Digital Foci, Inc. announced today “Pocket Album,” a digital keychain photo viewer with a 1.5-inch color LCD screen that lets you carry your favorite photos right in your pocket to share and relive your photo moments wherever you go. Pocket Album holds a selection of up to 74 pictures with its 8MB internal memory. Photos can be viewed by scrolling manually or through an automatic photo slideshow with adjustable slideshow intervals.

Pocket Album includes user-friendly Photo Viewer Software that makes it easy to convert JPG or BMP images from your computer to Pocket Album. You can crop and rotate any photos you wish to transfer, and then automatically resize the photos for optimal storage and display on the digital keychain. The perfect sentimental gift, you can even preload precious photo moments on Pocket Album to give to friends and family for the holidays.

Pocket Album runs on Lithium-ion batteries with up to 9 hours of battery life. The batteries can be easily recharged with the included AC adapter or with the USB cable by connecting it to your computer. Pocket Album also features a built-in clock with automatic on/off timer. LCD contrast is adjustable for choosing your optimal viewing angle.

Pocket Album Features:

• Holds up to 74 digital photos with 8MB internal flash memory.
• 1.5” color LCD screen.
• 9 hours of battery life on Lithium-Ion batteries.
• LCD contrast adjustable for choosing optimal viewing angle.
• Builds automatic photo slideshows with adjustable time intervals or photos can be scrolled manually.
• Built-in clock with automatic on/off timer.
• Photo Viewer Software is included for converting JPG & BMP images from the computer to Pocket Album (compatible with Windows Vista/XP/2000, Mac 10.x or later).
• Software crops and rotates photos before automatically resizing them for optimal storage and display.
• Easily recharges battery with the included AC adapter or with the included USB cable by connecting it to your computer.
• Compact and lightweight design makes it convenient to carry.

Priced at $39.95, the Pocket Album digital keychain measures 2.2” x 1.6” x 0.5” and weighs only 1.2 oz. It is available in Black, Silver, and Blue and includes a USB cable, USB-AC Adapter, Resource Disc, Photo Viewer Software, and User’s Guide. Pocket Album is available immediately and is compatible with both Windows and Mac. For more information, see www.digitalfoci.com or http://www.digitalfoci.com/pocket_album.html.

FotoNation, Inc. announced today that it has been selected by Sony’s Professional Printer Group to provide its award winning digital Red-Eye Correction technology for new professional Sony photo printers, Picture Station Kiosks, and photo application products.

“Sony is a premier provider of superior digital photography products within the industry,” said Eran Steinberg, CEO of FotoNation. “Being selected by Sony as their provider of Red-Eye Correction technology reflects our commitment to providing the highest quality products in the industry for this solution,” he continued.

Sony’s first professional products to incorporate FotoNation’s Red-Eye Correction technology will include Sony’s PictureStation™ Digital Photofinishing System version 4700.

DXG USA, one of the fastest growing digital camera manufacturers, announced today the new DXG-572V digital camcorder that records full motion MPEG-4 video in near DVD-quality and captures 5 Megapixel photos with full clarity and color. The DXG-572V camcorder features a compact and portable camcorder design with a 5 Megapixel CMOS sensor, 4X digital zoom, 2-inch flip-out LCD screen, built-in digital voice recorder, and mass storage capability. With a suggested retail price of $149.99, the DXG-572V gives you more bang for your buck.

Movies at the Speed of Life – Never Miss a Special Moment

Made for movies at the speed of life, the DXG-572V is targeted towards a more budget-conscious consumer that is looking for a digital camcorder that offers advanced features at a price they can afford. The DXG-572V records high-quality digital video with sound so you never have to worry about missing those special moments. Compact, lightweight and easy to carry along, the DXG-572V is perfect for vacations, road trips and just about any occasion that you want to capture.

True 5 Megapixel Camera - Not Interpolated

The DXG-572V is also a true 5 Megapixel digital camera (not interpolated). That means you get clear, vibrant photos that are detail rich. The camera has a built-in flash and self timer, as well as a white balance adjustment to control color/lighting for any weather or lighting situation, even if it’s cloudy or sunny. The A/V-out allows you to show pictures or videos on you television to instantly share with friends and family. With the USB port and the included USB cable, you can upload your photos/video into your computer, where you can store them, make a copy onto a CD, or email them to friends and family.

DXG-572V Digital Camcorder Features: Read the rest of this entry »

DXG USA announced today their new DXG-711 next-generation, slim and sexy 7 Megapixel digital camera, with all the features consumers crave at an affordable price. The DXG-711 starts with a sleek silver body and adds a 7 Megapixel CCD sensor, large 2.5” high resolution LTPS LCD, 3X optical zoom, and an instant out-of-the-box experience, so consumers can quickly start taking photos without spending hours studying the manual.

At less than an inch think, the DXG-711 camera will capture everyone’s attention and can still be conveniently tucked in your pocket – perfect for road trips, vacations and everyday occasions. The DXG-711 is equipped with a digital voice recording function so users can record to-do lists and capture thoughts on-the-fly with audio files saved directly into MP3 format. The camera comes with a built-in flash, 32MB onboard memory and supports Direct Printing for easy printing without the need of a computer.

The DXG-711 is perfect for users who want to migrate to more features, better technology and a device that is multi-functional, convenient and affordable, like parents who are looking for a replacement unit for their “old” 35mm cameras, and college students.

The DXG-711 is a true 7 Megapixel Digital Camera that can also capture vivid stills to up to 10MP, in addition to recording high-quality 640 x 480 video at 30 frames per second. When connected to your PC via the USB cable, the DXG-711 also functions as an additional hard drive and can store documents and other files with the built-in SD card slot.

The DXG-711 offers 15 different scene modes that users can choose from. These scene modes allow users to capture an image in various environments and light situations without having to worry about the clarity and quality of the pictures. Modes include Sports, Fireworks, Best Shot, Blur Reduction, Face Chaser, Monochrome, Sepia, Vivid and Night View.

DXG-711 Features:

• 7 Megapixel digital camera
• Records video at 640 x 480, 30 fps with sound
• Digital Voice Recorder
• Portable Storage Device
• 3X Optical, 4X Digital Zoom
• 2.5” LTPS screen
• Built-in flash with a variety of modes
• Pre-Set Scene and Macro Modes for optimal automatic exposure settings
• ISO 400 Sensor Sensitivity

The DXG-711 is available immediately with a suggested retail price of $149.99 through major retailers and at www.dxgusa.com.

Bamboo Technology today announced the release of Vault360 Smartphone Edition, a simple point-and-click conversion software tool that allows consumers to transfer, manage and organize their music, photo and video files on popular smartphones freeing them from carrying multiple devices when they travel. The $29.99 application, as well as the full Vault360 product line, are Vista-compliant and available at retail stores nationwide.

“Many users want to transfer videos, music, and photos to and from their Smartphones but to date converting DVDs, tapes, CDs and even TiVo recorded media requires in-depth knowledge of codecs, bit rates and formats,” said Todd Porter, president of Bamboo Technology. “Vault360 allows you to simply connect your Smartphone or insert its memory card into the computer and move a vast array of media to it or pull the media content from it, quickly and easily. Vault360 Smartphone Edition puts a theater, scrapbook and jukebox in the palm of your hand for anytime, anywhere entertainment.”

Vault360 Smartphone Edition is compatible with popular models such as the Blackberry Pearl, Motorola Q, Samsung Blackjack and Palm Treo. Users simply load Vault360 Smartphone Edition on their PC, directly connect the device to the USB port and begin transferring content in three clicks of the mouse. Smartphones that are not capable of direct-connect are supported through the phone memory card whereby media is converted and transferred directly to the memory card via a card reader.

Vault360 Smartphone Key Features:

Following are Vault360 Smartphone’s key features in the areas of music, photos and video. A comprehensive feature set can be found at www.bambootech.com.

Music:

• Imports audio CDs, MP3, WMA, or WAV files
• Automatic audio CD title lookup using an Internet database
• Audio file preview that converts and transfers to your smartphone or memory card

Photos:

• Connects directly to all digital cameras and/or digital camera media such as memory cards
• Imports and scale photo files
• Preview individual photos
• Easy no-click animated zoom preview of photos
• Exports selected photos to the most popular media devices (video iPods, PSP, ZEN)

Video:

• Converts video files such as AVI, DivX, MPG, ASF, WMV, etc. to DVD format
• Converts DVDs to video files such as AVI, Mpeg2, WMV, and Mpeg4 SP AVI
• Imports video to computer from: DVDs (entire movie or chapters) and Analog or Digital camcorder; Digital Video Recorders (TiVo, Media Center PCs, DVRs); computer video files (AVI, Mpeg1, Mpeg2, Mpeg4, ASF, WMV, DVR-MS, TiVo); VHS tapes; VCDs/SVCDs
• Exports videos from computer to: personal media players (Video iPod, ZEN Vision, M/W) and portable game systems (PSP)
• Video preview before and after import
• Auto-fit card technology fits movies to 256MB - 4GB memory cards (PSP only)
• Organizes video library by predefined and custom genres
• Full audio and subtitle language selection for DVDs
• Customize videos with preset or custom thumbnails

The one thing you’ll find in my collection of over 100,000 pictures is rather what you won’t find (mostly.) Me. When you’re the photographer, you’re always behind the lens and not in front of it. My wife often comments about how I need to be in more pictures but things never seem to work out that way for what ever reason. Having a DSLR, holding the camera out pointing back at myself is a bit difficult and not done all too often. So again, I’m absent from most of our photos. Well now with the Quik Pod, I can once again be in the photo. If you have a similar problem like me, then you, too are back in the game, mate.

One thing I really like about the Quik Pod is you don’t have to worry about asking someone to take your photo. One, it is a bit intruding and two, many people do not know how to use DSLRs. Further, no matter what the camera, many people have no idea how to properly crop and set the frame. (Sure, post production can fix this, but now you have an added step.) With the Quik Pod, no amateur worries will ill your photo memory.

With various other examples of how Quik Pod can better your picture taking, like holding your camera above crowds at May Day riots in LA, Quik Pod’s web site has a great wealth of example shots. For fun, see if you can figure out what’s wrong with this one.

Digital Foci, Inc. www.digitalfoci.com announced today their Mother’s Day Promotion for their award-winning Image Moments 8” digital photo frame. The perfect Mother’s Day Gift, customers will receive a FREE Gold or Silver interchangeable frame (a $20 value) for a limited time when they purchase an Image Moments digital photo frame.

Priced at $199, the Image Moments digital photo frame comes with a Standard Black Frame that matches perfectly with living room or office décor. To celebrate Mother’s Day, from now until May 13th, Digital Foci is offering a free Gold or Silver interchangeable frame with any Image Moments digital photo frame purchase. In addition to the free frame, customers can also receive another Gold or Silver frame for just $10 more. In addition, there are 10 other different frame styles to choose from Digital Foci’s frame selection, sold separately at $19.95 each.

This Mother’s Day, give your mom a Digital Foci Image Moments digital photo frame and let her display, share, and re-live her precious memories at home or at the office on a selection of beautiful interchangeable picture frames. Just insert any digital camera card into Image Moments and memories will instantly come to life in sharp, vibrant color on its big 8-inch high-resolution digital LCD screen.

The handy “Slideshow Mode” lets your mom automatically scroll through her photo collections. MP3 music soundtracks and MPEG video can be also added for more creative options to personalize her experience. Slideshow intervals and transitions can be changed with a touch of the included remote control. The frame also includes an automatic on/off timer, which can be set to activate or turn off Image Moments according to her schedule.

With its built-in memory card slots, Image Moments can display photos directly from digital camera memory cards without a computer or subscription. Image Moments reads from virtually all cards, including CompactFlash I/II, MD, MMC, SD Card, Memory Stick, MS PRO, miniSD, MS Duo, and xD-Picture Card (Standard & H-Type).

For more details, go to: http://www.digitalfoci.com/mother_day_special.html and http://www.digitalfoci.com/image_moments.html

Digital Foci, Inc. announced today that that it will introduce Photo Safe portable digital photo storage with 40GB, 80GB, 120GB hard drives and built-in memory card readers at this week’s Photo Marketing Association Conference (PMA) in Las Vegas. Photo Safe is a portable hard drive that lets you quickly and securely save digital photos wherever you go, so you can keep snapping away and never worry about losing important photos or running out of memory card space while on the road.

Photo Safe is the essential traveler’s digital camera companion featuring 40GB, 80GB and 120GB hard drive configurations for copying photos from memory card to the hard drive for safe-keeping. Photo Safe provides the fastest copy speed on the market as compared to similarly priced products. Its text/icon backlit LED screen shows key system information, including operational status, battery life, remaining hard drive capacity, and active partition (Photo Safe supports multiple hard drive partitions). Copy status indicator displays percentage completed during copy, copy confirmation, and number of files copied upon completion.

A unique folder name that indicates media card type and copy sequence is automatically created for each copy task to help you keep organized. When you get home, simply connect Photo Safe to your computer to retrieve your saved pictures. With its user-replaceable Li-Ion battery that’s rechargeable via computer USB port or external AC power, Photo Safe provides the ultimate convenience both at home and on the go.

Priced attractively for leisure photographers starting at $139, Photo Safe is a lower-cost alternative to the popular Digital Foci Picture Porter Elite. Both Photo Safe and Picture Porter Elite save photos on their portable hard drives so you don’t have to bring heavy laptops on the road. The key difference is that Photo Safe uses a simplified operating system and lower priced backlit LCD for text-only display, whereas Picture Porter Elite features a 3.6” color LCD screen and advanced operating system for viewing photos and playing music and movies. Read the rest of this entry »

Digital Foci, Inc. http://www.digitalfoci.com announced today that it will introduce Image Moments 6 (Model IMT-062) high-resolution digital photo frame at next week’s Photo Marketing Association Conference (PMA) in Las Vegas. Image Moments 6 displays photos on its 5.7” high-resolution digital LCD screen with the highest pixel density available on the market for superior image clarity and detail as compared to similarly-sized digital frames.

Based on the previous version of the Image Moments - Model IMT-081 8” digital frame (winner of The Professional Photographer 2007 Hot One Awards), the new Image Moments 6 is a smaller, lower-cost version of the digital frame with a contemporary design, perfect for compact places, like a bedside table or office desk. With its brushed chrome facade and polished chrome highlights, Image Moments 6 matches perfectly with any living room or office décor.

Priced at only $159, Image Moments 6 lets you display photos directly from virtually any digital camera memory card at home or at the office without a computer or subscription needed. Image Moments 6 supports all popular memory cards - CompactFlash, MicroDrive, SD card, MMC, Memory Stick, MS PRO, xD-Picture Card, and even MS Duo/MS PRO Duo directly without needing an adapter. It also has a USB slot to support USB thumb drives. Read the rest of this entry »

DXG USA announced today the new DXG-Roadster all-in-one Personal Media Center that lets you take your entertainment on the road wherever you go. The DXG-Roadster (Model DXG-521) is the only device you’ll ever need to capture precious memories and keep you entertained while traveling. The Roadster is a combination 5 Megapixel digital and video camera, video game and music player with FM radio, voice recorder and storage device, with 32MB of internal storage and an SD slot for additional memory.

Instead of being bored on a plane, waiting at the doctor’s office, at your kid’s soccer practice, or at the Department of Motor Vehicles, why not entertain yourself while waiting? The DXG-Roadster lets you listen to your complete collection of MP3s and videos anywhere you go. You can record TV shows and movies ahead of time directly from any video source via the included AV cable and then watch your favorite “American Idol,” “Desperate Housewives” TV shows, or NBA basketball games on the 2.5” bright TFT LCD screen.

As featured in the March 12, 2007 issue of Life & Style Weekly, the Roadster is the ultimate in design and functionality. Geared towards kids, teens, and young parents, where style, price, and usability are most important, the DXG-Roadster is popular for its price-performance ratio and the multiple features available in one easy-to-tote compact package. Not only can you store and watch your entire media collection of music, videos, and photos wherever you go, you’ll also never miss another once-in-a-lifetime photo-op with the Roadster’s 5 Megapixel camera and camcorder. Also, if you remember something important while on the road, you can record a reminder on the spot with the included digital voice recorder.

“Are we there yet?” How many times do parents have to hear this on a family trip? With the DXG-Roadster, kids can now enjoy their OWN entertainment. The DXG-Roadster features 4 pre-stored popular video games, such as Tetris, Boxman, and Gobang, and is shaped like the familiar Sony PSP™. And since the device is lower cost than competing products, you won’t be as worried about sticky fingers playing with it.

“No other product offers the amount of features at such a low price,” said Paul Goldberg, Vice President – Sales and Marketing, DXG USA. “The DXG-Roadster is a one-of-its-kind mobile experience at a user-friendly price.”

Read the rest of this entry »