Eye-Fi announced its new Direct Mode at CES. “Leveraging a combination of new technology in Eye-Fi cards and new Eye-Fi mobile apps, Direct Mode enables consumers to bring together the imaging quality of a digital camera and the connectivity of a smartphone or tablet in an unprecedented way,” the company said in a statement. With Direct Mode, photos taken with your digital camera can immediately be sent to your smartphone or tablet. They can be viewed and edited with third-party aops, or uploaded and shared. Direct Mode will be available as a free upgrade to all Eye-Fi X2 cards later in 2011.

Kenro has announced the immediate availability of the Nissin Di622 Mark II flash in the UK. Introduced at Photokina, the Nissin Di622 Mark II is an upgraded version of the popular Di622. New improvements include wireless TTL, and MY TTL. The unit also boasts a useful x-sync socket. Available now, with an RRP of £224.95, the unit comes with either a Canon or Nikon fitting and the relevant versions are compatible with Canon’s E-TTL, E-TTLII system, and Nikon’s i-TTL. Powered by four AA batteries, the flash has a zooming head, and the guide number is 62 in metres at the 105mm setting.

Transcend today announced the addition of the new JetFlash 700 USB flash drive to its USB 3.0 product portfolio. The drive enables data transfer rates of up to 70MB/s and features a sturdy structure, smooth surface, and a streamlined appearance. Users of the JetFlash drives can download the useful JetFlash Elite data management tools, which allow users to check their email from any compatible computer, use the JetFlash drive as a key to automatically log on to website accounts, and more. The JetFlash 700 is now available for a suggested price of $29 for the 8GB model, $46 for the 16GB model and $125 for the 32GB model.

Lexar today announced the innovative Echo MX and ZX backup drives, designed to automatically protect essential files for on-the-go netbook and notebook users. The Lexar Echo MX back-up drive provides 128-bit AES encryption with built-in Lexar Echo backup software, along with an easy-to-read, always-on capacity meter that displays available backup space, even when disconnected from a computer. Available in capacities of 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB, the Echo MX offers speeds up to 28MB/s read and 10MB/s write on lower capacities and speeds up to 30MB/s read and 17MB/s write for the 128GB capacity. The Lexar Echo ZX is an always-ready, low-profile drive can easily plug into a notebook or netbook and remain there for ongoing, automatic backup of essential files when both stationary and on the go. The Echo ZX drive comes in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB capacities. RRPs for the products range from £24.99 to £299.99 for the Echo MX and £24.99 to £84.99 for the Echo ZX.

Lexar has unveiled a range of Class 10 SDXC memory cards, including the world’s first 128GB model. Speed rated at 133x, providing a minimum guaranteed transfer speed of 20MB per second, the newSDXC memory cards are compatible with all SDXC-enabled devices and include the latest version of Lexar’s Image Rescue software to help recover lost or deleted photo and video files. The 128GB version retails for $699.99, while the 64GB model is $399.99. Both memory cards will become available in the first quarter of 2011.

Kodak has updated the popular 7” and 10” Kodak Pulse digital photo frames to include a new social networking feature. Users can now comment on the pictures they receive from friends and family the moment they receive them. A Quick Comment button on the touchscreen lets them communicate back to the picture sender directly from the frame. The frame also has a new built-in activity sensor that turns on the frame when you are nearby, and conserves power when you are not. In addition, you can now create playlists to choose the pictures you want to see the most. The updated KodakPulse digital frames will be available in 7-inch for $129.95 and 10-inch for $199.95 in spring 2011

The Rollei Designline 3D is a 7-nch digital frame that can display three-dimensional photos. Shipping in a bundle with the “Blaze Video Magic 3.0” software that helps to convert 2D images into 3D pictures, the Rollei Desingline 3D is otherwise a standard 800x480-pixel digital photo frame with integrated stereo speakers, and doubles as an e-book reader. The frame will be hit the shops in January at a price of €299.95.

LensAlign MkII accurately measures and then adjusts the Auto Focusing accuracy of a DSLR camera. LensAlign was created as a focus system measurement standard by which photographers can accurately measure and improve the performance of their cameras’ focus systems. LensAlign MkII is $79.95 and currently includes a free GENUINE WhiBal G7 White Balance Keychain Card. The WhiBal sells for $18.95 by itself.

The iWorkTablet is a new solution for working with a Wacom tablet and the iWorkCase. The iWorkCase is the first on-location workstation from photographers for photographers, as well as digital operators and DiTs. Every order of an iWorkCase or HyperMac battery placed by 31.12.2010 will be entered in a lottery for an iPad Wi-Fi + 3G 16GB.

Verbatim’s portable USB 3.0 hard drives with 1TB capacity are now available in six neon colours. These include Caribbean Blue, Hot Pink, Violet, Sunkissed Yellow, Eucalyptus Green and Volcanic Orange. Backwards compatible with USB 2.0 host devices, the new USB 3.0 Portable Store ‘n’ Go Hard Drives from Verbatim come bundled with two software packages, Nero BackItUp and Burn Essentials, and Nero RescueAgent.  The Verbatim USB 3.0 Portable Store ‘n’ Go Hard Drive is available in stores now and costs £99.99.

Epson America has announced three new canvas products that will be added to its Signature Worthy collection of media. These include the new Exhibition Canvas Gloss, Exhibition Canvas Satin and Exhibition Canvas Matte products, which are built on a polyester and cotton blend that is specially coated to produce vibrant colours as well as rich, deep blacks and tonal gradations that are claimed to distinguish them from competitive products. All three Exhibition Canvas products are available in roll widths of 13, 17, 24, 44 and 60-inches, and 17” x 22” cut sheets will be available in early 2011. Pricing starts at $34 for the 13"x20’ roll of Exhibition Canvas Matte, and goes up to $425 for the 60” x 40’ roll of Satin/Gloss.

Newpro is now listing the new Cullmann Nanomax 200T tripod, which is the smallest of the 4 models in the Nanomax series. Thanks to the ‘macro’ feature on the legs (a feature shared with the Nanomax 250 and 260 tripods) it can be used as a tabletop or macro tripod when required. The CB5.1 ball and socket head is removable and the centre column is split with a 1/4” screw thread on both pieces allowing the whole column to be reversed and inserted inverted or the head can be attached to either of these extra screw threads.  For extra stability, the 1006 Ground spike can be attached to the bottom of either section of the centre column. With a load capacity of 2kg, the Cullmann Nanomax 200T is available at a recommended retail price of £47.99.

Anton/Bauer, the world’s premier provider of batteries, chargers, lighting and other mobile power systems for the professional broadcast, video and film industries, is now shipping the QR-DSLR (pictured) and DSLR-ADP-ELPZ power solutions for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EOS 7D and EOS 60D digital SLR cameras. Utilising the Logic Series batteries, the QR-DSLR has the ability to mount to most third party support rigs, such as those from Red-Rock Micro, Zacuto and Cinevate, and offers a counter balance to the rig.  The DSLR-ADP-ELPZ is based around the ElipZ® battery system and provides the user the ability to power the camera and ElightZ or EledZ on-camera lights.

Sony has expanded its family of premium-quality memory cards. There’s now a choice of three SDHC card ranges by Sony: the affordable ESSENTIAL Series and value-added EXPERIENCE Series are joined by the flagship EXPERT Series that boast “class-leading” capacity and transfer speeds. Available in capacities of 8GB, 16GB and 32GB, the EXPERT Series SDHC memory cards by Sony conform to the Class 10 specifications, achieving transfer speeds of up to 20 megabytes per second. The “value-added” EXPERIENCE Series cards are available in capacities from 2GB to 32GB and support data transer speeds of up to 15 megabytes per second, while the ESSENTIAL range has “entry-level” offerings of 2GB, 4GB and 8GB storage capacity. Customers who purchase an EXPERT or EXPERIENCE card are entitled to download Sony’s File Rescue HD application and x-Pict Story software package at no extra cost.

The new Flexipod 100 from Rollei is a flexible camera tripod featuring rubber legs. The slender mini-tripod can be positioned securely anywhere thanks to its rubber limbs that can be bent and rotated through 360°. Its compact size of 200 x 40 x 40 mm and a weight of just 102 grams also make it easy to transport and stow. Compact cameras and mini camcorders with a weight of up to 800g can be attached to the quick release plate with a 1/4-inch tripod socket. The Flexipod 100 will be available as of the end of January 2011 in pink, blue, red, green and grey for €14.95.

The Sekonic DigiCineMate L-308DC is a versatile, easy-to-use digital exposure meter that can be used by photographers, videaographers and cinematographers alike. Users can pick the mode that displays only the specific information they need (e.g videographers ususally work with a fixed frame rate and shutter speed so they only need to know what f-stop to set on the lens, which the Sekonic DigiCineMate L-308DC displays with one-tenth of a stop accuracy). Lux and cande readout enables quick set up of lights for cinematographers. Photographers get all important information including EV. The meter can be used to measure ambient and flash light, and is capable of both reflected and incident light metering. The scheduled release is January 2011, with an suggested retail price of £239.99.

LaCie has released a resilient new hard drive case that protects hard drives against hazardous situations. The LaCie Tank, design by Neil Poulton, is essentially a hard, rugged shell made of rubber and polypropylene snaps securely around any 2.5” hard disk drive, keeping out dust and rain. This robust exterior is also shock-resistant and tested against military-grade drop requirements. Manufactured in Italy, the LaCie Tank is priced at £19.99.

The iFlash is a self-powered flash module that plugs directly into your Apple iPhone to provide some extra illumination for your subject. This LED flash emits light with a colour temperature of 5,000K and uses the docking port on the bottom of the iPhone. When not in use, the iFlash can be attached to the phone through a plastic 3.5mm jack and left dangling from the iPhone “like a phone charm”, the manufacturer says. Available now for $39.95 from Gadgets and Gear, the iFlash comes in a choice of black or white.

Cameras Underwater has announced that it will now be distributing the Subal range online and in store. Manufactured to exacting standards using state of the art technology, Subal products are used by some of the world’s best known and well respected underwater photographers including Alex Mustard and Howard Hall. The full Subal range is available now at the website below.

Etre has launched its new collection of Fivepoint gloves. Billed as a stylish way of keeping your hands warm and dry while using a touch-screen device outdoors, these gloves feature specially-designed conductive fingertips. Manufactured in the United Kingdom from lambs wool and are available in three different sizes – small, medium and large -, these gloves could be of interest to owners of any touch-screen camera, be it an ultra-compact model like the Nikon S4000 or something as complex as the new Panasonic Lumix GH2. Etre’s Fivepoint gloves are availabl for £24.99 from the website below.

Website: Etre’s Fivepoint Gloves