DxO have just released DxO OpticsPro 11 for Mac and Windows. Featuring the company's proprietary DxO PRIME 2016 noise reduction, which enables photographers to salvage noisy photos thought previously unusable, DxO OpticsPro 11 preserves smooth transitions, retains more details, and more faithfully preserves colours in dark areas, and it does this all automatically by reading each camera's precise calibration data. Additionally, DxO PRIME 2016 is now able to process RAW files up to 4x faster than before. The ESSENTIAL and ELITE editions of DxO OpticsPro 11 for Mac and Windows are immediately available in the DxO online store and at photo resellers at a special discount through 30 June 2016.

Western Digital today expanded its line of SanDisk-branded mobile storage solutions with the new SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C flash drive. The newest generation drive features a new retractable design, faster speeds and capacities of up to 128GB. “By 2020 we expect that 44 percent of all mobile phones sold worldwide will include a USB-C connector, that’s about 800% growth over the next four years,” said Ken Hyers, director, Wireless Device Strategies, Strategy Analytics. “At this rate of anticipated growth, we expect to see more and more solutions like the SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C flash drive that offer consumers a way to move and access their content between devices with varying connectors.” The SanDisk Ultra Dual USB Type-C Flash Drive is now available worldwide at Amazon and other leading retailers. The new offering comes in capacities of 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB with UK RRP of £10.00, £13.00, £21.00 and £39.00, respectively.

Issue 53 of David Noton’s Chasing the Light Online Magazine is now available. In this month’s Behind the Lens article, David Noton invites readers to travel with him to Paris where he enjoys a few days of spring photography with the new Canon 1Dx Mark II. In Photo Essentials, he continues his exploration of camera settings. Meanwhile, in the Low Down David this time turns his attention to the photographic inspiration to be found in colour. And finally, he presents two of his popular Fundamentals of Post-Production Videos. Do note that the full contents of Chasing the Light Online Magazine is available to full f11 subscribers only. However non-members can purchase individual issues of the magazine at a price of £4.20.

Transcend has launched  its brand new StoreJet Cloud 110 and StoreJet Cloud 210 Personal Cloud Storage products. Allowing users to access all of their data wherever they might be - while storing it all at home -, Transcend’s StoreJet Cloud offers a centralised 4TB and 8TB storage capacity, automatic data backup, fast transfer speeds and media streaming. With a stable Internet connection, users can freely access all personal files stored on their StoreJet Cloud through Transcend’s exclusive StoreJet Cloud web link and iOS or Android app. Transcend’s StoreJet Cloud also allows multiple personal accounts to be created by family members and friends. Each account is individually maintained and securely protected. StoreJet Cloud also offers a one-touch backup function when a USB flash drive or external hard drive is connected to the rear USB 3.0 port. For Mac users, StoreJet Cloud works with Apple Time Machine, enabling fast and easy backup.

AKVIS have announced the release of AKVIS SmartMask 8.0 for Windows and Mac. This edition adds support for Ultra HD 4K & 5K monitors. Thanks to new technologies, the interface details, texts and icons scale correctly even on super high resolution monitors. Version.8.0 is a free upgrade for everyone who bought the product in the last 12 months. The software runs on Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10; and on Mac OS X 10.7-10.11. The product is available as a standalone application and as a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop and Corel PaintShop Pro.

World-famous guitarist and lifelong stereoscopy enthusiast Brian May has announced the upcoming launch of a virtual reality and 3D stereo image viewer designed for smartphone users. The new OWL VR Smart Phone Kit takes the existing OWL Stereo Viewer and, through use of a simple but ingenious adaptor, enables its use with a smartphone not only to view online 3D images, but also those taken by the user. Manufactured from high-grade polypropylene and fully collapsible to a thin flat configuration, the OWL is supplied ready for use in seconds. Its carefully positioned high-quality lenses, plus fully adjustable focus, present every user with the ideal optical geometry for perfect viewing of side-by-side 3D photos. The OWL Smart Phone VR Kit will be available from mid-June for £25.

Western Digital Technologies have completed the acquisition of SanDisk. “Today is a significant day in the history of Western Digital,” said Steve Milligan, CEO. “We are delighted to welcome SanDisk into the Western Digital family. This transformational combination creates a media-agnostic leader in storage technology with a robust portfolio of products and solutions that will address a wide range of applications in almost all of the world’s computing and mobile devices.” Under the terms of the transaction, each outstanding share of SanDisk common stock was converted into the right to receive $67.50 per share in cash and 0.2387 shares of Western Digital common stock. Steve Milligan will continue to serve as chief executive officer of Western Digital. Sanjay Mehrotra, co-founder, president and chief executive officer of SanDisk, will serve as a member of the Western Digital Board of Directors.

Adobe are offering a sneak peek into a new feature called Content-Aware Crop, coming to Photoshop CC later this year. With Content-Aware Crop, Photoshop looks at all the pixels around the edges of your photo and automatically, seamlessly fills in the blank space with content when you expand or rotate that image. This enables users to straighten images without having to give up any of their pixels. Click through / scroll down for a video demonstration.

Magix have released a new version of Video easy HD, a beginner-level application for editing video footage. The software's native 64-bit architecture and H.264 support lets you import, edit and export videos faster than ever before, and the latest version of Video easy HD lets you edit video footage in resolutions up to 4K Ultra HD. Using the automatic image optimisation and backlight correction features, users can enhance colour, brightness and contrast and make one-click adjustments to lighting. You can burn videos to DVD or Blu-ray Disc, upload directly to YouTube and Facebook from within the program or save them on your hard drive. The new version of Video easy HD is now available in stores and online, priced at £29.99.

PolarPro, a manufacturer of professional-grade accessories for action cameras, drones and smartphones; has announced a partnership with OtterBox to offer 7 accessory modules as part of the new OtterBox uniVERSE Case System. Designed for the latest iPhone 6 models, the protective OtterBox case offers the ability to expand the iPhone’s features with swappable modules, each of which attach seamlessly to the case using a slotted rail. One of the seven accessory modules offered by PolarPro is a multi-coated clip-on fish-eye conversion lens ($29.99) compatible with both front- and rear-facing cameras, which attaches directly to the OtterBox uniVERSE case. A snap-on lens cap safeguards the lens when not in use.

Xara has released Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 365, which comes with a new Update Guarantee that provides regular updates during the year. Additionally, the new release provides a number of new photo tools and SmartShapes, and significant text enhancements. Charles Moir, Managing Director said “Xara Photo & Graphic Designer has evolved into being a supremely capable non-destructive photo editor... Photo editing now includes the ability to paint enhancements or effects onto images, new pre-set filter effects, new ways of cutting images out of backgrounds and more. This really is the greatest version of Xara Photo & Graphic Designer we've ever released.” Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 365 is available for £49.99. Upgrades from v11 to Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 365 cost £24.99.