The Polaroid Socialmatic is an Android-powered 14-megapixel compact camera with a built-in ZINK instant printer, 4.3" touchscreen, GPS and Wi-Fi. Other highlights include a 2-megapixel secondary camera, a front-mounted monochromatic LCD with a uniqe "Mood Assistant" feature, Bluetooth and Socialmatic Network connectivity, remote printing capabilities and SDHC memory card support. The Polaroid Socialmatic will hit the shops in the first quarter of 2014 at a price of $299.

The call for entries has been announced for The Fourth Image Awards. In 2013, The Fourth Image exhibition will be held from 31st of October to 5th of November. Photographers are invited to submit their images until 10th September. The first prize is €3,000 and a booth at the exhibition. For more information, visit the website below.

Website: The Fourth Image

Diddipix, a children-focussed website recently launched by photographer Kirsten Harvey, has announced a range of new competitions. Children can upload their photos onto their own gallery pages with the possibility of winning awards and prizes including Nikon cameras and the opportunity to have their photos published in a Diddipix yearbook. "Children are very receptive to new ideas, particularly if it is about being creative," Kirsten says. "They don’t have the same inhibitions as adults and tend to explore their world organically, with no pre-conceived views and opinions."

WnSoft has released Perfect Photo Show, a free slideshow application made by acclaimed photo professionals for beginners. "Perfect Photo Show will help you create amazing slideshows with music in just a few minutes," the company says. "Share your impressions about a journey or another important event with your friends and family." The free program is available for Windows 7, 8, Vista and XP.

Hahnemühle has partnered with Canon for a new programme called "Try My Photo." A limited-time offer exclusive to US residents, Canon's Try My Photo programme allows participants to see one of their favorite images printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag or Hahnemühle William Turner fine art papers, among others, using select Canon Pixma Pro series printers. To take advantage of this opportunity, photographers can upload a JPEG file via the website below. The promotion featuring select Hahnemühle inkjet fine art paper on Canon's Try My Photo website will run through 30th September.

In Memory of the 125,000 aircrew who served in Bomber Command, Lincolnshire Bomber Command Memorial has launched The Spirit of Bomber Command  photography competition. "We know from the contacts we have had that the passion for Bomber Command and all it stood for is extraordinary; and this competition offers the perfect opportunity to spread the word, engage new audiences and present the tenets of the Command in a modern and creative way," says Tony Worth, Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire and Chair of the Trustees for Lincolnshire Bomber Command Memorial. Those who wish to take part in the competition need to submit their photographs that catprue the Spirit of Bomber Command through the website below.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ72 has a 60x optical zoom, the highest of any compact camera. Offering a focal length of 20-1200mm, the 60x optical zoom of the FZ72 can be increased to an incredible 102x optical zoom using the 1.7x Tele Conversion Lens DMW-LT55, enough to capture the cratered surface of the moon. The Panasonic FZ72 also has a 16.1-megapixel High Sensitivity MOS sensor, full-HD 1,920 x 1,080 60i/50i videos, 9fps burst shooting, P/A/S/M modes, and a hotshoe. The Panasonic DMC-FZ72 will be available from August, price to be announced.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS3 is an ultra-slim and super-stylish compact camera. Just 14mm thick, the DMC-XS3 has a 14.1-megapixel High Sensitivity MOS sensor, a fast F2.8 24mm wide-angle lens, and offers 920 x 1080 full HD video recording. The Panasonic DMC-XS3 will be available from September in a choice of two colours, price to be announced.

Nikon has released updated lens distortion control data for a number of its DSLR cameras including the Nikon D4, D90, D600, D800, D800E, D3100, D3200, D5000, D5100, D5200, D7000 and D7100 (pictured). Version 1.009 is now available from the websites below.

Website: Nikon Lens Distortion Control Data for Mac
Website: Nikon Lens Distortion Control Data for Windows

Wacom held its 30th anniversary celebration party on July 12, 2013 at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo in Roppongi, Tokyo. “Wacom continues to work with the world’s most creative people, both professional and enthusiast. We... believe that creativity exists in each and every one of us and that every idea is precious, whether it is small or potentially life-changing, personal or shared for the world," said Masahiko Yamada, Wacom’s President & CEO. "Creating, sharing, developing and finally bringing ideas to life brings joy and puts a smile on the face of the world. We want to contribute to the world by supporting a lifecycle of ideas.”

A new campaign, shot exclusively on the new Nokia Lumia 925 camera phone, aims to open the UK’s eyes to some of its hidden nightlife. The company travelled the length and breadth of the UK with photojournalist Nick Ray, to photograph the hidden lives of people at night. The images reveal a homeless community sleeping rough on the urban streets of Liverpool city centre, nurses tending unwanted pets looked after around the clock at an RSPCA animal shelter in Stoke Newington, burlesque performers in Soho getting ready to bring Soho to life, and more. The Nokia Lumia 925 has an 8.7-megapixel  camera with Optical Image Stabilisation and Carl Zeiss optics.

TNM Digital Media has just released the fine art photography eBook A Darker Sun from photographer/editor Dean Brierly. Carol McCusker, Curator of Photography, Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida, offers this description of Brierly’s photographs in A Darker Sun: “Balanced between abstraction and representation, the subconscious and the urban zeitgeist, they reflect a photographer and historian of 20th century art, cinema, literature and music, who manifests, in richly textured visual shorthand, a carnivorous curiosity and intelligence.” The interactive eBook is available today in the Apple iBookstore.

The 11ers, a team of ex-DreamWorks employees with extensive expertise in film animation software, today released Photospector, a real-time photo-editing app for iPad that processes images at full camera resolution. While existing apps require several seconds to load a single adjustment to brightness, exposure, or color, Photospector makes all of these changes instantly in full screen as the user drags a finger across the controls, the company claims. "It's a truly 'wow' moment when you slide your finger across the screen and you see you're in complete control of every aspect of your photo," says the app's lead developer Daniel Wexler. "You can take a 1,000 MP image and zoom in down to the pixel." Photospector is currently free and available through the App Store in the Photo & Video category.

Peak Design have revealed their latest product, Capture Camera Clip v2 and CapturePRO. The San Francisco-based photography gear company describes the new Capture as a completely revamped and reimagined version of their original camera clip. An alternative to the standard camera strap, Capture is a compact aluminium clip that allows active photographers to rigidly carry their cameras on any backpack strap, belt or bag. The new version additionally converts to a quick-release clamp for a tripod or monopod, works as a GoPro mount with an optional accessory, and adds compatibility with a wider range of photography gear, like sling-style camera straps and tripod heads (ARCA-type and Manfrotto RC2). There are two versions available, the standard Capture ($59.99) for hobbyists/beginners, and the fuller-featured CapturePRO ($79.99) for professional phofographers. These products are available for preorder at a limited-time discount on Kickstarter until 23rd August.

On 23rd July, Fuji will release major firmware updates for its Fujifilm X-Pro1 and X-E1 compact system cameras. Version 2.00 for the X-E1 and Version 3.00 for the X-Pro1 shall deliver improved AF speed on most existing XF lenses, an improvement of focus precision in various scenes, a new focus peaking function, an improvement to the method to change magnification during manual focus, and enahnced optical image stabilisation when recording video with the Fujinon XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS lens.

Panasonic has announced a number of seminars being held this weekend with Hugh Hastings, the former Official Photographer for Chelsea FC. Held at Jessops London Oxford Street store on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st July, at 11am and 3pm, these sessions will cover Hugh's photography career and current work, working with the Chelsea Football Club, and reasons for Hugh's switch from a DSLR to the Panasonic GH2 and GH3 (pictured). The one-hour seminars are free to attend but spaces are limited so you are advised to contact the store directly on 0207 434 3586.

Sony have commissioned professional street photographers Aimee Turner & Lee Strickland to explore three of the UK's most vibrant cities using Sony' RX1 cameras. The expert compact, which boasts a 35mm full frame sensor with 24.3 effective megapixels, was used to capture street style photography in London, Birmingham and Bristol. Speaking about his experience shooting London and Birmingham with the RX1, Lee Strickland said “The RX1 is a great camera to shoot with, especially when shooting street photography from the hip. The main feature that really makes this camera stand out for me is its full size sensor, which gives you ability to shoot raw files with the picture quality of a DSLR.”

DxO Labs have added  a new exposure time measurement setup to DxO Analyzer 5, providing the first automated solution for measuring exposure time, shutter lag, ERS delay, vertical blanking, frame time, frame rate, and missing frames for both still and video CMOS-based cameras. All CMOS sensors feature an ERS, which introduces many kinds of artifacts and distortions that particularly affect moving objects, resulting in wobble or jello effects, skew, smear, or partial exposure. DxO Analyzer v5 uses advanced image processing technologies to deliver a precise characterization of ERS distortions. The new setup combines the DxO LED Universal Timer, shutter triggers, and software, all developed by DxO Labs to deliver automatic test shot processing.