The BenQ X800 is the world’s slimmest 8 megapixel camera, measuring just 9.8mm in depth. The X800 features a 3” LCD display, 3x optical zoom lens, Face-Tracking and Super Shake-Free mode. Z-lighting provides adjustment of the lighting and balance of a photo in playback mode. The portable media player function also allows you to watch video and listen to MP3s. The BenQ X800 will be available worldwide in Q1, 2008.

FotoNation’s new SmileCheck technology detects smiles in portrait photos taken by digital cameras and camera phones. An extension of Fotonation’s FaceTracker product line, the camera’s shutter is not engaged until smiles are detected on all faces within the frame. With two out of every three digital cameras sold today containing FotoNation’s embedded Technology, expect to see SmileCheck appearing in a lot of 2008 cameras.

The NewerTech USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter connects any hard drive to any computer for easy file transfer. It’s useful for upgrading an internal hard drive, backing-up and storing file archives, and for data access from stored backup drives. The adapter provides a USB 2.0 transfer speed of up to 480Mbps and is also backwards compatible with USB 1.1. The NewerTech USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter costs $29.95 and is compatible with Mac OS 9.2 or higher including Mac OS X, Linux 2.4.X, and Microsoft Windows 2000/XP.

The Eye-Fi wireless memory card now allows photo uploads directly into iPhoto. The new downloadable Mac upgrade will enable iPhoto to automatically import photos uploaded wirelessly to the Mac. It will also allow Mac users to use the Safari 3 browser to access the Web-based Eye-Fi Manager for managing card settings and upload preferences. The downloadable upgrade is free to current Eye-Fi Card users and will be included in new Eye-Fi Cards. The Eye-Fi Card retails for $99.99 USD.

iPhoto ‘08: The Missing Manual is a new book that everything you need to know to start using this popular digital photography software. “iPhoto 08 is the best release of Apple’s consumer picture management application to date,” says co-author Derrick Story. “I enjoyed learning about the new features and writing them up for the Missing Manual. I’m particularly excited about the improved Adjust palette with better controls to fine-tune our images.” iPhoto ‘08: The Missing Manual by David Pogue and Derrick Story costs $34.99 USD, £24.99 GBP.

The broncolor Mobil A2R is a new portable battery-operated power pack with 1200 J flash output and higher capacity. The Mobil A2R has sufficient power for around 130 flashes at full output and normal recharging time. It also features a built-in radio receiver for flash release up to 300m away. Pricing and availability for the broncolor Mobil A2R to be announced.

VistaQuest will market the AgfaPhoto Brand in North America, showing AgfaPhoto digital cameras and digital video products at the 2008 PMA show. The AgfaPhoto DC-8330i is an 8 megapixel digital camera costing $129.00, with a 3x optical zoom, 3” LCD display, Face Tracking and picture stabilization. Michael Roessler, plawa CEO remarked: “With VistaQuest we have gained an experienced specialist for distribution in North America. VistaQuest possesses extensive product and market knowledge. This experience and ever-increasing trade relations are essential for success in the extremely fast-moving digital camera market.”

The Rainforest Alliance ‘Picture Sustainability Photo Contest’, sponsored by Fujifilm, aims to raise awareness around issues of sustainability and conservation. Open to residents of the USA, the winner and a guest will receive a trip to the Galapagos Islands. Also part of the prize package is a mysterious Fujifilm FinePix SLR-style professional model digital camera, that is worth approximately $800 and will be announced at PMA at the end of this month. To qualify, photos must be submitted to http://www.raphotocontest.org/ by March 15, 2008.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac will be demoed at Macworld this week and is now available for pre-order. “Photoshop Elements 6 for Macintosh allows people to organise and find photos quickly, unleash powerful editing tricks without any heavy lifting, and creatively share photos that give them all the bragging rights.” said John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe. Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac will cost £55 in the UK and will be available in early Q2 2008.

The total prize pot of cash and vouchers for the International Garden Photographer of the Year 2008 competition is more than £25,000. “The prize fund of more than £10,000 cash recognises flower and garden photography as the equal of landscape, travel and natural history photography, which already have their own competitions.” said Andrew Lawson, Judge and Director of the Garden Photographer of the Year. Entries close on 31st January 2008 and participants can enter single images or themed portfolios in five different categories. The top 100 winning and commended images will be shown at a purpose-built outdoor exhibition in Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, London from May to September 2008.

Olympus Europe have extend their E-3 HLD-4 Power Grip promotion until the 31st of March 2008. All current E-System owners who purchase an E-3 until 31st of March, will receive an HLD-4 power grip free of charge. For more information, visit http://www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/dslr_powergrip.htm

NTI Dragon Suite is a complete solution for CD/DVD Burning, DVD compression and personal backup for the Mac. The new software suite includes three Mac applications - NTI Dragon Burn, Dragon FliX and NTI Shadow. NTI Dragon Suite can be used with Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later operating systems and Power PC G3 Processor or later systems and costs $79.99.

Samsung will be showcasing its entire XL range of monitors at this year’s SWPP & BPPA Convention in London, UK. Samsung XL monitors are designed for the most colour critical applications, like desktop publishing, video and photography editing and graphic design. The XL range has the following recommended retail prices: XL20 - £1,099; XL24 - £1,499; XL30 - £3,299. Visitors to the show will have the chance to win an XL20 monitor.

The RPS is launching three new youth photography bursaries worth £15,000 each with funding from Jeff Vickers FRPS. The bursaries aim to inspire and encourage young photographers to excel in the field. Applicants must demonstrate a flair for imaging and creativity in their work. Anyone under 25 years old can apply for the Jeff Vickers FRPS Genix Imaging Bursary.

The Professional Photographers Association (PPA) has partnered with DriveSavers Data Recovery to offer its members discounts for data recovery services. PPA members will receive a 20% discount on all data recovery services from DriveSavers with a “no data, no charge” policy. “DriveSavers can help our members with a variety of seemingly impossible problems from recovering digital photos from hard drives or media cards to recovering accounting records, client information, calendars and/or customer mailing lists.” said Al Hopper, director of membership at PPA.

Channel 4’s ‘Picture This’ photo contest aims to discover the UK’s most talented up and coming photographers. Six photographers picked from thousands of applicants are competing against each other to win an exhibition at the Baltic gallery in Newcastle and a publishing deal worth thousands of pounds. The first episode of ‘Picture This’ aired on 6th January at 7pm, with the next two episodes on on Sunday 13 January and Sunday 20 January.

The Epson Print Academy is a training day specifically designed for users who want to get the best out of their Epson printer. Held at Epson UK’s headquarters in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, instructor Jonathan Briggs provides expert guidance on the fundamentals of image capture, processing and print workflow. The Epson Print Academy course costs £56.40 including VAT.

The FOZI Tripod is a credit card size plastic (polypropylene) folding tripod you can always carry in a wallet, purse or handbag. It snaps from 2 dimensions to 3 to hold the camera in 4 different positions. The FOZI tripod works for both centre and offset lens compact cameras and mobile phone cameras, by changing the position in the tripod. Travellers will now be able to take “anywhere, anytime” shots which are not possible without a tripod. The FOZI Tripod comes in 6 colours, and a 5-pack of different colours. It costs AUD$5.95 posted within Australia or AUD$8.95 sent AIRMAIL to USA, UK, Canada or NZ.

The new LaCie Little Big Disk Quadra is an amazingly fast mobile hard drive designed for digital content creation, high-volume data exchange, and video editing. A quadruple interface allows universal connectivity for true cross-platform compatibility. “Offering as much as 50 percent more capacity than “standard” mobile drives and with blazing speed, the Little Big Disk Quadra, with its quadruple interface and clever design, continues to solidify LaCie’s position as the perennial technology leader for professional storage devices.” said Olivier Mirloup, LaCie Hard Disk Business Unit Manager.  The Little Big Disk Quadra will be available in 400GB and 500GB versions with either 7200 or 5400 RPM drives, respectively, starting at $475.

The LaCie LaCinema Premier is a new multimedia hard drive that creates a home entertainment centre for movies, photos and music. Simply plug the LaCie LaCinema Premier directly into a television for instant playback. Available in capacities of 500GB, 750GB, and 1TB, the LaCinema Premier supports a wide range of video, audio and photo formats. “The LaCie LaCinema Premier is an easy to use multimedia hard drive for customers wanting to enjoy their large digital libraries on their television,” said Salem Tirane, LaCie Multimedia Product Manager. “Offering high capacity and simplicity, it is a vast improvement over standard DVD players as it directly plays digital music, movies and pictures, without having to first burn a CD or DVD for playback.” The LaCie LaCinema Premier 500GB is available for $229.