Nik Software’s first-ever mobile app, Snapseed, has been named by Apple as iPad app of the year in the company’s App Store Rewind 2011. Introduced half a year ago and featuring the company’s award-winning U Point technology, Snapseed enables users to apply a wide variety of innovative filters to their photos including Grunge, Vintage and Drama. “It’s very rewarding for our entire team to have Snapseed for iPad recognized as the number one app available for iPad, having released Snapseed just 6 months ago,” said Michael J. Slater, President and CEO of Nik Software. “We look forward to bringing Snapseed’s powerful, fun photo experience to the desktop and other devices as we continue to grow Snapseed.”

X-Rite has released several free downloadable software updates including ColorMunki Display software, i1Profiler software and i1Profiler D2LionEdition software for i1Display LT and i1Display 2 colour calibration devices. Click through / read on for a detailed description of these updates.

At CES 2012, Parkside is introducing a new line of LensPen cleaning products featuring a brand new, stylish design. The new LensPens use the same special carbon compound, cleaning tip and natural goat hair brush that’s found in the old ones, but sport a completely new look and state-of-the-art packaging. For more information on LensPen products, visit the website below.

The BenQ GH700 is a 16-megapixel camera with a 21x zoom lens and a 1/2.3-type Sony BSI CMOS sensor. Capable of shooting 16-megapixel stills as well as 1080p/60fps Full HD videos, the BenQ GH700 comes equipped with a 25-525mm equivalent zoom lens featuring aspherical and low-dispersion lens elements and nano-scale anti-reflection coating. The camera also offers a selection of Program, Manual and Scene modes, a pop-up flash, 1cm super-macro mode, optical image stabilisation and a 3-inch, 460,000-dot rear screen. The BenQ GH700 carries a recommended retail price of €200.

The BenQ GH600 is a 16-megapixel camera with 25-525mm equivalent zoom lens. Unlike its stablemate the BenQ GH700, the GH600 shoots 720p rather than 1080p video. uses a CCD rather than a BSI CMOS sensor, and features Tv and Av shooting modes in addtion to P and M. Otherwise the two models are quite similar, sharing the same 21x zoom lens, optical image stabilisation and 3” rear screen with a resolution of 460,000 dots. The BenQ GH600 is available in white and black colours.

The free Kodak Document Print App allows you to send images and documents from your Android device directly to any Kodak all-in-one printer that is registered with, and connected to, Google Cloud Print. Supported file types include JPEG, TIFF, PNG, BMP, GIF, PDF, PowerPoint slideshows, web pages and Word documents. In addition to printing files that are located locally on your Android smartphone or tablet, files can be accessed on Google Docs, Dropbox and Evernote sites. Web pages can be accessed using the KODAK Document Print App’s built-in browser.

iStockphoto has recently unveiled a new referral programme that rewards participants with their choice of $20, 20 credits or 20 percent commission on all first-time purchases by customers they generate. The programme is open to all iStockphoto members and participation is simple. The agency is providing several plug-and-play email templates and banner ads or participants can create their own. They can also promote the program via social sharing links to Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin found below every iStock image. Any time a participant shares an image, their referral code is automatically embedded. If the share results in a new sale, payment is awarded. Customers who have been participating in the existing referral programme simply have to agree to the new terms and conditions and update their links to continue earning payouts. For more information, visit the website below.

The new USB-IF Audio/Video Device Class Specification supports the transfer of A/V data over USB to a wide variety of A/V devices, including cell phones, cameras, pico projectors, webcams, large HD displays and TVs. “The USB-IF is thrilled to have added the USB Audio/Visual Device Class Definition to its robust set of specifications,” said Jeff Ravencraft, USB-IF President & COO. “This addition further establishes USB as an all-inclusive, comprehensive solution for manufacturers and consumers, while maintaining the affordability and ease-of-use that have made USB so successful.”

Adobe has issued the call for entries for the 12th annual Adobe Design Achievement Awards (ADAA). The competition recognises the best student graphic designers, photographers, illustrators, animators, digital filmmakers, developers and computer artists from higher education institutions worldwide who have created innovative projects using Adobe software. Free to enter, the 2012 ADAA will be judged by a panel of international design experts in three independent judging sessions. Submission deadlines are 27 January, 27 April, and 22 June 2012.

The Photo Imaging Council (PIC) has announced that its members have pledged £100,000 in sponsorship to support National Photography Month, a major new initiative to be held across the UK in June 2012.  The first such initiative of its kind in the UK, National Photography Month aims to encourage the nation both to get more involved in photography and to explore new ways to ‘capture and keep’ life’s most important moments. Organised by the PIC and Photo Marketing Association, the initiative is supported by organisations from the photographic community including the Royal Photographic Society and National Geographic.

The 12-megapixel Leica V-Lux 3 is the Leica version of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 superzoom camera (read review), which was announced earlier this year. Featuring the same 25-300mm equivalent zoom lens, high-speed CMOS sensor, 12fps continuous shooting speed, raw image capture and Full HD video mode as its Panasonic counterpart, the Leica V-Lux 3 comes bundled with Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements, and is scheduled to be available from January, at a price of.£690. For maximum protection of the Leica V-Lux 3 in outdoor conditions, a strong, black camera case will be available as an optional accessory, at an SRP of £135.

Tamron has announced its first E-mount lens designed for the NEX system. This compact and lightweight, 27-300mm equivalent all-in-one zoom lens features a 62mm filter thread, Vibration Compensation and an optical formula that comprises 17 elements arranged in 13 groups. Available from 15th December, the Tamron 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 Di III VC features a seven-bladed iris diaphragm and comes with a petal type lens hood.

Visions of Sport is a coffee-table book featuring some of the best sports photographs found in the archives of Getty Images. The 200-page hardback includes both black-and-white and colour images of the most famous sports stars, including Maria Sharapova, Muhammad Ali, Jessica Ennis, Lewis Hamilton, and many more. Containing over 150 photos, Visions of Sport is available now for an RRP of £16.99 through the website below.

Claudio Stefanutti Photography has announced Contact Sheet Maker 1.2.0 for iPad, an update to their photography app that allows the user to save up to 24 thumbnails of photographs per page as a multi-page PDF document. The contact sheet can then be easily emailed, stored in Dropbox, viewed on any mobile device or computer that supports PDF files, or printed via any AirPrint enabled printer. Contact Sheet Maker 1.2.0 is available on iTunes for $3.99.

The Lomographic Society has introduced a limited-edition Spinner 360° clone wrapped in Toledo leather. The Spinner 360° is a fully mechanical camera that captures 360° panoramas on 35mm film with a spectacular spin. Set in motion by pulling the trigger-cord with simple manpower, the rubber band drive lets the Spinner 360° revolve on its grip while taking a photo at a fixed shutter speed. The Spinner 360° Leather Edition is decorated with a geometric network pattern, as seen in the photo above.

The CompactFlash Association (CFA) has released the specifications for a new high-performance memory card format called XQA. Smaller than CompactFlash, XQA memory cards promise durability, robustness and actual write speeds of at least 125 megabytes per second. XQD cards will be shown at the CompactFlash Association booth at CP+ 2012, February 9-12 in Yokohama, Japan.

Nevercenter has announced that a free, fully-functional public beta of CameraBag 2 Desktop, a Mac/Windows program which allows you to simulate the look of many classic film types and techniques, is now available for download. “[The software[ is much like those apps that add instant filters to your photos, but CameraBag 2 Desktop has a much higher level of control, allowing you to adjust the levels, combine filters and layer effects,” the company says. “It’s intended to bring back the feeling of film, but without all the hassle of developing your own Photoshop filters.” You can download CameraBag 2 from the website below.

The Optrix HD Sport is a rugged, waterproof case designed to transform your iPhone 4, 4S or iPod Touch into an action sports camera. Bundled with a variety of base mounts that safely adhere to any surface, the Optrix HD Sport “securely houses the iPhone 4 or iPod Touch while allowing users easy access to its interface, enabling instant playback, video editing or even uploading,” the company says. Currently available for pre-order, the Optrix HD Sport can be purchased for $79.99 through the website below.