VideoSpin from Pinnacle Systems is a new, free video editing application aimed at users who don’t want to spend much time creating movies. With VideoSpin, users can create entertaining movies in minutes simply by dragging and dropping their videos, pictures and music from their PC’s hard drive. “In developing VideoSpin, we focused on putting the fun in video editing for consumers with all levels of experience by making it faster and easier than any other product on the market,” said Tanguy Leborgne, Pinnacle Systems Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. The VideoSpin application will be available for free download by the end of January 2008.

ILFORD is sponsoring a photo exhibition by photographer Paula Barr at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. USA Route 90 Highway, Gulf Coast Echo is a photographic journal that tells the story of the devastating effects hurricanes can have on displaced persons and survivors. “I am very honored to be a part of this forum and to have the opportunity to showcase my work. As an artist, it is important to use high quality and archival material to ensure the best possible results. With the support of ILFORD and the use of ILFORD color products, I have been able to produce superior quality prints from my digital files and color negatives.” commented Paula Barr.

Kubota Image Tools has announced its 4th creative photography workshop for professional and advanced amateur photographers in Italy. This 7-day photography workshop (October 5-11, 2008) includes several exciting photo excursions, classroom instruction, photography critiquing and more. “My wife Clare and I are so thrilled to return for our fourth creative photography workshop in Italy – one of the most beautiful countries on Earth,” said Kevin Kubota, Idea Man of Kubota Image Tools. “There’s nothing like a trip to Italy to inspire you—and your photography. It really is a life changing experience.” The cost of the 7-day trip is $2,995 for class attendees and $2,550 for non-class participants.

The new LaCie 324 is a 24 inch LCD monitor which offers superb colors thanks to its wide 92 percent NTSC gamut. The LaCie 324 also embeds a 10-bit gamma correction mechanism that minimizes banding and has a 16:10 wide-screen format. It also supports high definition video up to, and including, 1080p sources. “The LaCie 324’s feature set broadly addresses the needs of creative pros dealing both with fixed-images, as in graphic design, photography and publishing as well as with motion pictures, as in post-production and game development”, said Daniel Mayer, LaCie’s Color Business Unit Manager. The LaCie 324 monitor will be available at the end of January for $1050.

The new SanDisk 12GB microSDHC card is the world’s largest capacity memory card for mobile phones. The 12GB microSDHC card can store a combination of 1,500 songs, 3,600 photos and 24.5 hours of video. “Mobile phones have become a key part of consumers’ lifestyles around the globe,” said Jeff Kost, senior vice president and general manager of the Mobile Consumer Solutions division at SanDisk. “What many people tend to overlook is the important role that removable storage cards play in enabling the key features of these fully featured mobile phones. In fact, many people are not even aware that their phone has a card slot which is why SanDisk recently launched its Wake Up Your Phone(TM) campaign.”

Panasonic has added support for YouTube and Picasa Web Albums to its VIERA PZ850 line of Plasma Internet-connected HDTV’s. “We are thrilled to introduce Panasonic VIERA PZ850 series Internet-Connected HDTV’s with virtual one-click access to YouTube and Picasa Web Albums from Google,” said Toshihiro Sakamoto, President of Panasonic AVC Networks Company.  “This is the first time mainstream consumers will be able to easily enjoy YouTube videos from the living room with the enhanced quality of a fully integrated widescreen TV experience.  YouTube is already a huge worldwide sensation, and Panasonic VIERA Internet-connected HDTV’s will greatly expand users’ entertainment options.” The first generation of Panasonic VIERA PZ850 series Internet-connected HDTV’s will be available in spring 2008.

ZINK Imaging and Polaroid have announced their collaboration on the development of a new family of printing products which use ZINK Imaging’s ink-free printing technology. The first Polaroid-branded ZINK-enabled product is a pocket-sized mobile printer that produces borderless full color 2”x3” peel-and-stick ZINK photos. The Polaroid Digital Instant Mobile Photo Printer will be available in the first half of 2008. Polaroid have also announced the award-winning Polaroid Digital Instant Mobile Photo Printer. “Polaroid, one of the most well-known names in consumer electronics and digital imaging, was a clear fit for ZINK Imaging as a partner,” said Wendy Caswell, president and CEO, ZINK Imaging. “Through this partnership, we are delivering on our promise to provide a revolutionary and magical digital printing experience to consumers.”

CEIVA has unveiled 4 new digital photo frames at the CES show in Las Vegas. The CEIVA Pro 190 (pictured) has a 19-inch high-res 1280x1024 display with modern streamlined looks. The CEIVA Pro 80 ($229.99) hosts a high-res 800x600 display and wireless home media server connectivity all in an 8” model. The CEIVA Life ($179.99) offers a high-res 8” display, built in memory card reader, intuitive on-screen menus and interchangeable faceplates. Finally, the CEIVA Share ($149.99) is the easiest and most economical way to stay connected with your family. At this year’s CES, we are announcing a new line of connected frames that provide consumers with an even more rewarding way to celebrate life every day with photos,” said Dean Schiller, CEO of CEIVA Logic.

The Hoodman flip-up hood for the Canon EOS 40D DSLR (code: H-40D) is on its way to the UK. The suggested retail price is the same as all other ‘Hoodman’ flip-ups, £27.99 including VAT. Also, a book called called ‘Digital Photography Made Easy - from Camera to Computer’ (pictured) is available soon for £16.95, published by Hove Foto Books. Both products can be ordered online from NewPro - http://www.newprouk.co.uk/ .

ViewSonic, best known for its LCD monitors, is launching an easy-to-use digital picture frame line. Models include the widescreen 7-inch DP701W4WH (pictured), widescreen 8-inch DF88W-523 and traditional 8-inch DF87G533. “Expanding our portfolio of leading-edge display technology to include picture frames is the latest example of how we are meeting digital lifestyle trends and improving how people view and share content.” said Jeff Volpe, vice president of marketing, ViewSonic Americas. Viewsonic’s digital picture frames are available now for $99 for the DP701W4WH and $119 for the DF88W and DF87G.

Photosimile 5000 is the world’s first office photography machine, allowing anyone to create professional, shadow-free pictures. Launched by Ortery Technologies, the Photosimile 5000 is a combination of 28 x 28 x 28” light box, Canon digital camera and powerful workflow software. Photosimile 5000 also creates 360-degree product shots and spherical 3D flash animations. Photosimile 5000 is compatible with Windows ME/2000/XP and will be available March 2008, price to beconfirmed.

The DataTraveler HyperX and DataTraveler 110 are new USB flash drives from Kingston Technology. The DT HyperX offers fast data transfer rates of 30MB/sec. read and 20MB/sec. write. The DT110 is aimed at the more budget-conscious user. Both drives are backed by a five-year warranty and free 24/7 technical support. “Taking its cue from our HyperX line of industry-setting high-speed memory modules for gamers, enthusiasts and overclockers, the DataTraveler HyperX offers exceptionally fast read and write speeds,” said Joe Teng, Flash memory product manager, Kingston. “Whereas the DT110 provides an economic way to transfer and transport data whenever and wherever you travel.” The Kingston DataTraveler HyperX costs $74 for 2GB, $13 for 4GB and $288 for 8GB.

The new Kingston DataTraveler 400 USB Flash Drive allows users to work among multiple PCs by directly synchronizing files, email and Internet browser settings onto the drive. “The DT400 is the perfect solution to keep documents and settings completely up-to-date and in sync,” said Mark Akoubian, Flash memory product manager, Kingston. “Accessing email and keeping sections of the drive secure through password protection make the DT400 a powerful device for anyone to stay safely connected with work or home while on the go.” The Kingston DataTraveler 400 is supported by a five-year warranty and free 24/7 technical support. The 2 GB version costs $31, 4GB $56 and 8GB $137.

An as yet unnamed wireless compact camera from Panasonic is currently in development. The new Lumix wireless camera will feature integrated access to the T-Mobile HotSpot service in the USA. It will also offer the ability to send photos directly to Picasa Web Albums. Panasonic’s wireless camera comes with complimentary access to T-Mobile HotSpot service for 12 months. “The new LUMIX will be the perfect digital camera for consumers who are accustomed to the benefits that wireless connections offer: speed and convenience,” said Tokikazu Matsumoto, director of Panasonic AVC Networks Company’s Digital Camera Business Unit.  “Ideal for the active user who is always on-the-go, the new LUMIX with wireless network connectivity, has the ability to upload directly to Picasa Web Albums, making sharing photos with friends and family, as simple as a touch of a button and as seamless as connecting to a wireless network.” Expect more details to be unveiled at the PMA show in three weeks time.

Pretec has announced a 48GB CompactFlash card, enough capacity to save 40,000 photos in regular size. Pretec’s new world-beater is not only big, but fast too, with its 233x speed rating capable of reading data at up to 35MB per second. The Pretec 48GB CompactFlash card also uses a metal housing and ruggedized construction, so all in all it sounds ideal for the professional photographer. Pretec are also introducing new CompactFlash cards in sizes from 2GB-24GB which are even faster (333x, 50MB/sec). Price and availability of all the cards is still to be confirmed, but that 48GB version won’t be cheap…

Microsoft Pro Photo Shoot is an Outlook add-in designed to help photographers keep track of their stuff. Pro Photo Shoot allows you to bring up a dialog box with a list of the equipment you own and check off what you want to bring with you to the shoot. The list is stored in the body of the appointment so when you print the appointment record the list is right there with all the other details.  It’s a quick, easy way to stay organized and on-track as you’re running out the door. Microsoft Pro Photo Shoot supports Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 and 2007 running on Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Website: Download Microsoft Pro Photo Shoot

LaCie announced today increased capacity to 320GB for its Rugged All-Terrain Hard Disk and the 2.5-inch Little Disk external hard drives. “People have a tendency nowadays to travel more and need extra space to store and share their data. Just a few years ago, maximum capacity for a standard 2.5-inch mobile hard drive was just 80GB,” said Nolwenn Rozen, LaCie Mobile Product Manager.  “Today LaCie is capable of reaching capacity four times greater than what was once available.” The 320GB Rugged and 2.5-inch Little Disk can store up to 400 movies, 72,000 Songs, or 288,000 photos. Available in late January, both the Rugged All-Terrain Hard Disk and the 2.5-inch Little Disk will cost $199.

The new Toshiba 2.5-inch 320GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive can store up to 91,000 digital photos. The new model features a stylish design in a sleek finish, along with a splash of color available in Carbon Grey, Hot Rod Red and Gecko Green, plus it offers a 20% smaller footprint than the previous line. The Toshiba 320GB drive is bundled with the award-winning NTI Shadow backup software and is available this month for $199. In addition, Toshiba are introducing a new USB 2.0 Mobile External Hard Drive based on the 1.8-inch platform. 60GB, 80GB and 120GB models will be available this spring, prices to be announced.

The Samsung Spinpoint A1 is a Compact Flash card-sized hard disk drive for use in mobile consumer devices. Initially available in 30GB and 40GB models, the Samsung Spinpoint A1 offers higher storage capacity, higher shock resistance, and lower power consumption than conventional memory cards. “Samsung is leading the blockbuster demand for portable consumer devices that offer greater capacities for storing information, music, videos and games,” said Andy Higginbotham, director of hard drive sales and marketing, Samsung Semiconductor. “This new drive will fit within the dimensions of the already widely adopted Compact Flash type II card form factor.” The Samsung Spinpoint A1 is currently shipping for $199.

Memorex SimpleSave DVDs is the first optical disc to provide an all-in-one back-up solution for photos and music. SimpleSave: Photo finds and saves digital images on your PC, and SimpleSave: Music does the same for audio files. Each disc has 4.5GB of capacity, enough to back up approximately 2,200 photos or 1,000 songs. “With SimpleSave DVDs, Memorex offers consumers an easy to use, all-in-one solution for automatically backing up your PC. Now there’s no excuse for not backing up your special photos or valuable music collection!” said Carla Pihowich, Memorex Brand Manager, Imation Corp. Memorex SimpleSave: Photo back-up solution DVDs will be available in packs of five discs for $12.99 per pack. Memorex SimpleSave: Music back-up solution DVDs will be available in packs of three discs for $9.99 per pack. Memorex SimpleSave back-up solution DVDs will be available in April.