Kodak Press Release

Credit Card-Sized Device Brings Favorite Memories to Life in the Palm of Your Hand

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5—Eastman Kodak Company is making digital picture sharing more convenient, personal and portable by introducing its new EASYSHARE Picture Viewer, a pocket-sized “digital photo album” that fits in the palm of your hand.  Whether showing off recent vacation pictures, priceless memories or snapshots from life’s everyday moments, the Picture Viewer (US$149 MSRP; available beginning in May 2005) is designed for people who love to share favorite pictures on the go.

The EASYSHARE Picture Viewer, approximately the size of a credit card, allows people to keep their favorite digital pictures by their side at all times, and then display one or all for family and friends. With a crystal-clear, 2.5-inch high-resolution display screen, it stores up to 150 favorite digital pictures — simply synchronize with a computer-based picture collection using the included KODAK EASYSHARE software. People can view these favorites, or hundreds more when using the expandable SD/MMC memory card slot. Single view and slideshow features are accessible via the easy-to-use menu and four-way navigation buttons.

Kodak Press Release

KODAK Products Win Prestigious Awards at 2005 International Consumer Electronics Show

EASYSHARE Printer Dock Plus, EASYSHARE DX7590 Camera and KODAK Picture Maker Receive Innovations 2005 Design and Engineering Awards

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 5—Eastman Kodak Company’s continued innovation in the digital imaging industry secured top honors during the opening of the 2005 International Consumer Electronics Show, where the company won multiple high-profile awards for its consumer digital imaging products. The KODAK EASYSHARE Printer Dock Plus, KODAK EASYSHARE DX7590 zoom digital camera, and the KODAK Picture Maker G3 Digital Print Station all garnered Innovations 2005 Design and Engineering Awards.

The Innovations 2005 Design and Engineering Awards, sponsored by Consumer Electronics Association and endorsed by the Industrial Designers Society of America, honor superior design and engineering among the year’s most technologically advanced products. Chosen for the honor by a panel of independent industry designers, engineers and journalists, the EASYSHARE DX7590 camera, EASYSHARE Printer Dock Plus and KODAK Picture Maker will join other winners on display at the 2005 International CES Innovations Pavilion (LVCC, Central Plaza).

Pentax UK Press Release

The new PENTAX OptioWP — a slim, compact digital camera with waterproof performance that enables underwater shooting

PENTAX is pleased to introduce the OptioWP, a compact digital camera that features JIS Class 8-equivalent waterproof performance and has a body only 22mm thick. What’s more, the new OptioWP also features a 2.0-inch LCD monitor, a 3X optical zoom lens and the imaging power of 5.0 effective megapixels.

Developed in line with the three keywords, “Sportiness”, “Elegance”, and, “Leisure”, the OptioWP provides the user with the advantage of waterproof performance that enables confident shooting during a range of water sports. And unusually for a camera with such sporting capability, the OptioWP also has surprisingly sophisticated styling that makes it ideal for use on practically any kind of occasion.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Press Release

Hitachi’s Hard Drive Family is Expecting Two New Babies; Baby ‘‘Mikey’’ and Big Brother ‘‘Slim’’ Expand Biggest Small-Form-Factor Family  

LAS VEGAS—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Jan. 5, 2005—Hitachi Global Storage Technologies will christen a smaller one-inch Microdrive product and a slimmer 1.8-inch hard drive later this year. These two miniature drives are designed to meet the accelerating demand for ultra-portable handheld devices—such as mobile phones and digital music players—that don’t compromise on storage capacity.

Hitachi will deliver on these requirements by re-engineering its world-renowned one-inch Microdrive to create a 20-percent smaller version with the highest capacity at 8-10 gigabytes(1) (GB) of storage. The new smaller Microdrive is affectionately called baby “Mikey” for its diminutive size.

Applying a similar approach to a new 1.8-inch Travelstar product, Hitachi will trim 30 percent off the thickness of the drive to create a 5 mm version, nicknamed “Slim.” With a slighter profile equivalent to that of the Microdrive, “Slim” will be the world’s smallest and lightest 1.8-inch drive, beating the closest competitor by 10 percent in total volume.

Canon UK Press Release

Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, is pleased to announce the launch of the ultra-stylish, compact Inkjet Printer, the PIXMA iP90 mobile photo and document printer. With capability to print a 4” x 6” borderless photo print in just 51 seconds and 16 ppm A4 mono printing, the 4800 x 1200 dpi , 2 picolitre droplet size iP90 is designed to offer the best available high performance mobile solution for photo and document printing for the demanding creative user.

The printer features optional Bluetooth and IrDA support for wireless photo/document printing from compatible mobile phones, PDAs and PCs. An optional battery pack/charger and car charger are available for ultimate mobility. A PictBridge port allows direct connection and photo printing with any compliant digital camera or digital video camera, without the need for a PC.

Canon UK Press Release

Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, is pleased to announce the launch of the new flagship to its LiDE range: the film-capable 2400 x 4800 CanoScan LiDE 500F scanner. Designed for operational flexibility, the LiDE 500F incorporates a Film Adapter Unit (FAU) and infrared Film Automatic Retouching and Enhancement technology for high quality enlargement of 35mm film.

Just 35mm thick, the sheer, stylishly designed and USB-powered device features an innovative built-in stand, allowing the scanner to be operated on its edge to free up precious desk space. A new concept lid allows scanning of everything from thick books and small packages to oversize objects such as large maps, and convenient ‘drop-in’ scanning when the scanner is upright.

Canon UK Press Release

Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, is pleased to announce the launch of the stylish and super-compact 1.33 Megapixel MVX350i, MVX330i and MVX300 digital video cameras. The MVX350i features a 20x optical zoom (400x combined), while the MVX330i and MVX300 both feature an 18x zoom (360x combined). Digital video cameras in the range incorporate high-resolution 16:9 mode, built in mini video light (MVX350i), digital still flash (MVX350i and MVX330i), Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS) and large 2.5” 123K pixel LCD screen.

With generous specifications and highly sculptured ergonomics that include flush switches and recessed buttons, the super-compacts are expected to appeal to consumers demanding feature-rich products with superior finish quality and design.

All models utilise Canon’s DIGIC DV processor for split path video and still image processing. All are PictBridge compliant and feature a Print/Share button for simple PC-less printing of digital stills direct to compatible photo printers, and PC/internet uploads. The MVX350i comes equipped with a 0.6x wide converter lens.

Canon UK Press Release

Easy operation camcorders ideal for first time buyers

Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, is pleased to announce the launch of a new range of 800K pixel digital video cameras: the MV800 series. Designed to appeal to first time buyers looking for simplicity and quality, the MV850i, MV830i, MV830 and MV800 combine Canon’s easiest ever operation with uncompromising build quality and precision optics.

A new ‘Easy’ button which puts the camcorder into full auto mode has been introduced for the benefit of users looking for immediate, uncomplicated results straight out of the box. All models in the range feature a powerful optical zoom: 22x (440x combined) for the MV850i and 20x for the MV830i, MV830 and MV800. They also feature Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS), high-resolution true 16:9 wide screen mode with letterbox display, a double neutral density filter, web cam functionality, Super Night mode (MV850i) and Night Mode. The MV850i, MV830i and MV830 feature digital still capability plus PictBridge for direct printing to compatible photo printers without the computer.

Despite their tiny size (only 51mm thick and weighing just 430g), the digital video cameras feature a large 2.4” colour LCD screen and are powered with the same DIGIC-DV processor used to drive Canon’s high end digital video cameras.

SanDisk Corporation Press Release

Sunnyvale, CA, Jan 4, 2005 — SanDisk Corporation announced today that its Charitable Fund has donated $200,000 to eight different organizations that are working in relief efforts to aid the victims of the Southeast Asia earthquake and tsunami. The funds were allocated through the Community Foundation Silicon Valley.

“The need to respond quickly to a crisis such as this tsunami disaster reinforced for us the effectiveness of our corporate philosophy for organized charitable contributions and our use of the Community Foundation as an effective vehicle,” said Judy Bruner, SanDisk executive vice president of administration and chief financial officer. “Having made donations on a regular basis to the SanDisk Fund at the foundation, SanDisk was able to quickly request that donations be made from the fund to multiple charitable organizations. We were able to rely on a trusted entity—the Community Foundation Silicon Valley—to ensure that the funds were quickly and properly distributed.”

The Slovenian website Slo-Foto.net have posted a review of the new 6 megapixel Pentax *ist DS DSLR.

Website: Slo-Foto.net - Pentax *ist DS Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Pentax *ist DS

Photoxels have just posted their review of the 6 megapixel Fuji FinePix E550.

“Finally, the Fujifilm E550 is f-a-s-t! If you miss a candid shot, it won’t be because of this camera: the lens extends in about 1 sec. and the LCD displays in about 0.5 sec. more; shutter lag is negligible for all practical purposes; and shot-to-shot is about 1 sec., except for flash pictures when it takes about 3 sec. to recharge the flash.”

Website: Photoxels - Fuji FinePix E550 Review

Northlight Images have just reviewed the Noise Ninja plugin for Adobe Photoshop, which claims to solve the image noise problem using new, patent-pending technology.

“The Canon 1Ds that Keith regularly uses, has very little noise in images produced at the ISO 100 setting, however at higher speeds noise can become objectionable. Just as with film it’s the price you pay for increased sensitivity. Noise Ninja has been round a while as a standalone application, but is soon to be released as a Photoshop plugin. As a plugin it potentially becomes a much more usable part of Keith’s imaging workflow. Keith has been reviewing some of its features and finding just how well it works. Do bear in mind that as of writing this review, the plugin is still Beta software, and may well still have some glitches.”

Website: Northlight Images - Noise Ninja Review

Website: Noise Ninja

Pacific Image Electronics Press Release

PACIFIC IMAGE ELECTRONICS LAUNCHES VALUE-PRICED HIGH-RESOLUTION FILM SCANNER WITH DIGITAL ICE3

Torrance, CA, January 4, 2005…..Pacific Image Electronics Inc. announces the PrimeFilm 3650u, a value-priced film scanner with high optical resolution and Digital ICE3™.

This new film scanner is a high resolution upgrade to the company’s basic model, and is designed for the hobbyist or photography enthusiast who is looking for image enhancement features and easy handling of large image files.

The inclusion of Digital ICE3TM by ASF (Kodak Austin Development Center) allows the user to digitally clean, correct and restore film images to optimize the image quality.

Pacific Image Electronics Press Release

PACIFIC IMAGE ELECTRONICS FIRST TO MARKET WITH ONE-OF-A-KIND MAGAZINE-FED SLIDE SCANNER

Torrance, CA, January 4, 2005…..Pacific Image Electronics’ PowerSlide 3600 is a one-of-a-kind scanner that batch scans mounted slides automatically, creating high-quality digital files that can be stored to hard disk, zip drive, CD-R, CD-RW or any other storage media. The PowerSlide turns all your slides into a digital format, allowing your slide shows to be viewed on your living room TV, LCD projector, computer monitor, e-mail or web site. Heavy and bulky slide projectors are no longer needed.

This easily wins the award for funniest CES press release of the day. Just what all you iPod Photo owners need…

Playboy.com Press Release

Playboy.com Offers Stunning Image Galleries for Hand-Held Digital Photo Devices Like the iPod Photo

NEW YORK, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/—Playboy.com has harnessed the digital photo revolution to put the sexiest girls next door in the palm of your hand with the site’s new “iBod” editorial feature. Given the popularity of handheld media toys like Apple’s new iPod Photo, Playboy.com has created both non-nude and nude image galleries to help beautify these portable players.

“Playboy has always been committed to delivering the fun and sexiness of the classic Playboy lifestyle to customers on any media platform they wish to use,” said John D. Thomas, editor of Playboy.com. “The overwhelming response we have received for this feature supports our theory that iPod Photo users are a technologically advanced group with a significant interest in enjoying beautiful Playboy images.”

The Copernio Corporation Press Release

Future Formats Group Launches ‘The Consumer’s Guide to Understanding Blu-ray and HD-DVD’

LAS VEGAS, CES, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/—The Copernio Corporation, an innovator in the defense systems and photonics research markets, announced today that it has launched a consumer’s guide to next generation optical disc formats at the 2005 International CES. Offered as a simple guide to help consumer’s evaluate future optical disc technologies, Copernio anticipates that this practical guide will concisely inform consumer choices.

The optical disc market covers all areas related to the production and recording of CD, DVDs and newer emerging disc-based technologies such as Blu-ray, HD-DVD, EVD and holography. The technological sophistication of the market often leaves the average consumer behind.

Datacolor Press Release

Datacolor Debuts ColorVision ColorPlus Update; Puts Accurate Color on Consumer Monitors for Under $100
Produce Stunning Photos Using the Tools Professionals Rely on for Color Accuracy

LAS VEGAS, NV January 4th, 2005 - Datacolor, the internationally known name in color technology announced the latest updated V1.0.3 software for ColorVision® ColorPlus”, part of the PANTONE® COLORVISION® product line. Now available in 8 - languages - English, French, German, Spanish, Italian,Japanese and Chinese (Traditional and simplified) with an all new easy to use wizard and interface. ColorPlus is an affordable monitor calibration tool for consumers and photo hobbyists that calibrates a monitor to produce stunning photos in a few easy steps.

Datacolor has chosen to exhibit the ColorVision Digital Imaging product line at TechZones “Flash Forward 2.0: Bringing Digital Imaging into Focus” Central Plaza Booth # 24 &26. Previously driven by professionals alone, the demand for precision color in digital imaging still and moving has inspired the Colorvision Product line to expand distribution of digital color tools to consumer retail outlets.

Datacolor Press Release

Datacolor and Pantone Announce Spyder2 Plus, The New Standard in Consumer Color Electronics

Breakthrough ‘Darkroom in a Box’ Technology Provides Accurate and Affordable Color on Monitors and in Print

LAS VEGAS, Consumer Electronics Show International 2005 (CES) – January 4, 2005 – Datacolor, the internationally known name in color technology and global color authority Pantone, Inc., today announced ColorVision® Spyder2 Plus™, a virtual ”Darkroom in a Box™,” complete with digital imaging tools and software. The product debuted today at UNVEILED, the official press event of CES International.

The show runs January 6 - 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The ColorVision booth is located at TechZones; “Flash Forward 2.0: Bringing Digital Imaging into Focus” Central Plaza Booth # 24 & 26. This special area devoted to digital imaging innovation supports the growing interest among consumers for this product category.

Concord Camera Corp. Press Release

CONCORD CAMERA ANNOUNCES BLISTER PACK & HOLIDAY BLOW-OUT PRICES FOR 3-6 MEGAPIXEL DIGITAL CAMERAS

Packaging Increases Impulse Buying at Retail Stores
Concord First to Market with 6 Megapixel for $229

Las Vegas, NV, January 4, 2005 - Concord Camera Corp. (“Concord”) (Nasdaq:LENSE), a leader in award-winning, high-quality, easy-to-use, popularly priced digital cameras, announced today at CES new easy-to-reach consumer-friendly clamshell blister pack packaging and lower post holiday blow-out pricing for their award-winning lineup of 3, 4, 5, and 6 Megapixel digital cameras.  The convenient newly designed Concord clamshell-shaped packaging now makes it easier for consumers to purchase higher end cameras at more affordable prices—without waiting for sales staff.  In addition, retailers can increase sales and impulse buying by stocking cameras up front where consumers can easily buy, instead of hiding the cameras behind hard-to-reach display cases.

Concord also announced today new blowout pricing for their most popular 3, 4, 5, and 6 Megapixels digital cameras—with prices as low as $99 for the 3346z 3 Megapixel digital camera to $229 for the 6340z 6 megapixel digital camera.

DPReview have published their review of the 8 megapixel Nikon Coolpix 8400.

“The Coolpix 8400’s unique lens makes it an interesting beast, it offers a slightly wider field of view (about 10° more; 72° horizontally at 24 mm equiv.) than other prosumer eight megapixel digital cameras which start at 28 mm equiv. That extra 10° can be especially useful if you shoot a lot of architecture, landscapes, real estate etc. At the other end of zoom however it has the least telephoto of any current eight megapixel, its nearest competitor, the Olympus C-8080 WZ offers 28 - 140 mm equiv. (compared to the 8400’s 24 - 85 mm equiv.)”

Website: DPReview - Nikon Coolpix 8400 Review

Check the Latest Prices for the Nikon Coolpix 8400