The Pro Line Apollo 300 and Apollo 180 Creative Kits, which were announced last month, are now available in the UK. The Pro Line Apollo 180 Kit is perfect for those who are new to photography, while the Apollo 300 kit is for those with a larger studio area, or who simply want more power. The Apollo 180 and 300 Creative Kits are available for £299.99 and SRP £499.99 respectively.

Redbot Software has today announced Time Lapse Photo Journal Express 1.0 for iPhone and iPod touch. Time Lapse Photo Journal Express allows users to create Photo Journals of their lives, and then play back the photos they take over the weeks, months or years, as Time Lapse video slideshows. The app is free and available through the App Store in the Photography category.

Website: Time Lapse Photo Journal

Western Digital has introduced a new Full HD media player called WD TV Live Hub. The device features a 1TB built-in network hard drive and two USB ports, and allows users to stream videos from home network drives with a DLNA/UPnP server such as the recently announced WD My Book Live. The new WD TV Live Hub media centre also offers unique Facebook integration, which lets users upload photos and videos, share their status, view their wall and get the latest newsfeed from their network of friends. MSRP for the WD TV Live Hub media center is $199.99

Ricoh has announced the imminent release of the second function-enhancing firmware update for the Ricoh GXR system. The update contains no less tha 11 function enhancements, including the addition of 3 handy magnification ratios for the focus check function, spot AF and macro AF area selection, EXIF 2.3 support, auto noise reduction, a focus limiter for the GR Lens A12 50mm f/2.5 MACRO module, and faster autofocus, among other improvements. The firmware update will be posted tomorrow.

Website: Ricoh GXR Firmware (available from 27 October 2010)

Adobe has just posted the new Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) 6.3 and Photoshop Lightroom 3.3 Release Candidates. Both release candidates contain various bug fixes, and add raw file support for 8 new cameras, plus lens profiles for 10 Canon and 22 Nikon lenses and Sigma’s large-sensor compacts. Note that the ACR 6.3 Release Candidate has been designed to work with Adobe Photoshop CS5 and is not available for any version of Photoshop Elements.

Website: Adobe Camera Raw 6.3 RC
Website: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.3 RC

Colour Confidence today announced the addition of the Cobra line to its booq range of bags. Each Cobra bag is crafted from black, water repellent ballistic nylon and is trimmed with genuine Nappa leather inside and out. All buckles and loopholes are reinforced with durable gunmetal hardware. King Cobra cases are highly functional solutions for the frequent traveler who needs the freedom to carry a laptop, iPad and documents, while the Cobra Courier XS is a sleek iPad bag boasting a blend of functionality and luxurious design. The entire booq bag, backpack and iPad skin range is available now direct from the Colour Confidence website.

Steve Davey and Better Travel Photography are launching two new travel photography tours for 2011. Impressions of Laos & Cambodia departs from Bangkok, Thailand, on 6 April 2011, and explores two of the most photogenic countries in South East Asia over 15 days. Top destinations include Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang and Angkor Wat. Impressions of Ladakh starts in Delhi, India, on 25 July, before flying up to Leh the high-altitude capital of Ladakh. Participants will visit an eclectic mix of fertile valleys, mountains and ancient monasteries, as well as the remote Tso Moriri Lake and the atmospheric town of Manali. The first tour costs £1645, the second £1595 per person, excluding flights to and from Bangkok and Delhi, respectively.

OmegaBrandess has announced the exclusive distribution in the United States of the b-grip line of camera belt grips. The b-grip is an SLR support whose base attaches to the photographer’s waist belt (or to the belt provided), while the quick-release plate attaches to the camera tripod socket. As a result, the b-grip’s broad base spreads the weight of the camera making it comfortable to wear. The b-grip can soon be found at photo specialty stores across the US. For a list of dealers, visit the website below.

JP Distribution, the exclusive UK distributor for Westcott has announced the 28“ Apollo Kit. Aimed at strobists who use hotshoe-mounted flash units, the Westcott 28” Apollo Kit is simple to use, and quick to put up and take down. The unique design allows for the flash to either be bounced towards the back of the Apollo for a soft, indirect light source, or directly through the front diffusion panel for more spectacular highlights. The Kit includes the 28“ Apollo, Shoe-mount Umbrella Bracket and Stand, and retails for £135.

Announced at the end of last month, the new TriGrip Difflector from Lastolite is now available in the United Kingdom. Marketed as the world’s first dual-purpose reflector panel, the Lastolite TriGrip Difflector can be used as a diffuser and a soft silver bounce reflector. The TriGrip Difflector also features the unique TriGrip moulded handle for accurate positioning of the reflector with just one hand. Available in three sizes, the TriGrip Difflector costs £48.00-78.64 including VAT.

Blurb is hosting a 12-day pop-up event in London from 3-14 November. Providing workshops and seminars from internationally acclaimed photographers, this 12-day event will kick-off on 3rd November with the Photography Book Now Gala, an exhibition of the winning portfolio books from this year’s competition. Workshop sessions include portrait photography and bookmaking, tips for taking better travel photos, and inspirational talks from Daisy Gilardini, Martin Hartley and Peter Marlow. To RSVP, visit the website below.

In 2011, Marrakech’s Riad El Fenn will host a series of short creative workshops, including a five-day travel photography course.. Former Travel Photographer of the Year, Karoki Lewis, whose photographs have appeared in Harpers & Queen, Conde Nast Traveller and The Independent, will take guests to the hidden corners of the city as well as the Atlas Mountains and a number of Berber villages to practice their skills. The workshop takes place from 31st January to 4th February. The cost is £1,065 per person including board and lodging. For further information contact Riad El Fenn in Morocco on 00212 524 44 1210.

Barely Exposed is a new book by photographer Latana, who has photographed and surveyed 60 ethnically diverse young adults around the world. “I asked them to be half-dressed because I did not want them to hide behind their clothing,” says Latana. “It was important for me to capture the vulnerability in their faces. Half-dressed, they were all the same…half child, half adult, and yet completely different individuals.” Signed copies of the book are available via the author’s website for $40.

ACD Systems International has launched the beta test version of ACDSee Pro 4. The company expects thousands of professional photographers to participate in the ACDSee Pro 4 beta period and provide feedback in the development process, similar to the 10,000 testers who helped shape the current version. Specifically, user feedback is needed on Metadata Working Group compliance, the workflow-accelerating tools,geotagging and map viewing features, vignette and chromatic aberration correction and so on. ACDSee Pro 4 beta testing is available at the website below.

Kata has launched a winter cashback offer. Starting tomorrow, the offer is available on all Kata bags and accessories including the very latest Kata Owl, Beetle and Bumblebee backpacks and the Grip range of holsters. Running until 31 January 2011, the promotion allows UK photographers to save up to £35 on individual products.

The Environmental Photographer of the Year 2010 exhibition will open on 25th October, just a month before the Cancún climate-change conference. The overall winner of the 2010 competition is an aerial photograph titled “Flight of the Rays” by Florian Schulz, which shows a congregation of Munkiana devil rays in Baja California Sur. Bulgarian Radoslav Radoslavov Valkov has gained the title of the Young Environmental Photographer of the Year with his macro photograph of a fly. Hungary’s Bence Máté has been announced winner of The Natural World category for his image, “Fly to Eye” (see above). The winning images will be exhibited at The Air Gallery, Dover Street, Mayfair, W1S 4NE on 25th - 30th October 2010. Admission is free. A Blurb photo book of the winning images from the 2010 competition is available for purchase.

Apple has unveiled an all-new MacBook Air. Measuring 0.11-inches at its thinnest point and 0.68-inches at its thickest, and weighing in at 2.3 pounds for the 11-inch model and 2.9 pounds for the 13-inch version, the new MacBook Air is Apple’s lightest notebook to date. Featuring solid state storage and offering up to seven hours of battery life, the new Apple MacBook Air sports a full-sized keyboard for typing comfort. Other highlights include a built-in FaceTime camera with a microphone and stereo speakers, Intel Core 2 Duo processors, NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics, 802.11n Wi-Fi connectivity as well as a Mini DisplayPort and two USB ports (plus an SD card reader in the 13” model). The 1.4 GHz 11-inch MacBook Air with 2GB of memory and 64GB of flash storage starts at an SRP of £849 with a 128GB model for £999. The 1.86 GHz 13-inch MacBook Air with 2GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage starts at £1,099 with a 256GB model for £1,349 including VAT.

Apple has introduced iLife ’11, a major upgrade that includes a whole new version of iPhoto. Apple iPhoto ’11 features new full screen modes as well as easier-than-ever photo sharing and slideshow creation. iMovie has also been updated to offer a set of new tools including selective audio level adjustment and sophisticated visual efffects. iLife ’11 - which includes both iPhoto and iMovie as well as GarageBand ‘11 - is available immediately for a suggested retail price of £45 including VAT.