Archive for June, 2007
Printing Wirelessly from a Digital Camera
All Things Digital, CA
There’s no other major item most of us own that is as confusing, unpredictable and unreliable as our personal computers. Everybody has questions about them, and we aim to help.
Here are a few questions about computers I’ve received recently from people like you, and my answers. I have edited and restated the questions a bit, for readability. This week my mailbox contained questions about printing wirelessly from a digital camera, Intel processors, and playing iTunes songs on a Treo.
Is there a way to print wirelessly from a digital camera to a printer?
Yes. A number of digital cameras include Bluetooth, and a few even have Wi-Fi. These wireless technologies allow you to send your pictures to a wireless-equipped printer, over varying distances. In some cases, you can also use this wireless capability to transfer the pictures in the camera to a computer, without the use of cables or the need to remove the memory card.
I am a high-school student and am buying a Dell laptop for use during a semester in Israel. I plan to use the computer only for word processing, watching videos, listening to music, viewing pictures and using the Internet (no gaming whatsoever). Does it matter whether I get Intel’s Core Duo, or Core 2 Duo processors? Also, would you recommend purchasing 1 or 2 gigabytes of memory?
Assuming you are on a budget, I would suggest the Core Duo, since the extra speed and power of the Core 2 Duo won’t make any significant difference in the kinds of tasks you will be performing. However, I would advise spending extra for 2 gigabytes of memory if the computer comes equipped with the new Windows Vista operating system. If you opt for the older Windows XP operating system (assuming it’s available on the model you choose) you will be giving up some degree of security, but you can also get away with just 1 gigabyte of memory.
Is there a way to “authorize” the copy-protected songs I bought from iTunes so they play on a Treo 700wx? Are there any cellphones that can play these songs?
No, you can’t directly play copy-protected songs you have purchased from iTunes on a Treo, because Apple hasn’t licensed the decoding software to Palm, which makes the Treo. The only way to make them playable on your Treo is via a laborious work-around, in which you burn the songs to CDs on your computer, then reimport them as nonprotected MP3 music files and manually input the artist and title data. After that, you could move them to the Treo and play them.
There are only a few cellphones that can directly play copy-protected music purchased from iTunes. One is the new iPhone, which comes out tomorrow from Apple itself, and contains a full-blown iPod that can hold more than 1,000 songs. The others are a handful of Motorola models, which contain a version of iTunes that can hold and play back up to 100 copy-protected songs.
Write to Walter S. Mossberg at mossberg@wsj.com
June 28th, 2007
Umax Unveils AstraPix 630 Digicam
Techtree News Staff
Techtree.com, India
Umax has reportedly announced the launch of its AstraPix 630 digital camera, which is light enough to be ferried around, the company said.
About 89.5mm x 58mm x 20mm in size, the AstraPix DC-630CM is effectively a 3.3 megapixel CCD auto-focus camera with a 1.5-inch TFT color display, and an optional SD card slot.
DC-630CM’s specifications include: a tri-mode function, 3.2 megapixels (FW interpolation to 5.0MP), built-in 16MB flash memory, built-in flash strobe, 1.5-inch TFT LCD Display, SD card interface, JPEG/MJPEG (AVI) compression, and 8x digital zoom for preview & playback.
The camera can be connected to a PC with USB, and offers video function as well as red eye reduction with pre-flash. Besides, pictures can be displayed as a slide show on a TV screen with TV output.
The camera comes with a rechargeable battery and a charger for around Rs 5,250. It packs accessories including USB cable, user manual, and CD software.
June 27th, 2007
Buying a digital camera
By REUBEN SCHWARZ - The Dominion Post | Tuesday, 26 June 2007
Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand
Even a basic digital camera is an awful lot more complicated than a film model, and finding the right one for you can be a harrowing experience.
Cameras are one of the few areas where reading reviews can do as much harm as good.
A lot of reviews will go into mind-boggling detail about things the average person only faintly understands, like ISO and apertures, and can lead you into avoiding good cameras for faults you won’t notice, or paying more for features you’ll never use
Camera shopping is a sea of jargon, but here are a few things to look for.
First, decide what sort of camera you want.
SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras use separate lenses and take the best photos if you know what you’re doing, but also cost the most.
Ultracompacts are small and slim and made to carry around in handbags and pockets. For most people, a normal-sized compact model will be the best bet.
If you’re going to be shooting in bad weather or underwater, get a camera that’s built to withstand this, because the delicate electronics in most won’t cope.
The next thing to look at is the camera’s megapixels.
Most people won’t need more than 5MP, but new digital cameras usually have at least 7MP or more.
Having more megapixels is better because you have more options if you want to crop and zoom later on your computer.
You can reduce the quality of your photos so you don’t fill up your memory card as quickly.
There are four main types of memory cards used in cameras - Memory Stick, XD, CompactFlash and SD.
Each have their own advantages and drawbacks, but most people probably won’t notice much difference, so just use whichever your favourite camera comes with. The bigger the card, the more photos you can store at a time.
It’s often hard to tell how many photos will fit on a given size card, but expect to fit about 300 photos taken at 7MP or about 400 taken at 5MP on a 1GB SD card.
The bigger and brighter the LCD screen is, the easier it is to set up great photos, but the more battery it chews through.
Check what the screen looks like in low light as well as direct sunlight (outside if you can)
If it’s good in both, you probably won’t need an optical viewfinder.
Optical zoom is the zoom to concentrate on, because this brings the image closer.
Digital zoom expands the image, just like you can do with software on your computer afterward.
But with 7MP or more, using a digital zoom often won’t noticeably degrade the quality of the final photo, especially if you’re only printing standard photo sizes, and it can be useful in setting up a shot on your camera.
Shutter lag is the delay between pressing the button and the camera taking the shot.
Long shutter delays mean you can’t get good action photos, so should be avoided.
This will be different for standard shooting and burst modes (when the camera takes multiple shots).
Autofocus helps you set up great photos by automatically determining the best focus using different points.
Nine-point autofocus, for example, uses nine points to do this, but you’ll also see models with three-point, five-point and other numbers.
Generally, the more the better.
It’s one step beyond point and shoot, and is a good feature if you can get it.
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries will be the best for most people, but if you do a lot of travelling you may want to choose an AA-powered camera.
If you do go the AA route, invest in some rechargeables to save your wallet and the environment.
Every camera will be perfect for somebody, but since it’s impossible for us to run reviews of every camera out there, we’ve rounded up our favourites.
These won’t best suit everyone - you may want something with different features, or cheaper - but they definitely won’t disappoint and are a safe bet for gifts.
Stuff’s picks
Compact camera
Canon’s Ixus 75 ($599) is an impressive little 7.1MP camera.
The shutter delay is excellent and it starts up in under a second.
The menus are well laid out and easy to use, whether you’re an amateur or a pro, and there are loads of neat extras that are easy to find.
The image quality is great and the huge 3-inch LCD screen is bright and good even in direct sunlight, so though there’s no optical viewfinder you probably won’t miss it.
The black and silver design looks pretty cool, too. 3X optical zoom.
SLR
The Canon Eos 400D ($1800) is the pick of the entry-level SLR bunch, if you can afford it.
This 10MP beast has far more features than the average punter will ever need, but it’s a good step up from compact digital cameras before hitting the real professional kit.
The design is compact and lightweight, startup and taking photos are both quick, and the controls as straightforward as you could expect with this many extras.
The 2.5-inch LCD is just to show the settings but is bright and clear when showing photos.
It turns off when your eye comes up to the optical viewfinder so it doesn’t interfere with your shot - a nice touch that shows how much thought Canon has put into this camera.
It has a nine-point autofocus system and dust-removing technology as well as software to clean dust from the final image.
Ultracompact
Usually you have to sacrifice a fair bit to get a sleek ultracompact, but Sony’s 8.1MP DSC-T100 ($800) has managed to cram in almost everything you could want and more, like a nine-point autofocus.
It’s quick to start up and has very little shutter delay for an ultracompact. It also boasts in-camera retouching, letting you put on a soft filter or fisheye lens after you take the shot.
Its bright, 3-inch LCD screen will suck power, though, and the buttons will be a bit small for people with big hands.
There’s no optical viewfinder and it has 5X optical zoom and 10X digital zoom.
Outdoors Compact cameras don’t come more rugged than the Olympus mju-770SW ($699) .
Its full-metal case means it’s waterproof to 10 metres, letting you taking pictures while snorkelling.
It’s also designed to survive a 1.5m drop, having 100 kilograms of weight put on top of it, and temperatures down to -10 degrees Celsius.
7MP, 3X optical zoom and a 2.5-inch LCD screen, too.
The controls are good except for a few quirks.
It’s slightly slow to start up, but the shutter lag is good.
The 770SW won’t replace a professional rugged camera, but it’s perfect for point-and-shoot outdoors types.
June 26th, 2007
Go!Cam Converts Sony PSP to Fun Digital Camera with Microphone
HULIQ, NC
The Sony PSP has just got a new accessory, the go!Cam camera add-on that converts the PSP into a portable 1.3 megapixel fun camera.
Not only does it take photos that you can upload directly to the internet from your Sony PSP, but the go!Cam also has a built in microphone to give the option to create video clips and movies with audio. You also have the ability to change the direction of the camera lens vertically by 180 degrees
The software you get called Go!Edit makes your PSP a complete portable editing suite, so you can edit movies and photos on the move with sounds and graphical effects.
Priced at just £35 (about $70), the go!Cam might not be the best digital camera but it opens up a whole new world to the PSP. Reprinted from Product Review Net Blog
June 25th, 2007
Putting the focus on small digital cameras
The Courier News, IL
June 21, 2007
The Editors of Consumer Reports NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE ASSN.
One of consumers’ biggest beefs with small digital cameras is shutter lag — the delay between when the shutter is pressed and when the camera responds by making an image, according to Consumer Reports readers who responded to an online survey. A long lapse can allow a moving subject to move on before the camera can capture it.
While shutter lag and next-shot delay (the time it takes a camera to recycle between pictures) are still downsides to downsized digital cameras, compact and subcompact models are faster than they were. In fact, a handful of the small cameras CR recently tested scored quite well on both measures.
Quick clickers
When it comes to quick response, nothing beats a single-lens reflex camera. Digital SLRs, with their large image sensors and optical through-the-lens viewfinders, are fast off the mark when their shutters are pressed. But these cameras — some costing many hundreds of dollars — lack the value and versatility of compact models. And despite some downsizing, SLRs can’t begin to match the convenience of pocket-sized subcompacts.
If speed, value and convenience are crucial, consider any of several small Sony models that distinguished themselves in CR’s tests. In addition to high marks for shutter lag and next-shot delay, the compact 6-megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H2 ($330) and the subcompact 10-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-N2 ($350) excelled at picture quality. Scoring slightly lower in that measure were the 7-megapixel Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T50 ($450), the 7-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-T10 ($350) and the 6-megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-W50 ($180). All are subcompacts.
Two other diminutive digitals noteworthy for their speed are the Hewlett-Packard Photosmart R927 ($247), an 8-megapixel compact that produced very good pictures, and the Kodak Easy Share V570 ($200), a 5-megapixel subcompact with excellent picture quality. The Kodak lacks the HP’s manual controls, while the Hewlett-Packard can’t zoom to wide angle. Both cameras, moreover, tended to burn through batteries.
Photo finish
Although they may not be as quick, several other models from CR’s tests produced very good or excellent photos, and featured manual controls and long battery life. Best values for most people were the 5-megapixel Fujifilm FinePix S5200 ($250), the 7-megapixel Canon PowerShot A710IS ($300), the 8-megapixel Canon PowerShot A630 ($230) and the 6-megapixel Kodak EasyShare Z612 ($230). All are compacts.
For a standout camera that fits in a pocket, consider the 7-megapixel Canon PowerShot SD800IS ELPH ($400), the 8-megapixel Casio Exilim EX-Z850 ($280) and the 7-megapixel Pentax Optio M20 ($200). Like the quick-response Sony subcompacts, these cameras have very good battery life. They also have an image stabilizer that can compensate for a modest amount of camera shake — a feature lacking on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-N2 and the Cyber-shot DSC-W50.
Do megapixels matter?
An image stabilizer is especially useful with a zoom lens greater than 3X (it refers to the ratio of focal lengths). Another useful feature now appearing in some small digitals is face detection. This allows a camera to lock in on faces to keep them in focus and properly exposed. Models CR tested that have face detection are the 6-megapixel Nikon Coolpix S10 ($280), the 10-megapixel Canon PowerShot G7 ($500) and the 6-megapixel Fujifilm FinePix F31fd ($350). All are compacts.
Despite the increasing prevalence of 7-, 8- and 10-megapixel cameras, a model with 6 megapixels should suffice — unless you often crop images heavily or make them into poster-sized prints. Higher resolution doesn’t necessarily produce better prints; lenses and other design factors are important, too.
June 22nd, 2007
Save Money on a Refurbished Digital Camera
PR-GB.com (press release), Bulgaria
Written by Tracy Hargraves
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
Buying the latest gadgets does not mean spending a lot. In fact, you can get great deals and save money on a good used or refurbished digital camera. Just like buying other products, make sure you invest time on checking the product before buying it.
Looking for a new digital camera, but intimidated by the cost? One way that many chose to avoid the hefty price tag of new cameras is to buy a refurbished model. What, exactly, is a refurbished camera, you ask? Simple: it is a camera that has been returned to a store, retailer or manufacturer and then tested for problems and defects before being re-sold.
In many cases, these cameras are essentially brand new, but certain laws and regulations restrict so called “open-box” products from being re-sold as new. This means that buying a refurbished camera can actually often mean buying a brand new camera that someone opened once on their birthday, then waited till his favorite aunt was safely out of the house before returning it to the store.
The so called “open box” rule means that if you investigate closely enough, you can actually purchase a brand new, top-of-the-line digital camera for a significantly reduced price, solely because someone else returned it out of its original packaging. Also, unlike buying a used camera, a factory refurbished camera should come with all the accessories that you would expect from a new product: memory card, USB/Firewire connection, batteries, wrist strap, owner’s/user’s manual, plus a protective case.
Why is it then that more and more people choose to buy refurbushed digital cameras knowing that they are almost new and cheaper? Nowadays, only very few people are knowledgeable about these great deals. In fact, manufacturers and electronics stores keep “open box” and refurbished cameras hushed up because if you don’t know about them you’ll be much more likely to purchase a brand new, full price model, generating more revenue for the retailer. Of course, this is not the only reason you may not have considered buying a refurbished camera.
There are, as with every good deal, some possible negative aspects to purchasing a refurbished camera. The fact is that while many are returned unused or hardly used, some refurbished models have actually been used enough to need replacement parts or other repairs making the product’s system more vulnerable to defects and more likely to cause problems. Because refurbished cameras don’t specify the amount of use prior to return or the reason for return, consumers are often left in the dark. This fact has led to many urban legends of refurbished electronics malfunctioning, but the truth is, in most cases refurbished digital cameras are almost as good as new.
How will you know that you have purchsed a good refurbished camera? The most important way to make sure you don’t end up with a poor product that malfunctions on you is to only consider refurbished products that include a manufacturers warranty for at least ninety days. This will prevent you from getting a broken camera which is impossible to return or to be exchanged for another one.
In spite of the possible negatives inherent in buying a product that admittedly may have been used before, the cost benefits and positives greatly outweigh the bad. Buying a refurbished digital camera can cut the cost significantly while still providing you with an excellent product. If you are considering buying a digital camera, be sure to check the internet and your local retailers for refurbished models – they are worth the time it takes to investigate.
About the Author
Get only the best digital camera for your portraits from photo. For those who are techie, Tracy Hargraves, portrait painting artist brings you the many faces of buying a refurbished digital camera.
June 21st, 2007
Digital cameras frame picture perfect market
Business Standard, India
Tejal A Deshpande / Mumbai June 19, 2007
Shruti Talwar, a final year college student, has just picked up her first digital camera. “I can click as many snaps, it is convenient to manage and transfer data as per my requirements. I also don’t need to depend on a studio for quality,” she says. It’s first time entrants like Talwar who are driving the booming digital camera market.
In large format outlets such as Croma, E-zone and Reliance Retail, digital cameras are only next to cellphones in drawing customer traffic, say industry experts.
With the digital camera sales growing in excess of 26 per cent every year, the product is attracting even consumer durables majors such as Samsung and Panasonic to focus more on the segment.
Traditionally, the category has been dominated by players like Canon, Sony and Olympus in India. However, companies like Panasonic and Samsung are also trying to get their share of the pie.
While Sony has set a target to sell 3 lakh digital cameras this year, Canon boasts of having already registered more than 50 per cent growth this year without divulging the actual numbers.
The Korean durables major Samsung aims to sell 60,000 units in 2007 compared with 20,000 units in the previous year.
Alok Bharadwaj, vice president, Canon India, says, “Digital cameras have demystified the process of photography by letting the consumers experiment and learn to click better pictures.” Experts agree that digital cameras have changed the notion of photography as an occasional activity that needs expertise.
“The first-time users are technology savvy and look for an affordable digicam for capturing moments,” said an executive of an electronics showroom in Mumbai.
According to the analyst firm IDC, the digital camera market closed at 4.38 lakh unit shipments for the year 2006.
In the first quarter of 2007, it has already witnessed record shipments of over 1,38,000 units, adds IDC. IDC expects high growth for digital cameras in 2007 and aggressive campaigning by vendors in the market.With increasing demand, the prices have come down. Three years back, an entry-level one mega pixel digital camera cost about Rs 19,000.
Currently, a digicam with five mega pixel is available for around Rs 10,000. Aarti Gahlaut, assistant manager, digital imaging products research, IDC India, said, “The digital camera market is dependent upon the trend in the mega pixel movement. The market is expected to move towards six mega pixel and above segments, while the prices might drop further. Currently, close to 40 per cent of the total market is controlled by the six mega pixel segment, followed by the 27 per cent share of the five mega pixel segment.”
Gahlaut said the vendors would aggressively market their brands through various schemes throughout the year. Recently, Canon launched an offer of free 1 GB memory cards, carry case and DVDs on selected models.
Sachin Dev Rai, product head, digital imaging, Sony India, said, “The company will focus on brand building and ground activities like product demonstrations, road shows and promotions like gaming competitions and contests.”
Earlier Canon had promoted digital cameras by starting Canon zones at popular eateries like Mc Donald’s and provided free chargers for passengers of Kingfisher Airlines.
June 20th, 2007
Zoran Receives 2007 Frost & Sullivan Excellence in Technology of the Year Award for Digital Video & Image Processing
Market Wire (press release)
COACH Processors Enable World’s First Digital Cameras to Support High Definition Multimedia Interface HDMI
SUNNYVALE, CA–(Marketwire - June 18, 2007) - Zoran Corporation (NASDAQ: ZRAN) was honored at the Frost & Sullivan 2007 Excellence in Emerging Technologies Awards Banquet in Newport Beach, California on June 13 with the 2007 North American Excellence in Technology of the Year Award for the field of Digital Video & Image Processing for the development of its COACH series of digital camera processors
“With its revolutionary integrated image stabilization and blur reduction technologies, COACH processors represent a technology that could usher in an era of full high definition image support in digital video and still imaging applications. Moreover, this technology bridges the advances in both digital imaging and HD television (HD-TV), which allow unprecedented data transfer across the interface of the two devices,” said Jayson Koh, research analyst at Frost & Sullivan.
“Our COACH processors employ innovative techniques for achieving high image quality, high performance and now, high definition video, while also delivering image stabilization for both video and still photos. The COACH product line meets the high standards of top brand digital camera makers and Zoran-powered digital cameras have quickly gained favor with millions of consumers,” said Ohad Meitav, senior director digital camera products at Zoran, when accepting the award for the Digital Camera team.
Innovative Features of COACH processor
Zoran’s Coach 9 processor technology, which lies at the core of the HDMI-enabled digital camera, provides high resolution still-and-video captures and supports advanced photographic features.
The HDMI feature allows viewers to watch still and video photography on HDTV displays with full native HDTV (1920 × 1080) resolution, equivalent to around 1.5-2 megapixels, compared to standard analog connection of around 300 kilopixels. The COACH processor is the first camera solution in the market to offer this capability.
Another innovative feature is the proprietary digital video motion stabilization technology, which is designed to improve the stability by compensating for unwanted camera movements during video capture with up to 16-megapixel image resolution. Studies have shown that camera stability is one of the major issues among camera users.
Frost & Sullivan Award Summary
Zoran has many firsts to its credit. It was the first in the market for many technologies such as the first single chip IC implementing six-channel Dolby Digital surround-sound audio for home and movie theater applications. Zoran’s products can now be found in over 300 million homes. The company has been able to establish a broad and diverse intellectual property (IP) portfolio consisting of approximately 80 U.S patents. It has also licensed some core IP, such as those surrounding Dolby Digital-based products, to key semiconductor manufacturers.
Zoran has been able to expand its innovation capabilities, and product portfolio, through both organic growth as well as strategic M&A. It has continuously invested in R&D to boost its-house capabilities but it also acquired key players that have helped boost its expertise in certain areas. For instance, in 2004, it acquired Emblaze Semiconductor, and in 2005, it acquired Oren Semiconductor. Zoran’s R&D Department now has over 600 scientific personnel and it devotes approximately 20 to 22% of sales to R&D (vs. industry average of 10%). It’s clear how much emphasis Zoran gives to R&D; indeed innovation is one of the key factors that have helped propel the company with a 5-year CAGR of over 35%. Zoran is now a $460 million company.
Zoran has a global presence and has formed partnerships with prominent international entities. For instance, it signed agreements with the Chief Scientist in Israel’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Israel-United States Bi-national Industrial Research and Development Foundations. These organizations have helped support key R&D initiatives at Zoran.
Over the years, Zoran has won numerous accolades and awards for its products, including “Best Multimedia Digital Camera” by the European Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) in 2006, for its Coach processor used in Samsung’s Digimax i6 PMP Digital Camera and on Time Magazine’s “Best Inventions 2005″ list. Zoran was also on Deloitte’s 2005 FAST 50 Growth Companies in Silicon Valley and the FAST 500 companies in North America lists, among others.
For more information on Frost & Sullivan’s Best Practices Awards, visit www.awards.frost.com.
About Zoran Corporation
Zoran Corporation, based in Sunnyvale, California, is a leading provider of digital solutions in the growing digital entertainment and digital imaging markets. With two decades of expertise developing and delivering digital signal processing technologies, Zoran has pioneered high-performance digital audio and video, imaging applications and Connect Share Entertain technologies for the digital home. Zoran’s proficiency in integration delivers major benefits for OEM customers, including greater capabilities within each product generation, reduced system costs, and shorter time to market. Zoran-based DVD, digital camera, DTV, multimedia mobile phone, and multifunction printer products have received recognition for excellence and are now in hundreds of millions of homes and offices worldwide. With headquarters in the U.S. and operations in Canada, China, England, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, Zoran may be contacted on the World Wide Web at www.zoran.com or at 408-523-6500.
Zoran, the Zoran logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Zoran Corporation and/or its subsidiaries in the United States or other countries. All other names and brands may be claimed as property of others.
June 19th, 2007
Gadgets for women have to go beyond cute and pink
By MICHEL MARRIOTT
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Product Reviews, UK
A growing number of women are embracing consumer electronics just as the technologies are reaching out to embrace them. Behind this quiet revolution are engineers and designers who are bringing a more feminine sensibility to products historically shaped by masculine tastes, habits and requirements.
Only a few years ago, feminizing a consumer electronic product meant little more than creating a pink or pastel version of the same black or silvery item coveted by men. And, some retailers note, that kind of marketing still goes on. But feminizing technology is more about a product’s fundamentals, often expressed in its ease of use. It is not always aimed exclusively at women, but it is female friendly.
The impact is being noticed. Women bought slightly more than half the digital cameras in the first four months of this year, compared with 48 percent a year ago, according to the NPD Group, a market analysis firm.
There are more subtle touches, too, such as the wider spacing of the keys on a new Sony ultraportable computer notebook that goes on sale next week. It accommodates the longer fingernails that women tend to have. Some of the latest cell phones made by LG Electronics have the camera’s automatic focus calibrated to arm’s length. The company observed that young women are fond of taking pictures of themselves with a friend. Men, not so much.
Nikon and Olympus recently introduced lines of lighter, more compact and easy-to-use digital single-lens-reflex cameras that were designed with women in mind because they tend to be a family’s primary keeper of memories.
The Nikon D40X is 20 percent smaller than a standard Nikon digital SLR camera and can be easily carried around the neck or slipped into a handbag. It has many of the automated features normally found on a point-and-shoot camera, such as preset shooting modes. Camera makers wanted to reach the female market with digital SLR cameras because they carry a higher profit margin than point-and-shoot models.
“Spouse acceptance factor” is a phrase often tossed about at DigitalAdvisor (digitaladvisor.com), an online information and shopping site for consumer electronics based in Cambridge, Mass. That spouse, said Mike Brady, the Web site’s editor, is usually a woman. “If a man brings home a big whooper of a television, the woman is going to say, ‘That’s stupid; it’s too big for the wall,’ ” he said.
Brady said that men and women tend to have radically different approaches to televisions in the home.
“Men want the TV to dominate the room,” Brady said. “Women look more at the TV to not be the centerpiece of the room, but more of an accent piece.”
Television makers have responded to more feminine considerations in several ways. Westinghouse Digital Electronics has recently released flat-panel liquid-crystal-display televisions — at the modest screen sizes of 32 and 40 inches that are more appealing to women — with built-in front-loading DVD players.
Those are even more appealing to women, said Rey Roque, the company’s vice president for marketing, because the room will not be cluttered with a black box to view DVDs, or another set of unsightly wires.
Technologies designed to camouflage electronics such as televisions and home theater speaker systems are rapidly becoming a whole category unto themselves.
Acoustic Research sells a compact speaker system concealed in what the company calls “acoustically transparent” covers.
The system, called Home Decor, disguises speakers as vases, books, planters, mantel clocks or candleholders, said Tom Malone, president of Audiovox, the parent company in Hauppauge, N.Y.
“The concept was to make a good audio system and then literally make it disappear,” Malone said. The speakers cost $800 and the covers range from $40 to $120 each.
Energizer, went so far as to create a battery charger for each sex. The Dock & Go, at $33, is aimed at men. Black and gray with shiny trim, the two pods hold up to four batteries each (AA or AAA). A light glows red when it is charging, yellow when the batteries are charged.
The second device, the $20 Easy Charger, is aimed at women, who usually end up managing the household’s batteries. This charger is flat, round and sold with interchangeable faceplates in silver, black and eggshell to help it blend in with kitchen appliances. Large LED readouts spell out what the countertop charger is doing at every phase of the charging cycle.
Focus-group testing indicated that men were turned off by the Easy Charger, especially in how its readouts appeared to tell them what they thought they already knew, said Mandy Iswarienko, the brand manger for rechargeable products.
“We found that how people use chargers is very different,” she said. “For her, she wants it to be instantly understandable.”
June 18th, 2007
Kodak’s stock lift gives only a brief breather
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, NY
Matthew Daneman
Staff writer
(June 17, 2007) — Eastman Kodak Co. built its fortune on film photography. The imaging giant has had a tougher time figuring out how to make money in a digital world.
But after a couple of years of sluggish stock performance, the market rewarded the company last week after Kodak unveiled new photo sensor technology that it says could mean no more too-dark or muddy results when snapping shots in low light.
Kodak stock closed the week at $29.31, up 10 percent for the week from a close of $26.57 on June 8. The last time the stock was this high was March 2006.
It will be months yet before the first consumer products containing the new sensors show up on store shelves, assuming the company even finds customers for its invention.
“The impact of the product will show up when it gets into market,” said Gary Pageau, publisher of Photo Marketing Magazine.
Image sensors are a $7 billion market, with Kodak claiming about $100 million of that, mostly in industrial applications, according to an analysis by Citigroup Global Markets.
“In order to take on some of the more established names in the market, Kodak will need to provide a technological breakthrough leapfrogging the competition,” Citigroup said. Its analysis came out a day before Kodak publicly announced its camera sensor technology.
“Digital image sensors have captured color for 30 years,” said Chris McNiffe, vice president of Kodak’s consumer digital imaging group. “We do think it’s significant now we’ve come up with a new, elegant, innovative way to do that.”
The new image sensor is part of a series of sensor advancements the company is working on.
“We’re also looking at how to make the color itself more rich and full for the digital images and what kinds of features that are in the camera we can make more efficient, maybe different ways to do focusing or color correction,” McNiffe said.
Despite the jump in its stock, Kodak still has notable business hurdles, including anemic sales growth and low profit margins, according to an analysis by Matrix USA, which on Friday continued to rate Kodak stock a “hold.”
For the last couple of years, consumer camera manufacturers have focused largely on image resolution. But with even five- and six-megapixel cameras readily affordable, Pageau said, “the pixel race has kind of slowed down …, so now manufacturers are looking for things that will differentiate their cameras. Clearly something that would eliminate the need for a flash would be something different.”
MDANEMAN@DemocratandChronicle.com
June 18th, 2007
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