Apple releases Aperture 3

Apple today introduced Aperture 3, the next major release of its powerful photo editing and management software, with over 200 new features including Faces, Places and Brushes. Building on the innovative Faces and Places features introduced in iPhoto ’09, Aperture 3 makes it even easier and faster to organise large photo libraries. Aperture 3 introduces new tools to refine your photos including Brushes for painting image adjustments onto parts of your photo, and Adjustment Presets for applying professional photo effects with just one click. Stunning new slideshows let you share your work by weaving together photos, audio, text and HD video.

“Millions of people love using iPhoto to organise, edit and share their digital photos”, said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Aperture 3 is designed for both professionals who edit and manage massive libraries of photos and iPhoto users who want to take their photos further with easy-to-use tools such as Brushes and Adjustment Presets”.

“Aperture 3 gets it right”, said National Geographic photographer, Jim Richardson. “The image editing tools are exactly what I have been asking for, they’re so easy to use and give me a level of control that I never even thought possible”.

“I chose Aperture because it was the most powerful archiving application around, but it’s now an unbelievable imaging tool as well”, said Bill Frakes, Sports Illustrated staff photographer. “I am beyond impressed with the massive changes made in Aperture 3”.

Aperture 3 allows you to organise large photo libraries with even more flexibility using Projects and the new Faces and Places. Faces uses face detection and recognition to find and organise your photos by the people in them. You can view faces across your entire photo library or view just the faces that appear in selected projects. In a new view that speeds up the organisation process, Aperture 3 displays faces that have been detected but haven’t yet been named. Places lets you explore your photos based on where they were taken, and like in iPhoto, Places automatically reverse geocodes GPS data into user-friendly locations. In Aperture 3, you can assign locations by dragging-and-dropping photos onto a map or by using location information from GPS enabled cameras, tracking devices or your iPhone photos.

The new Brushes feature allows you to add professional touches to your photos by simply painting effects onto the image. Aperture 3 includes 15 Quick Brushes that perform the most popular tasks like Dodge, Burn, Polarize and Blur, without the complexity of layers or masks. Brushes can automatically detect edges in your images to let you apply or remove effects exactly where you want them. Aperture 3 includes dozens of Adjustment Presets that apply a specific style or look to the entire image with just a click. You can create your own custom presets or explore the techniques of other photographers by importing theirs.

Aperture 3 makes it easy to share your work with stunning slideshows that weave together photos, audio, text and HD video. You can select one of six Apple designed themes or choose your own transitions, background, borders and titles, and even add your own soundtrack. You can export your slideshows directly to iTunes to take with you on your iPhone or iPod touch. You can also share photographs as beautiful prints, create custom-designed hardcover books and publish to online photo sharing sites like Facebook and Flickr, right from Aperture 3.

Pricing & Availability
Aperture 3 is available through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers for a suggested retail price of £169 (inc VAT) and existing Aperture users can upgrade for a suggested retail price of £79 (inc VAT). A downloadable 30-day trial version is available at www.apple.com/uk/aperture/trial. Aperture 3 runs as a 64-bit application on Mac OS X Snow Leopard on Macs with Intel Core 2 Duo processors. Full system requirements, online tutorials and more information on Aperture 3 can be found at www.apple.com/uk/aperture.

Olympus Announce new E-PL1

Wow, this is fantastic news from Olympus. I am so excited about this one, rest assured, some way or another I will bring you a full review of this new camera. Press release as follows...

In today’s world you’ve got to give the people what they want. And they’re going to want the new Olympus 
E-PL1. Not only does it deliver extraordinary digital images, it’s the perfect tool for anyone who hesitated to buy SLRs because they find them too complicated. The possibilities are virtually endless with this easy to use retro look model. With great features like HD movie shooting and impressive Art Filters, you too can take exceptional pictures. Its 100% stabilised body even lets you shoot blur-free with all lenses. Combining SLR performance and a lightweight design, PEN lets you create exciting, innovative shots, preserving those moments in life you want captured forever. The ultimate democratising force in quality photography, the E-PL1 is available from March 2010 at a retail price of just £549 for the single lens kit and £699 for the twin zoom kit.

The high-tech mirrorless construction of the PEN means it’s small and easy to use, yet it produces ‘big camera’ results. That’s the genius of the 
E-PL1, now fine-tuned with these new features:

• Easy to understand, non-technical Live Guide with simple direct control over key image effects
• Direct one touch video button
• Convenient integrated flash
• 4 bold colours to choose from: black, white, champagne, red
• 6 intriguing Art Filters for stills and movies
• E-PL1 plus 14-42 Single Zoom kit £549
• E-PL1 plus 14-42 plus MMF-1 E System adapter and 40-150 E-TeleZoom (total range 28-300mm equivalent) £699

A hybrid of SLR performance embodying the latest technologies and compact comfort, PEN constitutes a new class of camera. The E-PL1 with integrated flash houses a 12.3 Megapixel Live MOS sensor, producing beautiful, razor-sharp photos and HD movies, and the TruePic V engine guarantees superior image quality at up to ISO 3200. Mechanical in-camera image stabilisation provides shake protection of up to 3 EV, effective regardless which lens you decide to use. The high definition AVI format movie option is available at 30fps and 1280x720p resolution – recording up to 7 minutes of film in a single shot. And all this top drawer technology comes in a neat pocket-sized camera.

Helping you take your best photos the new Live Guide speaks plain language, making it easier than ever to change difficult SLR camera effects like depth of field. These can then be monitored on the 2.7” HyperCrystal LCD. i-Enhance, for example, makes sure all colours in your picture spectrum are vivid and rich. It is automatically applied in conjunction with 
i-Auto mode, which recognises what kind of scene or subject you’re taking and adjusts settings accordingly, or can be used alone. And e-Portrait gives your subjects a quick facelift by glossing over impurities. With the abundance of supportive features and excellent technology, feeling like a pro is a given.

Olympus Announce µ TOUGH-8010 and µ TOUGH-6020

When the going gets tough, the tough get going, so the saying goes. And that’s certainly true of the Olympus µ TOUGH-8010 and µ TOUGH-6020. Whether you soak them, drop them, or freeze them, these 14 Megapixel action cameras just keep on performing, taking outstanding pictures and HD movies. Up to 5x wide zoom brings you right to where the action is, and the built-in Dual Image Stabilisation helps during fast-paced chaotic shoots. These tough cookies can store even more with up to 2GB internal memory, and you can intuitively surf through your albums using the new [ib] software.

Essential companions on any adventure, the Olympus 
µ TOUGH-8010 and µ TOUGH-6020 are available to buy from March 2010 for a retail price of £399.99 and £319.99 respectively.

The Olympus µ TOUGH-8010 and µ TOUGH-6020 – main features:

• Shockproof to 2m**, waterproof to 10m***, crushproof to 100kg**** freezeproof to -10°C and scratchproof (µ TOUGH-6020: shockproof to 1.5m**, waterproof to 5m*** and freezeproof to -10°C)
• 5x wide optical zoom (28-140mm*)
• Dual Image Stabilisation (combines mechanical and digital image stabilisation)
• HD movie recording and HDMI technology
• 14 Megapixels
• 2GB internal memory (µ TOUGH-6020: 1GB) and SD***** Card compatible
• Photo Surfing and [ib] software
• Improved TAP Control Menu
• 6.9cm/2.7” HyperCrystal III LCD (230,000 dots)
• Advanced Face Detection and Shadow Adjustment Technology
• Intelligent Auto Mode (i-Auto) and AF Tracking
• Magic Filters
• Manometer (µ TOUGH-8010 only)
• In-Camera Manual
• USB charging
• Available in Platinum Silver and Midnight Black (µ TOUGH-8010) or in Midnight Black, Candy Pink, Steel Blue, and Cosmic Green 
(µ TOUGH-6020)

* Equivalent to a 35mm camera
** Equivalent to MIL Standard (Olympus test conditions)
*** According to IEC standard publication 529 IPX8
**** According to Olympus test conditions
***** SD is a trademark of SD Card Association

Olympus Announce SP-800UZ and SP-600UZ

 Scaling new heights in the compact market, Olympus proudly presents the latest from their ultra-zoom camera series. Equipped with a staggering 30x wide optical zoom covering a 28-840mm* focal length, the 14 Megapixel SP-800UZ makes other contenders pale in comparison. Whether snapping photos or trying out the new HD movie shooting option, a colossal internal memory of 2GB gives you the freedom to capture more. The 3” LCD displays in 16:9 format, which makes sharing the fruits of your labour with friends even more enjoyable. Little sister SP-600UZ also has built-in Dual Image Stabilisation, rendering clean, sharp images. The new [ib] software allows you to effortlessly tag your photos while browsing your albums gets simpler with Photo Surfing.

Making it easy to shoot and easy to share the Olympus SP-800UZ and SP-600UZ are available in Titanium Silver from March 2010 for a retail price of £369.99 and £259.99 respectively.

The Olympus SP-800UZ and SP-600UZ – main features:

• 30x wide optical zoom (28-840mm*) (SP-600UZ: 15x, 28-420mm*)
• Dual Image Stabilisation (combines mechanical and digital image stabilisation)
• High-speed 10fps sequence shooting HD movie recording and HDMI technology
• 14 Megapixels (SP-600UZ: 12 Megapixels)
• 2GB internal memory (SP-600UZ: 1GB) and SD Card compatible**
• Photo Surfing and [ib] software
• 3” LCD with 16:9 wide format (230,000 dots) (SP-600UZ: 2.7” LCD (230,000 dots))
• Advanced Face Detection and Shadow Adjustment Technology
• Intelligent Auto Mode (i-Auto) and AF Tracking
• Magic Filters, Beauty Mode, In-Camera Panorama
• Built-in flash In-Camera Manual
• USB charging (SP-800UZ only)

*35mm camera equivalent

**SD is a trademark of SD Card Association

Sharp CES 2010 RGBY Matrix Technology LED LCD TV Announcement

Sharp CES 2010 RGBY Matrix Technology LED LCD TV Announcement. Sharp unveiled three new series of UltraBrilliant Edge-lit AQUOS LED LCD TVs, the LC-LE920E, LC-LE820E and the LC-LE810E. Check out the details and my thoughts here.

Manufacturer: http://www.sharp.co.uk/

All your mates in one place – 360 handset

Graeme Swann and James Anderson take part in a social media ‘friend challenge’ to support Vodafone 360.

DJ Hero Trailer

Check out this awesome new trailer for DJ Hero with 93 Exclusive Mixes Spanning Hip Hop, Rock, Pop, R&B, Dance and More, Set List Delivers Original Music Only Available in DJ Hero.

Roxio Releases Popcorn 4 in Europe

Today Roxio®, a division of Sonic Solutions®, today released Roxio Popcorn® 4, a Mac software application that allows consumers to quickly and easily transfer personal video entertainment from capture devices and DVDs for enjoyment on next-generation consumer electronic devices including game consoles, set-top boxes, and mobile devices.

With the new Popcorn 4 you can import and convert personal video entertainment from virtually anywhere. The application adds to its extensive format compatibility with support for AVCHD and AVCHD-Lite (high-definition camcorder files), as well as the popular Web-based Flash format. Enhanced video preparation tools make it easy to extract favourite video segments or an audio track from a DVD-Video or high-definition file. For lightning-fast file conversion, Popcorn utilises Turbo.264 HD hardware accelerator, and makes the process more convenient by adding the ability to schedule long conversion projects for when your system is idle. The application even allows you to preview how a converted file will look on your favourite device without having to perform a full file conversion.

Popcorn 4 streamlines video transfer with a new list of device “profiles” for next-generation consumer electronics including the latest handheld devices, the Palm® Pre™ and new iPod nano®, as well as game consoles such as the Nintendo® Wii and Sony PSP® go. Simply select your device from the Profile list, and Popcorn will automatically create a file that’s optimised for playback on that device. If you share videos via the Web, then you’ll appreciate a new feature that lets you directly upload your video to YouTube™ or the ability to output to Flash® for publishing to a personal page or site.

“Until now it has been a bit of a science experiment to connect the many sources we have for capturing and storing personal video with the diverse range of devices available for playing them back,” said Matt DiMaria, general manager, Roxio division of Sonic Solutions. “This changes with Popcorn 4. Consumers no longer have to worry about file format types and device compatibility. Regardless of the video source, just point and click to copy, convert and enjoy it on almost any home or mobile screen.”

Popcorn 4 Feature Highlights:
Import and Copy
• Import from virtually any video source – AVHD and AVCHD Lite, MKV, Flash (FLV, F4V), QuickTime®, AVI, VOB, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, TiVo recordings, EyeTV recordings, and more
• Create DVDs directly from the footage stored on AVCHD and AVCHD Lite camcorders
• Quickly extract multiple video clips from any DVD-Video
• Extract music from any DVD-Video and send directly to iTunes® for listening on your Mac® or iPod
• Automatically save Web video from your favourite video sharing sites to view offline
• Copy all non-encrypted DVDs, disc images or VIDEO_TS folders
• Merge multiple DVD-Video folders onto a single compilation DVD with as much as 4 hours of personal videos or EyeTV recordings
• Batch Fit-to-DVD™ lets you queue multiple DVD-Video folders for DVD-9 (dual-layer) to DVD-5 (single-layer) conversion
• Create custom DVD menus and even use a personal photo as the background

Prepare and Convert for Living Room or On-The-Go Viewing
• Copy home video, DVD-Video files, and other video files to DVD disc to enjoy in the living room.
• Publish converted video directly to YouTube
• Convert video into Adobe Flash (FLV and F4V) with web template and player controls for sharing on the web

Save Time
• Schedule video conversions to run when you’re away from the computer
• Pause CPU-intensive video conversions to regain control of your Mac and then resume when convenient
• Gain quick access to Movies folder and EyeTV recordings, and Spotlight search with the improved Media Browser

Pricing and Availability
Fully Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) compatible, Popcorn 4 is available today at www.roxio.co.uk for £34.99 and will be introduced early next month in retail stores and online stores.

INQ to launch two new 3G Mobile Phones

Yesterday, INQ Mobile took the next step in its mission to bring easy-to-use mobile internet to the mass market with the launch of two new 3G Social Mobiles complete with internet-based Twitter and media sync capabilities. The new mobile phones offer high-spec functionality without the hefty price tag - shaking up the market by giving operators a unique proposition - a 3G social mobile with the speed, usability and suite of applications capable of driving data usage in the mass market.

The INQ Chat 3G is the company's first qwerty-style phone, while the compact INQ Mini 3G expands the range and provides an entry-level social mobile ideal for the price-sensitive prepay market. They complement the award-winning INQ1. The INQ Chat 3G was developed in response to consumer and operator demand for a qwerty-style keypad device from INQ. It has a new email client developed by INQ that incorporates free push Gmail - removing a cost for push mail typically borne by operators or passed on to consumers.

The INQ Chat 3G comes complete with the expanded suite of INQ applications; Facebook, Skype, email, IM and Twitter.For the two new phones, Twitter joins the suite of communications applications that INQ has already woven into the heart of its social mobiles: which include Facebook, Skype and Instant Messaging. Working closely with the Twitter team, INQ has developed an authentic Twitter application for both its new Social Mobiles. After the initial log in, Twitter will be 'always on'. Consumers can send tweets and retweet via the internet rather than using SMS. With the INQ Chat, a specially designed Twitter widget will deliver Twitter updates straight to the home screen.

The INQ Mini 3G is a slimline Social Mobile that offers Twitter, Facebook, IM, Skype and web-based email services like Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail and GMail. It brings the usability that INQ is known for to a new form factor. Like the INQ Chat, the INQ Mini offers impressive capability at a fraction of the price of other application-rich devices. Both phones have plug and play HSDPA modems enabling high-speed wireless broadband on PCs and Macs. The INQ Mini 3G and the INQ Chat 3G represent a new design direction for the company; both can be customized with a range of seven coloured backs.

An interesting excerpt from the press release is the following; "INQ is also introducing seamless media syncing between its devices and PCs or Macs. The software, powered by doubleTwist, syncs music from iTunes and WMP straight to your INQ mobile and, unlike most other sync solutions, doesn't require the customer to give up using their favourite media player on their computer. The new mobiles from INQ will also be able to sync video and photos." iTunes compatibility, yes!

Both the INQ Chat 3G and INQ Mini 3G will be available in Q4 2009... expect to see a review on Geekanoids in due course.

New Windows Mobile Phone OS for Christmas 2009

With the advent of all these uber cool mobile phone handsets, we want some phone OS love too. Yes, we have the iPhone OS and Android, but Windows Mobile 6 seems to be shrouded by complexity. Head on over the The Inquirer and check out this video of the new, super cool, Windows Phone OS. It looks like their Zune interface, but made all nicey nicey for mobile phones. It was also pretty exciting to hear that it'll be offered as an upgrade on the likes of the HTC Touch Diamond 2. The second surprise is that we should see it just before Christmas 2009.

Intego update Remote Management Console

Austin, TX, April 20, 2009: Intego, the Macintosh security specialist, today announced an update to Remote Management Console, a program that allows administrators to manage and configure Intego security software on Macintosh computers across a local network or via the Internet. With Intego Remote Management Console, an administrator can manage Intego programs on any number of Macs. The administrator can connect to client computers via Bonjour or by entering an IP address, and set configurations and preferences for the following programs:

• Intego VirusBarrier X5: Protects Macs from all known viruses
• Intego ContentBarrier X5: Protects children from the dangers of the Internet
• Intego NetUpdate: Updates Intego programs, and their virus definitions and filters

Intego Remote Management Console allows administrators to create and load settings files, configure individual settings and functions, and make changes to Intego programs on all computers quickly and easily. Settings for these programs can be managed individually or in groups, and administrators can apply the same settings to all users or apply templates with preset configurations to specific users. With Intego Remote Management Console, administrators can connect to Macs anywhere in the world by applying a uniform security policy to all the Macs in a company, school or university.

This update, version 10.4.5, includes new features and enables the management of ContentBarrier X5, the latest version of Intego’s parental control software. In this new version, administrators can add computers to Remote Management Console’s Workstation list by entering a range of IP addresses to be scanned; can import and export presets, to apply them on different administration Macs; and client Macs can be set to notify specific administration servers and download settings from them.

Intego Remote Management Console features:
A clear, easy to use interface—Intego Remote Management Console presents interfaces similar to the Intego products being managed
Provides system and hardware information for client computers
Lets the administrator view the current settings for Intego programs
Lets the administrator update and change settings on client computers
Presets allow the same settings to be used on multiple Macs
Groups allow simple application of security policy across computers
Logs record all activity
Remote Management Console can only be used if the client computer authorizes remote management

System requirements:
Remote Management Console Admin requires Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later.
Remote Management Console Client requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later.

Remote Management Console is available from Intego via the company’s website.

Orange brings Blackberry 8120 PAYG to UK

Orange announced last week that it will be bringing the BlackBerry® Pearl™ 8120 to its Pay As You Go (PAYG) customers. The smartphone, which provides exceptional phone; email, messaging, organiser, web browser and multimedia capabilities, will be priced at £145, with customers now able to take out a BlackBerry® Internet Service that provides email, messaging and web access whilst on the move. The new offering comes as a result of the growing demand for a BlackBerry® smartphone with PAYG service.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 allows users to connect to Facebook®, MySpace®, Flickr™ and Windows Live Messenger (MSN® Instant Messenger), meaning you’ll never miss out on a friend’s update or party invitation. Webmail users are also catered for, with easy access to Hotmail®, Yahoo!® Mail and Gmail®.

To take advantage of the Orange PAYG BlackBerry smartphone offer, customers must first purchase the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 for £145, which is exclusive to Orange in indigo. They can then choose one of Orange’s existing PAYG Animal packages, offering a choice of free rewards before taking out Orange’s PAYG BlackBerry Internet Service for just £5 per month, on a monthly rolling subscription. I am new to the Blackberry service, but will be picking one up to try. Also hoping that the £5 per month gets me unlimited use of Facebook, Flickr and Messenger. I have also asked Orange when this will be available to order, as the website still says coming soon. I will update this post when I have the info.