The Cintiq 12WX and Cintiq 20WSX are two new desktop pen displays from Wacom, allowing you to edit image directly on-screen. The Wacom Cintiq 12WX combines all the advantages and power of direct pen-on-screen input with a new low-profile, lightweight and flexible design. The Wacom Cintiq 20WSX is the world’s first wide-format desktop pen display, offering a a 20.1” 16:10 aspect ratio LCD display. Available now, the Cintiq 12WX has an estimated street price of $999, and the Cintiq 20WSX will cost $1,999.

The WD Passport portable hard drive is now available in 320GB capacity. At less than five ounces, the lightweight WD Passport drive fits neatly in a pocket or backpack. “The need for travel-friendly storage devices continues to be an area that is growing immensely with the advent of rich media content generated by consumers,” said Jim Welsh, vice president and general manager of WD’s branded products group. “It’s not only music that’s consuming space on desktops. Higher resolution pictures and HD videos eat up storage very quickly so we’re excited to make a portable 320 GB solution available for consumers on the move.” Price for the WD Passport Portable Drive 320GB is $229.99 USD.

PhotoVu have added support for Mac OS X Leopard, iPhoto ‘08 and .Mac Web Gallery to their wireless digital picture frames. “Our PhotoVu customers who use the Mac OS X Leopard operating system and iLife ‘08 recognize PhotoVu as ‘the’ premium digital picture frame to accurately and seamlessly display their life’s photos directly from a iPhoto ‘08 digital picture library or from their .Mac Web Gallery using RSS.” said Robert Jordan, Partner, PhotoVu. Customers with a current software update plan can access the new version of software starting today.

The Lite-On EZ-DUB DVD writer has been redesigned to create a compact, more elegant appearance. Two new touch sensitive buttons on the top of the unit are used for for duplicating a disc and backing up files from a computer. “The new EZ-DUB is still the easiest way users can quickly duplicate discs or backup computer files but its elegant exterior also adds to the overall décor of an office or workstation,” says Christine Hsing, marketing manager at PLDS.  “Functionally, the EZ-DUB drive uses SmartWrite technology to optimize write speed and disc quality for added time-saving operation.”

The PhotoViewer from Epson and Philips is the easiest way to view and print your digital photos in high-definition in the living room. The PhotoViewer makes it possible to watch photos on a large TV screen and print them as they appear on the supplied Epson PictureMate PM 240 photo printer. The PhotoViewer allows photos to be viewed in full 1080i high-definition, directly from the memory cards of digital cameras, mobile phones or PDA’s. The PhotoViewer costs £119.99 and will be available in December 2007.

The Samsung TruDirect SE-S204S allows consumers to create DVDs and burn digital content through a PC without the need for a hard drive. Similar to VCR recording, users can connect a digital device such as a digital camera, and then connect the Samsung TruDirect SE-S204S to the computer to burn DVD movies directly. “The TruDirect SE-S204S enables users to easily and efficiently turn their digital videos or photos into DVDs in the easiest and fastest way ever.” said Richard Aguilera, western regional sales manager, Samsung Storage Division. The TruDirect SE-S204S is shipping now for $159.99.

The Jobo PDJ105 and PDJ100 digital photo frames both feature a 10.4” high-resolution LCD display with Acrylic frame design and modern black trim. Each new JOBO digital picture frame features a 640 x 480 pixel resolution with a contrast ratio of 300:1. Both models feature USB 2.0 high speed capability and support all popular memory cards such as CF, SD, MMC, MS and xD. The 512 MB internal memory of the new JOBO PDJ105 model can store up to 5,000 pictures. The JOBO Photo Displays are available for $239 (PDJ105) and $209 (PDJ100) respectively.

The PhotoVu PV1765w is a new 17” widescreen wireless digital picture frame. Equipped with a 1280 x 800 LCD display and a fully customizable picture frame and mat, the 17” Widescreen PhotoVu display is a great way to display and enjoy your photos. “This is clearly a premium digital picture frame at a very affordable price, making a PhotoVu the perfect gift for the 2007 holiday season” said Mark Van Buskirk, Partner, PhotoVu. All PhotoVu digital picture frames include features such as WiFi support, built-in software, and Internet photo sharing. The PhotoVu PV1765w is available now from $699.

Phase One and Mamiya have announced a strategic alliance to develop medium format digital camera systems and solutions for professional photographers. The agreement includes technology-sharing and intellectual property assets as well as sales and marketing co-operation. “With this alliance, Mamiya and Phase One together are ushering in a new chapter for photographers,” said Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, CEO of Mamiya Digital Imaging. “As a team, we have access to all the software and hardware competences which are needed to further develop unique digital camera solutions in the coming years, including new feature combinations not in the market today.” The first new camera system will be introduced in the first quarter of 2008.

Update: Luminous Landscape have a short interview with Henrik Håkonsson, Phase One’s CEO, which casts more light on the new system. “The new camera system will be based on the Mamiya lens mount. Previous lenses will be able to be fitted. A new line of AF lenses will be made available. Some will be made by Mamiya, some by other lens manufacturers, including some from Europe. There will be leaf shutter lenses available as well for high flash sync speeds.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - Phase One and Mamiya Get Hitched

The new Transcend 250GB StoreJet is a 2.5 inch SATA external hard drive that supports transfer rates of up to 1.5Gb/s. With a stylishly designed, polished aluminum case, the StoreJet 2.5 has a USB 2.0 interface and a convenient “OneTouch Auto-Backup” button. The Transcend StoreJet 2.5 SATA is available in a colorful assortment of eye-catching, polished aluminum cases including: Titanium (120GB), Blue (160GB) and Silver (250GB).

The Lite-On DH-4O1S is an internal BD-ROM (Blu-ray Disc Reader) drive that supports Blu-ray Disc, DVD and CD discs. “With the increasing availability of Blu-ray Disc movies and other video content, consumers now have an affordable way to view the brilliant picture quality Blu-ray technology offers right on their personal computers,” says Christine Hsing, Marketing Manager at PLDS. The Lite-On DH-4O1S Blu-ray BD-ROM drive will be available in late November for $199.99.

The new JPEG XR image file standard proposed by Microsoft has just been approved by the countries participating in the Joint Photographic Experts Group. According to a report by CNET News, work will now begin on defining the standard, which will begin later this month. Formerly referred to as the HD Photo file format, JPEG XR (“extended range”) promises better image fidelity, higher image compression efficiency and flexible editing features.

Website: CNET News

The JOBO GIGA Vu extreme is a new digital image storage and viewing device with a 3.7” VGA resolution LCD screen and support for more then 100 RAW formats. Available in hard disk capacities up to 160 GB, the GIGA Vu extreme includes an SD/SDHC adapter and is compatible with JOBO’s new photoGPS unit. “JOBO understands the workflow needs of today’s digital photographers and the JOBO GIGA Vu extreme picks up where our award-winning GIGA Vu PRO evolution left off,” said Johannes Bockemuehl-Simon, JOBO’s CEO. Available with three different storage capacities - 80GB, 120GB and 160GB - the retail prices are $599, $749, and $899 respectively.

The Eye-Fi Card is the world’s first wireless SD memory card for digital cameras. Eye-Fi uses home wireless networks to eliminate the time-consuming chore of dealing with cables, card readers or software plug-ins associated with uploading photos. The Eye-Fi Card works with existing and new SD-compatible digital cameras and stores photos like a conventional SD memory card. “The Eye-Fi Card removes the barriers and lets users get to the fun part of sharing and printing their memories. We’re putting the magic back into photography.” said Jef Holove, chief executive officer of Eye-Fi. Priced at $99.99 with 2GB of storage, the Eye-Fi Card is available now.

The Kodak Photo Futures report looks at the changing nature of photography throughout Europe, highlighting the changes in photography since the advent of digital technology. The report identifies five distinct types of user: Eventographers, Happy Snappers, Digital Disciples, Picture Pests and Analogue Artisans. Kodak’s John O’Grady concludes that “people are becoming increasingly creative about how they choose to display, share and print their images. Pictures are becoming ever more central to communicating – representing our identities online, providing a backdrop for social engagements, even a new form of currency.”

Broncolor have announced a new partnership in the UK with digital rental and sales specialists Peartree. Also suppliers of Leaf products, Peartree are now able to provide photographers with all essentials tools needed to conduct a high profile photo shoot. Peartree Rental’s Director Andy Quiney states, “Broncolor is a cutting edge company, far superior to anything in the market. We believe in providing our photographers with quality solutions and forming a relationship with a company known for product innovation and consistent reliability will only compliment our existing product range.”

The Dell XPS 420 is a new multimedia desktop PC which makes fast work of complex digital media creating, editing and capturing activities. The XPS 420 comes with Adobe Photoshop Elements 6, Premiere Elements 4 software and Soundbooth CS3 pre-installed. “Our goal is to help people turn their digital lifestyle dreams into reality, whether it’s viewing family moments and memories, telling your story with photos and videos, creating videos for social networking sites like YouTube, recording TV shows or converting vinyl album libraries to digital files,” said Karen Plotkin, director of consumer desktop marketing. The Dell XPS 420 is priced from $1,499. Dell have also announced the 20-inch SP2008WFP LCD monitor and Dell 948 All-in-One printer.

The Parrot DF7700 is the first digital photo frame that you can send pictures to from your mobile phone via MMS. A SIM card with a dedicated call number is built directly into the DF7700 photo frame. The 7 inch, leather-bound Parrot DF7700 frame also features a USB connection and an SD card slot, and can store over 500 images in its internal memory. The Parrot DF7700 will first be available exclusively in France in Bouygues Telecom shops for 189 Euros, beginning in December 2007. It will be available in other countries in 2008.

The cenOmax F7024B is a new 7 inch digital photo frame from optical storage company LiteOn. The F7024B frame includes four interchangeable frame inserts to match the style and décor of any room. The F7024B can play back photos, video and audio in several formats including SD/MMC/MS/xD/CF for photos. Costing $89.99, the cenOmax F7024B will be available at US retail outlets in October.

Some of the three-pin plug cords provided with some of Pentax’s cameras sold in the UK may have a manufacturing defect. Pentax are recalling any plug marked with ‘Approved BSI KM 45980’. This recall only applies to specific products sold after the 20th November 2006. The camera models affected are: Optio A20, Optio T20, Optio W20, Optio S7, Optio L20, K10D. David Moore, managing director of Pentax U.K. comments, “We apologise for inconvenience caused to our customers whilst we take this precautionary measure.  Pentax takes the safety and quality of the products it sells very seriously and it spends a considerable amount of time and effort ensuring that the products it sells meet all relevant regulations and standards.”