computer and internet

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Kodak Offers Retailers Easy Entry Into Photo Printing Kiosk Market

Eastman Kodak Company is offering retailers a the new KODAK Picture Kiosk GS Compact -- an entry-level, self-service digital picture printing solution designed to open up new photo printing sales to retailers in smaller and non-traditional environments.

According to Kodak, the new kiosk is well-suited for locations with print demand of 30 to 50 prints a day, and is a smaller counter-top unit that combines flexible placement with fast and simple installation. Almost immediately, retailers can begin offering 4x6, 5x7 and 6x8-inch print sizes, creating an instant revenue stream.

"Many retailers worldwide want to offer their consumers self-service digital picture printing but struggle to find a solution that meets multiple business needs," says Nicki Zongrone, General Manager of Retail System Solutions, and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. "The new GS Compact is small enough to fit within their retail footprint at a price point that enables them to almost immediately drive revenue and profits from consumer demand for digital prints. We even include the Point of Sale materials with each unit - it's an instant printing station in a box because a retailer can be up and running in only minutes."

For more information, visit www.kodak.com.

SanDisk SDHC Tops 8GB for Photographers

More capacity and faster transfer speeds are the chief benefits of the SanDisk Extreme III 8GB SDHC flash memory card, which was introduced today by SanDisk Corporation. The 8GB SDHC card will be packaged with a SanDisk MicroMate USB 2.0 Reader so that users have a one-stop solution for capturing, storing and transferring their images. The bundled card and reader are expected to ship within the next 30 days to U.S. retailers at a suggested price of $179.99. It will also be available in Europe.

An 8GB SanDisk Extreme III SDHC card can store more than 4,000 high-resolution pictures or up to 16 hours of MPEG 4 video(2). The card has a read/write speed of 20 megabytes per second, thus providing rapid downloads to a personal computer.

"With the introduction of more cameras that can use SDHC, including the Nikon D80 and the Canon EOS-1D Mark II, the SanDisk Extreme III card is an ideal choice for those who want maximum dependability, durability and fast download speeds," says Tanya Chuang, SanDisk's Director of Retail Product Marketing for Global Imaging. "Also, since many of these cameras have extended video capabilities, the 8GB capacity provides users with storage for longer movie clips."

For more information about the new SDHC card, visit www.sandisk.com.

HP Restructures Branded Digicam Business

HP is changing the way it produces and markets branded digital cameras after continued sluggish sales of the digicams. The company said in an announcement today that it plans to shutter its current digicam production facilities and instead partner with an OEM to license the design, source and distribution of digital cameras under the HP brand.

HP will reportedly continue to sell its own HP branded cameras through the holiday season with the hopes of having a new OEM partnership before summer 2008.

The move, the company reports, is part of a larger effort to develop "Print 2.0" initiatives that integrate the company's complex offering of home printing, online photo services and retail digital printing strategies.

For more information, click here.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

GE Cameras Now at Pamida Stores

GE branded digital cameras are now being sold at Pamida stores throughout the Midwest. Pamida is now selling two models of the GE digital camera line at all of its stores: the A730 (MSRP $99.99) and the E1030 ($199.95).

"We're thrilled to have GE cameras available in Pamida stores," says Hiroshi "Hugh" Komiya, Chairman and CEO of General Imaging. "Pamida is another very important member of our retail team."

Pamida is a regional retailer headquartered in Omaha, Neb., which operates 214 stores throughout 16 states, primarily in the Midwest. Pamida carries a wide variety of merchandise including apparel, home electronics, domestics, seasonal items, toys, housewares and grocery offerings, and features top-quality name brands. In addition, the company operates pharmacies in 128 retail stores and offers free prescription mail-out service throughout all Pamida markets. Pamida is an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc.

The GE A730 includes features one would expect from a much more expensive camera, including 7 megapixels of resolution, a 3x zoom, and a 2.5-inch LCD screen. The E1030 has 10 megapixels, a 3x zoom and a 2.7-inch LCD screen.

More information about the entire line of GE cameras is available at www.ge.com/digitalcameras.

Samsung Ships Next-Generation of Award Winning NV Cameras

The 10 megapixel NV15 and 12 megapixel NV20, two new models added to Samsung's revolutionary NV series of advanced P&S digital cameras, are now shipping in time for the upcoming holiday season. The two new cameras feature the sleek, elegant design and innovative Smart Touch interface that have become the hallmarks of the NV Series. Both cameras also feature premium Schneider optics with a 3x optical zoom.

"This is the next generation of Samsung's award-winning NV series of digital cameras," says Stewart Henderson, Vice President Marketing, Samsung Opto-Electronics America. "This is not your typical family of point-and-shoot digital cameras. At Samsung, we take great pride in the NV series because of the firsts that it brings to market, including our revolutionary Smart Touch interface, as well as the WOW factor that makes the cameras stand out from the crowd."

The NV15 and NV20 can also shoot at ISO 3200, and boast an improved Advanced Shake Reduction (ASR) feature as well as Samsung's new Auto Contrast Balance (ACB) and Image Noise Reduction modes. ACB automatically adjusts the brightness of subjects composed in harsh lighting, such as those that are back-lit, and the Image Noise Reduction helps limit the amount of noise in captured images, especially those shot at higher ISO settings.

NV20 has a $349 MSRP, and the NV15 has a $249 MSRP. For more information, visit www.samsungcamerausa.com.

Corel Increases Focus on Digital Media Market

Company Closing Digital Imaging Facility in Minneapolis

Corel Corporation, a leading developer of graphics, productivity and digital media software, today announced that it is increasing its focus on the Digital Media market by concentrating its Digital Media operations in Greater China and Silicon Valley. According to Corel, "these actions will enable the company to fully maximize its broad portfolio of digital media software and technology assets in order to deliver an enhanced user experience to consumers worldwide." Centralizing Corel's Digital Media operations will also enable the Company to further accelerate the development process and increase speed-to-market for new and upgraded products.

"Corel's Digital Media portfolio is the broadest in the industry, covering all of the major digital media segments including imaging, video editing, and DVD authoring," says Jeff Hastings, President and General Manager of Corel Digital Media. "By concentrating our Digital Media operations in Greater China and Silicon Valley, we will be able to better leverage our global resources and talent while further improving the operational efficiency between our software development, product management, and marketing teams. We believe these actions will ultimately result in an even more exciting product range and a richer user experience for our customers."

As a result of these changes, Corel will be closing its existing Digital Imaging facility in Minneapolis. For more information, visit www.corel.com.

Samsung Launches New S-Series Models

Samsung today announced the launch of two new entry-level digital cameras - the 7.2 megapixel S760 and the 8.1 megapixel S860.

The compact S760 and S860 feature a 3x optical zoom (35mm film equivalent: 38~105mm) Samsung SHD lens, and offer shooters Digital Image Stabilization (DIS) to help minimize the effect of camera shake and produce sharp, clear images, especially in low-light environments. Users can also take advantage of advanced features such as Face Detection and Self Portrait mode.

"Samsung brings a fresh perspective to the world of entry-level digital cameras with its S-Series," says Stewart Henderson, Vice President of Marketing, Samsung Opto-Electronics America. "The S-Series offers the entry-level photographer much more than just family of bare-bones digital cameras, and that's especially true with the new S760 and S860. Building on previous S-Series models, the S760 and 860 combine a number of advanced and fun features, all which are non-intimidating, easy to use and which encourage the end-user to experiment with all that the cameras have to offer."

Both the S860 and S760 will be available in January. For more information, visit www.samsungcamerausa.com.