DPReview are reporting today that Sharp have just announced a 6 megapixel CCD, which is exactly the same size as the CCDs used in the current crop of 4 and 5 megapixel digital cameras (1/1.8” type). So expect to see a number of new releases of 6 megapixel compact digicams throughout 2004. DPReview have a photo of the new Sharp sensor and specifications list.

Website: DPReview - Sharp 6 Megapixel CCD

Lexar Media, Inc. Press Release 15/12/03

Companies? Latest Technologies to Produce the World?s Highest Capacity and Fastest Removable Memory Solutions

FREMONT, CA, December 15, 2003—Lexar Media, Inc. (Nasdaq: LEXR), a leading designer, developer and marketer of high-performance digital media and accessories, today announced that the company has begun sampling Samsung Electronics? first 8Gb NAND flash memory device. The new high-density chips, combined with Lexar Media?s next-generation controller technology, will enable Lexar Media to increase the performance and storage capacity of its award winning memory cards and USB flash drives.

?Photographers consistently demonstrate an insatiable appetite for fast, high-capacity digital storage and our close relationship with Samsung allows us to be the first to deliver it,? said Eric Stang, chairman, president and CEO, Lexar Media. ?Our collaboration with Samsung allows us to maximize the capabilities of their flash memory through advanced features programmed into our controller.?

?Our 8Gbit quad-die NAND flash using single level cell (SLC) technology offers a superior, reliable high performance storage solution over substantially slower multi level cell (MLC) solutions,? said Jon Kang, Senior Vice President of Samsung Electronics? memory product planning and application engineering team. ?Our SLC technology is not only low cost but also performs ideally for high-end, high performance applications such as digital still and video cameras allowing consumers to take consecutive pictures more quickly and enabling continuous recording of high quality video.?

Lexar Media?s next generation technology will produce faster write speeds in high-density memory through more efficient operation. Historically, Lexar Media’s proprietary and patented controller has allowed many sectors of flash memory to be programmed without any erase cycles, and erases blocks in the background when the system is idle for faster performance. Included in the new architecture are pipelining and streaming technology to enable smooth transfer of data without interruption, which further increases the speed at which data is written and read.

About Lexar Media, Inc.
Lexar Media, Inc. (Nasdaq: LEXR) is a leading designer, marketer and licensor of award-winning removable flash-based digital storage media, card readers and ATA controller solutions for the digital photography, consumer electronics, industrial and communications markets. Lexar Media brands digital memory cards in the industry’s most popular formats including CompactFlash, SmartMedia, Memory Stick, MultiMediaCard and SD. As a digital storage innovator, Lexar Media was the first to develop and advance proprietary read-write speed standards for its USB-enabled CompactFlash cards and holds over 60 controller and system patents. Licensees of Lexar Media’s technology include Olympus, SanDisk, Samsung Electronics and Sony. Headquartered in Fremont, California, Lexar Media also has offices in London and Tokyo. Lexar Media is a member of the Russell 2000 Index. For more information, please call 1-800-789-9418 or visit www.lexarmedia.com.

VOSONIC X’S-DRIVE PRO VP300

6in1 Portable Storage Device with 40GB or more Fast connection with USB 2.0 & LCD Panel MP3 Jukebox Player

Cardmedia (Europe) Ltd, the official UK distributor for the manufacturer Vosonic, has announced the availability of the new X’S-Drive Pro VP300, a new Portable Storage Device with enhanced LCD display + MP3 player.

The X’S-Drive Pro is available from all appointed Vosonic distributors.

The Vosonic X’S-Drive Pro combines all the X’S-Drive latest features; Fast USB 2.0 compatible interface, LCD panel to indicate detailed Working status, File transfer and battery power level.

Like the previous X’S-Drive II VP2060, the X’S-Drive Pro VP300 allows the transfer of pictures and all the other files from any memory card to its internal 2.5 inches hard drive.

It displays on its 2.5 inches LCD screen detailed information such as the names of files being transferred and the transfer progress status.

It can be used with all types of memory cards: Compactflash, IBM Microdrive, SmartMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Secure Digital, and MultiMediaCard, and xD picture cards with any adapter.

The easy to use Copy function copies files from your memory cards with just the press of a button, and the names of the files being transferred are indicated on its LCD Panel.
It is also possible to copy file by file from the memory card to the HDD with its single file copy feature. The similar single file deletion feature allows to delete each file stored on the X’S-Drive Pro Hard disk or the memory card inserted

The X’S-Drive Pro includes built-in internal rechargeable batteries.

You can access the files stored on the Hard Drive via your computer with the new USB 2.0 Connection - you can also use the X’S-Drive Pro as a USB Combo card reader.

The RRP is for the X’S-Drive Pro 20GB are: $335 excl VAT / 275 Euros excl VAT / ?225 incl VAT

Website: Vosonic

According to an article on BusinessWeek Online, published on Tuesday, sales of digital cameras are going through the proverbial roof this Christmas. MSN claim a 40-50% increase compared to the same period last year:

“This year, digital cameras are on fire. “It’s our top category,” says Barr, who claims sales are up 40% to 50% vs. last year. He won’t break out exact numbers on how many digital cameras MSN moves, but he says they account for a significant portion of consumer-electronics sales, a category that makes up 30% of the $11 billion-plus that MSN expects its visitors to spend at MSN Shopping’s vendors this holiday season. “

Further proof that take-up of digital cameras is increasing, at the expense of traditional film-based cameras. “In 2003, their sales will eclipse those of analog film-based cameras in both market share and dollar value for the first time, according to a number of analysts and industry trackers including the Consumer Electronics Assn.”

Website: BusinessWeek Online - “Everyone’s Smiling for Digital Cameras”

As usual Sony are at the forefront of technological innovation. Their latest, greatest idea is a 360? full-circle lens that can take a panoramic image without actually moving!

“Until now, taking a 360? panorama with a normal lens has required taking multiple shots while rotating the camera slowly and then combining (“stitching”) those shots together to form the panorama. In contrast, the 360? full-circle lens allows the full 360? surroundings of the camera to be imaged at the same time with a single lens.

Sony has now developed a camera module that uses this 360? full-circle lens, and is releasing as commercial products both a camera module that uses a 380K-pixel, 30 fps CCD that outputs a ring-shaped image as a composite video signal as well as a high-resolution camera module that uses a 1.28 MP, 7.5 fps CCD with a built-in panorama expansion processing function.”

- Images a full 360 degrees in one operation
- Supports pan, tilt, and zoom without mechanism
- Focus adjustment for distance not required
- Images the whole surround area with a small convex lens

Website: Sony - Full-Circle 360? Camera Module

Luminous Landscape editor Michael Reichmann has just reviewed the Sony Artisan Monitor.

“Imagine a monitor design specifically for digital photographers. Imagine that it was capable of calibrating and profiling itself, and even able to advise you when it drifted out of calibration. Imagine that it had a resolution of up to 2048 X 1536 and a diagonal measurement of 21”.

I could go on - and will - but you get the idea. The monitor in question is the Sony Artisan, aka the model GDM-C520K. It has a suggested retail price in the U.S. of $1,800 but can be found for about $1,600 from a number of reputable on-line dealers.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - Sony Artisan Monitor Review

PICFA Press Release 08/12/03

PICFA Partners with Micro Solutions to Offer Total Digital Photo Protection

CUPERTINO, Calif., Dec. 8, 2003 - Picfa, a provider of innovative software and unique photo services, today announced the partnership with Micro Solutions to bundle Picfa membership and photo archive service with Micro Solutions’ RoadStor device. The bundle offers total digital photo protection for people to preserve, share, and enjoy their photos online as well as offline.

Described as possibly a “frequent traveler’s favorite toy” by USA Today.com and “a prayer answered” by the Imaging-Resource Web site, the portable and versatile RoadStor from Micro Solutions offers the best offline solution for people to archive, share and enjoy their photos. RoadStor is a CD burner, a DVD player, an MP3 player and a digital photo viewer. It works with major computer platforms and has a built-in 6-in-1 flash memory card reader and a USB 2.0 port. With RoadStor, users can download photos, MP3s, and videos from a variety of memory cards and burn CD-R and CD-RW discs with or without a computer. This innovative product can be connected to a television or a computer for watching DVD movies or viewing digital photos. Measuring only 1.4 inches by 5.4 inches by 8.2 inches with its detachable lithium ion battery pack and weighing just 1.6 pounds, RoadStor travels easily.

To safeguard photos from computer hard disk crashes, virus attacks, loss of CDs and backups, Picfa offers a unique permanent photo archive service with total protection without recurring storage charge that allows members to pay a one-time only storage fee to safely store all their photos permanently on the Internet. Picfa members pay only as much space as they need for as low as just a few cents per megabyte. Picfa members can use the free Picfa Album software to backup photos on the internet with just a single click. Picfa Album is a unique and innovative photo album software designed for people to preserve, share, and enjoy their photos with versatile multimedia support, comprehensive slide show features, and convenient one-click Internet backup and P2P (Peer-to-Peer) sharing features. Picfa also offers comprehensive security/privacy protection for archiving and sharing photos online or via P2P sharing.

Several technology and photography websites, including Slashdot, Imaging Resource and BytePhoto, are reporting that Microsoft are going to enforce patents that it holds for the FAT file system. In effect this mean that Microsoft will charge a fee for use of a technology that was first developed way back in 1976.

The fee applies to any company that uses the FAT system, which includes manufacturers of solid state media cards and digital still and video cameras. Apparently the patents have been around for over 10 years, and only now when the use of the FAT system is widespread have Microsoft decided to enforce them and start charging a fee. There are two types of license, one for removable solid state media manufacturers (e.g. compact flash) and one for consumer electronics devices. Pricing for both licenses is US$0.25 per unit with a cap on total royalties of $250,000 per manufacturer. How generous of Microsoft to cap the total amount…

What does this mean for consumers? Well, the price of digital memory cards and cameras themselves may go up slightly. Alternatively, Imaging Resource editor Michael R. Tomkins suggests that “flash manufacturers could avoid paying the fees by simply offering their flash cards for sale unformatted - and we’d not be surprised to seem them do so, in a business where violent price wars have driven profits down to a bare minimum.” Hopefully most companies will choose to absorb this sudden new cost and not pass on any increase to the general public.

Website: BytePhoto - Microsoft Patent

Website: Slashdot - Microsoft to Charge for FAT File System

Website: Imaging Resource - Microsoft’s FAT fees add a little more to digicam costs

Photographer Max Lyons has taken a 1 Gigapixel image of Bryce Canyon in the USA and posted it for your viewing pleasure. This enormous images is made up of 196 individual 6-megapixel photos, stitched together using PTAssembler.

“This page contains what I believe to be one of the highest resolution, most detailed stitched digital images ever created. It is the view from Bryce Point in Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. It consists of 196 separate photographs taken with a 6 megapixel digital camera, and then stitched together into one seamless composite. The final image is 40,784 x 26,800 pixels in size, and contains about 1.09 billion pixels…a little more than one gigapixel. I have been unable to find any record of a higher resolution photographic (i.e. non-scientific) digital image that has been created without resizing a smaller, lower resolution image or using an interpolated image.”

Website: The 1.09 Billion Pixel Photo

Steves Digicams have just reviewed the Addonics Multi Function Recorder, a portable storage device that uses CD-R/RW discs.

“The Addonics MFR is quite possibly the most useful gadget that we’ve reviewed in a long time. It’s the answer to “where do I store all of my pictures when we go on that extended vacation without taking a laptop or buying a pile of memory cards”—it lets you quickly and easily transfer images from the most popular flash memory cards to CD-R/RW discs. And it can do this anywhere, anytime, without need of AC power or a computer thanks to its rechargeable Li-ion battery pack. “

Website: Steves Digicams - Addonics Multi Function Recorder Review

Archos, Inc., a global provider of innovative handheld entertainment and storage solutions, introduced today the AVCam 300, the world’s first camera and camcorder attachment for a portable audio and video player. The AVCam brings together for the first time a 3.3-megapixel camera, MPEG-4 camcorder and player, MP3 recorder and player and massive hard disk. The AV300 series and AVCam are available today at Website: archos.com.

The world’s first combined 3.3 Megapixel camera, MPEG4 camcorder, MP3 recorder and USB 2.0 hard disk is here. All integrated seamlessly with the VIDEO AV320 or 340 from ARCHOS. 

The compact AVCam 300 is full of innovations that have been designed especially for use with the VIDEO AV300 series. A simple press-fit attaches the AVCam 300 onto your VIDEO AV320 or 340 allowing you to enjoy it’s many fantastic features:

- Unique combination of MPEG4 camcorder and digital still camera: within seconds you can switch the functionality of the AVCam 300 from camcorder to still camera. 
- 3.3 Megapixel (effective) CCD, matched optical system and advanced imaging technology for high resolution crystal clear pictures and video. 
- 10x digital and 3x optical zoom Ricoh lens
- Massive storage: 40,000 3.3-Megapixel photos*
- Camcorder to record up to 80 hours of MPEG4 video, QVGA (320x240) 20 f/s NTSC,  25 f/s PAL, with MP3 stereo sound. 
- Stereo audio recording and real-time encoding directly into MP3.
- View your videos and photos instantly on the large 3,8” built-in color LCD or on larger screen size by connecting your VIDEO AV300 series to any TV or monitor.
- Several program modes for automatic control of exposure, white balance and color saturation
- Ultra-fast USB 2.0 transfer of videos and photos to and from your computer. The VIDEO AV300 series contains a hard disk, that will be mounted as an additional hard disk when connected to a computer. This allows easy file management.

Website: Steves Digicams - Archos Press Release

Luminous Landscape has published its review of the Leaf Valeo 22, a 22 megapixel back for medium format cameras such as the Contax 645 and Mamiya 645 AFD. At $29,000 it may just be out of reach for the average photographer :-)

“In early November I was visited by Ilan Carmi, Leaf’s Product Marketing Manager. He had with him a Valeo 22 back designed for the Contax 645, and we spent one morning filming an interview with Ilan for the Issue #9 (Dec. ‘03) issue of The Video Journal. In this discussion we examined the Valeo 22 back and discussed its features and capabilities. We also had a broad-ranging discussion about the digital back and camera industry in general, and the future of large-sized imaging chips.”

Website: Luminous Landscape -  Leaf Valeo 22 Review

Imaging Resource have spent the last couple of weeks testing the new RoadStor from Micro Solutions. This is a CD/DVD-based portable storage device, which allows you to copy files from your digital camera onto a CD/DVD via the built-in card reader.

“Pop your storage card into one of the reader ports and press one button twice to copy the images to a CD. Change the CD and copy them again. Confirm they’re copied by plugging the box into a television (NTSC or PAL signal) and watching a slide show. Play DVDs, VCDs, MP3s, too.”

Website: Imaging Resource - Micro Solutions RoadStor Review

Website: ePhotoZine are reporting that the second version of the Apacer Disc Steno, the CP200, has been introduced to the UK, retailing for ?299.99.

Original Apacer Press Release

Apacer Disc Steno CP200 Portable Photo CD Burner
Copy Digital Photos Everywhere and Connect to a TV for easy Image Viewing

Apacer formally announced the second generation of its portable photo CD burner, the Disc Steno CP200, which is positioned as a total solution digital camera peripheral for secure digital image storage and easy image sharing.

From the moment you start a journey to the end of the trip and coming home, use the Disc Steno CP200 to easily record your experiences and share the fun with friends and family. You can copy digital photos anywhere and at any time, as well as connect the Disc Steno CP200 to a TV via the TV Out port for viewing the digital photos and movies taken on your trip.

Alera Technologies Press Release 10/11/03

Exciting New Digital Photo Copy Cruiser(tm) from Alera Technologies

A Compact and Transportable 8-in-1 Digital Photo Card to CD Copier

CHATSWORTH, Calif., Nov. 10, 2003—Alera Technologies, developer and manufacturer of Advanced DVD and CD Recording Solutions proudly debuts its new Digital Photo Copy Cruiser that copies digital photos directly from camera memory cards to CD without a computer. The Digital Photo Copy Cruiser is compact and transportable, so you can copy your digital photos to CD instantly wherever you are, for quick distribution and your memory cards can be easily cleared for reuse.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) reports 10.1 million digital cameras will ship this year, which is $2.9 billion in value and Gartner Group projections show sales of digital cameras will most likely surpass 26.5 million units by 2007, with household penetration of 65 percent.

“This equates to a large number of users looking for an easy way to both store their pictures on low cost media and easily share their pictures. The Digital Photo Copy Cruiser is another Prosumers’ Choice and exactly what customers are looking for” stated Perry Solomon, President and CEO. “With its distinctive appearance and streamlined design that maintains our ‘Professional Black’ look, we are confident the Digital Photo Copy Cruiser will successfully appeal to a very broad range of users.”

The new Digital Photo Copy Cruiser (Alera Technologies Part # 310101, Ingram Micro SKU # C57017) has a low Estimated Street Price (ESP) of only $229 so that Prosumer, Corporate, Government and Education users, all can enjoy the most convenient way to store and share digital photos.

SimpleTech Press Release 10/11/03

SimpleTech Announces ProX Series of Secure Digital Flash Memory Cards
ProX SD Cards Are Eight Times Faster Than Standard Secure Digital Flash Cards

SANTA ANA, Calif., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/—SimpleTech, Inc. (Nasdaq: STEC), a designer, manufacturer and marketer of custom and open- standard memory solutions based on Flash memory and DRAM technologies, today announced that its ProX(TM) 256MB and 512MB SD (Secure Digital) flash memory cards are available for immediate delivery.

SimpleTech’s ProX SD cards are the next-generation of removable flash storage, reducing the time it takes to read and write data to memory with high-speed data transfer rates up to 10MB/sec. When used with a digital camera, the ProX Series SD cards reduce wait time between shots. SimpleTech’s ProX SD cards also feature a write protect switch on the side of the card to prevent accidental overwriting of data and images, as well as increased efficiency that aids in maximizing the battery life of devices while using the card (performance may vary according to devices.)

“ProX SD cards provide ultra-fast data connectivity for nearly every device using SD cards on the market,” said Ken Roberts, director of product marketing for SimpleTech. According to Gartner Group, Secure Digital was one of the fastest growing segments of the flash memory market in 2002.

“The slim, compact design of ProX SD cards make them the ideal solution for a variety of SD-compatible handheld devices, including digital cameras, video recorders, PDAs, MP3 music players and smart phones, as well as digital projectors, photo printers and voice recorders,” said Roberts. “These applications are now empowered with fast data write times and enhanced security.”

Digital Outback Photo have published a very short review of the Delkin eFilm PRO CardBus 32-bit PCMCIA adapter, which Delkin claims is the fastest PCMCIA Adapter on the market. Digital Outback Photo agrees, saying “Using normal PC card adapters the copy process takes a very long frustrating time. Finally the Delkin CardBus 32 Adapter is available and cuts the transfertime to about 1/4th. It is hard to describe how much of a relief it is to be ready in about 15minutes instead of a full hour!”

Website: Digital Outback Photo - Delkin CardBus CF Adapter Review

Luminous Landscape has tested the 4Gb Microdrive from Hitachi. The 4Gb Microdrive is relatively cheap compared to other similar storage options, selling for around $499.

“One of the main benefits of using a Microdrive is price. When the IBM 1 GB Microdrive first came out it was the largest Compact Flash card available, and cost approximately $500. Now, less than 3 years later the Hitachi 4GB card also has an initail list price of $500. Moore’s Law at work. (A new 2GB card is also available from Hitachi).

This makes the cost per Gigabyte under $125.

The only other CF card with this capacity is the Lexar 4GB 40X WA, with a typical retail price of about $1,250 ? considerably more than twice as expensive as the Hitachi.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - Hitachi 4Gb Microdrive Review

Body Glove Press Release 06/11/03

Body Glove consumer electronic accessories introduces its range of camera cases to offer the best protection for your memories.

Your digital camera is in safe hands with Body Glove?s new Digital Camera Cases

As digital cameras continue to grow in popularity, the latest additions to the Body Glove lifestyle accessory range promise to take good care of your state-of-the-art technology. Made with tough ballistic nylon, matt rubber and stylish neoprene fabrics, splash and scratch resistant there?s no better way to protect your digital camera than with a new Body Glove Digital Camera Case.

Available in three sizes in a choice of blue or black, Body Glove Digital Camera Cases and the Body Glove Digital Video Case offer multiple interior and exterior pockets for media and accessory storage, with a belt loop and shoulder strap for variable carrying options. Stylish and durable they can stand up to any challenge, while ensuring complete protection for your memories.

At just ?9.99 for a compact case, ?14.99 for a medium sized case, ?19.99 for a large and ?24.99 for a Video Case, a Body Glove Digital Camera Case is the ONLY way to protect your digital camera whatever you?re up to.

Multi Purpose Camera Cases for the more traditional
For those of us who have not yet stepped into the realm of digital accessories, Body Glove has produced a range of Multi Purpose Camera Cases. Offering the same features as the Digital Cases, available in blue or black, Body Glove Multi Purpose Cases are priced at ?19.99 for a standard Camera Bag and ?24.99 for a large. These stylish cases accommodate most traditional camera models available on the market today.

Range Information
Body Glove Camera Cases
Compact - ?9.99
Medium - ?14.99
Large - ?19.99
Body Glove Digital Video Case - ?24.99

Body Glove Multi Purpose Camera Cases
Standard - ?19.99
Large - ?24.99

Stockists
For details of UK stockists call Fellowes on 01302 836836
The range of Body Glove camera cases is available on amazon.co.uk
Body Glove consumer technology accessories website www.gowithit.com

SmartDisk Press Release

FORT MYERS, Fla.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Nov. 3, 2003—SmartDisk Corporation today introduced 40GB and 80GB models of its award-winning FlashTrax(TM) handheld portable multimedia device for offloading and storing digital images and music.

FlashTrax safely stores high-resolution images transferred from any flash memory card onto the built-in USB2.0 hard drive and displays them on a 3.5” LCD that outperforms tiny on-camera screens. By using the sleek control pad, the user can change the image, zoom in, zoom out and pan, or choose a slide show function without the need of a PC. In addition to rapid JPEG view and zoom, FlashTrax can display most RAW format files using the JPEG data typically embedded in such files. The LCD folds to ensure that both the screen and control buttons remain protected while in field use. Images may be viewed on the LCD screen or on any TV using the included remote control. To facilitate portability, FlashTrax includes a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery.

“The Professional Photographers Association has just recognized FlashTrax as one of the hottest new imaging products of 2003,” says Charles Klinker, Vice President-Marketing for SmartDisk. “With our new FlashTrax models, professional photographers will find even more flexibility for field applications.”

A built-in MP3 player makes this device even more attractive—more than 7,000 compressed audio files can be stored and played back through the built-in speaker, or through headphones or external speakers. Various play modes are easily controlled from the user-friendly screen display and control pad, making music selection quick and easy.

FlashTrax also supports video playback of motion picture JPEG files, a format typically used for the short “movies” supported by many digital still cameras. With transfer speeds of up to 480Mbps, FlashTrax can also serve as an external hard drive to transfer, store and access data or act as a simple backup device.

Availability
The new FlashTrax models are available now through retailers and distributors, as well as through the company’s Web site at http://www.smartdisk.com.