ADVA Soft has released Handy Photo Free, a no-cost version of its all-in-one photo editing app for Android and iOS. Handy Photo Free presents a modified selection of the app’s features, enabling users to both apply a wide range of edits to their photos and test the effects of the standard edition’s full capabilities. These features include global and local tonal adjustments, eight photo filters, retouching, Move Me technology for smart objects extraction and moving, 100% size image editing, support for image resolutions of up to 12 megapixels. Handy Photo Free is available on iTunes and Google Play.

Macphun has announced an updated educational programme dubbed Pay It Forward. Rewarding students and faculty members by offering a 50% discount on qualifying products like Snapheal Pro (see screenshot above), Intensify Pro, Focus 2 Pro and the Creative Kit bundle; Pay It Forward recognizes the contribution students and faculty members have on the Mac and Photography industry, the company says. “Pay It Forward is an initiative that allows Macphun to give back by putting our software in the deserving hands of students and educational professionals at an affordable price,”    said Paul Muzok, co-founder and CEO of Macphun Software. “Students and teachers who are well versed in current digital imaging technology and efficient workflows can ultimately have an immense impact on the world.” For more information, visit the website below.

The organisers of the Organ Vida International Photography Festival have issued a call for entries for their sixth annual photography contest. Photographers have until 25th May to submit their work to the competition, whose central theme is Reflections. The jury will include leading Dutch educator Corinne Noordenbos, award-winning Swedish photographer Kent Klich, Financial Times Weekend Magazine photo editor Emma Bowkett, prominent British photographer George Georgiou, professor Irina Rozovsky and award winning local photographer and filmmaker Ana Opalić, The finalists will see their work displayed at the final exhibition during the festival week. As always, we recommend that you read the terms and conditions before entering your work.

Kodak Alaris has released a new suite of apps that makes it easier to create and pick up personalised photo products from participating stores and Kodak Picture kiosks. The apps allow users to select photos from any iOS or Android smartphone, and to create a personalised photo product anywhere anytime. All they need to do is choose the image layout and select the nearest participating retailer for collection. Additionally, the Kodak Moments App for smartphones can also connect directly to a Kodak Picture Kiosk via Wi-Fi to allow individual images to be loaded directly from the handset to the kiosk to create a variety of products.For Facebook enthusiasts, the Kodak Moments app offers a solution to print Facebook albums or favourite Facebook photos.

DNA Imagery has released the first paid version of its popular iOS app Photo Candy, and updated the free version. Photo Candy Pro gives access to over 250 patterns and shapes (with more to come) from various designers as well as seasonal packs on the pro version, 4 additional unlocked packs, 16 additional presets and photo editing features (including contract, exposure, brightness and more). Photo Candy Pro is available for purchase on the iTunes store for only $1.99.

Samsung UK has today announced a major trade-up promotion across selected models of its Smart camera and NX lens range. Running until 31 at participating retailers both in-store and online, the promotion enables anyone that purchases a new Samsung camera or lens included within the offer and trades in their old digital camera (in working condition) to claim up to £200/€240. To claim the reward, all people need to do is buy a qualifying Samsung camera or lens from an eligible retailer, either in-store or online, and fill out an online claim form on Samsung.com within 14 days of making the purchase. They will then receive a pre-paid postage label within two days via email. Customers in the Republic of Ireland will be emailed the freepost address to send back their camera. Once this has arrived, they must simply pack and return their old digital camera within 30 days of purchase. Qualifying claims will then be fulfilled via direct bank transfer.

The LockPort Pocket is a new product developed to help avoid damaging your Blackmagic Pocket micro HDMI camera port. Easily fitting every tripod head, baseplate, sliding plate and support, the LockPort Pockett safely secures a 90° REAR micro to full-size HDMI adapter, protecting the expensive-to-repair micro HDMI port on your camera. The HDMI adapter has gold plated contacts and the full-size female output allows you to use stronger standard HDMI cables. Available from the end of this month, the LockPort Pocket sells for €99.00. 

JP Distribution has launched a number of new Westcott products in the United Kingdom. These include the uLite continuous lights, which provide up to 500 W of power and come with a 26-inch octagonal softbox that softens the light and produces magnificent catchlights. The basic kit - one uLite constant light with one Octabox - is available for £150. Also new is the Westcott Ice Pack, which is marketed as the "essential kit for any Ice Light owner." The kit (£249.99) includes uniquely moulded and custom designed components to provide photographers more ways to be creative with their Ice Lights. Finally, the Westcott Zeppelin Deep Parabolic Softbox Series is available in 3 sizes, 35”, 47” and 59”. Commercial, fashion and portrait photographers can utilise the Zeppelin Deep Para Softbox (pictured) to create stunning, even wrap-around light. For control over your lighting, the Zeppelin comes with both inner and outer diffusion panels, which let you easily determine the quality of your lighting. It also includes a travel case for portability. Prices start at £480.

GoPro has announced a collection of accessories and software. GoPro HERO3+ and HERO3 users will benefit from a number of new housing and mount options including a matte-finish housing, compact frame and versatile flex mount. The stealth Blackout Housing ($49.99) features a non-reflective black matte finish and LCD concealment stickers. Two additional accessories,Gooseneck and The Frame, are designed for greater versatility in shooting. Gooseneck ($19.99) boasts a seven-link flex neck and quick-release base plate for capturing hard to reach shots around corners or underneath objects, while the reengineered Frame ($39.99) is the smallest, lightest way to mount the HERO3+ and HERO3 camera. The free GoPro App, which allows users to control all camera functions remotely, view photos, playback videos and share content via email, text and social platforms, has been updated to a new version to deliver wireless camera software updates to the HERO3+. Improvements to camera software unlock a number of new modes to give HERO3+ Black users greater control of capture settings, including new SuperView modes at 1080/60 and 1080/50, as well as new Auto Low Light modes that support higher frame rates.

The Samsung U28D590D is an affordable 28-inch Ultra HD display with a resolution of 3840x2160 pixels. Launching on 21st April, the Samsung U28D590D has a  GTG response time of 1ms, static contrast ratio of 1000:1 and maximum brightness of 370cd/m². The spec sheet reveals that it has a TN panel (hence the relatively affordable price tag), which "supports" 1 billion colours - although it's not clear whether this means that it's a true 10-bit panel or that the monitor has a 10-bit internal LUT. The Samsung U28D590D has a DisplayPort and two HDMI 1.4 connectors but no DVI interface. Samsung's Picture-by-Picture feature enables you to connect two different PCs to the display and see the desktops of both simultaneously on one screen that's divided into two. The monitor also includes UHD up-scaling technology that converts low-resolution content to Ultra HD. Amazon is currently taking pre-orders for the Samsung U28D590D at $845.69.

The Olympus Stylus SH-1 is a 16-megapixel compact camera with a 25-600mm (eq.) f/3-6.9 lens and 5-axis optical image stabilisation. Other key features include a PEN-like design with aluminium alloy body, 1080p movies, high-speed video recording for slow-motion playback, a time-lapse movie mode, a 460kdot/3in touchscreen, and Wi-Fi connectivity. The SH-1 will be available in a choice of silver, black or white for £349.99/$399.99 from the end of April.

Shockproof to a height of 2.1 metres, crushproof to a weight of 100kg, freezeproof down to -10°C, dustproof and waterproof to a depth of 15m, the Olympus Stylus TG-3 is an ultra-rugged digital compact camera featuring a 25-100mm (eq.) f/2-4.9 lens, GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity. Additionally, the TG-3 has the first-ever macro mode to feature four settings in one. Microscope Mode lets you magnify a subject more than 40x from as close as 1cm. So if it measures just 1mm in reality it can impressively appear as large as 44.4mm on the LCD. Focus Stacking Mode automatically shoots multiple shots of a macro subject with different parts in focus and then merges them to a crisply focused image of publishable quality. The Olympus Stylus TG-3 will be available in black or red from June 2014 for £349.99/$349.99 

The Olympus Stylus 1 has won a Red Dot Design Award. "The elegance of this camera’s design is truly distinctive, and fully merits its red dot award", the judges said. "It is sufficiently compact to be a go-anywhere camera, but offers performance comparable to that of a professional camera."

The Reflecta ProScan 10T is a dedicated 35mm film scanner with a hardware resolution of 10,000ppi. Capable of scanning loose strips of negative and transparency film as well as mounted slides, the Reflecta ProScan 10T has a claimed dMax of 3.9, infrared and white LED light sources, hardware-based dust- and scratch-removal technology, manual film transport and (sadly) a fixed-focus lens. Scanning a frame at maximum resolution takes 7 minutes including dust- and scratch-removal. The suggested retail price is €469.

From 6.30pm tonight (BST), Nikon’s D4 and D800 cameras will be rolling on the set of London Live, the new 24 hour entertainment channel devoted to London. Working with Nikon and Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC), London Live has helped develop a new state-of-the-art robotic system, featuring a nine-axis robotic arm at the heart of the automated studio. Bryn Balcombe, Technology Director, London Live says: “Building a television channel from scratch has given us an exciting opportunity to source the most innovative new technology and find less traditional and more cost-effective ways of doing things. Nikon’s digital SLR cameras will be perfect for our new London-based studio, allowing us to provide fast-paced, 24 hour broadcasting without compromising the image quality for our viewers.”

New research from Nikon has found that when it comes to their technology men cause £1,759 worth of damage to their gadgets during their lifetime. Of those men who have damaged their technology in the last five years, four in ten male respondentssent it crashing to the floor, while the second most common scenario was submerging it in a drink or splashing drink on it (12%). Nikon is using these figures to highlight the ruggedness of its 1 series AW1 compact system camera (pictured)  Thuan Bui, Junior Product Manager, Nikon 1, Nikon UK, comments “Being waterproof, shock proof and freeze proof the Nikon 1 AW1 is perfect for keeping up with the most active lifestyles. And with so many of us causing some sort of damage to our prized possessions this is one less gadget you need to worry about. What’s more, whether it falls into a drink on a night out, it’s left outside in the rain or dropped on the floor, you’ll still get great quality photos of all your adventures."

Today, Red Giant announced PluralEyes 3.5, an update to its Shooter Suite’s automated audio/video sync tool. “We want PluralEyes to be as useful to as many people as possible,” said Randon Morford, Shooter Suite product manager. “A lot of our focus for this release has been on improving and expanding support for more media types. We’ve greatly improved support for AVCHD cameras, including support for spanned clips.” In addition, PluralEyes’ Replace Audio feature now supports many more media types than before, bringing this feature to a much larger group of users. Plus, PluralEyes 3.5 now includes the unique ability to correct sync drift where the audio and video begin to lose sync over time on longer clips. This allows it to achieve frame-accurate syncs even for audio recorders that don't have that level of accuracy themselves. PluralEyes 3.5 beta will be available soon, with a release in Q2 for $199. Existing users of PluralEyes qualify for a $79 upgrade.

Olympus has issued a firmware update for its OM-D E-M1 compact system camera. Version 1.3 brings improved microphone functionality when an external microphone is used. Audio levels can now be adjusted in 21 steps, resulting in expanded dynamic range for sound. In addition the possibility to switch the volume limiter on and off  has been added. Additionally, a new Anti-Shock mode with a 0-second delay has been added. For information on how to update the firmware on your Olympus OM-D E-M1 visit the website below.

Website: Olympus UK: Firmware Update Instructions