Filter Forge Freepack 2 - Photo Effects is a free collection of 7 filters for Photoshop. ‘Dreamy’ filter gives photos a sunny, somewhat ethereal style; ‘Grunge’ works best on warm-colored images and produces a ragged, harsh look; ‘Old Photo’ automatically ages the image, giving it an authentic old-time feel. A 20% discount is currently available for all editions of Filter Forge. The plugins currently work under Windows only.

AKVIS SmartMask is an efficient masking tool that saves you time on complex selections. Available for both Windows and Macintosh, SmartMask enables you to spend less time on the selection of objects and more on creativity. Registered users who have bought at least one AKVIS plug-in get a 20% discount on AKVIS SmartMask. Customers who have purchased all AKVIS plug-ins get a 50% discount. A 10 day trils version is also available.

Kodak Gallery’s 60 million members can now showcase their Gallery photos on their favorite social networks. Kodak has teamed up with Slide to allow member to turn their Gallery photos into portable slideshows with music. “We partnered with Slide because they’re pioneers in turning photos into tools for self expression and storytelling on social networks. We’re very excited that we can extend all the great sharing benefits of the Gallery to include this new product.” said Madhav Mehra, chief operating officer and vice president of product marketing and management, KODAK Gallery. The co-branded service, located at www.slide.com/kodakgallery, is the first phase of a deeper Slideshow product integration.

Viveza allows you to precisely control and adjust the color and light in your digital images. Based on Nik Software’s U Point technology, Viveza provides easy-to-use methods for correcting and enhancing images without the need to create complicated selections or layer masks. Users place U Point powered Color Control Points directly on colors or objects in an image (such as sky, skin, grass, etc.) then adjust easy-to-use sliders for brightness, contrast, color and more. The suggested retail price of Viveza is $249.95, available in the first quarter of 2008.

Professor Kobré’s Lightscoop instantly improves photos taken with the pop-up flash in 35mm SLR cameras. Professor Kobré calls his Lightscoop “an ideal intermediary lighting tool for beginners who can’t yet afford an external strobe”. More advanced users who own an external flash will appreciate the Lightscoop as a lightweight, simple alternative for casual shooting. Professor Kobré’s Lightscoop costs $29.95 and is available in two versions, one with a standard mirror and another with a gold-tinted mirror to provide a warming effect.

The Norcent DCS-1050 ia new 10 megapixel digital camera with Face Detection and Anti-Shake technology. The DCS-1050 also features a large 3”, scratch-resistant, TFT-panel color LCD display, 3x zoom lens, 22 scene modes and MPEG-4 video clips. The Norcent DCS-1050 has an estimated street price of $179.99.

Work side by side with a renowned photographer at a Miami photo shoot and receive a camera valued at $3,000 in the MyShot08 photo contest. Open to all U.S. registered college students, MyShot08 aims to find the best images in three digital printing applications – personalized photo books, greeting cards or calendars. “The contest is giving young people a way to liberate their digital images from their computers and cell phones and make printed products that capture their personalized memories,” said Quincy Allen, president, Xerox Production Systems Group.  “We are hoping to open the eyes of talented college photographers about how easy and fun it is to create these kinds of specialty products.” All entries need to be submitted by March 31, 2008.

jill-e designs is introducing a new range of camera bags aimed at female photographers. jill-e designs camera bags use materials as leather and suede, are designed with the flare of stylish purses and carry bags, and aare vailable in a variety of fashionable colors. In addition, they incorporate features important to women, such as additional pockets and a detachable personal pouch. The newest products in jill-e designs range will be available this spring and summer.

The new Photo StudioCruzer 1510 camera case from Pelican is the toughest airline-legal carry-on case available today. The StudioCruzer case features metal reinforced padlock protectors, modular interior with closed cell foam adjustable sizers, 17-inch retractable extension handle and lid compartment for a laptop. The Photo StudioCruzer 1510 case costs and is available now.

WD My Passport Essential Portable USB Drives put almost a third of a terabyte of digital storage in the palm of your hand. Weighing in at less than 5 ounces, My Passport Essential Drives are light and compact to carry because they are bus powered. “The newly designed My Passport Essential drives are the perfect travel-friendly storage device to hold the rich media content generated by higher resolution photos and HD videos and music,” said Jim Welsh, vice president and general manager of WD’s branded products group. The WD Passport Essential USB Drive 320 GB is $199.99.

The new Epson Stylus CX9475Fax ink jet all-in-one can print, scan and share files over a wired or wireless network. Epson’s new InstaNet technology offers an intelligent, automated Windows-based network installer that is easy to use. The CX9475 Fax offers printing, copying, scanning, and high-speed black-and-white or color faxing, as well as the ability to print photos with or without a computer, using the 2.5-inch tilt LCD. The Epson CX9475Fax will be shipping in February for an estimated street price of $179.99.

HP Premium Matte Photo Paper and HP Everyday Pigment Ink Photo Paper are two new large-format photo papers. HP Premium Matte Photo Paper is a high-quality paper featuring a smooth matte surface and weighty stiffness for professional prints. HP Everyday Pigment Ink Photo Paper is an economic microporous paper that delivers superior image quality with HP Vivera pigment inks. Both papers will be available worldwide for purchase in March.

HP SimpleSave Photo is a new automated solution for finding and backing up photos on a PC. HP SimpleSave Photo automatically searches a computer for all photos and stores them on a special DVD disc. SimpleSave Photo works with approximately 100 photo, video and image formats and will store up to 2,000 photos in minutes. HP SimpleSave Photo costs $14.99 for a pack of five SimpleSave DVDs, available at U.S. retailers starting in April, with worldwide availability later in spring.

Geotate has announced the commercial availability of a radical geotagging solution for the digital camera market. Geotate’s new GPS solution, “Capture and Process”, captures raw GPS satellite signals in available memory, a low-cost and low-power method of handling GPS signals. Hans Streng, CEO of Geotate, said: “We expect in the region of four million cameras in the next 18 months to two years to come with embedded geotagging functionality.” Geotate’s “Capture and Process” GPS technology will become commercially available in two modules in the first quarter of 2008.

Taiwanese ODM company Altek have demonstrated the World’s first digital camera with built-in GPS geotagging technology. Geo software company Geotate has provided its unique “Capture and Process” technology to Altek’s new camera. “With Geotate we have been able to design a state-of-the-art geotagging digital camera which allows the user to manage and share their digital content in a more intuitive way” said Martin Liu, spokeserson at Altek Corporation. “We are confident that it will be the next critical application in the DSC world.” We’re predicting that GPS will follow Face Detection as the must-have camera feature for 2008/9.

The AgfaPhoto DC-8330i is a new 8 megapixel digital camera featuring face detection and image stabilisation. The DC 8330i also offers a large 3 inch LCD monitor, 3x zoom lens (37.5 to 112.5mm) and the ability to set aperture and shutter speed manually. The AgfaPhoto DC-8330i is distributed in the USA through VistaQuest and will be available for $239.95.

SmartParts has introduced the SP8PRT, the world’s first digital picture frame with a built-in photo printer. The new SmartParts SP8PRT can print any digital picture stored on the frame with the touch of a button. “...consumers can instantly create a 4x6-inch color print to share with friends or family all without having to boot up their PC, locate the photo, and use a large, cumbersome printer.” said Stefan Guelpen, president and co-founder of Smartparts. Incorporated into the body of the frame, the printer is concealed behind the SP8PRT’s LCD screen. The eight inch Smartparts SP8PRT will retail for $279.

Tessera Technologies, a provider of miniaturization technologies for the electronics industry, is paying $29 million to purchase FotoNation, a provider of embedded imaging solutions for digital still cameras. Tessera will pay $29 million in net cash with up to $10 million of additional consideration, contingent upon certain milestones over one year. The transaction is expected to close in February 2008. “There is significant, untapped potential for sophisticated imaging solutions in the growing camera phone market, and Tessera’s close ties to this market will enable us to accelerate the commercialization of FotoNation’s rich portfolio of technology and products,” said Eran Steinberg, chief executive officer, FotoNation. FotoNation’s technology is embedded in more than two out of three digital still cameras sold today.

Hasselblad are giving away a special bundle of extras and up to £1930 plus VAT off the price of the H3DII camera. Buy the H3DII before March 31st, 2008 and you get for a free case, choice of a Hasselblad HCD 28mm or HC 120mm lens, a 100 Gig ImageBank, and a one year’s subscription to Victor magazine. You need to register online to qualify for this special Hasselblad H3DII bundle and £1930 + VAT saving.

The Sony World Photography Awards is now offering the the winner of the amateur competition a substantial $5,000 cash prize. Submissions closed on 31st January with a total of 25,934 amateur photograph entries and 44,641 professional photograph entries across the categories. Saatchi Online, one of the biggest names in the arts and photography world, has signed up to partner the World Photography Awards and support the amateur community. The winners will be announced on 15th February 2008.