Zen Stone and Zen Stone Plus

Creative have announced the release of the New 2GB Zen Stone and the 2GB and 4GB Zen Stone Plus featuring a built-in speaker and display. These nice little mp3 players look like a stone, featuring a smooth, compact, curved shape and textured finish available in dark blue, black, pink or champagne. The bright blue display allows you to easily navigate the player and the rechargeable battery, supports up to 20 hours of playtime. The ZEN Stone / Stone Plus can store songs in MP3, WMA and iTunes Plus content (unprotected AAC files), it also uses a standard mini-USB connection which facilitates easy music downloads. Other functions include a built in FM radio, microphone, clock and stopwatch.

New Creative Webcams Released

Creative have released 4 new Webcams which are Plug n Play compliant. All of these feature integrated microphones and a variety of features including the Creative Live! Audio technology which filters out background noises. This technology is great for fuzzy connections and works well with any IM service, like MSN, Yahoo and Skype. There is even Advanced Video FX software so that you can edit video files and record messages featuring visual effects and cool backgrounds.

Camera Shoulder Bags, Backpacks, Waist Systems, Sling Packs - 2008 Roundup . . . Update

In our Photography & Video Shoulder Bags, Sling Packs, Backpacks, Waist Belt Systems and Rolling Bags 2008 Product Roundup Review earlier this month we mentioned that we'd keep our eyes open for more good products. Two makers made themselves known right away. Tough Traveler has been in business for many years. The company is based in Schenectady, New York and does all it's design and manufacturing there. Quality, materials and design work are excellent. We're most interested in their small range of camera and video bags, but Tough Traveler also makes an extensive line of bags for travel, backpacking and many other needs. Boda Bag is another U.S. maker that emphasizes quality and usability over all other concerns. Quality, design and materials are excellent. Based in Seattle, Washington, Boda Bag produces a small line of lens carry systems complete with waist belt, shoulder belt and size choices. It's all serious looking stuff that is highly regarded by pro photographers.

MS Vista SP1 Will Break Apps...

Microsoft Vista Service Pack 1 will break a number of applications upon installation. Microsoft has posted a list of the 12 apps in a bulletin which can be found here. My recommendation is to read the bulletin and wait until updates to your problem apps have been posted before applying the service pack. As deployment and installation of Windows Vista SP1 spreads, additional incompatible programs may be discovered. Check the list before installing Windows Vista SP1.

HD-DVD Retired

Toshiba finally pulled the plug on the future of HD-DVD. Toshiba stated that they "carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop," ... "While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality." Toshiba plan to slow down shipments of HD-DVD players with the intention of stopping them altogether by the end of March. So Blu-ray has won, but the battle may not be over yet. I for one would like to see Blu-ray succeed, even in light of increasing competition from digital downloads. For me the beauty of owning a disk is the additional content that comes along with it. Digital downloads need to offer that capability and the immediacy of playback without any kind of wait.

HP To Release Consumer Friendly UMPC

Several sources are reporting that HP are working on a UPMC which will have broad consumer appeal. They claim that "you won't even need to consider this purchase. You'll buy it like a handphone without a thought". I just hope that it'll be a windows based device because I've had it with windows mobile and all the other flavours of OS on the market. This device is considered to be a lifestyle accessory, that will attract the youth market and professionals alike. Thanks to the C-Net blog Crave for this one, read more at the link.

Death Of HD-DVD?

Many tech sites are reporting/speculating on the expected death of HD-DVD .. with recent developments such as many retailers opting for Blu-ray and content suppliers throwing their weight behind the format from Sony, it seems inevitable that Toshiba should throw in the towel. However I'm not so sure it will be an easy decision for them with millions invested in the format. I'm sure of one thing, before the dust settles, both camps are going to be sorry that they didn't listen to the lessons that could have been learned from past format wars.

New Reviews on Kickstartnews—January & February 2008

All the reviews from the past 60 days: Photo/Laptop Mid-Size Backpacks - we compare four of the best SPAMfighter Pro v6 - spam filtering Nikon D300 Digital SLR Camera - the best non-full frame camera Adobe Photoshop Lightroom v1.3 - a great product gets better Plustek OpticFilm 7300 Film Scanner - high resolution, competitively priced Camera Bags! Camera Bags! - quality, cost and usability ratings for over 30 brands Nikon Coolpix P50 Digital Compact Camera - good quality, good price RBackup Remote Backup Software - set up your own data backup business SpeedUpMyPC v3 - clean up and optimize Windows ProccessScanner & ProcessLibrary.com - find out what's going on in Windows The Adobe Photoshop Layers Book - tutorials and creative ideas

Insignia Photoframe Virus A Real Threat

According to SFGate, the virus, which Computer Associates calls Mocmex, recognizes and blocks antivirus protection from over 100 security vendors. It also defeats the security and firewall built into Microsoft Windows. Mocmex downloads files from remote locations and hides files, which it names randomly, on any PC it infects, thus making itself very difficult to remove. It is spread by hiding in devices such as hard drives, storage media and digital photoframes. PCs become infected when the compromised devices are plugged in. This virus is capable of gathering personal, private and financial information. So far it appears to be only stealing passwords for online games but can do much more. There are some nasty people out there looking for your information so don't take any chances. (Ed. Note: Check the device manufacturer and virus watch web sites before purchasing any of these products.)

Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive

One look at this drive and it would be easy to mistake it for a drinking flask. The eGo is actually a portable usb 2.0 hard drive which draws its power from the usb port making it the perfect companion for you road warriors who need that little extra bit of storage. The eGo retails for around $120 or £70 for the 160GB version. A 250GB version is also available.

Mobile World Congress Underway In Barcelona

The mobile tech junkies show of the year has been one of many surprises and cool new gadgets for lovers of mobile communication and entertainment devices. One of this biggest has been the unveiling of Sonys new The XPERIA X1 mobile internet device which looks really cool and features a cool user interface with some very interesting interactivity. Also cool is the new Mobile TV ready Nokia N96. The N96 sports a large 2.8in display and features a stand, so that you can enjoy hands-free viewing of your videos and TV shows. The quad-band phone also features a micro USB 2.0 port, supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and HSDPA.

BBCi Player Planned For Macs

The BBC have revealed their plan to release a BBCi player for Mac OS-X. BBC director general, Mark Thompson, has promised that iPlayer will be working on Macs by the end of the year. This should silence the large number of OS-X stalwarts who have been bemoaning the lack of support for their chosen operating system.

Apple MacBook Air's Compared

Ars Technica have produced an Article which compares the Macbook Air SSD with the MacBook Air HDD. The review/article raises some interesting questions about both variants and challenges the claims Apple are making about the units power longevity and the differences between SSD and HDD equipped tech. The 64GB SDD version can be had for and additional $1300 instead of the traditional 80GB ATA hard drive. Their SSD version also came a slightly faster processor which was running at 1.8 GHz instead of the base 1.66 GHz. Ars Technica concluded that the SDD version is just not worth bothering with yet. Oh and about the battery life, they figured it was about 2.5 hours instead of the promised 5 hours. I'd like to see some more reviews like this, to see if that figure's an anomaly, or par for the course...

Sony Xperia X1 Revealed

A video is doing the rounds featuring the new Xperia X1 from Sony. This Windows Mobile based device features a full QWERTY, a 3-inch wide 800 x 480 touchscreen VGA display, 3.2 megapixel camera with photo light, A2DP compliant Bluetooth, aGPS, WiFi, and microSD. It only comes with 400MB of on board memory. The phone sports quad-band GSM/EDGE, and 900/1700/1900/2100MHz UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA with 850/1700/1900/2100MHz in the US Centric model. Navigation is accomplished via touch, arc-sliding QWERTY, 4-way key and optical joystick. It will begin shipping in some regions in the third quarter of 2008. No news on price yet.

HTC Shift To Arrive In Europe Soon

News is that the much awaited HTC Shift will be hitting European stores sometime in the next 2 weeks. According to several sources Orange will be releasing a branded version of the product for their customers. I can't wait to try one ...

Undersea Cables Mysteriously Cut In Middle East

The idea of someone going around cutting undersea data cables is bound to bring any IT reliant middle eastern the night terrors. But apparently this seems to be exactly the case. In recent weeks there have been 5 undersea cables cut/broken/sabotaged, and no one seems able to point out the culprits. Is some kind of action by a cyber wing of Al Quaeda or economic and cyber terrorism by other radicals? The cables affected are SeaMeWe-4 (South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe-4) near Penang, Malaysia, the SeaMeWe-4 and FLAG Europe-Asia cable near Alexandria, FLAG near the Dubai coast and the FALCON near Bandar Abbas in Iran. The news is however that three of these will be repaired within the week.

Segway Inventor Reveals Artificial Arm

Dean Kamen and his team at decca research have been working on an artificial limb codenamed "the Luke Arm." The video which can be found at IEEE Spectrum is quite impressive. The artificial arm has already been put through its paces and undergone real world testing. The Arm supports force feedback to give the wearer an indication of grip strength and resistance. Thanks to Engadget for this lead.

Apple Increases Storage for iPod Touch & iPhone

Apple have announced that they have doubled the capacity of the iPhone and the iPod Touch for an additional $100. The iPhone comes in an 8GB Model for $399 and the new 16GB model for $499. The iPod Touch has also been enhanced to store more music and videos, with a 32GB model at the top for $499, the iPod Touch is also available in 16GB and an 8GB models. Still no external storage capabilities however.

Windows Vista SP1 RTM

The first service pack for Vista has been released to manufacturing. The first packages should be available sometime in early March for inclusion in retail systems. Users should also be able to download SP1 at the same time. SP1 will address many of the issues which have been bugging users since the release of Vista. SP1 will include more than 300 hot fixes that cover everything from data protection to video performance. For more information visit the Windows Vista Blog.

New Products Announced at PMA 2008

A slew of products have been announced to coincide with the 2008 PMA Show. I've listed them below by brand. Adobe Adobe showed Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac which will cost £55 in the UK and be available in early Q2 2008. AgfaPhoto Agfaphoto announced the AgfaPhoto DV-5000G which captures high-res photos and videos, view recorded movies or TV shows on the move or play back your favorite MP3 files. There are also 20 video games to choose from. Canon The Canon EOS 450D / Digital Rebel XSi is a new 12 megapixel compact DSLR camera. The Canon Digital IXUS 80 IS (Europe) / PowerShot SD1100 IS ELPH (US) is a new 8 megapixel compact digital camera. C Canon PowerShot A590 IS, A580, A470 - Canon have added 3 new models to their A-series Powershot range of digital cameras. Canon EF200mm f/2L IS USM and EF800mm f/5.6L IS USM. - Two new professional EF lenses. The Canon PIXMA iP2600 - An entry-level photo printer for great value, high quality photo printing. Casio The Casio EX-F1 - A camera which features the world's fastest burst shooting performance of 60fps. The Casio EX-S10 - The world's smallest and thinnest 10.1 megapixel digital camera. The Casio EX-Z80 - An 8 megapixel digital camera that's designed to be easy and fun to use. The Casio EX-Z200 - A 10.1 megapixel digital camera with a wide 28 mm lens and 4x optical zoom. The Casio EX-Z100 is a new 10.1 megapixel digital camera with a wide 28 mm lens and 4x optical zoom. Corel and Smilebox™ Corel® MediaOne ™ Integration with Smilebox™ Will provide Scrapbookers with the ability to more easily create and share their projects digitally. Delkin Delkin Devices had their new Image Router four-card Compact Flash reader that comes with Backup and Burn software for managing and backing-up large numbers of images. They also showed their Dual Universal charger that allows two different batteries to be charged simultaneuously. the charger can be run from the car-charger or with one of the supplied power adaptors. DNP Photo Imaging America DNP announced their new self-service Photo Station, a digital kiosk using the company's leading dye-sublimation photo printing technologies. Fujifilm The Fujifilm FinePix S100FS - Their "most advanced DSLR-styled camera to date". The Fujifilm FinePix S8100fd - Offers 10 megapixels and an 18x wide angle lens (27-486mm). The Fujifilm FinePix S1000fd - The world's smallest 12x optical zoom digital camera. The Fujifilm FinePix F100fd - the ultimate 'F Series' digital camera. The Fujifilm FinePix Z20fd - A new 10 megapixel compact camera with MPEG-4 video technology. The Fujifilm FinePix J50 and J10 - Two new entry-level models in the brand new J Series of digital cameras. General Electric GE E1050 - HDMI connectivity and 3 inch touch-screen LCD technology. GE E1235 - High technology and performance. GE A840s - Slim and perfectly designed. GE G2 - One of the slimmest and lightest cameras on the market. GE E1035 - High performance with great design. GE A835 and the GE A735 - Entry level point and shoot digital cameras. HP The HP Photosmart Pro B8850 is a new photo printer aimed at advanced amateur photographers. jill-e designs jill-e designs displayed a broad range of its camera bags in new sizes, designs, colors and combinations at PMA 2008 Kata Kata introduced the Gecko Shoulder Strap which is a comfortable, lightweight and ergonomic carrying solution which ensures secure positioning. Kingston The new Kingston 16GB Class 4 SDHC card is the largest capacity in Kingston's line of SDHC cards. Kodak The new Kodak Easyshare Z1012 IS – A digital camera which features a robust suite of exclusive features that capture detailed pictures in the most challenging settings. Leica Leica has unveiled the M8 Upgrade Programme, a series of chargeable upgrades for the M8 camera, at PMA 2008. Mustek Mustek announced the new PF-A950PS, a 9.5-inch digital photo frame which uses NXT flat-panel speaker technology. Nik Software Viveza™ - U Point® Technology Powered Plug-in Software for Adobe® Photoshop® which provides the most powerful, precise, and easy way for photographers to selectively control and adjust the color and light in their digital images. Nikon The Nikon D60 is a new 10 megapixel entry-level DSLR camera. The new AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens is a wideangle 5.3x zoom with built-in vibration-reduction. The new AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED lens offers 1:1 reproduction of objects at just 0.185 meters away. The PC-E NIKKOR 24mm f/3.5D ED is a new Tilt/Shift Lens ideal for studio, architecture and landscape photography. The Nikon Coolpix P60 - A new 8 megapixel compact digital camera with 5x zoom (36mm-180mm). The Nikon Coolpix S600 - A new 10 megapixel compact digicam with a 4x wide-angle zoom lens. The Nikon Coolpix S550 - A new 10 megapixel compact camera with 5x zoom lens. The new Nikon Coolpix S520 - A slim, ergonomic camera with a streamlined profile. The new Nikon Coolpix S210 - A super-thin entry-level camera with 8 megapixels, 2.5 inch LCD screen and 3x zoom lens. The 8 megapixel Nikon Coolpix L18 and the 7 megapixel Coolpix L16 are new compact and affordable digital cameras. Norcent The 10-megapixel DCS-1050 with Face Detection and Anti-Shake technology. Norcent also introduced their new and expanded line of flash memory cards including CF, SD, card adapters and retail value packs. Olympus The new Olympus SP-570 UZ features a 20x zoom equivalent to 26-520mm, the world's longest zoom lens on a compact digital camera. The new Olympus mju 1020 digital camera will be released in Europe and the USA (but not in the UK). The new Olympus mju 1010 and mju 840 digital cameras offer a 7x and 5x optical zoom lens respectively. The Olympus mju 1030 SW and mju 850 SW digital cameras are new additions to the successful Olympus range of shock and waterproof cameras. The Olympus FE-350, FE-340 and FE-310 are new entry-level digital compact cameras. Panasonic The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 and DMC-TZ4 are 9 and 8 megapixel updates of Panasonic's best-selling camera ever, the TZ3. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35 is a new 25mm ultra wide-angle compact camera. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ10 and DMC-LZ8 are new 10 megapixel, 5x zoom digital cameras. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS20 and DMC-FS5 are the first models in a new range of stylish, easy to use cameras. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS3 camera is an entry-level addition to the brand new FS range. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS80 is a new entry-level 8 megapixel digital camera. Pentax Pentax exhibited three DSLR lenses currently under development. The Pentax 55mm, 17-70mm and 60-250mm Lenses The new Pentax K20D DSLR camera offers 14.6 megapixels, making it the leading semi-professional model in terms of image resolution. The Pentax K200D is a new 10 megapixel entry-level, compact digital SLR camera. Pentax have introduced 5 new lenses for their DSLR cameras, including 300mm and 200mm Supersonic Motor lenses. The Pentax Optio S12 is a new ultra-compact 12 megapixel digital camera. The Pentax Optio M50 is a new 8 megapixel compact digital camera with 5x optical zoom (36-180mm). The Pentax Optio E50 is a new 8 megapixel entry-level digital camera with numerous automatic functions. Quik Pod Quik Pod® DSLR for professional photographers, the world’s first handheld extendable monopod that multitasks as a self-image device, monopod and a boom for extended reach. Samsung Samsung GX-20 - The Samsung GX-20 is a new 14.6 megapixel digital SLR camera. Samsung has launched two new DSLR lenses, the D-XENON 18-250mm F3.5-F6.3 and 18-55mm II F3.5-F5.6. The Samsung i100 is a new 10.2 megapixel compact digital camera with 3 inch LCD screen and 3x optical zoom. The Samsung i80 is a new 8.1 megapixel compact digital camera with 3 inch LCD screen and 3x optical zoom. The Samsung S1060 is a new 10.2 megapixel, entry-level compact digital camera. SanDisk The SanDisk 32Gb Ultra II SDHC Card offers faster read and write speeds of 15 megabytes per second. The SanDisk 16Gb Ultra II SDHC Card offers faster read and write speeds of 15 megabytes per second. The SanDisk Ultra II SDHC Plus card offers faster read and write speeds of 15 megabytes per second. Sandisk also showed their Ducati branded usb memory stick, the stick looks very much like a miniature petrol tank... Sigma The new Sigma DP1 packs the full specification of a DSLR into the body of a compact camera. Sigma APO 200-500mm F2.8 EX DG - The world’s first Ultra-Telephoto Zoom Lens that offers a fast aperture of F2.8 at 500mm focal length. Sigma APO 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM - A new ultra telephoto zoom lens covering a telephoto range up to 500mm. Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM - A new telephoto zoom lens incorporating Sigma’s original Optical Stabiliser. Sigma 18-125mm F3.8-5.6 DC OS HSM - A high ratio zoom lens designed exclusively for digital SLR cameras. Smartparts, Inc. Smartparts, Inc., announced the world's largest digital picture frame, the 32 inch SP3200. Sony Sony 24 Megapixel 35mm CMOS Sensor - Sony have thrown their hat into the full-frame ring by announcing the development of a 35mm 24.81 megapixel, ultra-high speed, CMOS image sensor. Sony 24 Megapixel Full-frame DSLR - Sony have unveiled an advanced prototype version of their 24 megapixel full-frame professional DSLR camera. Due for release by the end of 2008. the as yet un-named camera will feature the new 24.8 CMOS sensor that was announced this week. The Sony A350 has a 14.2 megapixel sensor, a variable angle 2.7 inch LCD screen, new Quick AF Live View mode for fast and responsive TTL phase-detection auto-focusing, high ISO of 3200 and Sony’s D-Range Optimizer. The Sony A300 has a 10.2 megapixel sensor, a variable angle 2.7 inch LCD screen, new Quick AF Live View mode for fast and responsive TTL phase-detection auto-focusing, high ISO of 3200 and Sony’s D-Range Optimizer. Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 Lens - Co-developed with Carl Zeiss, the Vario Sonnar T 24-70mm f/2.8 ZA is a wide angle 24-70mm zoom lens with a large f/2.8 aperture. The Sony 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G - Incorporates the optical performance of Sony’s G series in a compact and flexible telephoto zoom lens. The Sony GPS-CS1KASP GPS receiver is able to trace video footage with GPS coordinates. Sony DPF-V700 and DPF-D70 Photo Frames - They all offer WVGA resolution (800 x 480 pixels) along with 15:9 aspect-ratio screens and can display images up to 48 megapixels in size. The 7-inch DPF-V700 and 9-inch DPF-V900 digital photo frames have 512MB of internal storage, while the 7--inch DPF-D70 model has 256MB of internal flash memory. The Sony PictureStation DPP-FP95 and DPP-FP75 are new transportable, 4 x 6-inch photo printers. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H10 is a new 8 megapixel compact digicam with a 10x optical zoom lens. The new Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T300 digital camera features a 3.5 inch touch-screen LCD and 5x optical zoom lens. Sony has unveiled 4 new additions to its W-range of Cyber-shot compact digital cameras. The Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W170, DSC-W150, DSC-W130 and the DSC-W120. The new Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S780 and DSC-S750 entry-level cameras, now with Lithium Ion batteries instead of AA batteries. Sunex Sunex launches their new full spherical panoramic tripod head and the first circular fisheye lens for 1.6x crop DSLRs with 185° field of view. They also announced their panoramic dewarper software, which is capable of producing high quality panoramic pictures while minimizing and controlling distortion. Sunpak The Sunpak PZ42X flash - A full featured, professional digital SLR flash but without the price of an OEM unit for digital and film cameras. Sunpak also announced the Tripod Center Column, which converts to a full featured monopod for situations where a tripod is just not suitable. Tamron The new Tamron SP AF10-24mm F/3.5-4.5 Di II LD Aspherical (IF) is a ultra wide-angle zoom lens for digital SLRs with APS-C size sensors. The new Tamron SP AF70-200mm F/2.8 Di LD (IF) MACRO is a fast tele-zoom lens for digital SLRs with with 35mm full-size image sensors. The Tamron SP AF17-50mm F/2.8 XR Di-II LD Aspherical [IF] is now available in the Pentax mount. Three Tamron Lenses for Nikon - Tamron have developed three zoom lenses with built-in motors for Nikon DSLRs, two for the APS-C size format and one for full-size format cameras. Vermont PhotoInkjet Vermont PhotoInkjet introduces an eco-friendly ink alternative for EPSON® Ultrachrome™ K3 printers. XIAS Xias announced 8-inch digital photo frames and introduced new dynamic 10-inch digital photo frames. They also introduced two new models with WiFi capability and user-friendly Touch Screen technology. They also introduced their new Colorful XIAS™ 4 GB and 8 GB Pen Drives, the DCS-1260 12-Megapixel Digital Camera, the Colorful DCS-860 8-Megapixel Digital Cameras and the DCS-760 7-Megapixel Digital Camera.

Camera Shoulder Bags, Backpacks, Waist Systems, Sling Packs - 2008 Roundup

Everybody owns a digital camera (point & shoot, SLR, camcorder or what-have-you). So it stands to reason that everybody needs a decent camera bag of some sort. We decided that a little research was in order (and besides, our previous list is two years old). We found that a few manufacturers have changed their lines dramatically, a few have built on strengths, and a few new ones have appeared. This time we've added some video bags too. Herewith then, we present our comprehensive 2008 list of all the camera pouch, waist system, shoulder bag, gadget bag, sling pack, backpack, case and rolling bag makers anyone could possibly care about. There are 30 makers on this year's list. Read the Full Review Here!