The Asus Zenbook NX500 is a 15.6" laptop boasting an Ultra HD screen with 3840x2160 pixels and a resolution of 282ppi. The display also delivers lifelike colour reproduction with a wide colour gamut (100% NTSC/108% Adobe RGB) plus factory-calibrated colour temperature, making it perfect for photographers, the company says. Powered by an Intel Core quad-core processor (up to i7) and up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M graphics, supported by 2GB of GDDR5 video memory. Pricing and availability to be announced.

Sigma UK has released availability and pricing information on the new Sigma dp2 Quattro large-sensor compact camera. Equipped with an APS-C sized Foveon X3 Quattro sensor, which outputs 5424x3616-pixel raw images at the highest resolution setting; the dp2 Quattro features a 30mm (45mm eq.) f/2.8 lens with 8 elements in 6 groups, a newly developed TRUE (Three-layer Responsive Ultimate Engine) III processor and a magnesium-alloy body. The Sigma dp2 Quattro camera will be available in early July with a suggested retail price of £899.99.

Stock photography company Dreamstime is looking for the perfect picture to represent your Father’s Day. The DreamstimeDads competition is open right now and will close at midnight EDT on June 15th (8am in the UK on 16th June). The winners will be selected on Monday 16th June. Submit your picture to Dreamstime’s Facebook or Google+ page with the hashtag #DreamstimeDads and the top five will win a £100 Amazon voucher (or a $100 for US entrants) each.

LifeLogger has elevated several of the features for its head-worn wearable camera. The camera has been made smaller due to the "grouping of GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth into one chip." The smaller chip cuts down power consumption and extends battery life by twenty-five percent. “We’ve also made significant progress in making hardware stabilisation, which is much better than any software stabilisation,” says Garner. “Hardware stabilisation uses a Gyro sensor and it is significantly better than software stabilisation which cuts parts of each frame to make it look smoother." Estimated availability for the LifeLogger camera is end of year 2014, with the first run of mass production anticipated to be sometime between October and November.

Jayne Boorman, a grandma whose holiday snapshot was entered into a competition by her daughter-in-law Sally Boorman, has been named Britain’s Worst Holiday Photographer 2014. The picture, which was taken on a family trip to Disney World in Florida is a blurred shot of a character called Duffy the Disney Bear, a character the family took the trip to see. Boorman, who lives in Pembury, picked up the dubious honour from money saving holiday site CheapHolidayLand. “Despite me swearing the children to secrecy, they did let slip to their grandma that we’d entered her photo and she was really pleased," her daughter-in-law said. "This is the first thing she’s won since winning the egg and spoon race at school so is delighted."

Cinemagraph Pro for Mac has received an Apple Design Award at the World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco. Flixel’s professional desktop application for creating living photos was launched back in late February 2014 and the company reported sales of over $250,000 in its first quarter of launching the software. “This is a great honor for our team,” says Flixel’s co-founder and CEO, Philippe LeBlanc. “We are absolutely thrilled to see Cinemagraph Pro receive such a prominent recognition from Apple.”Flixel’s Cinemagraph Pro for Mac is available for purchase on www.flixel.com and the Mac App Store. Cinemagraph+ for iOS is available for purchase on the App Store.

Nikon has released a firmware update for the Nikon Coolpix A digital compact camera. Version C 1.11 brings the following benefits and improvements:

• Focus range with normal autofocus has been changed from approximately 50 cm (1 ft 8 in.)–∞ to approximately 30 cm (1 ft)–∞ from the center of the front surface of the lens.
• AF focus-acquisition rate has been improved when the scene contained in the frame exhibits an extremely high level of contrast.
• The color of the focus area in manual focus mode has been changed to white, making it easier to identify the current focus mode.
• Less battery power is now consumed with interval timer photography, enabling interval timer shooting for a longer period of time when the camera is powered by the battery.

Website: Nikon Coolpix A firmware: C:1.11 Firmware Update

The Sony Action Cam HDR-AS20 is an all-weather video camera that records Full HD movies at a bit rate of 28Mbps. Key highlights include a CMOS sensor, an ultra-wide lens with an angle-of-view of 170° and built-in Wi-Fi that connects Action Cam with the wearable RM-LVR1 Live-View Remote. Available as an optional extra, this waterproofed wrist-mount accessory makes it easy to check shots and control up to five cameras with Action Cam mounted in hard-to-reach places. Battery life is approximately 130 minutes with Wi-Fi and 150 minutes without. The new HDR-AS20 Action Cam from Sony is available to pre-order now from Sony UK. Availability is slated for late June 2014.

Canon has posted a firmware update for its EOS-1D C digital SLR camera. Version 1.3.5 fixes a phenomenon in which the line-level audio input function of some EOS-1D C cameras does not operate as expected with Firmware Version 1.3.4. For the details, head to the website below.

Website: Canon Product Advisories

If you’re not directly aware of Maidenhead, UK based photographic distributor Intro2020, you’ll certainly be au fait with most if not all of its 28-strong brand offerings. These include lens brands: Samyang photo and video lenses, Tamron photo lenses and Tokina Cine Lenses. Filters from Hoya, Kenko and Cokin and many other leading brands such as Velbon tripods, Metz flash, plus photographic bag ranges including Tamrac and Interceptor.

With responsibility for distributing all these in the UK, Intro2020 is constantly in touch with product developers in Japan and the Far East, and decided to share some of its current and future offerings with PhotographyBlog across a recent press trip to Amsterdam and back.

Lytro has decided to open-source its code for the light-field Living Picture player, bringing interactive imagery anywhere on the Web. The Lytro WebGL Player allows developers to seamlessly integrate galleries of "living pictures" taken with the Lytro Illum light field camera into their websites. Living pictures are the product of light field photography ­ a transformative way to experience digital images. Audiences can alter the appearance of the images by adjusting perspectives, focal points and dimensions. 500px will be the first to integrate the Lytro WebGL Player. The open source code for Lytro's WebGL Player will be available on 15th July, at the website below.

Jessops has announced that a new Motorsport Photography Experience will take place at Snetterton Race Course on Saturday 21st June. Hosted by Jessop’s motorsport partners, Volkswagen Racing UK, this will be a ‘behind the garage doors’ experience photographing the action at one of the UK’s more prestigious racing circuits. You’ll have comprehensive tutoring from a Jessops Academy trainer on the most challenging techniques of photographing high-speed cars during the races and be taken to the best vantage points at the track. The price is £199 including breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. To book your place, visit the website below.

BiteMyApple has released Nova, a wireless off-camera flash for the Apple iPhone. Nova is a separate piece that pairs to your phone via Bluetooth. "Simply connect to the free Nova app, point, and shoot," the company says. Nova boasts 40 points of light diffused behind a white panel, yet weighs only an ounce. The flash is now available for $59.99 at the website below.

Alien Skin Software has just released Exposure 6, the latest version of its flagship photography effects software. “With Exposure 6, not only have we worked to enhance the rich feature set available to photographers, but also to streamline the software to help them focus on creating extraordinary images faster than ever,” said Alien Skin CEO, Finley Lee. “It’s about understanding a user’s workflow and helping photographers realize their artistic vision as quickly and easily as possible”. Exposure 6 can be used as a plug-in with popular host software or as a stand-alone program for even greater flexibility. The application is available for $149. Owners of any version of Exposure may upgrade for $69. Free upgrades will be automatically sent to everyone who purchased Exposure 5 directly from Alien Skin Software in March 2014 or later.

IP Guard, a service website for photographers, has added USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) copyrighting services to its proactive suite of protection services that include proprietary right-click tracking, 24/7/365 image monitoring, as well as DMCA Take down notices and other service s and tools specific to tracking, protecting and acting on authorised image alterations and usage. IP Guard uses proprietary technology to capture a digital “fingerprint” of those who try to download photos and images online without permission, and specialised staff monitor for illegal use of images around the clock. With the addition of USPTO copyright registration, photographers have greater intellectual property protection, giving them full legal recourse for recovery of their stolen and misused images and much greater chance of fair compensation, the company says.

AMS Software has announced a major upgrade to its SmartSHOW 3D slideshow app. Version 4.0 features a variety of new slide effects, a convenient start-up wizard, ready-to-use slideshow themes, dozens of new transitions and more. Slideshows made with SmartSHOW 3D can be burned to DVDs or exported to 30+ video formats. Compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8; SmartSHOW 3D comes in two versions: Standard ($39.90) and Deluxe ($59.50).

Panasonic UK has announced three Lumix G promotions. The company is offering consumers a free battery grip and Leica DG SUMMILUX 25mm / F1.4 fixed focal length lens when they purchase a Panasonic GH3 compact system camera (pictured). Those buying a G6 or GX7 can pick up a Lumix G Vario 45-150 mm telephoto lens for free. And for photographers looking to purchase a GM1, Panasonic is offering a £100/€120 cashback and stylish free leather case. The free products and cashback are all claimed via consumer redemption to Panasonic from 10th June - 31st August 2014.