possiblity of video and voice recording. The camera will be available from mid November 2004 for €329 (incl. VAT approx $424).

Whoever is looking for a camera that is particularly easy to use will enjoy picture-taking with the Prego dp5200. With dimensions of 88.5 mm x 54.5 mm x 24 mm and a weight of only 130 g, it is remarkably handy and light in weight. What's more, its generously dimensioned 2.5-inch TFT color display gives a perfect view of subjects and settings.

The technical specifications packed into the compact metal body leave nothing to be desired: The Prego dp5200 comes with a 5.2-megapixel CCD that easily copes with the requirements made of even large-format prints. Its 3x HFT f/2.8-4.8 zoom lens covers focal lengths from
5.4-16.2 mm, equivalent to 32-96 mm in 35mm photography. Automatic focusing is possible from 0.5 m to infinity, macrofocusing from 6 cm to 50 cm. Autofocusing is performed through the lens (TTL). In addition, the Prego dp5200 permits both average and spot metering. Available shutter speeds are from 1/2 s to 1/1000 s.

Flash, white balance and exposure compensation can be controlled either automatically or manually. Manual exposure compensation is possible in 1/3 increments over +/- 2.0 EV. White-balance presets include daylight, cloudy, tungsten and fluorescent. Flash also offers various modes, including night portraits and red-eye reduction.

Depending on the intended use of the photos and the capacity of the storage medium used, the photographer may choose between Fine, Standard and Economy image quality. In conjunction with a 512MB SD memory card, the Economy setting will give a very large number of images.

A built-in microphone and loudspeaker together with suitable technology allow the Prego dp5200 to be used not only as a versatile still camera, but also as a mini video camera or even dictaction machine. Thus, brief voice recordings of up to 30 seconds are just as easy as the recording of video clips complete with sound. The latter my be recorded with either 640 x 480 pixels or 320 x 240 pixels in MPEG1 (AVI) format. A built-in self-timer with a 2 or 10-second delay makes natural group pictures child's play.

Nov 10: Iomega USB 2.0 Mini Hard Drive

Iomega Press Release
Iomega Announces New Mini Hard Drive

Ideal Storage: Big Capacity In a Tiny Package Without the Power Cord

SAN DIEGO, November 9, 2004 – Iomega Corporation (NYSE: IOM), a global leader in data storage, today announced a slick little external hard drive in 20 GB and 40 GB capacities* that is small enough for the shirt pocket and weighs just 3.5 ounces. The new Iomega® USB 2.0 Mini Hard Drive is the first Iomega hard drive to receive 100 percent of its power from a standard USB data port, allowing mobile professionals to travel lighter and still have plenty of storage capacity for all their important files.

“The Iomega Mini Hard Drive is host-powered, small, and weighs next to nothing, so it is a great choice for mobile professionals and students,” said Brad Nelson, general manager, consumer products, Iomega Corporation. “Using a Mini Hard Drive is extremely simple: just connect it to your computer’s USB port and you’re ready to take your files anywhere. Other external hard drives require an external power source, tethering you to the nearest available AC wall outlet. The Iomega Mini Hard Drive gives the user more freedom and flexibility. You won’t find a simpler product on the market.”

Key Features and Benefits
Because the Iomega Mini Hard Drive is based on 1.8-inch hard disk technology, it is smaller and more energy-efficient than most other portable drives. The 4200-rpm drive has a rugged aluminum enclosure and features a USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed USB) interface for plug-and-play simplicity with any compatible Windows or Macintosh computer (see below). A blue drive light signals disk activity, and an on/off switch allows laptop users to power down the device without disconnecting it.

Each drive comes with a sleek leather travel case, USB cable, and software CD, including MusicMatch™ Jukebox music management software (PC and Mac) and Adobe® Photoshop Album™ SE (PC) for digital photos.

Compatibility
The Iomega Mini Hard Drive requires a Pentium processor or higher with Microsoft® Windows® Me/2000/2000 Pro/ XP Home or Professional; MAC G4 or G3 (blue and white G3 only) or iMac computer with built-in USB connection and Mac OS 9.0 or above.

Price and Availability
The Iomega Mini Hard Drive is now available in two capacities, 20 GB ($179) and 40 GB ($279). All prices are U.S. suggested retail.

About Iomega
Iomega Corporation provides easy-to-use, high value storage solutions to help people protect, secure, capture and share their valuable digital information. Iomega's award-winning storage products include the new Iomega® REV™ 35GB drive; popular Zip® 100MB, 250MB and 750MB drives; high-performance Iomega external hard drives and the new Mini Hard Drive; Iomega Mini USB drives and Micro Mini™ USB drives; Iomega external CD-RW drives; Iomega Super DVD drives and the QuikTouch™ Video Burner; and Iomega floppy USB-powered drives. Iomega simplifies data protection and sharing at home and in the workplace with Iomega Automatic Backup software, Iomega Sync software, HotBurn® CD-recording software, and Active Disk™ technology. For networks, Iomega NAS servers offer capacities of 160GB to 1TB. For unlimited capacity and anytime, anywhere access, Iomega offers iStorage™ secure online storage. Iomega also offers businesses and consumers a comprehensive data recovery services solution for recovering lost data due to hardware failure, file corruption or media damage. The Company can be reached at 1-888-4-IOMEGA (888-446-6342), or on the Web at www.iomega.com .

NOTE: The statements contained in this release regarding development, production and distribution of the Iomega Mini Hard Drive, anticipated product pricing and availability, expected product performance and specifications, future applications for the new product and all other statements that are not purely historical, are forward‑looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All such forward‑looking statements are based upon information available to Iomega as of the date hereof, and Iomega disclaims any intention or obligation to update any such forward‑looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from current expectations. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the successful completion of product development and testing, market acceptance of, and demand for, the Iomega product, any difficulties encountered in ramping up production or other manufacturing issues, including component availability and pricing, co-development, production, and distribution issues, product pricing and conformity to specifications, dependence upon third party suppliers, competition, intellectual property rights and other risks and uncertainties identified in the reports filed from time to time by Iomega with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including Iomega's Annual Report on Form 10‑K for the year ended December 31, 2003, and its most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

# # #

* 1 GB = 1 billion bytes.

Copyright© 2004 Iomega Corporation. All rights reserved. Iomega, Zip, REV, Active Disk, Micro Mini, iStorage, HotBurn and QuikTouch are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Iomega Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Certain other product names, brand names and company names may be trademarks or designations of their respective owners.

Nov 9: Toshiba withdraws from Digital Camera Market

Steve's Digicams writes: 'I just had it confirmed via telephone with a Toshiba representative that as of March 2004 Toshiba was officially out of the digital camera business. Nice of them to tell us or their customers - that was quite a few months ago!'

Nov 9: Canon develops Relationship with Maria Sharapova

Canon USA Press Release

CANON INKS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH WIMBLEDON CHAMPION AND POP-CULTURE ICON MARIA SHARAPOVA

'Substance and Style' Play Center Court as Canon Embarks on Multi-Year, Integrated Relationship with Teenage Global Superstar

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Nov. 8, 2004 - Canon today announced a global marketing relationship with Wimbledon Champion and pop-culture icon Maria Sharapova. The multi-year relationship will include global advertising, retail promotions and events.

Sharapova's winning record on the court as well as her style, presence and elegance off it make her a natural global representative for Canon. From sleek digital cameras to reliable office products and everything in between, Canon products deliver a championship performance every time, just like the 17-year-old tennis phenom. Sharapova's grueling travel schedule - up to 30 weeks each year - is more manageable with Canon products by her side, enabling her to capture and share her experiences with family and friends around the world.

"Maria Sharapova's combination of style and substance is a natural fit for Canon," said Debra Epstein, vice president and general manager of corporate communications at Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ). "Her powerful game and approachable personality represent a perfect match for the Canon brand, and we are thrilled about the partnership. Canon and Maria Sharapova embody excellence, elegance and a winning team for our company, our retailers, and our global customers."

Canon's six consecutive months as the number one digital camera manufacturer* in the U.S., and Sharapova's status as a top female tennis player proved to be perfect timing. With the recent success of new product introductions and even more slated for '05, the Canon and Sharapova relationship sets the stage for a grand-slam year.

"I really enjoy being ahead of the latest trends in fashion and technology, and I'm excited to be working with Canon," said Sharapova. "Canon products are all about cutting edge technology and fashionable design. Technology plays such a big part in all aspects of my life, and the Canon relationship is a natural one for me. I can't wait to use their products when I'm at home with family, on the road playing tennis, or simply hanging out with my friends."

Sharapova, the world's seventh-ranked tennis player, was one of the youngest champions ever at Wimbledon. She has built a global fan base, captivating all with her style, intelligence, wit and poise beyond her years. A truly global personality who possesses a champion's desire to succeed, Sharapova seems destined to join the ranks of the world's great athletes who transcend their sport to become global icons.

Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. The Company is listed as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies in America, and is ranked #35 on the latest Business Week list of "Top 100 Brands." Its parent company Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ) is a top patent-holder of technology, ranking second overall in the U.S. in 2003, with global revenues of $29.9 billion. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com.

# # #

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.

*According to The NPD Group, Canon has held the number one position in digital camera sales from April to September 2004. This figure is derived from unit sales and revenue figures of both compact cameras and digital SLR cameras combined, comprising a total picture of the digital camera market.

Nov 9: Konica Minolta Announces 'Shake Your Body' Consumer Promotion

Konica Minolta Press Release
KONICA MINOLTA ANNOUNCES "SHAKE YOUR BODY" CONSUMER PROMOTION

Special discount offer on a Konica Minolta Maxxum lens for customers who purchase the new Maxxum 7D Digital SLR camera

Mahwah, NJ (November 5, 2004) -- Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc. announces the "Shake Your Body" promotion, featuring a special discount to customers who purchase the new Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D Digital SLR, featuring Konica Minolta's revolutionary body-integral Anti-Shake technology, between October 1, 2004 and December 31, 2004.

During the "Shake Your Body" promotional period, customers who purchase a Maxxum 7D will receive a $150 store check, redeemable at the U.S. retail location where they purchased the camera. This voucher is good towards the purchase of most Konica Minolta Maxxum Autofocus lenses. Also, as part of the initial consumer rebate promotion, Konica Minolta is offering a free two-year extended warranty (normally one-year) on the Maxxum 7D.

" With the introduction of the Maxxum 7D Digital camera, Konica Minolta revolutionizes digital photography. Thanks to the camera's body-integral Anti-Shake technology, Maxxum photographers can now turn all their Maxxum autofocusing lenses into Anti-Shake lenses providing clear sharp images in virtually all shooting situations," said Todd Schrader, vice president of marketing for Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc. "This fourth quarter introductory consumer rebate program ensures that photographers will benefit twice – from the technology and the savings."

About the Maxxum 7D

This groundbreaking new 6.1-million-pixel resolution, interchangeable lens digital camera is the world's first digital SLR featuring a body-integral CCD-shift, Anti-Shake (camera-shake compensation) technology that combines enhanced picture quality, performance and improved handling characteristics. This new digital SLR also features a large, easy-to-view, high-definition 2.5-inch color LCD monitor and is compatible with virtually any Maxxum AF lens.

Konica Minolta's proprietary and award-winning Anti-Shake technology provides images with reduced blur due to camera shake, even when shooting dimly lit scenes or when using telephoto lenses and shooting macro subjects without the aid of flash or a tripod.

The Maxxum 7D offers effective Anti-Shake protection with every lens* in the Maxxum AF line. Whether using telephoto, wide-angle, zoom, macro or standard, the system analyzes data on focal length, current aperture setting, and focusing distance so that it can optimize Anti-Shake performance to offer the highest level of protection.
* Except AF16mm Fish Eye and Macro Zoom 3x – 1x.

Konica Minolta has also introduced two new zoom lenses, each designed to provide optimum image quality when used with the new Maxxum 7D digital SLR – the Konica Minolta AF ZOOM 17 – 35 mm f/2.8 – 4 (D) and the Konica Minolta AF ZOOM 28 – 75 mm f/2.8 (D).

The Maxxum 7D camera body is available for $1,599.00. The Maxxum 7D kit including a Maxxum AF Zoom 28-100mm f/3.5 - 5.6 (D) lens will be available for $1,689.00.

About Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc.

Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc., headquartered in Mahwah, NJ, is the North American sales and marketing subsidiary of Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc. (Tokyo, Japan). On August 5, 2003 Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc. was formed to enhance both the competitive business capabilities and earning capacities of Konica Corporation and Minolta Co., Ltd.
Consumers around the world have come to know and trust the Konica and Minolta brands for all their imaging needs. Since the earliest days of the photo industry, Minolta and Konica have applied their talents and resources to create products and services that are essential to the world of imaging. Today, these efforts concentrate on the most important aspects of imaging: the quality of the images, the tools and methods for creating images, and the creation of environments for the application of images.

This focus on the essentials of imaging ties together the company's key business and consumer product lines. Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc. is a leading manufacturer and marketer of 35mm and Advanced Photo System film, single-use cameras, digital and 35mm film cameras, accessory lenses, binoculars, photographic and color measurement meters. In addition the company offers color print photo papers, inkjet photo paper, digital minilabs, digital film scanners, optical instruments, software and advanced imaging and sensing technologies. Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc. also provides wholesale photofinishing services and Internet imaging services. It is a complete imaging company, from input through output. For more information about Konica Minolta Photo Imaging U.S.A., Inc., its products and services, visit www.konicaminolta.us.

All brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Nov 8: Minox Gold DC 4211

Minox Press Release A real gem from the house of MINOX: The golden DC 4211 digital camera - crowned with sparkling diamonds With this new digital camera the optical specialists from Wetzlar once again stand out from the rest, demonstrating a feeling for aesthetic detail, competence in design and diligence in their choice of the most noble materials - and without neglecting function and technical innovation. The golden DC 4211 is a treasure to put in your handbag or jacket pocket, a distinguished accessory and a highlight - in every sense of the word - in the history of MINOX GmbH. The body of this wee camera in the latest slim-line look is coated in 24-carat gold; three real 0.2 carat diamonds adorn the front of the body to create the sparkling highlight. The technical data of the camera also boast distinguished features: the 4.2 megapixel CCD sensor together with a fast MINOCTAR lens, 3 x zoom and autofocus provide dynamic images with natural color rendition and pin-sharp definition. The handling of the camera is particularly convenient thanks to the short shutter release delay, automatic white balance ensuring the right exposure and the large 2.0’’ TFT color monitor with brilliant and sharp image display. The digital USB interface enables the convenient transfer of the image files to the computer. An exclusive leather case as well as a fine wooden box belong to the scope of delivery of the MINOX DC 4211 along with wrist strap, a li-ion battery as power source, a 32 MB SD card for storage and software for image processing on a PC.

Nov 8: Olympus 1st-Half Profit Drops on Lower Camera Prices

'Olympus Corp., the world's third- largest seller of digital cameras, said profit more than halved during the fiscal first half because prices for the devices fell more than expected.

Net income dropped 57 percent to 6.71 billion yen ($64 million), or 25.46 yen a share, in the six months ended Sept. 30, from 15.5 billion yen, or 58.7 yen, a year earlier, the company said in a statement to the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Sales rose to 308.7 billion yen from 299.7 billion yen.'

Read more at Olympus 1st-Half Profit Drops on Lower Camera Prices

Nov 8: Reader Review Prize Awarded

Congratulations to Sam for winning the $100 Amazon gift voucher for his review of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC80. Sam was selected randomly out of a hat today from a number of other names of people who submitted reviews - you should have received an email with details of your prize today Sam.

Thanks to all who submitted reviews - there were some very high quality pieces submitted that will only make our site stronger. We'll run a similar competition early in 2005 so start writing your reviews now!

Nov 8: Organizing digital photography

'The thrill of owning a digital camera can quickly give way to despair once the images start piling up in a disorganized heap on your hard drive.

That's a lot of photos. And it presents a daunting challenge to anyone needing to scour their computer for a picture of their kid's first day at school, or that Yosemite rock-climbing trip from two years ago.

"Many people buy a digital camera, and the nightmare begins," said San Jose, Calif., photographer Uwe Steinmueller, editor at www.outbackphoto.com. "I don't think you'll be successful if you don't do some ordering."

Alas, there are no easy answers.

File organization
Imagine if all the books in your local library were labeled only with Dewey Decimal numbers - no titles or colorful book jackets to give clues to the books' contents. That's the dilemma many digital camera owners face as their hard drive folders become stuffed with photos with file names such as IMG-1074.jpg....'

Read more at Bradenton Herald -Organizing digital photography

Nov 6: Sanyo Xacti J4 Review - Photography Blog

Photography Blog reviews the Sanyo Xacti J4 and writes - 'The Sanyo Xacti J4 is a great point and shoot digital camera with a number of additional features that definitely make it worth more than a second look. The fundamental aspects of any digicam are all there - great image quality, above average ease of use and handling, quality construction and stylish looks. On top of those qualities, the Sanyo Xacti J4 adds one of the best movie modes that I've yet seen on a digital camera, responsiveness that borders on fast, and some great playback and review features.'

Get more information on the Sanyo Xacti J4

Nov 6: Zoom X mini Zoom

'Think your camera doesn't get you close enough to the action? Then think again. This brilliant optical gadget gives any standard digital or 35mm compact a zoom lens that a tabloid paparazzi would give his right arm for. Zoom-X is an ingenious12x variable-focus mini zoom that locates securely in front of the camera's own lens. As long as your camera's got a threaded tripod hole underneath (and 99% do), the universal mount will fit! It even works with your camera's existing zoom; a fast thumbscrew mechanism lets it slide to and fro. No circuitry is involved; integral solid state technology gives amazingly clear results every time. Includes mini tripod mounting, ideal for long exposure shots and astronomical photography.'

Read more at Innovations - Zoom X via Red Ferret Journal

Nov 5: DSLR prices going down

DP Now have a good piece on the fall of prices in the DSLR market - good news for all of us saving our pennies for your dream camera.

'The good news for consumers is that DSLR makers appear to be in the throws of an entry-level price war
This week both Nikon and Canon effectively reduced the prices of their entry-level DSLR cameras, perhaps in anticipation of new low-priced entry-level models from Pentax and Olympus. Canon has introduced a £100 cash-back offer for purchasers of its EOS-300D in November through to the end of January, while Nikon has announced a reduction in the D70 list price by £100.'

Read more at Digital Photography Now - News - DSLR prices going down!

Nov 4: SizeFixer SLR Released

FixerLabs Press Release
SizeFixer SLR Released - Revolutionary Upsizing Software for Digital Photographers

Watford, UK. FixerLabs Ltd. November 1 2004.

FixerLabs announced the launch of their stand-alone software application for increasing the resolution and definition of a digital image at Photokina in October, SizeFixer SLR is now shipping.

SizeFixer SLR has been designed as a tool for the professional photographer. SizeFixer addresses the major area of concern when upsizing: images become soft as size increases. SizeFixer uses a radically different approach to the existing software solutions - it is
the first commercial product to offer genuine super-resolution. For the technically minded: super-resolution correctly extends the Fourier domain content of an image beyond the original Nyquist limit.

SizeFixer SLR features:
- Enlarges up to 400% without loss of definition
- Enlarges to A1 size
- Cropping made easy
- Intuitive batch processing
- 8-bit and 16-bit photos
- RGB, JPEG, TIFF

"SizeFixer SLR is the result of many years of R&D work in the field of digital image processing" comments FixerLabs Managing Director Tim Atherton, "the entire team at FixerLabs can be proud that, after an intensive period of development, SizeFixer is already being hailed as
the best resizing tool for professional photographers".

Pricing and Availability:
SizeFixer SLR is available from FixerLabs (www.fixerlabs.com) or their exclusive UK/EU distributor Colour Confidence (www.colourconfidence.com) priced at $249. SizeFixer SLR for Windows XP is now shipping on CD (the Mac version will ship in December).

Nov 4: Tips for enjoying digital photography with your child

'Once children realize how easy it is to snap photos on a digital camera, instantly view images on the screen and watch photo slideshows on a computer monitor or on a TV, questions will be asked. Why can't I take daddy's new camera to the beach? When can I have my own camera? Be prepared - and enjoy the marvels of digital photography with the whole family.

1. Separate memory cards. A good way to start is to have a single camera for the whole family. If you do this, give each child his own memory card. This protects your pictures from your child while giving everyone a little privacy. Also, when images are transferred to the computer, they are automatically catalogued in separate folders so everyone can keep track of their pictures....'

Read more at 10 Tips for enjoying digital photography with your child

Nov 4: Smartvue S2 802.11N Wireless IP Video Surveillance System

Press Release
Smartvue S2 offers long range 802.11N* digital wireless IP video surveillance with remote cell phone and PC access.

At the opening of the ISC East Trade Show this morning, Smartvue Corporation, an award-winning technology leader in the surveillance industry, announced the availability of the Smartvue S2 wireless surveillance system to address the demand for cost-effective, high-performance network cameras for the video surveillance market. The Smartvue S2 incorporates the most advanced imaging and wireless network technologies to provide a solution with unmatched performance while being easy to set up and configure.

Smartvue S2 incorporates Pixim’s Digital Pixel System (DPS) technology to capture and produce high quality, high dynamic range images. The all-digital DPS solution includes an image sensor, image processor, and software that deliver better color rendering and the ability to effectively process scenes with both bright and dark areas. Smartvue S2 implements H.264 (and optional MJPEG) video compression standards for better network bandwidth utilization while maintaining high quality video. And Smartvue S2 incorporates Airgo Networks’ True MIMO technology, which fundamentally changes how wireless signals are sent and processed, to deliver range and throughput enhancements up to ten times that of any other wireless networking technology. These advantages allow the Smartvue S2 to provide the performance of a cable-fed camera at up to ten times the range of poorer performing cameras based on legacy wireless technology.

Martin Renkis, Founder and CEO of Smartvue said “our smart, simple, and secure wireless digital IP video solutions offer rapid installation and include the most advanced technologies in imaging, video compression, security, and wireless communication. Smartvue S2 significantly reduces the cost, complexity, and time required to install surveillance solutions. The release of Smartvue S2 is another step in our strategy to concentrate the benefits of our advanced technologies on what we have termed as the global visual management industry, which extends well beyond the current surveillance and security industry.”

The Smartvue S2 digital IP video surveillance solution includes the S2 Wireless DVR (digital video recorder) and the S2 Wireless Camera. The S2 solution uses state of the art technology including H.264 Compression, Extreme Range Wireless 802.11n* and the Digital Pixel System from Pixim. Smartvue S2 is currently available to Smartvue strategic partners and will be available to the general public in February of 2005. Smartvue Corporation has more than a dozen patents either granted or pending on its surveillance technologies.

Nov 4: iPod Photo Review - Wall St Journal

The Wall Street Journal reviews the iPod Photo and has the following to say about it.

'In the old days, when cameras used only film and most pictures were printed, you could show off your photos by just whipping out a stack of prints. But what's the equivalent method today, when most pictures remain in digital form, as images on a screen? Well, Apple Computer and some of its competitors want you to show them off on the screen of a small digital device you may already be carrying -- a digital music player like Apple's iPod.

Last week, Apple released a souped-up version of its wildly popular iPod called the iPod Photo. Unlike earlier iPods, this new model has a vivid color screen and can store and display up to 25,000 photos. It retains the usual music storage and playback functions as well. You can view your photos on the iPod itself or on the screen of any TV that's handy, using a clever cable that comes with the new iPod....

We can't recommend the iRiver for average, nontechnical users. But the new iPod Photo is a great choice for storing and sharing digital photos. We just hope it comes down in price.'

Read more at Sizing up the Latest iPod Iteration - Personal Technology from The Wall Street Journal.

Get more information on the Apple iPod Photo

Nov 4: Sony Cybershots T1 and F828 Firmware Updates

Sony have released firmware updates for two of the Sony Sybershot T1 and the Sony Cybershot F828. Get them at:

- Sony Cybershot T1 Firmware Update 2.0
- Sony Cybershot F828 2.0

Nov 3: Kodak Closing Labs in Europe, Cuts Jobs

'Eastman Kodak Co. is shutting three photofinishing labs in Spain and Norway, shrinking a fourth lab in Switzerland and eliminating about 300 jobs as the world's biggest film manufacturer bets its future on digital photography.

The cutbacks will set the company back about $30 million - some $26 million in severance costs and about $4 million in other exit and disposal costs.

In the fourth quarter and next year's first quarter, Kodak also will record charges of about $2 million for inventory writedowns and $13 million for accelerated depreciation on related assets, company spokesman David Lanzillo
said Wednesday.'

Read more at Kodak Closing Labs in Europe, Cuts Jobs (washingtonpost.com)

Nov 3: Samsung Digimax A6

The Samsung Digimax A6 is a 6 megapixel (CCD) digital camera. It has a 1.8inch LCD and allows the shooting of video at 30fps.

Samsung Press Release
Samsung Adds 6-Megapixel A6 to its Rapidly Growing Digimax Range Of Compact Digital Still Cameras

Secaucus, N.J., (November 1, 2004) - Samsung Camera today announced the launch of the Digimax A6 6-megapixel digital camera. The A6 is the first member of the Digimax "A Series", and one of several new compact, digital point and shoots introduced in the U.S. market by Samsung in advance of the holiday season. Offering superb image quality, an extremely robust feature set and a highly-intuitive graphical user interface (GUI), the A6 combines all the best features that digital imaging has to offer in a sleek, compact and stylish package. With an approximate street price of just $349, the A6 puts all of these features well within reach of even the most budget conscious consumer this holiday season.

Full-Featured
The Samsung Digimax A6 is a midrange point and shoot in price only, as it comes equipped with a wide range of the most technologically advanced and cutting-edge features available on the market. In combining a 6.0-mexapixel CCD sensor with a Samsung High-Definition (SHD) lens, the A6 delivers images of unsurpassed quality.

Users are presented with 10 different scene modes (Portrait, Children, Landscape, Close-up, Sunset, Dawn, Backlight, Fireworks, Beach & Snow and Text) from which to choose in creating the perfect shot, as well as a choice between fully automatic, aperture priority, shutter priority and fully manual shooting modes. The 4cm Macro setting allows for extreme close-up photography for those wishing to explore the artistic properties of surfaces, textures and other subject matter.

The Samsung Digimax A6 also features an innovative Power Movie Clip function that allows users to shoot high quality VGA video clips. Power Movie Clip provides unmatched flexibility and creative control in allowing the user to shoot at either 30 FPS or 15 FPS of VGA quality video.

In addition, the camera enables users to shoot and store video clips in one of three different sizes (640x480, 320x240 and 160x120). Finally, Power Movie Clip offers the ability to pause, fast forward and/or rewind the video right on the camera.

In keeping with the theme of flexibility and control, Samsung has provided users with myriad options for capturing, storing and sharing images with the Digimax A6. Its 32MB of internal memory facilitates ample storage right on the camera itself, while the SD/MMC slot allows for an additional 512MB of capacity. Users can choose from six different image sizes, ranging from 640x480 to 2592x1944, as well as three different resolution settings in Superfine, Fine and Normal.

This results in 18 different image size / resolution combinations, enabling the user to select the perfect setting for virtually any situation or requirement. Once the images are captured and stored, PictBridge technology allows for easy output directly to a printer via a USB connection. Of course, the A6 comes with a robust software suite including ArcSoft Photo Impression, Digimax Viewer and Digimax Reader to enable storage, editing and output via a PC.

User-Friendly Design
Samsung clearly had the user in mind when designing the new A6, as the camera comes equipped with a wide range of features that make it a snap to use. It all begins with the highly intuitive graphical user interface (GUI), which facilitates easy access to the vast array of advanced functions and capabilities contained within the camera. A large, bright 1.8” LCD display makes it easy to view the subject during capture and playback, while an innovative new feature allows users to switch between capture and playback modes with just a single touch of the shutter button. Samsung engineers also included a one touch manual function button that allows more advanced users to quickly and easily switch between manual, aperture priority and shutter priority modes.

The A6’s image editing capabilities enable cropping, rotating and color revisions right on the camera. With black & white, sepia and RGB color effects to choose from, the creative possibilities are endless. In addition, the bright, multi-function pilot lamp on the front of the camera body communicates camera status to the user and/or the subject by displaying a different color to denote the specific function being performed (taking a picture, self timer, image upload, voice recording, etc).

Perhaps the most user-friendly feature of the Digimax A6 is its compatibility with three different power sources. Bearing in mind that you can’t shoot pictures if you don’t have power, Samsung designed the A6 to support three different power sources, including two rechargeable formats (Li-ion and Ni-MH) as well as standard AAs. The Samsung Li-ion battery provides enough power for roughly 387 shots, while the Samsung Ni-MH enables users to capture up to 345 images. If that is not enough, users can simply run to the local convenience store to pick up some AA batteries for additional backup.

Samsung Opto-Electronics America, Inc., Secaucus, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Samsung Techwin Co., Ltd., Sungnam Kyungki-Do, Korea. Samsung Opto-Electronics markets a full line of auto focus cameras, zoom and digital cameras for the amateur as well as the professional under the Samsung band name.

CCTV monitors and lenses, motorized zoom lenses, binoculars, observation and security systems, and video presenters are other products in the family of photographic and optical equipment.

Visit the Samsung Cameras Web site at: www.samsungcamerausa.com

Nov 3: Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC80 Review

Thanks to our Digital Photography Blog reader, Sam, for submitting this review. He goes into the draw to win the $100 voucher that we're offering for reviews this month.

I just bought the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC80 and am very happy with it. From my experience so far I am extremely impressed at the quality of the pictures and the cost per megapixel. This camera comes with a Leica lens and has a 5 megapixel sensor.

I upgraded to this camera from a Canon Elph for a few reasons. Firstly - this is the only camera name in the market with the Leica lens. Everything else(ie. all of the bells and whistles) are secondary to the quality of a camera lens, since this is what ultimately affects a pictures quality. I have taken several pictures of mundane things such as the side of a building just to test out the clarity of the picture and the richness of the colors. What would have been over or underexposed with my Elph much of the time comes in incredibly well with this camera.

This camera also is so quick to start up and has such a small shutter lag. People who have had other cameras know this is not always the case. Controls and user interface are also very intuitive. You will not spend much time, if any, with your nose in the manual.

And it is very small - I had no idea it would be as small as it is. One thing to note is the battery types that can be used - the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC80 only accepts alkaline and Ni-Mh, so don't try NiCd or any other type of batteries. This was another reason for my upgrade as I often travel to remote places where recharging a battery is possible. AA batteries are available everywhere!

So far, I am extremely pleased with the quality of the pictures and the many functions the camera has, most of which I am still discovering, such as the animation mode.

All in all, I think one cannot go wrong with this camera. The cost per megapixel is astounding; there are lesser cameras costing much more. One more thing: transfer time with the cable is speedy....I am rethinking how necessary a card reader really is. The Lumix line has made a convert out of me.

The design of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC80 is fantastic. One of the small things that I like is the that when you move the lever to zoom in, the lens stops and pauses when it reaches the end of the optical zoom(3X), before it continues zooming on to a maximum of 9X through the digital zoom. This is basically the camera asking the user: "are you sure you want to proceed and risk image degradation with the digital zoom?"

The one downside I could see with this package would be the software. It comes with Ulead software which does virtually everything you could want it to, however one thing it does not do, is to make a panorama out of multiple pictures. This was included with the Elph, and is something I will continue to use in the future.

Overall the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC80 is a wonderful camera that I would strongly recommend. I give it a rating of 9 out of 10.

Get more information on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC80

Nov 3: Cell phones with cameras dampen sales of digital cameras

'Sales of cell phones with cameras are threatening the success of digital cameras. According to recent forecasts of market researchers Gartner and Infotrends, sales of digital cameras should grow by 42 percent this year; however, for the first time more cell phones with integrated cameras are to be sold than digital cameras.'

Read more at heise online - Cell phones with cameras dampen sales of digital cameras

Nov 3: NHJ Dzign DZ-300

The 3.2 megapixel NHJ Dzign DZ-300 has a sliding lens cover (doubling as an on and off switch), takes 2048x1536 resolution pictures, uses SD cards up to 256mb in capasity and has a 1.4 LCD screen.

It measures just 82 x 54.5x 25mm, has a shutter speed of between 1 and 1/1000 seconds and comes in 5 colors.

Found via Engadget

Nov 3: BenQ introduce 5 new models.

BenQ Press Release

Europe, 25th ofOctober, 2004 - BenQ launched five new models to further complete its lineup of digital cameras. Sporting an array of uniquely styled exterior designs, BenQ' new digital cameras are also equipped with great features such as touch-screens, large-sized LCD screens, hand-writing function, PASM modes, and more. With a comprehensive line of digital cameras, BenQ provides camera models that fit different lifestyles.

"While we are committed to offering users product that give unparalleled enjoyment, we also hope to offer consumers’ the freedom to choose a camera that best fits the way they live," said William Wang, Vice-President and General Manager of the Imaging Network Business Group.

High-Performance Features and Functionality
Featuring 6 mega pixel resolution capabilities with 3x optical zoom, the BenQ DC C62 and C60 digital cameras offer great functionality in a classic and exquisite exterior. The BenQ DC C62 offer functions that move at the speed of life, including fast 1 second start-up, 0.01 second release time lag and 0.1 per second photo playback. Also equipped with 19 Scene-modes, your photos can be optimized to capture quality images and photos.

Sporting a large-sized 2-inch color LTPS-LCD screen, the BenQ DC C60 features a comfortable platform for viewing and capturing photos. In conjunction with its exceptionally easy-to-use interface and unique glossy metallic casing, the BenQ DC C60 is an elegantly designed camera that gives you impressive image quality. Also outfitted with PASM mode, the BenQ DC C60 offers easy access to Program, Aperture priority, Shutter priority and Manual modes to satisfy even the expert photographer.

Eye-catching Stylish
The BenQ DC E41 and E30 offer a wealth of practical and fun features: Equipped with 4 megapixel CCD resolution, that allows a maximum resolution up to 6 megapixels by interpolation, the BenQ E41 is also the world’s only digital camera equipped with a 2-inch touch-screen. In addition to this, the DC E41 also sports a convenient hand a writing function, MP3 playback capabilities and a scrawling function with 100 downloadable photo frames. The BenQ DC E41 comes in three eye-catching and vivid colors, red, gold and blue.

The ultra-slim BenQ DC E30 measures 24mm in thickness and is comparable to the size of a business card. Incased in a compact and elegant exterior, the BenQ DC E30 sports 3 mega pixel CMOS resolution (Up to 6 megapixels), making it perfect for the active lifestyle.

Great Functionality and Excellent Value
Providing users a digital camera with great value and functionality, the BenQ DC C51 digital camera is equipped with 5 megapixel resolution with 3x optical zoom as well as a spacious large-sized 2-inch color LTPS-LCD screen. With a maximum resolution of up to 8 mega pixels by interpolation, the BenQ DC C51 provides a user-friendly “Easy-Dial” interface and a wide-array of shutter speeds ranging from 1/2000 through 6 seconds.

Enjoyment matters. Your personal style matters.

Nov 3: Sandisk Mobilemate Readers for Mobile Phones

Sandisk Press Release 25/10/04

SANDISK INTRODUCES MOBILEMATE READERS TARGETED AT NEW MOBILE FEATURE PHONES WITH MEMORY CARD SLOTS

New Readers Rank Among The World's Smallest Multi-Card Readers

San Francisco, CA, October 25, 2004 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today introduced two Hi-Speed USB 2.0, multi-card MobileMate card readers targeted at the rapidly expanding market for new mobile feature phones with memory card slots. The sleek, stylish, silver-metallic readers were introduced at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2004 trade show at Moscone Center where SanDisk is exhibiting at Booth 924.

The readers, among the smallest multi-card readers in the world, are about the length and width of a stick of gum and slip easily into any pocket. The MobileMate SD+ 5-in-1 reader supports SD, MiniSD, MultiMediaCard, RS-MMC and TransFlash while the 4-in-1 MobileMate MS+ reader has one slot for Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick PRO Duo. The flash memory cards can be plugged directly into the readers. No card adapters are required.

Matthijs Hutten, SanDisk retail product marketing manager, said, “With so many new mobile phones with card slots on the market, and more being introduced every day, there is a genuine demand for these MobileMate card readers. These readers provide a faster and easier way to transfer images, video, music and other data between your mobile phone and a PC.”
Research reports from International Data Corp., a leading market research firm, estimate that about 600 million handsets will be sold in 2006 and 330 million (55 percent) of them will have slots for memory cards.

The new readers, which plug into computer USB ports, will be available worldwide starting in November at many of the phone outlets where SanDisk mobile card products are sold. Each reader has a suggested retail price of $19.99.

MobileMate readers are true “plug and play” due to USB Mass Storage Class (MSC) compliance when used with Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Mac OS 9.2.x+ and Mac OS 10.1.2+. The readers are fully compatible with those operating systems and also with Windows 98SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Mac OS 9.1.x+ and Mac OS Xv10.2+. No software installation is required except for Windows 98SE.

Each MobileMate will be sold with two plastic end caps. One cap has an attachment for a key ring, and the other has a clip to attach to a shirt pocket. The 5-in-1 MobileMate weighs 16 grams (0.6 ounces) and is 74 x 26 x 11 mm in size. The 4-in-1 reader weighs 14 grams (0.5 ounces) with a size of 64 x 26 x 11 mm.

SanDisk, the world’s largest supplier of flash memory data storage card products, designs, manufactures and market industry-standard, solid-state data, digital imaging and audio storage products using its patented, high density flash memory and controller technology. SanDisk is based in Sunnyvale, CA.

Nov 3: Digital Photo Printers Go Back to the Future

Kodak Press Release
Kodak Monthly Tech Brief Explores How Digital Photo Printers Go Back to the Future

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Oct. 29 -- It's a digital photographer's brain-teaser: If you have a high-megapixel digital camera and need to print pro-quality photos and proofs, do you spend time calibrating and re-adjusting your printer to get consistent photos? Or just buy a gift basket for your photo lab manager?

This month's Kodak Tech Brief focuses on the growing use of dye-sublimation printers in home- and small-office photo applications. Pro photographers and advanced amateurs love producing their own high-quality prints, but such high-end printers - which use a continuous-tone ribbon and thermal print head instead of multiple inkjet tanks - were priced above $1,000.

Kodak designers, who pioneered thermal dye-sub printers for commercial uses a decade ago, stepped back to the future. They revisited how thermal printers handled different paper coatings, starting with the breakthrough thermal printers Kodak launched in the early 1990s. They developed firmware and hardware improvements that increased print quality and printing speed. The resulting KODAK PROFESSIONAL 1400 Digital Photo Printer – introduced at Photokina in October 2004 – is faster than earlier thermal printers, provides higher-quality prints in a wider variety of sizes and formats, and does so at a list price ($549) less than half that of its commercial predecessor, the KODAK PROFESSIONAL 8500 printer.

To learn more about the technologies that led to affordable dye-sublimation printers, visit http://www.kodak.com/go/research.

Kodak Company and infoimaging
Kodak is the leader in helping people take, share, print and view images – for memories, for information, for entertainment. The company is a major participant in infoimaging, a $385 billion industry composed of devices (digital cameras and flat-panel displays), infrastructure (online networks and delivery systems for images) and services & media (software, film and paper enabling people to access, analyze and print images). With sales of $13.3 billion in 2003, the company comprises several businesses: Health, supplying the healthcare industry with traditional and digital image capture and output products and services; Graphic Communications Group, offering on-demand color printing and networking publishing systems consisting of three wholly owned subsidiaries: Encad, Inc., NexPress Solutions, and Kodak Versamark; Commercial Imaging, offering image capture, output and storage products and services to businesses and government; Display & Components, which designs and manufactures state-of-the-art organic light-emitting diode displays as well as other specialty materials, and delivers imaging sensors to original equipment manufacturers; and Digital & Film Imaging Systems, providing consumers, professionals and cinematographers with digital and traditional products and services.

Get more Printer News like this at Printers Breaking News Blog

Nov 3: Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox

Gateway Press Release

Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox Brings Digital Music and Photos to One Compact Device

New Mini MP3 Player Includes Color Screen for Viewing Photos, Convenient Way to Transfer Photos From a Digital Camera, and One Month of Napster To Go Unlimited Music Service

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The new Gateway(TM) MP3 Photo Jukebox will give music lovers a new fun, affordable and very convenient way to take their favorite music and photos with them wherever they go.

The new Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox will make anyone currently on a waiting list for other mini-digital music players think twice. The new Gateway jukebox combines 4GB of storage in a small and lightweight 3.4-ounce design, with cool new features including a large color display, digital photo storage, and a removable and rechargeable battery.(1)

"This feature-rich digital music player is very small, sleek, easy to use and offers a combination of features that can't be found anywhere else in the market," said Ed Fisher, senior vice president of product planning for Gateway, Inc. "Combine its affordable price, unique features, music service compatibility and out-of-the box Napster To Go Service, and you've got a great
holiday gift for music lovers of all ages."

The new device promotes a new way of enjoying digital music. Right out of the box, the jukebox comes ready to download music content directly from the new Napster To Go service, the world's first portable subscription service. Available as a plug-in through the new free Windows Media Player 10, Napster To Go gives music lovers unlimited access to more than a million songs for one low monthly price. Rather than having to purchase individual songs a la
carte, Gateway customers can use Napster To Go to get unlimited fill-ups of their MP3 Photo Jukebox. For a limited time, a prepaid month of Napster To Go is provided at no cost with the MP3 Photo Jukebox and customers who want to subscribe after the prepaid month pay only the $14.95 monthly fee.(2)

"Napster To Go offers an amazing value to consumers and the new Gateway MP3 Jukebox lets them experience this revolutionary portable subscription service on a smart, simple, affordable device full of features that are important to die-hard music fans and novices alike," said Laura Goldberg, Napster's COO. "We are extremely pleased that Gateway has developed a quality
device that complements Napster's service and will enable consumers to make the most of their digital music experience."

Moving beyond the typical black-and-white displays available on most MP3 players, the Gateway jukebox boasts a large 1.6-inch, vibrant color display. The crisp and bright images give music lovers a better way to navigate their music library and view track information.

Unlike most other digital music players, the Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox can store and display digital photos. This unique feature is perfect for people traveling on vacation or business who find they've maxed out their camera's capacity, or who simply want to carry a collection of photos along with their digital music. Transferring photos to the MP3 Photo Jukebox is easy; the jukebox can be connected directly to a digital camera with the included USB 2.0 cable. By simply connecting the two devices and following the prompts, the photos are quickly transferred. The Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox can be used to view digital photos one by one or in a slideshow format, giving the customer even more enjoyment out of the large color display.

The Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox is simple to use. The large 1.6 inch color display is easy to read, whether viewing photos, playlists or track information. The intuitive scroll navigation makes accessing and managing content quick and easy. Music can be browsed by album, artist, genre, track or playlist, and modes such as shuffle and repeat tailor the music mix. Plus,
music lovers can personalize their listening experience with more than 20 different equalizer settings.

After filling their Gateway jukebox with music and other content, Gateway customers have maximum listening time ahead of them, since the battery delivers more than eight hours of play time on a single charge.(3) And unlike most other digital music players, the battery can be removed and recharged.

Comfortable to carry in a pocket or purse, the Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox is compact and sleek. It measures only 3.8in x 2.3in x 0.7in (L x W x D) and weighs just 3.4 ounces -- less than most cell phones. And while the size is small, the sound quality is big. The Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox delivers clean, crisp high-fidelity sound. Its large 4GB of storage capacity can house up to 1,000 MP3 songs -- so an entire collection of great music can always be
on hand.

The Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox will include the new Windows Media Player 10, offering Gateway customers more music and more choices including built-in access to a broad range of digital music services. It also includes the new Auto Sync feature, which automatically synchronizes customer's digital music collections and photos from a PC to their new Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox.

Gateway plans to verify the new MP3 Photo Jukebox with the PlaysForSure logo when it ships in November. The PlaysForSure logo offers consumers a symbol of verified support for a broad range of music download services. This will also include support for the state-of-the-art Windows Media DRM 10 for music subscription services. Using a portable subscription service like Napster To Go, Gateway customers can fill their jukebox with enough music to fill hundreds of CDs, at a price of just a single CD.

Priced at just $249.99 the Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox comes with an AC Adapter, soft cover bag and ear bud headphones. The jukebox can be pre-ordered now on http://www.gateway.com or by calling 1-800-GATEWAY. The jukeboxes will ship in November, making them a perfect gift for the upcoming holidays.

About Gateway
Since its founding in 1985, Gateway (NYSE: GTW) has been a technology pioneer, offering award-winning PCs and related products to consumers, businesses, government offices and schools. With its acquisition of eMachines now complete, Gateway is the third-largest PC company in the U.S. and among the top ten worldwide. Its products under both brands received more than 150 awards and honors last year. Gateway products are offered at major retailers, over the web and phone, and through its direct and indirect sales force.
eMachines products are sold by major retailers. See http://www.gateway.com for more
information.

All offers subject to change without notice or obligation and may not be available through all sales channels. Prices exclude shipping and handling. Applicable taxes extra. Gateway Terms and Conditions of Sale apply. Intel, Pentium and Centrino are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

1.) Accessible capacity varies; MB = 1 million bytes; GB = 1 billion bytes.
2.) New Napster members only. Major credit card required. You may cancel the service anytime before the end of your Free Trial and your credit card will not be billed, unless you purchase any tracks or albums during the trial. At the end of the trial period, if service is not cancelled, Napster will charge your credit card $14.95 per month. For details please go to http://www.gateway.com/photojukebox.
3.) May vary depending on actual use factors.

Nov 3: iriver PMP140 and PMP120 Portable Entertainment Devices

iriver Press Release

Serious about entertainment?

The iriver PMP140 and PMP120 (pictured) herald a new era in portable entertainment electronics

The iriver PMP series offers a striking design, 3.5" colour screen, a Linux-based operating system and support for all standard video and audio formats.

iriver, the leading provider of innovative portable audio and video solutions in the digital entertainment segment, has launched its new Portable Media Player (PMP). The perfect travelling companion, the iriver PMP is the most versatile entertainment device available on the market today, with the ability to watch movies, listen to music, check out the latest news headlines on the radio and even view your latest snapshots, since shots taken on a digital camera can be downloaded to the PMP in seconds. Available in 20 and 40GB versions, the Linux®-based operating system sets the iriver PMP apart from the personal media centres (PMCs) currently on the market by offering the ability to play MP3, ASF, WMA and WAV audio files, as well as numerous video formats, including AVI in MPEG4, DivX and XviD.

The iriver PMP offers a market leading array of features and functions including: a built-in FM tuner; microphone; USB on-the-go function for direct data transfer from other mobile products; and a line-in to record straight from external audio sources. The 3.5" display shows up to 260,000 colours and displays films, photos or e books in crystal-clear resolution. Users also have the option of watching movies or viewing photo slideshows on a TV screen (with no loss of resolution) via a TV output channel (NTSC or PAL).

A stylish traveling companion
The iriver PMP140 boasts a 1.8" hard drive with a full 40 GB of storage capacity in a sleek champagne-and-black design. Its smaller sibling, the iriver PMP120, has 20 GB of storage space and comes in a more subdued silver/black design. The dimensions of this 299-gram featherweight – 139 x 84 x 32 mm (L x W x D) – make the PMP series from iriver the ideal personal entertainment machine.

Multimedia par excellence
The iriver PMP series gives multimedia fans just about everything they could ever ask for. They can play both audio and video content, listen to the radio, record music straight onto the hard drive, and even use the built-in microphone for digital voice recording. The real-time clock includes a music/radio alarm function. And a line-in makes it straightforward to record external audio signals.

A USB 2.0 port transfers audio, video or image files at lightning speed from PCs or notebooks to either PMP model. Finally, a USB 1.1 port (host) to connect external equipment such as digital cameras (USB on-the-go) add the finishing touches to a Portable Media Player that is a genuine all-rounder.

Features, prices and availability
• 3.5’’ display with 260,000 colours
• Audio formats supported: MP3, WMA, ASF and WAV
• Video formats supported: AVI in MPEG4, DicX and Xvid
• Ability to view video, e-books and photographs
• USB 2.0 and USB on-the-go
• High-grade earphones
• External microphone to connect to the line-in
• 3.5 mm stereo minijack to minijack lead to connect to external audio sources or speakers
• TV out lead: 3.5 mm minijack to cinch video and audio (L+R) stereo
• USB lead for data transfer
• USB adapter to connect to external devices such as digital cameras
• Power supply unit
• Carrying case
• Detailed documentation, including a quick start guide and manual

The recommended retail price is £399 the 20 GB iriver PMP120 and £449 for the 40 GB model.

about iriver:
iriver is the global premium lifestyle brand for Digital Entertainment enthusiasts. With its leading portable audio and video solutions, the company offers end-users a full range of high quality products in trend-setting designs together with an easy usability approach. iriver has become known for its foresight and strategic approach to be always the first market player to implement innovative technology and new standards in mass production products. The outstanding audio quality of all iriver products sets the standard in the field of portable players. With the leading products, applications and services from iriver, music enthusiasts as well as people of the “mobile generation� can enjoy HighEnd entertainment – anytime and anywhere.

iriver was founded in 2000, is headquartered in Seoul, Korea and is a fully owned subsidiary of the Korean Reigncom Ltd. Today the holding company has 450 employees worldwide, most of whom are employed by iriver. At the end of 2003, the company completed its IPO at the Korean high tech stock exchange KOSDAQ. Within just a few years iriver has been able to establish its brand and products worldwide and obtain market leadership in decisive regions. To extend its market share, iriver pursues an aggressive growth strategy, opening offices in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Japan and the U.S. over the course of only two years. Its latest milestone was the opening of its European headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany in January 2004, where all pan-European activities are developed.

Further information about iriver can be obtained at www.iriver.com

Nov 3: Archos Gmini 400 Portable Media Player

Toms hardware has a review of the Archos Gmini 400 Portable Media Player and writes - 'Archos has hit a home run with the Gmini 400. First, its ultra-compact and light design renders microdrives obsolete, since the Gmini 400 offers five times more storage capacity with only 50 grams of additional weight.

Indeed, the purchasing decision should be a no-brainer compared to the iPod Mini or Creative's Muvo. The Gmini 400 comes with a sleek design, 20 GB of storage, excellent photo and video playing capabilities, and can also accommodate DivX video files. On top of all this, the player is even a decent game console.'

Nov 3: Canon EOS Digital Rebel - Black Body

'The Canon EOS Digital Rebel SLR Returns for a Second Round with a Sleek Black Body

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Nov. 1, 2004—Canon's EOS Digital Rebel, the camera that put the excitement of SLR digital photography into the hands of consumers, will now be available for a limited time in a new black body. The black edition of the Digital Rebel digital SLR will be available at Canon U.S.A. authorized dealers and will sell with the digitally enhanced EF-S 18-55mm zoom lens kit for $999*.

"When we introduced the Digital Rebel, we were excited to put the fun and excitement of SLR photography into the hands of consumers at an affordable price," stated Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager of the Consumer Imaging Group at Canon U.S.A. "The new black body will appeal to even more people with a more professional and fresh new look and easy-to-use advanced functions at an affordable price point."

The EOS Digital Rebel remains one of the best selling Digital SLRs in history because it gives consumers the speed and advanced functions formerly only found on higher end cameras. The black Digital Rebel features the same popular features, including fast seven point autofocus, 6.3 megapixel resolution, Canon's exclusive DIGIC imaging processor, and the same design and durability that has established the EOS Rebel line of SLRs as quality performers.

The black edition of the Digital Rebel is compatible with more than 50 Canon EF and EF-S lenses, including the new EF-S 17-85 mm f/4-5.6 IS USM and the wide-angle EF-S 10-22 mm. f/3.5-4.5 USM.

Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. The Company is listed as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies in America, and is ranked #35 on the latest BusinessWeek list of "Top 100 Brands." Its parent company Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ) is a top patent-holder of technology, ranking second overall in the U.S. in 2003, with global revenues of $29.9 billion. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com.

# # #

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.

*Prices subject to change at any time. Actual prices are determined by individual dealers and may vary.

Nov 3: Hp photosmart 320xi Reader Review

The hp photosmart 320xi with direct printing capability and 4x digital zoom is the right choice digital camera to buy at a cheap price, it is the cheapest of its kind and the price is just excellent. Comes with the following softwares, HP Share-to-Web, HP Photo Imaging, Drivers & Utilities, ArcSoft Panorama Maker, HP Memories Disc Creator. It supports hp instant share technology, which enables you to select on your camera where the pictures will go. It has 2.06 effective resolution and a 1.5-inch color LCD. Has printing capability to hp photosmart printers, hp psc 950 all in one and USB-enabled hp DeskJet printers via included USB cable. It also has 8 MB internal memory, which can be good for your taken pictures, has secure Digital (SD) memory card slot for optional memory. A memory card can be good because the camera can also take video clips. Has also auto focus, auto exposure, auto flash, red eye reduction and docking capability with optional hp photosmart 888 digital camera dock. If you don't want to buy batteries every time, it supports in camera charging with optional hp photosmart 888 digital camera dock or with optional Ac adapter. The camera has USB connectivity which supports both Mac and windows computers. All these features are fair for the price.

The design of the camera is attractive and the colors available too are good. The camera comes with a wrist wrap, which makes it easy to carry on a journey or anywhere. There are some cameras, which if you don't put your fingers in the right place, the pictures wont come out good because your finger blocked the lens but this one has a better design to solve that problem. The quality of the pictures in a normal day is so clear that the first time I took pictures I just knew I got the right camera, The flash also makes it easy to take pictures even in a dark place and it will still be great. The camera is not too complicated to use because of the way it was made, the buttons are easy to get used to and provides great control. The only thing I don't like about it is that you cant record any sound with your video clip, but its understandable compared to the price.

I would give the camera a rating of 7 out of 10 because of the features, price and design.

I used to have a camera, which used a film, and then I heard these cameras were on sale so I went and checked it out. The price was good and the camera was also good. Now whenever I go to church or other important places I carry it with me and it takes great quality pictures. I even use it most of the time to make my own home movies cause it can do video clips. Now I don't plan on buying another camera cause this hp photosmart camera does enough for me.

This review was submitted by DPB reader - Allan Ocheng

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