X-Rite has introduced its new portfolio of i1 Professional Color Management Solutions. The portfolio is comprised of i1Basic Pro, i1Photo Pro, i1 Publish and i1Publish Pro.  All four feature groundbreaking new technology and applications: i1Profiler, X-Rite’s entirely new next generation color profiling software; new PANTONE Color Manager color swatch bridging software; and ColorChecker Proof, a new color checker chart for direct viewing analysis against a printed target. The new i1 Professional Color Management Solutions will be available in October 2010.

AKVIS Magnifier 4 is a new program that enlarges digital pictures to super-high resolution. The latest version of AKVIS Magnifier 4 includes the ability to make greatly improved reduced images of high quality. The program is available as a plugin to a photo editor, as well as a standalone edition,  for $129 USD or 99 Euro.

Transcend has started shipping CFast cards, the latest specification for Compact Flash cards. The new CFast cards integrate the rapid, more robust SATA interface into the existing CF card form factor, delivering transfer rates of up to 108MB/s. Transcend’s CFast cards are now available in 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities.

The LaCie 2Big USB 3.0 is now available in 6TB capacity, offering speeds of up to 306MB/s. This capacity and speed boost over the original has been made possible through the inclusion of two 3TB hard drives. “There is no question heavy data users continue to demand higher capacities, and in turn faster transfer speeds,” said Erwan Girard, Business Unit Manager for Professional Products. “Today, LaCie answered this challenge by introducing the largest available capacity and fastest transfer speeds in a single solution.” The LaCie 2big USB 3.0 6TB will be available in November, pricing to be confirmed.

The Photographer’s Mind is Michael Freeman’s follow up to his best-selling book, The Photographer’s Eye. Containing more than 400 images with schematic illustrations showing how and why they work, the book is targeted at serious amateurs, intermediate as well as professional photographers. The Photographer’s Mind is available now, at a price of $29.95.

Mannheim-based daemgen.net has released ProCamera 2.95 for iOS, which now stores both location and directional metatags with each photo. Version 2.95 allows users to save the exact GPS location from which the photo was taken, plus the precise compass direction in which the camera was pointed. The developer warns that while the app is compatible with a variety of camera-equipped iOS devices, only the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 - which have an integrated gyrocompass - can make use of the new direction recording feature. ProCamera 2.95 is $2.99 and available exclusively through the App Store in the Photography category.

Simply Postcards is a free iPhone app that lets users mail their photos as real postcards from their mobile device to anyone in the world.“Our customers are snapping photos from the Great Wall of China and having their printed postcards arrive in three days,” says CEO Adam Fried. “It’s a really cool technology that we are extremely excited to offer consumers.” The app itself is a free download fromt hte App Store, and every user’s first postcard is also free. Additional postcard credits can be purchased within the app using a major credit card or PayPal.

Sprite Labs have released what it calls the biggest update to their Photo Captions iPhone/iPad app. The update allows users to import a photo from their own Facebook profiles or their friends’ profiles, enhance it, add a caption, tag it and re-post their creation on their wall in less than a minute. The richness of captions is further enhanced now by a set of more than 20 new custom fonts available on iOS 3.1 and above. Additionally, users can now apply special effects/filters to their photos, including Sketch, Posterise, Sepia, Colour Sketch and Burnt Photo. Photo Captions Premium is available on the App Store for $2.99.

The new GearGuard Lens Lock from Gary Fong is a security device that affixes directly to the lens, in place of the rear lens cap, “to safeguard expensive hardware against the constant snatch-and-grab threat photographers face”. Available for Canon and Nikon lenses, the irremovable device renders the lens useless to thieves, the company says. Made of industrial strength plastic, the Lens Lock can be paired with the optional GearGuard Security Cable (also pictured) and Combination Lock and attached to a secure anchor point for safe storage or attached to other gear inside a camera bag for loss prevention. Available now, the GearGuard LensLock from Gary Fong is priced at $29.95.

Epson has announced that Digigraphie, its label of excellence for photographers, artists, print bureaux, galleries and museums, will be launched in the UK in early 2011. Launched in mainland Europe in 2003, Digigraphie has become increasingly recognised in the art world as a mark of quality, Epson says. A range of 26 high-quality fine art/photo media is certified for use with the Digigraphie programme, 10 produced by Epson, seven by Canson and nine by Hahnemühle. Each Digigraphie print is individually authenticated with a serial number, signed by the artist, embossed with the Digigraphie seal and accompanied by a certificate of guarantee. To become a Digigrapher, artists and galleries can equip themselves with the Epson products which comply with the technical terms of Digigraphie from a select number of resellers that will be chosen for their recognised skills and their involvement in the photography and art markets.

Apparent Software has released ImageFramer 3.0 - a total redesign of a well-known image framing application for Mac OS X.. ImageFramer allows framing photos, artwork and other images in a wide array of photo-realistic or artistic frames and mats. Version 3.0 introduces features like combining multiple frames and mats, saving design templates and even an embedded frame editor that allows users to create their own frames from their graphics. System requirements include Mac OS X Version 10.5 or later, Universal Binary for PowerPC and Intel and 100MB of disk space (for the Standard edition, 300MB for the Pro version). Standard license of ImageFramer 3.0 costs $39.95, and a lite version can be purchased just for $29.95. Family and Pro licenses can be purchased for $49.95 and $69.95, respectively.

onOne Software has announced its free Perfect Presets for Photoshop Lightroom 3.0. Available in the Develop Module of Lightroom, Perfect Presets have been developed by Mike Wong, and provide automatic colour and tone adjustments as well as several popular effects including noise reduction, black-and-white conversions and several stylised effects. “I initially developed these presets for my own images, ” said Mike Wong. “Like every other photographer, I enjoy editing my images to make them look better and Lightroom is the application where I start that process. These presets are meant to be a starting point to help other photographers in that process and to be used potentially as the basis for creating their own presets.”

Website: onOne Software

Boinx Software has announced PhotoBox for iPad, an applicationthat analyses the technical quality of photos imported from a camera to iPad via the iPad Camera Connection Kit. The app provides photographers with an on-the-spot analysis of images in terms of exposure, focus, color, and overall look and composition. PhotoBox is available now as a free download at the website below.

The Master Photographers Association has announced the two winners of the 2010 Kodak Wedding and Portrait Awards. Lindsey Brooker scooped the title of “Kodak Portrait Photographer of the Year”, while John Parris has been named Kodak Wedding Photographer of the Year. The subject of each winning photograph receives £1,000 and a Kodak digital camera, and the winning photographers are presented with a trophy and certificate to display in their studios.

Olympus has updated its Viewer 2 application to add support for the Olympus E-5 digital SLR camera. Version 1.1 can be downloaded from the website below. The program is compatible with Windows XP SP2 or later, Windows Vista and Windows 7, as well as Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later. You will need to enter your Olympus camera’s serial number to download the program. Existing Olympus Viewer 2 users can update their copy of the software to version 1.1 from within the application (Help menu).

Website: Olympus Viewer 2

The next generation of Benro tripods, monopods and heads has just been announced at Photo Plus Expo 2010. Benro’s complete product line has been updated with a fresh look, an enhanced smooth double protective finish, and in many models an improved leg locking system. Benro has also unveiled a range of new carbon fibre and aluminium monopods featuring unique swivel pod feet, launched its totally new, flat-folding Travel Flat tripods, and added transfunctional capabilities to its existing Travel Angel line. This allows users to quickly transform a Travel Angel tripod into a monopod.

Tenba has expanded its urban-inspired Messenger collection to include a new Mini Photo/Laptop Bag and Small Camera Bag. Constructed of military-grade 1000 denier nylon, each model offers a variety of pockets and other storage spaces to keep digital camera equipment and accessories organised and protected. The new Messenger Mini Photo/Laptop Bag and Small Camera Bag are available now at suggested retail prices of $84.95 and $114.95, respectively.

PocketWizard is demonstrating its MiniTT1 Transmitter and FlexTT5 Transceiver for the Nikon DSLR camera system at PhotoPlus Expo in New York City. Following months of intense development, PocketWizard is in the final testing stages of the ControlTL system for Nikon products. Sales are expected to start in fourth Quarter 2010.

The Westcott Green Screen Digital Lighting Kit 405 from Photo Basics is a lighting kit designed for photographers and videographers looking to achieve special effects. The kit comprises two lights complete with softboxes and stands, 10 animated and 10 photo backgrounds and educational DVDs, and is available from Johnsons Photopia in the United Kingdom for £288.