December 1999

12-28-99

ZDNet Turns 'New Users' into 'Know-it-Alls' with Quick Start 2000 SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 27 -- ZDNet today launched Quick Start 2000, a series of comprehensive "how-to" guides that enable visitors to maximize their use of the most popular consumer electronics and technology products. For each of 17 consumer technology product categories, ranging from handheld computers to digital cameras to DVDs, Quick Start 2000 packages a range of content and services that will quickly turn new users into "know-it-alls." Quick Start 2000 is an important new addition to ZDNet's leading Help & How-To channel, the most comprehensive source on the Web for technology-related tips, expert advice, upgrades, virus solutions and problem fixes. Steve's note: As usual with anything "ZD" - be prepared to wade through a ton of advertisements to get to the "meat" - perusing their Digital Camera Quick Start I saw quite a few two-paragraph pages buried in a sea of commercial ads and links to other things ZD. There is a lot of good info here if you can seperate it from the rest of their commercial content...

12-28-99

Agfa Extends Digital Camera and Scanner Rebate Programs WILMINGTON, Mass.--Dec. 28, 1999-- Agfa Corporation's Desktop Products Group (USA-DTP) announced today that they will extend rebate programs on several digital cameras and desktop scanners. Each of the following mail-in rebates will be extended to March 31, 2000: $20 off the SnapScan 1212p, $20 off the SnapScan 1236u, $50 off the ePhoto CL30 Clik! digital camera, $50 off the ePhoto CL50 digital camera and $50 off the ePhoto CL30 digital camera. In addition, Agfa will extend the $20 off the SnapScan 1212u (off-white only) to May 31, 2000. Digital camera and scanner customers can access rebate coupons on the rebate page of the new Agfa Desktop Products Web site.

12-27-99

Three Million Site Visitors - WOW ! Early this evening our visitor counter flew past the THREE MILLION mark and all I can say is ... WOW! It doesn't seem that long ago that we awarded a shiny new Nikon Coolpix 950 to our 2.11 MegaVisitor and before that we celebrated our 1,000,000th visitor and now the visitor counter is spinning as fast as my electric meter in the middle of the summer. I am simply overwhelmed (and humbled) by the number of people that visit my site daily and email thanking me for providing them with the information they needed to make a well-informed purchase decision. This whole thing started a couple of years ago as a logical extension to my passion for digital cameras and photography in general. I had no idea back then that it would ever evolve into what it is today, it was just a hobby and something I enjoyed doing. With all the changes and advancements that we saw during 1999 I can hardly wait to get started testing and reviewing the cameras of the new millenium. I promise that as long as you keep visiting that I'll be here doing the best job I possibly can to provide you with unbiased information on all the new cameras and hardware. Best wishes to you and your family for the new year!

12-27-99

CompactFlash Association & Thirty-Three Members Exhibiting at CES 2000 LAS VEGAS--Dec. 27, 1999--The CompactFlash Association will be demonstrating that CF+ and Compact Flash cards provide MORE at CES 2000 (1/6-9/00) in booth 4325. CompactFlash card slots are in MORE (over 100) digital cameras, MORE (over 60) handheld/palm-size PCs and MORE (over 40) other electronic platforms including heart monitors, defibrillators, printers, MP3 players, voice recorders, etc. than any other small form factor card or module. CompactFlash cards have MORE compatibility and have MORE interchangeable than any other small form factor card or module. CompactFlash and CF+ cards have MORE data storage capacity. CompactFlash card capacities have reached 320MB. IBM's CF+ microdrive (being demonstrated in the CFA booth) has a capacity of 340MB. The CFA was founded by twelve companies in October 1995 and now has 144 member companies.

12-27-99

E-Book Systems Introduces 'FlipAlbum CD Maker 1.0' SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 27 -- E-Book Systems, Inc. today introduced FlipAlbum(TM) CD Maker 1.0 -- an ingenious new software program that allows PC users to create top quality digital photo albums on CDs for easy, non- commercial distribution to friends, family and colleagues. Based on E-Book's critically acclaimed FlipAlbum 3.0 software, FlipAlbum CD Maker lets users present images in familiar-looking photo albums that feature real turning pages. The animated page-flipping inter face introduces a natural and intuitive experience that is totally unique to E-Book Systems products. Users get a good overview of the entire collection of images, as well as a convenient means for browsing them. The powerful FlipAlbum CD Maker also automatically lays out pictures onto album pages and generates overview pages containing thumbnails, a table of image contents, and an index, so users can easily manage and locate pictures. In addition, a bookmarking feature provides for fast and easy access to specific images and the annotation feature allows comments to be added for each picture. Background music may be added to albums via default selections in FlipAlbum CD Maker, or of the user's choice. The versatile FlipAlbum CD Maker also allows users to create and distribute photo albums on other types of storage media (e.g., Zip Disks), accepts images of any size and supports the following file formats: BMP, GIF, JPG, PCX, WMF, ICO, PNG, PSD, TIF, MID, WAV, AVI. Additionally, the software features a WYSIWYG print interface that allows for easy setting of the desired image size for printing. FlipAlbum CD Maker 1.0 requires a Pentium PC 166Mhz or higher, a CD-RW drive and its associated CD writing software, and Microsoft Windows 95, 98, or NT 4.0. It sells for a suggested retail price of just $49.95.

12-27-99

Canon Elura and PowerShot A50 Cameras Named 'Editor's Choice' by Digital Camera Magazine LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Dec. 27 Canon U.S.A., Inc. announced today that the Canon Elura digital video (DV) camcorder and PowerShot A50 have been selected by Digital Camera magazine as "Editor's Choice" in its Digital Buyers Guide 2000. The only digital camcorder recognized by Digital Camera magazine, the Elura was chosen as the "Best Overall Digital Video Camera" for its compact size, well- integrated design, world-class optics, progressive scanning for frame-to-frame clarity, and Optical Image Stabilization. The PowerShot A50 digital camera was cited by the magazine as "Editor's Choice" in the category of "Best Overall Value for a Digital Still Camera," and was acknowledged for its wide-angle zoom, sharp optics, easy handling, durability, and price. Condensing seven issues into a single comprehensive issue, this first annual Digital Buying Guide is designed to help consumers make sense of the choices the digital market offers. After evaluating and reporting on their findings, the editors of Digital Camera have summarized the most important features to look for in a camera, while considering value and price.

12-24-99

Toshiba Posts 64MB Upgrade for PDR-M4 Thanks to our friends at Imaging-Resource for this news bit. Toshiba has posted the PDR-M4 64MB firmware upgrade for users in the U.S., Canada and other NTSC countries. Please be sure to read all the information on how to upgrade your firmware carefully, you don't want to turn your camera into a doorstop in the middle of the holidays.

12-23-99

Fujifilm Launches "Celebrate Your Millennium" Online Sweepstakes ELMSFORD, N.Y.--Dec. 22, 1999--Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. is encouraging everyone to "Get The Picture" and post it on Fujifilm's Web site to celebrate the millennium, by running an online "Celebrate Your Millennium" sweepstakes. Beginning today, consumers who register and upload their favorite pictures to the new Picture Your Life section of the company's Web site, are automatically eligible for a random drawing to win a Fujifilm MX-1700 ZOOM digital camera. The sweepstakes ends January 20, 2000. The Celebrate Your Millennium online sweepstakes is kicking-off the "Picture Your Life" photo community at fujifilm.com, which is also being officially launched today. The new photo community allows consumers to upload their favorite pictures to the site and share them with others. Fujifilm's Vision Magazine - Fall '99 Fujifilm Canada's Fall '99 issue of their Vision magazine is now available and we're proud to say that Steve's Digicams is the "Hot Site" featured on the back cover. To download the magazine just click on the cover image, it's a 1.5MB Adobe Acrobat PDF document.

12-23-99

Iomega Ends 1999 With Awards From Leading Publications Iomega's Clik! PC Card drive, the smallest storage solution that holds 40MB of data per disk, received international accolades when it was named the best gadget for 1999 by Stuff Magazine on November 26. The UK magazine commended the Clik! drive as "a tiny disk drive designed to give computers extra capacity." The Clik! PC Card drive joins significant inventions beginning with products as innovative as the Model T Ford (1908), the Schick electric razor (1931), Xerox photocopier (1950) and the Sony Walkman (1979). That award caps off a year of honors for the portable storage leader. Iomega's Clik!(TM) PC Card drive was also named computer accessory of the year by Andy Pargh -- Gadget Guru in his column on November 26. And, the November 16th edition of PC Magazine states, "A useful alternative to a pocketful of memory cards is Iomega Clik!"

12-23-99

The REAL Numbers In The Digicam Game I received the following email in response to the "NPD INTELECT Reports Nearly One Out of Five "High-End" Cameras Sold Is Digital" item we ran on 12/21/99: Yes it's Ron Tussy again to tell you about a story I saw on your site concerning market data from Intelect and US DCAM market share. I don't know if you know this but it's our job to provide digital camera vendors and developers with market data and business development intelligence for the business planning that we provide. In doing so, we get to look at data not only developed from us, (Imerge Consulting Group) but also from all other data sources such as Intelect, etc. I can tell you in all honesty that Intelect does a fairly good job with most channels except the Internet. Intelect has no method to track Internet sales and this has been a big weakness in their coverage starting last year. It also skews their data and market share. For example, we have Nikon in a dead heat with Fujifilm in the US for 1999 with 9% market share for unit volume each. Kodak is at about 14% when taking the Internet channel into consideration and Sony is at about 30% unit share. Agfa does not even show up with Intelect's top five, yet they have about 12% market share in units. We know this because we get much of our data from the original manufacturer and component suppliers which are paid on the units that they ship to vendors such as Agfa, etc. Best Regards and Happy Holidays, Ron Tussy President & Principle Analyst Imerge Consulting Group LLC

12-22-99

Unity Digital Now Has 64MB SmartMedia Unity Digital has just received the first allocation of 64MB SmartMedia. They've had no time to post it on their web site yet but you can order it by calling them toll free at 888-419-4900. Price is $269 per card. According to a compatibility list posted by digitalkamera.de here's a list of cameras that can use the new 64MB cards: Fujifilm MX-600, MX-1200, MX-1500, MX-1700, MX-2700 and MX-2900, Leica Digilux, Digilux Zoom, Olympus C-21, C-2000Z, C-2020Z, and C-2500L, Ricoh RDC-5300, Toshiba PDR-M4 (after firmware update available in a few weeks), and PDR-M5.

12-22-99

Nikon Coolpix 950 Firmware v1.3 Available Just got word that Nikon USA has posted the Coolpix 950 Firmware 1.3 for NTSC on their web site. Coolpix 950 cameras with any firmware version can be upgraded to the new 1.3 firmware, you don't need any of the previous firmware upgrades first. If you're using a PAL version of the Coolpix 950 please go to the Nikon Euro site for your upgrade. Improvements and bug fixes in version 1.3 (in addition to 1.2): Improvement in white balance control in fixed aperture mode. If you select fixed aperture mode in manual white balance mode, the image sometimes becomes green. This problem has been solved. Improved manual focus accuracy. With some cameras, when manual focus is set to infinity, the focus became inaccurate. This has also been overcome. Condition under which Preset white balance data is reset changed. With Ver. 1.2, the set value by preset white balance was reset when fixed aperture mode is set to off. With Ver.1.3, the value is not reset when this mode is turned off.

12-21-99

Steve Hoffman's HP PhotoSmart 1100 Photo Printer Review I have received numerous requests for a review of the new HP PhotoSmart 1100 printer but haven't even seen one yet. I did come across Steve Hoffman's HP PhotoSmart 1100 Printer Review which is excellent. Just about anything you could want to know about this new photo printer can be found in his review. Good job Steve!

12-20-99

64MB SmartMedia Compatibility Issues and New 3.x Megapixel Cameras Confirmed at CeBIT Our frends in Europe at digitalkamera.de have confirmed what I have been hearing as far as the first two new consumer-priced digicams to break the three megapixel barrier will be shown at the upcoming CeBIT show. See what they have to say on their news page. Also from digitalkamera.de comes word of a lot of compatibility issues with the new 64MB SmartMedia cards. They have compiled a list of compatible cameras that anyone thinking of buying a new 64MB SM card should read through first.

12-20-99

Kingston Chosen as CompactFlash Provider by Casio FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Dec. 20 -- Casio, Inc., one of the leading consumer electronics companies, has chosen Kingston Technology as their CompactFlash provider for accessories to their digital camera and handheld computing line. Kingston will supply Casio with CompactFlash cards ranging in capacity from 8MB to 96MB. Kingston offers a wide array of flash memory products including CompactFlash, SSFDC and ATA Flash. With CompactFlash capacities ranging from 4MB to 96MB; ATA Flash ranging from 8MB to 512MB and SSFDC ranging from 8MB to 32MB you are sure to find the capacity you need in the proper form factor.

12-20-99

FlashPoint Expands New Market for In-Camera Software with the Introduction of Digita Presents and Digita File SAN JOSE, Calif.--Dec. 20, 1999-- FlashPoint Technology Inc., creators of Digita(TM), the industry's only standardized software platform for digital imaging appliances, today announced two in-camera software applications - Digita Presents and Digita File. These applications extend and enhance the capabilities of Digita-enabled digital cameras. Digita Presents enables users to turn a camera into a portable image sharing and slide show presentation device. Digita File provides full management of all camera system files including images and Digita Scripts(TM), and adds basic operating system commands, including the ability to copy images, without the need for a PC. The in-camera software is available at www.flashpoint.com. Digita Presents is a powerful tool for professionals on the go. The user can modify the presentation order of stored photos, choose among 10 transitions, and set options like image quality or resolution in the slide show, time allotted to each slide and, if desired, play a sound bite as each slide displays. Multiple slide shows can be saved for later playback, for different audiences, such as a short or a long version created from the same set of images. Digita File makes sharing and managing pictures and camera system files easy, taking advantage of the Digita operating environment and requiring no host PC. Options available through Digita File include: formatting CompactFlash cards; renaming files; viewing details about the installed card; and reading stored picture information. It can also delete all image files while maintaining the system folders and files. Additionally, images can be sorted by date, category or group filters as determined by the user. Digita File is bundled with the new Kodak DC290 digital camera. Digita Presents is available for Kodak DC290 camera, by download from FlashPoint for $19.95. The latest version of Digita File for the Kodak DC290 camera can be downloaded from www.flashpoint.com at no cost. Both programs require Digita version 1.0.3, with a minimum 8MB CompactFlash card and 2MB free.

12-19-99

Another New 3.34 Megapixel Camera Expected At CeBit 2000 As expected, we are beginning to hear about the new crop of cameras designed around Sony's 3.34-megapixel CCD imager. About a week ago we received email and specs on the upcoming Canon S20 which will be pretty much the same as the S10 except it will have the higher resolution CCD. Today I received email from Germany with information about the Casio QV-3000EX, apparently the higher resolution replacement for the QV-2000UX. It will be shown at the end of February at the CeBIT show in Germany. Same 3x optical zoom, CF Type II card slot and Infrared and USB connectivity. Another reader emailed me and told me to also be on the lookout for cameras using the new Matsushita (Panasonic) 2/3-inch, 3.75 megapixel CCD which began shipping to manufacturers as of November 30.

12-18-99

Q-Research's Holiday Photo Makeover Contest The Contest:   Try your hand at improving a photo you thought was unsalvageable, and you just may win some e-dollars to help replenish your funds after the holidays. For those of you who are already users of PhotoGenetics, or those who download our free 30-day trial, we pose a challenge. Track down an old or new holiday photo that never made it into your photo album because of its poor quality. The worse the photo is, the better your chances of winning this makeover contest: our judges will be looking for the photo that is improved most dramatically. The Rules:   Your color or black-and-white original image may be taken with a digital camera or be converted to digital form. You must use the PhotoGenetics software (any version) to turn the run-of-the-mill "before" shot into a breath- taking "after" shot. Our panel of four judges will vote on the image they perceive to be most enhanced in terms of overall color, brightness, hue, saturation, etc. The images should be saved as JPEG or TIFF files with the file names "before" and "after." E-mail both files to hshemanski@q-res.com by 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday, January 21, 2000. The Grand Prize:   One lucky winner will be selected to receive a $100 gift certificate to Amazon.com. The gift certificate will be e-mailed to the winner on or before January 31. The winning "before" and "after" shots will be posted to the Q-Research Web site, along with runners-up.

12-18-99

Epson Stylus Photo 870 Printer Claims 10-Year Lightfast Prints Thanks to Kok Leong's Digital Darkroom in Singapore for the info about Epson's new Stylus Photo 870 printer. According to Epson this new printer will yield 10-year lightfast prints using reformulated QuickDryTM ink and EPSON Premium Glossy Photo Paper. The Photo 870 comes bundled with the never released before software - "EPSON Photo Reproduction Lab" that allows you to print unique, borderless, edge-to- edge on roll-type EPSON Photo Paper fitted on the roll paper holder, up to 10 copies at a time.

12-18-99

Kodak Posts Firmware 3.09 For Pro Cameras From the domain of Rob Galbraith comes the following pro camera news. Firmware version 3.09 for the DCS 520/560 and DCS 620/660 is now posted on Kodak's website. It includes a fix for the Lexar card formatting problem cited last week by users of v3.08. Note that while v3.09 is still not certified for use in the Canon EOS D2000, based on user feedback my expectation is that it will work just fine. Version 3.09 for the DCS 520/D2000 and DCS 560 is expected by mid-week.

12-17-99

CKC Power Ships Nikon 900/950 Bracket It's finally ready! Tom at CKC Power sent me the finished Nikon Coolpix 900, 900s and 950 cable release bracket. We started talking about this thing a good long time ago but as with all good things, it's worth the wait. Check out my CKC Power Bracket user review for all the information. If you like shooting macro shots with your Nikon then you're going to love this gizmo!

12-17-99

DC Resource Posts Panasonic PV-SD4090 Review The first review on the Internet of the new ~$900 Panasonic PV-SD4090 SuperDisk camera can be found at the DC Resource. Jeff has put the rather large camera through its paces and had this to say about it: "One area where the SD4090 falls behind other 1-2 Mpixel cameras is in photo quality. Since there's no macro mode, closeup shots don't come out well. Low light shots are terribly grainy, even in slow shutter mode -- though the flash helps a bit. Even in sunlight, colors seemed washed out. In the end, I was left a bit underwhelmed. If this camera had better photo quality, I would recommend it. But I took so many bad pictures with it, I was starting to wonder if it was me, or the camera."

12-16-99

digitalkamera.de Sponsors Digita Script Contest The German digital camera website digitalkamera.de is hosting a Digita Script contest that runs between now and December 31, 1999. Complete details are available by clicking on the link above. The winner will receive The iGrafx Designer package which is a complete graphics program, containing designer software for graphics and illustrations as well as iGrafx Image, the follow-up model of Picture Publisher, for image processing, and also further modules such as iGrafx Share, iGrafx Business and iGrafx Deploy.

12-15-99

PhotoChannel Launches Online Auction Super Site For Photography VANCOUVER, British Columbia--Dec. 15, 1999-- PhotoChannel, is pleased to announce the launch of its online auction super site for both digital and traditional film photography equipment and accessories. At PhotoChannel's online auction super site for photography, participants can browse and search for items for sale from multiple online auction sites. PhotoChannel's online auctions for photography provide uniform browsing and search capabilities for effective comparison shopping. PhotoChannel's site covers an expanding array of auction sites currently including ebay, excite, amazon, haggle and yahoo. The categories for online auctions of photography equipment and accessories at PhotoChannel include digital cameras; 35mm cameras; darkroom equipment; large format cameras; medium format cameras; lighting & meters; and, lenses; as well as vintage and general photography equipment and accessories.

12-15-99

Canon S10 FirmWare Upgrade For IBM Microdrive Problems Now Available Thanks to Timothy Robeck at IBM's Technical Support Center for letting me know that Canon has posted the S10 firmware upgrade on the BeBit site for English users. S10 users with Microdrives please be sure to read all of the information posted at the above site BEFORE attempting the firmware upgrade or you risk turning your camera into a door stop -- enough said? If you have an S10 camera but you do not use a Microdrive then do NOT use this firmware upgrade. Nothing other than compatibility problems with the Microdrive have been addressed by this firmware upgrade.

12-15-99

Jasc Software and PhotoLoft.com Create New Digital Imaging Community EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Dec. 15 -- Jasc Software, Inc. and PhotoLoft.com today announced the creation of StudioAvenue.com, the new online community for serious digital imaging enthusiasts and home hobbyists. Powered by PhotoLoft.com, StudioAvenue.com works with industry-leading products such as Jasc Paint Shop Pro and Jasc Media Center Plus to provide users with a complete, award- winning desktop/online digital imaging solution. "StudioAvenue.com is a natural extension of continued commitment to offering our customers the best in award-winning digital imaging and management solutions," said Kris Tufto, Jasc Software's CEO. "As the house the Internet built, Jasc Software has a long history of success in connecting with users online. With StudioAvenue.com, we can now provide a total online environment where our users can quickly and easily share digital content. We're excited to team up with another Web pioneer, PhotoLoft.com, a leader in online photo-sharing technology and services."

12-15-99

Confused By All Of The Kiddie Cams ? The folks at photohighway.com have put together a good run down of all the available cameras for kids from 35mm to digital and even a pair of spy glasses with a built in 110 camera. If you're thinking about buying one of these cameras then check out their rundown of models, it might make your decision easier.

12-14-99

Analog Devices Enhances the Performance of Next-Generation Digital Cameras And Camcorders NORWOOD, Mass., Dec. 14 -- Analog Devices, Inc. today announced the development of a new high-performance analog front-end product family that brings higher resolution pictures and longer battery life to digital cameras and camcorders. The AD984x family of AFEs uses a proprietary architecture that produces higher quality pictures by allowing digital cameras to rapidly and accurately convert "real-world" images into digital content without generating excessive noise, an important factor in preserving the quality of high-resolution images. In addition, the AD984x family requires up to 50% less power than previous solutions, extending camera battery life. "The AD984x architecture is the first of its kind in the imaging industry," stated John Hussey, vice president of high-speed converters, Analog Devices. "As the market share leader in digital camera and camcorder AFEs, Analog Devices is pleased to introduce yet another family of high performance AFEs with superior noise performance at power and pricing necessary to cover a broad range of camera products."

12-14-99

FujiFilm Links Up With America's Preeminent Professors to Explore Breakthrough Technologies SAN FRANCISCO--Dec. 14, 1999--Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. in an unprecedented move exposed its new breakthrough digital camera technology in advance of its release to some of the foremost American professors working in optics. The professors from four of America's leading universities, Stanford, the University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of California at Berkeley, and Dartmouth College, independently reviewed Fuji's latest revolutionary Super CCD Digital Cameras to be released next summer, and gave its design high marks. The strategic arrangements with the professors were made through Geniisis Agents. Each professor looked at Fuji's new honeycomb-shaped Super CCD Image Sensor Technology given their own unique and very specialized knowledge of digital optics. Universally the professors' preliminary reviews were extremely positive.

12-14-99

Imaging-Resource Posts Sony F505 Review Our friends over at the Imaging-Resource have just posted their Sony DSC-F505 Review and Dave had this to say about it: "We really liked the design of the DSC-F505, one of our favorite aspects being the rotating lens which swings nearly 180 degrees. We also enjoyed the fact that the tripod mount was placed on the bottom of the lens instead of the camera body, meaning that you can tilt the body up and make the LCD monitor more visible. Although the lens notably prevents the camera from fitting into small pockets, the camera body itself is one of the most compact we’ve seen, making it quite light weight. Despite the somewhat quirky LCD and the limited software options, we really enjoyed this camera. Combine the tack-sharp rotating lens with the movie capability and good exposure-control options, and you have a very versatile, simple to operate digicam well-suited to both the average consumer and the photo enthusiast. The variety of features and the overall flexibility make the DSC-F505 handy for the office, home or anywhere. It’s compact enough to be portable and feature-laden enough to tackle almost any shooting situation. We think you’ll enjoy it." And don't forget our Sony F505 Review -- we liked it too!

12-13-99

Impending Canon PowerShot S20 ? I recv'd email over the weekend and a source that shall remain nameless had this to say: "Canon had a meeting in Germany yesterday and, according to my German source, are going to introduce a S20 with 3.3 megapixel, 2x zoom, USB, metal housing, included is a 16 MB CF card, rechargable battery, AC-charging adapter and very good software. Market introduction in March. Street price DEM 1998.- (USD 1035)." Remember not too long ago we broke the "unofficial" news of the S10 before it was finally announced by the Canon PR folks so this is probably very accurate information on next year's new model.

12-13-99

The PhotoImaging Information Council -PIC- Launches www.takegreatpictures.com OLD BRIDGE, N.J.--The PhotoImaging Manufacturers & Distributors Association (PMDA) has announced the launch of the PhotoImaging Information Council's (PIC) Internet Web site designed to promote the fun of photography to American consumers. The goal of the PIC Web site, www.takegreatpictures.com, is to help consumers incorporate photography and digital imaging into their daily lives and to make intelligent purchasing decisions. The site, www.takegreatpictures.com, incorporates exciting features such as profiles with professional photographers and celebrities who are photographers, tips on purchasing photographic equipment and photographic techniques, consumer photographic contests, ideas for fun ways to use photos, frequently asked photography questions, plus a glossary of photographic terms along with a calendar of events and relevant destination information.

12-13-99

Toshiba Introduces Single-Cell 128Mb NAND Components IRVINE, Calif.--Dec. 13, 1999-- Toshiba America Electronic Components Inc. (TAEC) Monday announced the development of its 0.25-micron (um) 128 megabit (Mb) NAND flash components. The introduction of this single-level cell, monolithic device further strengthens Toshiba's family of flash memory devices by enabling seamless migration to higher density devices due to packaging compatibility with the company's current offering of single-level cell 256Mb and 512Mb devices introduced earlier this year. Toshiba is offering the TC58128DC, which features SmartMedia(TM) packaging and provides 16 megabytes (MB) of removable storage. Identical page and block specifications are used, making the new SmartMedia devices fully compatible with existing products. Both devices operate at a 3.3 volt (V) single power supply, which meets the low-power requirements of portable equipment. Samples of Toshiba's TC58128FT 128Mb TSOP device and the TC58128DC 16MB SmartMedia device, are available now priced at $28 and $31, respectively. Production quantities will be available in Q1 '00, and production pricing will be available at that time. Toshiba now offers SmartMedia in 4MB, 8MB, 16MB, 32MB and 64MB densities.

12-13-99

Kingston Launches High-Capacity ATA Flash Cards Ranging up to 512MB FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Dec. 13 -- Kingston® Technology Company today announced the expansion of its Flash memory product line with the introduction of high- capacity ATA Flash cards ranging up to 512MB. The new cards set a new low price point at approximately $2.73/MB for a 512MB ATA Flash card (224MB flash card is $635.00, 320MB flash card is $890.00 448MB flash card is $1,240.00, 512MB flash card is $1,400.00) The new ATA Flash cards allow digital camera users to take more high-resolution photos with a single card without the inconvenience of swapping out cards. Ideal for power users of handheld PCs and digital camera products, the higher capacity ATA Flash card means more memory for applications and data storage at affordable pricing.

12-10-99

Mike Chaney's D1 Review Is Online Mike Chaney (Qimage Pro author) just emailed to let me know that his Nikon D1 Review is now online. Hey, he even lets you touch it!  With your mouse that is. If you're thinking about buying one of these beauties be sure to check out all the reviews you can, after all $5000+ is a lot of money for a camera, even a when it's a digital Nikon F100 !

12-10-99

Olympus C-2020Z eview Posted The Olympus C-2020Z User Review has now been posted. I will be putting it through its paces this weekend and should have a bunch of pictures posted by Monday or Tuesday. Olympus has added some new features and fixed some old ones, check it out.

12-10-99

More New Camera Reviews Everybody is reviewing new cameras these days. First we have Kodak DC215 reviews from the DC Resource and the Imaging-Resource. And then Canon S10 reviews from the Imaging-Resource and the DC Resource. We have also reviewed these cameras, see the table above. It's always nice to get a different point of view and/or a more technical review so I'm always happy to point folks to these other fine digicam web sites.

12-09-99

Total Multimedia Announces Development Agreement With Digital Focus THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.--Dec. 9, 1999--Total Multimedia today announced that it has entered into a development agreement with Digital Focus (DF), a California corporation, whereby DF will provide development assistance and technical support for TMM in the introduction of a new product in spring of 2000, called EZ Images, a new still image compression and image manipulation software program that will bring the file size advantages of TruDef Compression Technology to a simple, easy-to-use digital imaging program. EZ Images will interface with all existing digital cameras and scanner formats. TruDef can read an industry-leading number of file formats in order to download virtually any file format image from the Internet and to integrate the image into home presentations, including videos and slide shows. TMM will offer the EZ Images software program on a free trial basis for 30 days, starting in spring 2000, so users can see the difference in TruDef compression. At only $29.95, EZ Images is all you need to develop your own digital photo album on your computer. TruDef compression allows users to take in images at one-sixth the file size and still have the highest image quality. EZ Images allows you to send pictures or entire slide shows over the Internet in a fraction of the time. EZ Images has a full suite of editing tools that will allow you to fix problem photos with professional adjustment of hue, saturation, brightness and contrast. DF will also assist TMM in providing the next generation of SoftVideo, the proprietary TMM video compression technology used in industry-leading software hits, including Falcon Gold, Star Trek The Next Generation and TOP GUN. The NexGen SoftVideo product will be directed at bringing the highest-quality full-screen, full-motion video to broadband users over the Internet.

12-09-99

Philips 6-Megapixel CCD Rivals 35mm Quality From a story in EE Times by Peter Clarke comes the following: WASHINGTON - Digital still cameras could rival the image quality of 35-mm film photography within a couple of years due to a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor with over six million pixels developed by Philips Semiconductors (Eindhoven, Netherlands). Herman Peek, a senior scientist at the company, presented a paper on the prototype device at this week's International Electron Devices Meeting. "This is the largest number of pixels and the smallest pixel size for a digital still camera ever published in the world," Peek said during the presentation of his paper. Although the prototype sensor is monochrome, and the use of red, green and blue filters would reduce resolution to 2 million tricolor pixels, Peek said the small size of individual light sensing elements, 3-micron x 3-micron, would allow such a sensor to rival small format film photography. "We are approaching the grain size of film, which is about 2 microns diameter, but image quality is also determined by the quality of the lens. The same thing effects CCD." Images produced using the sensor and displayed by Peek, albeit through an overhead projector system, were indistinguishable from images obtained from film. Individual hairs could been seen on the heads of head-and-shoulder portraits, which prompted congratulations from the audience. Peek said he expects to see a similar high-resolution CCD sensor in production within about two years, although it might include fewer pixels. "I don't think we will go to more pixels," he said. "We are already asking, 'Is six million too much and are we adding cost unnecessarily?' Perhaps five million or four million is the right amount." The Philips CCD is built using a 0.5-micron CCD process operating at 14 volts and has an active area of 2,048 active lines and 3,072 active measuring 9.11 mm x 6.07 mm. The sensor has a dark current of 800 picoamperes/centimeter2 and a dynamic range of 63 dB. In his paper, Peek also discussed how novel techniques had been used to overcome problems with dark current suppression. The development of a high-resolution sensor using CCD technology represents a fight back by the technology against a challenge it faces from lower cost CMOS image sensors, which also allow the possibility of including signal processing and logic circuits on the same die. "CCD will always be expensive in comparison with CMOS image sensors," Peek said. "CCD can't compete with CMOS on price but it can on quality, and image quality is very important to consumers."

12-09-99

Professional Digital Camera News Nikon D1 Manuals Posted From Rob Galbraith Online comes several news bits, the first one is that Nikon has posted the D1 Reference Manual and FastTrack Manual in Adobe PDF format on the Nikon European web site. Kodak Firmware v3.08 conflict with Lexar cards Two photographers have encountered the same problem as I with the v3.08 firmware update: certain Lexar Media cards have been rendered incompatible with the camera's format function. Of the three cards I've tried, two format fine in my DCS 520. The camera reports, erroneously, that the third has over 39,000 bad clusters. Reverting to v2.03 firmware fixes the problem, suggesting it's a bug in v3.08. Update:   Kodak's Jay Kelbley indicates that v3.09 of the firmware for the DCS 520/560 (and the D2000/D6000 as well, unofficially) will fix the older Lexar card formatting problem, and is expected to be up on Kodak's website on Monday, December 13 or Tuesday, December 14. Version 3.09 firmware for the DCS 620/660 expected Friday The DCS 620/660 version of Kodak's v3.09 firmware update is expected Friday on Kodak's website. It will include a fix for the Lexar card formatting problem experienced by some DCS 520/D2000 shooters. Kodak internal IR filters are available From John Cowley comes the following: The new Kodak internal IR reduction filters are now available at Kodak Pro dealers. See pictures of it on my DCS620 review page, along with removal & installation tips.

12-08-99

Viking Components to Offer 128 MB CompactFlash Type II Card RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif.--Dec. 8, 1999-- Viking Components expands its current line of CompactFlash(TM) cards to include a 128 MB CF Type II card for rugged and transportable data storage. Based on NAND technology, Viking's cards also include PCMCIA compatibility, solid state, non-volatile technology and low power consumption. All Viking CompactFlash cards ship with a five-year warranty and are available through resellers/retailers nationwide. Viking's CompactFlash cards require an adapter, also available from Viking, to fit into a PC Card Type I or Type II slot.

12-08-99

Fuji Japan Announces New DS-230HD Fuji Japan has announced the latest in their line of ruggedized digicams, the new DS230HD is a 1.5 megapixel camera with a resolution of 1280 x 1024. Other specs include: 28mm (35mm equiv) lens, F2.6 or F7.2 selectable aperture, 1/4 - 1/2000 sec shutter speeds, ISO 125, and a 1.8" color TFT LCD display. The DS230HD is a weatherized camera that is perfectly suited for industrial use or a weekend at the beach. It is water resistant, not water proof so it cannot be used as an underwater camera.

12-08-99

Kodak Executive Says Digital Imaging 'Proving Itself' As A Key Growth Driver (This is the same Kodak exec that has been in the news several times already in the last couple of days. I don't know whose report to believe anymore. Now he seems to be praising all things digital...) ROCHESTER, N.Y.--Dec. 7, 1999--An Eastman Kodak Company executive today cited digital products and services as a key growth driver for the company. "Customer acceptance of our products has put Kodak on a course to achieve about $2.3 billion in total revenues from digital and digitization products and services for the full year 1999, proving itself as a key growth driver. In five years, more than 30% of our revenues will come from our digital portfolio," said Carl Gustin, chief marketing officer and a senior vice president with Kodak. "I know of no other company with as comprehensive and aggressive an approach to digital imaging in both the consumer and commercial space." Gustin also cited other metrics to illustrate Kodak's success in digital imaging. They included: The company's leading position in digital cameras, with Kodak the clear market leader in professional format digital cameras and one of the top three suppliers of consumer digital cameras. Robust revenue growth for digital products, 44% during the third quarter of 1999. The company's Health Imaging business is successfully moving to a digital model, expecting to generate at least 50% of its revenues from digital products during 2000. A recent survey conducted by the Reputation Institute, which ranked Kodak number 7 overall among digital companies, shoulder-to-shoulder with Microsoft, Intel, Sony, Dell, Lucent and Gateway. In the Document Imaging market, Kodak is the leader in the high and mid-range document scanner market. Kodak.com consistently ranks among the top 10 of all corporate internet sites and is the foremost site in the imaging industry. Gustin pointed out that Kodak's objective is to grow the entire market for pictures regardless of technology. "We want to make it as easy as possible for people to do more with their pictures, whether they use film, digital or a combination of technologies," he said.

12-07-99

MAME for Digita Now Supports Sound on DC265 James Surin just emailed me to let me know that he now has a new version of his MAME for Digita that supports sound on the Kodak DC265.   MAME is an emulator program that allows you to play arcade games on your Digita-enabled digicams. Who says that digicams are good for nothing ... show them how wrong they are :-)

12-06-99

Agfa Desktop Products Launches New Web Site WILMINGTON, Mass.--Dec. 6, 1999-- Agfa Corporation's Desktop Products Group (USA- DTP), a leading provider of award-winning digital cameras and desktop scanners, today launched a new Internet Web Site providing news and information on their complete lines of digital cameras and desktop scanners. The new Internet Web site is designed for communicating with Agfa desktop product customers, channel partners and members of the press. The new Web Site also offers a section for customers who are looking for Agfa Desktop Product Group rebate coupons. Rebate coupons can be downloaded and printed - direct from the new site. Currently, the Web Site offers images from the recent Comdex Show - held in Las Vegas during the week of November 15, 1999. Posted images include those taken in the Agfa booth prior, during and after the trade show. (In case a customer could not attend - but wanted to see how Agfa looked at Comdex!)

12-06-99

Corel Announces Corel PHOTO-PAINT 9 Digital Camera Edition OTTAWA--Dec. 6, 1999-- Corel Corporation today announced the launch of Corel PHOTO-PAINT 9 Digital Camera Edition -- the latest version of Corel's award- winning image-editing application -- is now available on store shelves across North America for a suggested retail price of US $99 or CAN $129. Corel PHOTO-PAINT 9 Digital Camera Edition is based on Corel PHOTO-PAINT 9, a comprehensive photo-editing, image composition and painting application. The application features a variety of image-enhancing filters to improve the quality of scanned images, plus special effects that dramatically alter the appearance of images. Users can create artistic effects using artistic media brushes that mirror the process of painting on textured paper. In addition to Corel PHOTO-PAINT 9, the Corel PHOTO-PAINT 9 Digital Camera Edition includes: Corel(r) Photo Slide Show: Corel Photo Slide Show is a utility that lets users create a slide show from a set of image files. Extensis(r) Intellihance Pro(tm) 4.0: Extensis Intellihance Pro 4.0 lets users enhance and correct the color in their images, comparing up to 25 image settings at once. Canto(r) Cumulus(r) Desktop LE 4.0: Cumulus Desktop LE 4.0 is an award-winning media management system that delivers fast, flexible and powerful digital asset management. Bitstream(r) Font Navigator(tm) 3.0: Bitstream Font Navigator 3.0 is a font manager for Windows(r) 95 and Windows NT(r) 4.0 that was developed by Bitstream Inc., a company widely recognized for its expertise in font groups. Corel TEXTURE(tm): Corel TEXTURE lets users simulate natural textures -- such as clouds, marble and wood -- by combining up to seven material layers, defining the interaction between the layers and applying lighting effects. Corel CAPTURE(tm) 9: Corel CAPTURE 9 is an advanced screen-capture utility that lets users capture on-screen videos or images such as the active window, the active client, the full screen or a user-defined area. Users can customize hot keys, preference settings and file destination, name or type. Adobe(r) Acrobat(r) Reader 4.0: Adobe Acrobat Reader lets users view, navigate and print PDFs across multiple platforms. Libraries and Fonts: An extensive collection of image libraries and fonts -- including 5,000+ photos and 1,000+ clipart images and symbols, 800+ TrueType(r) fonts, 500+ floating objects and 300+ templates -- help users enhance their work. Corel PHOTO-PAINT 9 Digital Camera Edition is optimized for Windows(r) 95, Windows 98 or Windows NT(r) 4.0. Users will require a Pentium(r) 133 processor, 32 MB RAM (64 MB RAM recommended), 100 MB hard disk space to install Corel PHOTO-PAINT 9 Digital Camera Edition, Help, filters and fonts, a CD-ROM drive 2X, a SVGA monitor and a mouse or tablet.

12-06-99

Welcome Our Newest Site Sponsor - Imprintables.com Personalize a T-shirt or a mouse pad with your name, slogan, Web address, or picture. Design a product from scratch with your graphic files, digital camera images, or scanned artwork! Create your own, easily and online at Imprintables.com. You can even turn this into your own online business, all the information is just a mouse click away! Needless to say these make dandy Christmas gifts.

12-05-99

Sony Mavica FD-88 Review Posted I just posted the Sony FD-88 user review and must say that this one has the best image quality I've seen yet from any of the Mavicas. It's the only digicam I've used that has a digital zoom function that generates full size images. Now if it just used 120MB floppies ... Sony FD-83 Review Posted I also just finished and posted the Sony FD-83 user review. This camera is physically identical to the FD-88 except it has a 3x/6x zoom and its 1216x912 image is interpolated up from the native 1024x768 resolution of the CCD. The next camera up for review is the new Olympus C-2020Z which is due in some time this week.

12-04-99

New DPS8000 2700mAH NiMH Battery Pack Our good friends at Thomas-Distributing just sent me a sample of their new Mizco DigiPower DPS-8000 NiMH rechargable battery pack for digicams. Roughly the size of a beeper (2 x 3 x 3/4 in.) and weighing just 5.5oz, it comes with a swiveling belt clip and a durable carrying case. The DPS-8000 contains 2700mAH worth of 4.8v NiMH cells and sells for only $48.90. You'll also need a power cord for another $8.90, there are four different power cords available to fit just about every camera. Initial charging takes eight hours, after that you can just plug it in whenever you want to "top off" the charge. Being that it's a NiMH (nickel metal hydride) battery pack, it can charged whenever desired without the memory effect common to the older NiCd type of batteries. With a fully charged DPS-8000 you can take about 1200 pictures with most digicams. Of course it all depends on how often you use the LCD, how much zooming you do, etc, etc, etc -- but, suffice it to say that it will go a LOT farther than 4 AA size batteries! Want even more power when you're around the house? Thomas Distributing now also has a full line of Digital Camera AC Power Adapters that cost only $27.90. Five different models for Nikon, Kodak, Olympus, Minolta, Casio, Ricoh and Fuji cameras.

12-04-99

PC Magazine's Best Products A-Z Making the list on PC Magazine's "Best Products, A to Z" are the Epson PhotoPC 850Z and Kodak DC280 digital cameras. Also on the list is Adobe PhotoShop 5.5, Epson Perfection 1200U scanner and the Sony DCR-TRV900 digital camcorder so you can see that digital imaging is definitely making an impact this year.

12-03-99

Best Buy Reports Record Third Quarter Sales Digital Products Continue to Drive Sales Gains MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 2 -- Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY - news) today reported record sales for the Company's fiscal 2000 third quarter, ended November 27, 1999. According to Allen Lenzmeier, chief financial officer, sales for the third fiscal quarter were a record $3.110 billion, a 25% increase compared to the $2.494 billion reported in the third quarter last year. "Comparable store sales growth for the quarter was driven by digital products, including satellite systems, DVD hardware, cellular phones, cameras and camcorders. In addition, increased sales of entertainment software including video games, music and DVD movies contributed to our strong sales gains," Lenzmeier said. "We are well positioned for the holidays. Our optimism for this important retail selling season was reinforced by consumer response to our Thanksgiving weekend offers."

12-03-99

FotoNation Inc. Announces New Technology Patent on Key Step Toward Internet Consumer Level Wireless Digital Photography MILLBRAE, Calif.--Dec. 2, 1999--FotoNation Inc., the leader in digital camera connectivity, announced today that the U.S. Patent Office will grant patent protection on their critical technology that will enable users to connect digital cameras to the Internet via telephones, and in particular in the cellular telephone domain. The patent covers three aspects of breakthrough technology that will eventually allow all camera owners to capture digital images and then send them through the Internet, using a totally wireless connection. The patent to be issued will cover FotoNation's unique: "... method of configuring a digital camera ... through an external device and associating image information with digital images from the camera ..." "... downloading to the camera configuration data, by way of connection to and transmission through a telephone network, to add functionality to said camera." "... transferring the associated selected image data and digital image from the camera for external processing." Using the innovative technology covered by this patent, a digital camera will be able to be programmed to accept information, via modem or landline phone, of any kind, such as camera behavioral parameters, image related database information and freestyle image commentary, attach it to images just taken and stored in the camera, and then to send the image and attached data over phone lines to the Internet.

12-02-99

Vbase Announces New Version 1.1 of FotoPage Pro for MacOS PhotoShop Users FotoPage Pro follows our popular Photoshop plug-in FotoPage which brings the ability to view, save and print multiple images to users of Photoshop versions 3.0.5 - 4.0.1 - enhancing productivity for anyone using large numbers of obscurely named images from stock CD's or digital cameras. FotoPage Pro has been completely upgraded in this new version, featuring finer control over layout and text handling... FotoPage Pro takes just over 51 seconds to preview 100 3072-pixel x 2048-pixel jpegs, straight from PhotoCD. The same test using the Photoshop Contact Sheet needs 2 hours to complete - a quarter of a working day - making FotoPage Pro 120 times faster! Download a working demo and try it out for yourself.

12-02-99

Good Housekeeping Names Winners of the Year 2000 "Good Buy" Awards - Kodak Picture Maker Makes The List NEW YORK--December 1, 1999-- Good Housekeeping magazine today announced the winners of the prestigious "Good Buy" Awards on the eve of the Good Housekeeping Institute's 100th anniversary. Seven new award-winning products were selected on the basis of their ingenuity, value and exceptional performance by the venerable Institute. According to Good Housekeeping Editor in Chief Ellen Levine, the products represent the very highest in quality and innovation available to consumers. The 5th annual Good Buy Awards will appear in the January 2000 issue of Good Housekeeping, on newsstands December 14th. Kodak Personal Picture Maker from Lexmark: To save time downloading images from your digital camera into your computer, simply pop the smart card from your camera into this printer and the photos are ready. You can even add borders and text to images. Added bonus: the printout quality is so much better than comparably priced models that you may want to use this printer for your computer, too. Cost: $199

12-02-99

Belkin IEEE-1394 FirePath PCI Card: Three 400Mbps Ports and MGI VideoWave III SE for $129 COMPTON, Calif.--Dec. 2, 1999-- Belkin Components, a leader in connectivity solutions and accessories, today announced FirePath PCI Card, a new OHCI-compliant and PCI-based IEEE-1394 card that sets a new price-performance-value standard in IEEE-1394 connectivity. The card easily slips into any open PCI slot and provides users with three 400Mbps ports, the throughput performance to handle high-bandwidth requirements such as home networking, transferring digital video from DV (digital video) camcorders for editing, and using a new generation of FireWire peripheral devices. The FirePath, available in December, also bundles MGI Software's award-winning PC video editor -- VideoWave, and will have a suggested list price of only $129.

12-02-99

Future High-Capacity Storage Media One of our readers pointed me to the C3D Storage Technology web site to read about some interesting new products coming to market in the next twelve months. FMD ROM (Read Only Memory) Disk This disk takes the CD-ROM & DVD-ROM concept and takes it to the next level. The planned initial production model is a 120mm 10-layer disc with 140 Gigabyte capacity - vs. less than 18 Gigabytes for a maximum capacity DVD - giving it the capacity to store up to 20 hours of compressed HDTV film viewing. FMD Microm WORM (Write Once Read Many) Disk The disc is a compact version of the FMD ROM, which enables the user to select information to be stored. The planned initial production model is a 30mm 10-layer disc with 4 Gigabyte capacity. It is designed to fit into devices such as laptop and hand-held computers, digital cameras, and video recorders and players, for which it will offer lightweight, high capacity storage and quick access to data. For cameras and video players, Microm WORM will not only offer the same gains as for laptop and hand-held computers but also offer higher quality video. FMD ClearCard ROM (Read Only Memory) Card The planned initial production model is a credit card-sized ClearCard-ROM with up to 20 layers, 400 MB/cm2 data density and up to 10GB capacity - i.e. twice current single-sided DVD capacity, but at a fraction of the cost and size. FMD ClearCard WORM (Write Once Read Many) Card This is a development of the ClearCard ROM, which enables the user to select information to be stored. Writing and reading are performed using a powerful semiconductor pulse laser. The planned initial production model is a credit card-sized ClearCard-WORM with up to 10 layers and up to 1GB capacity. Read even more about this new technology from their press release.

12-01-99

Thumber v3.1 Now Available Max Lyons emailed me to say he had just released Thumber v3.1 which has been significantly upgraded. New features include: an image editor, with user-defined 3x3 filtering, sharpening, levels, brightness, contrast, gamma and resample capabilities. Added ability to save JPG files with user defined compression settings. JPG decoding now handled by Intel JPG library for much better quality images. Saves the EXIF/APP12 data to file which means it can be put back into your resized/edited/saved images. Thumber now determines focal length and ISO information from a file named cameras.txt so it can be updated/modified by user to add support for new cameras. Scale thumbnails by percent as well as size. Light Source (White Balance) and Program (Exposure Program) reporting. Added "smart" EXIF/APEX decoding. Shutter speed and aperture can be displayed as "standard" values. That is, shutter speeds of 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, etc., instead of 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, etc. (Still experimental.) Improved Thumber.ini. No more error messages for future updates! So I guess you get the point -- Thumber has been significantly upgraded! Check out this fine program for yourself, it should be in any serious digicam'ers toolbox.

12-01-99

MGI PhotoSuite III-Platinum Edition Named Best Low-cost Photo Editor by CNET TORONTO, Nov. 30 - MGI Software announced that MGI PhotoSuite III-Platinum edition has gained more industry recognition being named the best low-cost photo editor by CNET, a worldwide leader in technology news and information on the Web. This adds to an already impressive list of awards and notoriety for the recently released product that includes a Most Valuable Product (MVP) Award from PC Computing, and a place on Windows Magazine's distinguished WinList. MGI PhotoSuite III-Platinum edition surpassed five other products to take top honors in CNET's comprehensive roundup of the category. In awarding MGI PhotoSuite III-Platinum edition the win, Greg Keizer, contributing editor, CNET, wrote: "It's comforting to know there's software out there as well rounded as PhotoSuite III, our favorite photo editor. PhotoSuite III Platinum Edition is so smart it will transform even a camera klutz's digital duds into pretty pictures." MGI PhotoSuite III-Platinum edition recently also captured an Editors' Choice award from PC Photo Magazine. Write the editors: "MGI PhotoSuite III impresses us with its package of features that go beyond simple image work, including auto- stitching, PhotoTapestry, electronic photo albums and diverse card, newsletter, and other templates."

November 99 News

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