February 18, 2006 | Back

Logitech NuLOOQ Navigator Device Places Controls at the Fingertips

It's all about control, right? Well, if you are a graphic designer, you know how critical it is to effectively, and efficiently, use your software to control your project and your deadline. Top this end, Logitech and Adobe Systems Incorporated have collaborated to provide creative professionals and design enthusiasts new levels of control when using Adobe Creative Suite 2 (CS2) and standalone CS2 applications: the NuLOOQ Professional Series. The new Logitech product line comprises the NuLOOQ navigator, an innovative device used in conjunction with a mouse and a keyboard to manipulate images and documents, and the NuLOOQ tooldial, customizable on-demand interface software that provides quick access to design tools. Both are designed for use with the Mac versions of Adobe Creative Suite 2, Adobe Illustrator CS2, Adobe InDesign CS2, and Adobe Photoshop CS2.

Many designers today use multiple large monitors, which means the mouse cursor has to travel farther to complete basic tasks. This takes up valuable creative time and results in workspace inefficiency. The NuLOOQ Professional Series addresses these challenges and provides solutions for the time-intensive elements of design - navigating images, adjusting option values, and accessing menus - so that creative professionals can accomplish more.

> Source: Logitech
> Estimated price: $49 to $149
> Date released/expected: N/A

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January 21, 2006 | Back

Belkin CableFree USB Hub Wins CNET Best of CES Award

Kudos to you, and your wireless hub too... Belkin Corporation has received a CNET Best of CES Award in the Peripherals category for its CableFree USB Hub, the industry's first USB Hub that does not require a cable to connect to the computer. The Best of CES Awards were produced and judged by CNET, who announced the winners Saturday, January 7, at the 2006 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Beginning in early spring 2006, Belkin will offer a four-port hub and dongle set that will enable immediate high-speed wireless connectivity for any USB device without requiring software. The CableFree USB Hub gives desktop computer users the freedom to place their USB devices -- such as printers, scanners, hard drives and MP3 players -- anywhere in the room, without running long cables. Laptop users gain the freedom to roam wirelessly with their laptop around the room while still maintaining access to their stationary USB devices. Let freedom ring!

> Source: Belkin Corporation
> Estimated price: N/A
> Date released/expected: N/A

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September 25, 2005 | Back

Spare Backup Enables Transfer of Personal Files to New PC without Cables

I rarely get excited over computer peripherals, but this one sounds, well, exciting! Spare Backup Inc. has unveiled Spare Switch, a groundbreaking way to move all your computer files from your old PC to a new one via a high-speed Internet connection. Because Spare Switch locates, packs and transfers files securely, without the need for transfer cables or other accessories, it's the most convenient and worry-free way yet to start working on a new computer with your existing files.

Spare Switch ensures not only that your personal and professional files transfer easily, but also that they look, feel and work as you're accustomed, with all the personal settings and layouts you have built into them. Once installed, the information reverts to its original state, looking and behaving as it did before. (Wish it would behave BETTER than it did before, but you can't expect miracles, I suppose.)

> Source: Spare Backup
> Estimated price: $39
> Date released/expected: N/A

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August 10, 2005 | Back

Keyboard LCD a Smart Addition to Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5000 Laser

If you have become wire-phobic like the rest of us, Logitech has a new cordless laser just for you. The company has just announced the Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5000 Laser, featuring a built-in LCD on the keyboard that helps people manage the constant flow of information that has become an inherent part of working with computers. The LCD screen can display e-mail and instant message (IM) notifications, favorite playlists and Internet radio stations. And by displaying certain information on the LCD -- such as the status of the caps lock and F lock keys, volume levels and mute -- the keyboard also alleviates visual clutter that would ordinarily be displayed on the computer monitor.

These capabilities mark a shift in the role of a cordless keyboard and mouse on a desktop. The Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5000 Laser keyboard is more than just an input device: It has the ability to send information to and receive information from the computer, making it a smart device. The product also can turn a PC into a Bluetooth wireless hub, as it features the new Bluetooth 2.0 Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) wireless technology. If you're ready to cut the cord, check it out.

> Source: Logitech
> Estimated price: $149
> Date released/expected: N/A

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August 05, 2005 | Back

Business Photography Made Simple with Photosimile

Say cheese! Ortery Technologies, Inc. has just launched Photosimile 100 and Photosimile 200, two new tabletop digital photo studios, which the company says will create professional, color accurate and shadow-free photographs for websites, product catalogs, online auctions, quality control, enhanced business communication and more.

Photosimile works with any digital camera as a photography light box, however when used with a compatible digital camera, Photosimile becomes a PC-controlled photography studio using software that automates image capture and processing. Compatible digital cameras include: the Canon PowerShot A and G series and the Olympus C series. Users click 'Preview' in the software to generate a real-time view of items inside the studio on their monitor screen then compose pictures using 'Zoom-In', 'Zoom-Out', 'Rotate' and 'Crop' commands. Pressing 'Snap' takes and automatically sends the picture to the PC monitor screen in seconds. Captured images can be annotated, emailed, exported to other programs, batch saved/re-sized, deleted and more. And, come on, couldn't every small business use a photo studio?

> Source: Ortery
> Estimated price: Photosimile 100 $1,200 - Photosimile 200 $1,700
> Date released/expected: N/A

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August 03, 2005 | Back

SanDisk Cards Recognized for Speed, Performance and Versatility

Having memory lapses? You may need this. SanDisk Corporation's SanDisk Extreme III card family, 8-gigabyte (GB), SanDisk Ultra II CompactFlash and new SanDisk Ultra II PLUS SD card line have won three Editor's Choice Awards by American PHOTO Magazine.

SanDisk Ultra II cards are targeted at digital cameras with 4-megapixel or higher resolution that can take advantage of a significantly faster memory card. Each card features a minimum write speed of 9 megabytes per second (MB/sec.) and a minimum read speed of 10MB/sec. The SanDisk Ultra II PLUS SD is a SD flash memory card with built-in USB connectivity, simplifying the process of moving images from a camera to a PC. SanDisk Extreme III cards are for professional-level digital SLRs that can take advantage of its read and write speeds of up to 20-megabytes per second (MB/sec). They are available in CompactFlash, Memory Stick PRO and SD card formats. The CompactFlash and SD cards have minimum write and read speeds of 20MB/sec. Memory Stick PRO has minimum write and read speeds of 18MB/sec. The cards range in capacity between 1 and 4GB. Try to remember all this...

> Source: SanDisk
> Estimated price: $30 to $300
> Date released/expected: N/A

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July 21, 2005 | Back

Samsung Adds New Printers to Its Digital Multifunctional Product Line-up

Printers, printers, printers. The choices continue to grow - which is great if you don't already own a dozen of them. If you are shopping, Samsung's printer division just introduced new Multifunction Products (MFP) SCX-4321 and SCX-4521F with upgraded functionalities for small to mid-sized offices.

The 3-in-1 SCX-4321 can print, copy and scan, and the 4-in-1 SCX-4521F can also send fax messages. Despite their utility, both models are compact, making them ideal for professional small and mid-sized workgroups. To increase work efficiency, Samsung adds the "Favorite Copy" button, which lets you to select the preset copying mode most often used. The SCX-4521F series also boasts enhanced copy functions such as "ID Copy" (double sides), Clone Copy, and Auto Fit. Not so sure these features are so new and exciting, but it does sound like Samsung covered the bases.

> Source: Samsung Electronics
> Estimated price: N/A
> Date released/expected: N/A

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July 11, 2005 | Back

HP's New Ink-Based Printing Platform Great for Home or Office

Breakthrough, not bleed through! That's what HP says about its new ink-based printing platform, the result of a five-year, $1.4 billion strategic investment that the company believes will catapult its leadership in the printer market years ahead of its competitors. At a press conference, HP unveiled its first products built on the new scalable printing technology, which is designed specifically to deliver high-performance printing for high-volume users. These include home photo printing devices -- 4 x 6-inch photos in as fast as 14 seconds -- as well as a desktop color business printer, which enables small and medium-size businesses to print up to twice the speed and 30 percent lower cost-per-page than color laser printers.

The printhead components are fabricated as one unit via a photolithographic process, rather than welded together in post-production. This results in the precise alignment of the chamber, nozzles and heating element, which then improves the accuracy of ink drop placement. Additionally, the new printing system ensures that users will never run out of ink mid-page -- eliminating a source of wasted ink and paper. The new platform is scalable, accommodating high-volume consumer users and small to medium-size businesses all the way up to the commercial market.

> Source: HP
> Estimated price: $199 - $399
> Date released/expected: N/A

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July 07, 2005 | Back

Two New PIXMA Inkjet Photo Printers from Canon

Picture perfect. Canon has launched two new competitively priced photo printers - the PIXMA iP1600 and PIXMA iP4200. These printers fit a range of budgets while expanding the top quality photo printing capabilities the PIXMA line is known for.

In addition to fast speeds and intuitive technologies, both new Canon PIXMA photo printers use the Canon ChromaLife100 system, which can produce prints on select genuine Canon photo papers that resist fading for up to 100 years when stored in an archival quality photo album. Too bad you won't be around to test that claim out!

> Source: Canon USA
> Estimated price: iP1600 $49 - iP4200 $129
> Date released/expected: N/A

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June 22, 2005 | Back

Seagate Does it Again: Offers 10 New, Groundbreaking Hard Disc Drives

Is your data storage in need of climate control? Is it bigger than a breadbox? If you answered yes to either of those, you may want to talk to Seagate. Seagate has announced several breakthroughs for storage, including hard drives for the automotive market, the first 2.5-inch drive for DVRs and game consoles, and the first 8GB drive for portable media players.

Seagate's innovations for CE include new offerings designed to enable applications for the emerging "terabyte life," where digital storage is creating exciting new products and even new lifestyles. From automobiles and entertainment, to home theater, handheld audio, video, communications and computing, Seagate's new consumer electronics offerings include: The EE25 Series - a hard drive designed specifically for use in cars, touting extreme environmental resistance; the ST1 Series - the first 8GB 1-inch hard drive designed for use in handheld and CompactFlash applications; the LD25 Series - the first 2.5-inch hard drive designed for the latest game consoles, and smaller, cooler-running and more cost-effective small footprint PCs and home entertainment devices; the DB35 Series - with a 500GB capacity - the industry's highest for DVR and home entertainment systems; and the 8GB CompactFlash Photo Hard Drive -with a new, unmatched 8,000 MB capacity in a tiny 1-inch size for digital cameras.

> Source: Seagate
> Estimated price: N/A
> Date released/expected: N/A

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June 21, 2005 | Back

Google Icon Vase Speaker

Rather than buy another boring set of computer speakers with a zillion connections, Google is now offering the Icon Vase Speaker: a single 2-way surround sound speaker with innovative audio lens technology, a tweeter tuned for clarity. The speaker is powered by a single USB plug (no adapter required), and the on/off knob at the top emits an orange LED glow when it's on. It's deep metallic blue with a Google logo, so everyone can see where you got it. (Nothing better than free advertising for Google to impress your friends, right?)

> Source: Google Store
> Estimated price: $30
> Date released/expected: N/A

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June 16, 2005 | Back

Epson Introduces Epson Stylus Photo R2400 and Epson Ultrachrome K3 Inks

Professional photographers (and even "not so" professional photographers) have a new friend, according to Epson. The company has introduced its latest in photo printers, the Epson Stylus Photo R2400 and Epson UltraChrome K3 inks.

Epson says that this new printer, coupled with its innovative ink technology, offers professional and fine art photographers advanced inkjet technology. The Epson UltraChrome K3 pigment ink set ensures both a wider color gamut and superior black and white output with print permanence ratings that are perfect for gallery exhibits. With three levels of black and advanced driver controls, the Epson Stylus Photo R2400 enables users to create professional-quality prints on a wide variety of media.

> Source: Epson Japan
> Estimated price: $850
> Date released/expected: N/A

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June 14, 2005 | Back

SanDisk Adds Cruzer Mini USB Flash Drives for Food and Drug Retail Channel

Fast Food. Fast Service. Fast Data. Now food and drug retailers can take their data to go, with SanDisk's new 32-megabyte (MB) Cruzer Mini USB 2.0 flash drive. The new drive is part of the company's Shoot and Store line of low-cost flash storage products sold through the food and drug store channel.

The Cruzer Mini meets the growing demand for storing, transferring and accessing a variety of digital files, slipping easily into a pocket or purse or worn around the neck for easy carrying. Its think shape also allows it to be plugged in without blocking other USB ports. When the device is properly inserted, a large LED lights up to indicate its status. Cruzer Mini is "plug-and-play" with PCs and the Macintosh due to USB Mass Storage Class (MSC) compliance when used with Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Mac OS 9.2.1+ and Mac OS 10.1.2+. A driver can be downloaded for Windows 98SE support.

> Source: Sandisk
> Estimated price: $13
> Date released/expected: N/A

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June 13, 2005 | Back

Smart Label Printers Make Creating Labels Quick and Cost-Effective

Labels, labels, labels. Just what we all needed, another label maker. I am sure you are overjoyed. In any case, Seiko Instruments USA, the pioneer of the one-label-at-a-time "smart" printer, has launched three new additions that offer full-functionality single label printing at comparable or lower price points than competitive offerings. Seiko Instruments' new SLP 410, 420 and 430 Smart Label Printers feature a sleek new industrial design and support Mac users, for the first time. (Whew, I thought I would be excluded!)

Because one label can be created and printed on an as-needed basis, costs are kept down, the process is efficient and there's no wasted sheets of labels. Direct thermal printing technology also eliminates the need for expensive inks, ribbons or toner. For those in larger office environments who prefer to hook the printer up to the company network, each SLP is equipped with a USB and serial connection built-in. A variety of fonts and graphics can be added. In addition, customized formats, complete with company logo and a post office-approved bar code, can easily be prepared. Okay, maybe this is more useful than I thought.

> Source: Seiko
> Estimated price: SLP 410 $99 - SLP 420 $129 - SLP 430 $179
> Date released/expected: N/A

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June 09, 2005 | Back

Konica Minolta's Award-winning magicolor 2400 Series Keeps on Winning

If you're looking for quality, might be a good idea to go with a winner. Konica Minolta Printing Solutions' magicolor 2400W and magicolor 2430 DL have both been selected as Buyers Laboratory's "Pick of the Year" for Spring 2005. The magicolor 2400W was named "Outstanding Personal Color Laser Printer", while the magicolor 2430 DL garnered the "Outstanding Small Workgroup Multi-Pass Color Laser Printer" award.

The magicolor 2400W achieved a rating of "excellent" in seven different categories of Buyers Laboratory's performance testing. According to the test report, Buyers Lab technicians were "...impressed with the excellent color consistency of the magicolor 2400W." Reliability, ease of use and set-up, and color productivity were also areas in which the magicolor 2400W received an "excellent" rating. In its 17,500-impression durability test, the magicolor 2400W passed without experiencing a single misfeed or requiring a service call. The magicolor 2430 DL also achieved an outstanding performance rating in Buyers Laboratory's "Spring Picks". The magicolor 2430 DL features the same ease of use and set-up, consistent print quality, and high degree of reliability as the 2400W. It is also the first color laser with built-in camera-direct photo printing. The magicolor 2430 DL has Ethernet connectivity and multi-platform capability, making it the perfect tool for the small multi-user workgroup or office that needs reliable, eye-catching color printing. Impressed? We were.

> Source: Konica Minolta
> Estimated price: 2400 $400 - 2430DL $500
> Date released/expected: N/A

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June 02, 2005 | Back

Two Sleek New Canon Scanners Prove That Good Things Come in Small Packages

Looking to archive old family snapshots? Or maybe just keep better track of their household bills and documents? Canon has just released two new scanners to help you out, the Canon CanoScan LiDE 25 and CanoScan LiDE 60 Color Image Scanners. Both new scanners from Canon offer improved performance and ease-of-use in sleek, stylish designs, all at entry-level price points.

The new, streamlined CanoScan LiDE 25 Color Image Scanner is only 1.3" high, and uses one simple cable to provide both power and a USB connection, reducing the number of wires around your desk. Three easy-to-use buttons on the scanner automate common scanning tasks such as copying, scanning or e-mailing of images or documents. The LiDE 25 scanner also comes with Quality Automatic Retouching and Enhancement (QARE Level 3) technology, which reduces much of the dust and scratches from older originals.

The CanoScan LiDE 60 Color Image Scanner is a one-stop scanning machine, and probably a better fit for the professional user. It, too, uses just one USB 2.0 Hi-Speed cable for both USB connectivity and power. It also enables lightning fast image transfers from scanner to computer with maximum scanning speeds and previews of scans on the LiDE 60 scanner clocking in at approximately nine seconds, depending upon operating system speed. The LiDE 60 scanner is able to produce a maximum 1200 x 2400 color dpi resolution. For the money, not a bad deal, whichever model you choose.

> Source: Canon USA
> Estimated price: LiDE 25 $49 - LiDE 60 $79
> Date released/expected: N/A

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May 27, 2005 | Back

Pepper Computer Launches The Pepper Pad

Toss those remote controls! Pepper Computer's wireless Pepper Pad went on sale today and your home will never be the same. The Pepper Pad is the first portable wireless device that gives consumers instant Internet and digital media while also controlling other in-home devices. It provides, in a lightweight, ruggedized package: Mozilla-based Web browsing, AOL instant messaging, and e-mail; collecting, organizing and sharing videos, music and photos; and TV and stereo remote control. Now you can finally surf the web, listen to music, watch tv, and play games - all through the same device!

Hey Pepper, what took you so long? The Pepper Pad is available now exclusively through Amazon.com and will be available through big box retailers later this year.

> Source: Pepper Computer
> Estimated price: $799
> Date released/expected: N/A

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May 20, 2005 | Back

SanDisk Introduces 2-GB Duo Gaming Cards to Meet Needs of Sony PlayStation Portable Owners

Bigger is definitely better, especially when you can take it on your travels... Responding to consumer demand for high-capacity flash memory cards that are needed for music and video-playing in Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP), SanDisk Corporation has introduced a 2-gigabyte (GB) Memory Stick PRO Duo Gaming Card to provide PSP owners with plenty of removable storage for video clips, MP3 music tracks, digital still photos and game data.

Christina Day, SanDisk's product marketing manager for the gaming card line, said early sell-through reports from retailers indicate that nearly 20 percent of all PSP buyers are also purchasing extra memory cards, but she expects that to reach 50 percent over time. (But remember, she gets paid to say that.)

> Source: SanDisk
> Estimated price: $349
> Date released/expected: N/A

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