Software Solutions to Manage Mobile Devices and Data Centers

With the proliferation of wireless devices for business, IT departments are more and more called on not only to manage their data centers and server rooms, but they are being asked to manage hundreds of mobile devices that are now part of their IT infrastructure.

Avocent Corporation has developed two new software solutions for managing data centers as well as PDAs and other mobile devices. AdminSentinel software for mobile devices allows IT managers to access, control and manage their network and data center infrastructure; and MobileSentinel is a software solution that allows IT departments to centrally manage mobile devices. The products run on platforms such as BlackBerry, PocketPC and Palm.

The AdminSentinel software uses a real-time secure proxy model to perform many routine server administrative functions from a mobile device. For example, the administrator can reboot a server, unlock/change passwords, restart services not functioning properly, view event logs, move files and send messages to logged-in users.

MobileSentinel is a software product for the remote control and administration of PDAs and smart phones that connect to a computer network. MobileSentinel adds a new level of network security for mobile devices. IT administrators can monitor all mobile devices for current status, apply passwords to unprotected devices and manage mobile user groups, as well as a number of other functions. For mobile devices that are lost or stolen, MobileSentinel allows an IT administrator to centrally control and wipe out sensitive data. The product is ideally suited for networks that use cellular PDAs and smartphones to support staff in the field.

ZipReviews.com: PDAs and Handhelds
ZipReviews.com: Mobile Phones

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Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox

Another new MP3 Player that holds photos too, the new Gateway MP3 Photo Jukebox combines 4GB of storage in a small and lightweight 3.4-ounce design, a large 1.6" color display, digital photo storage, and a removable and rechargeable battery.

The device can hold up to 1,000 MP3 songs, and right out of the box it comes ready to download music content directly from the new Napster To Go service, the world's first portable subscription service. Available as a plug-in through the new free Windows Media Player 10, Napster To Go gives subscribers unlimited access to more than a million songs for a fixed monthly price. Rather than having to purchase individual songs a la carte, Gateway customers can use Napster To Go to get unlimited fill-ups of their MP3 Photo Jukebox. For a limited time, a prepaid month of Napster To Go is provided at no cost with the MP3 Photo Jukebox. The fee after the first month is $14.95.

The MP3 Photo Jukebox can be used to download your digital photos directly from your camera, via USB 2.0 cable. The removable and rechargeable battery delivers more than eight hours of play time on a single charge. And the player is compact, measuring only 3.8in x 2.3in x 0.7in (L x W x D)

List price is $249.99, and the unit comes with an AC Adapter, soft cover bag and ear bud headphones, and will ship in November 2004.

ZipReviews.com: MP3 Player Reviews

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Free PalmOne Tungstens and Zires Offered as Marketing Candy

A while back, Gratis Network made a big splash when they offered free iPods for participating in an online offer and then referring some friends to do the same.

Today we noticed that another seemingly unrelated group called Tactical Network (aka Tactical Gear, Inc.) has jumped into the fray and is advertising on Google Adwords, presumably offering free Palms. The website shows that you can get one of the following Palms: a Palm One Zire 72, a Palm One Tungsten T3, or a Palm Tungsten C communicator.

According to Burke Jones, Owner of Tactical Gear, "Once a user completes all the requirements their order is kicked up for an account review. We take fraud seriously so we do a thorough review of the account and referrals to insure no fraud was committed. This can take from 7-10 days. If the order is approved we will the place the order for shipment within another 7-10 days." See terms.

Burke's company has been in business since September, 2001 selling products such as flashlights, gun safes and lasers.

Asked whether or not the Free Palms offer is legitimate, Burke said, "We do have a record at the BBB, which is very good, and we would not want to lose that. We have thousands of satisfied customers around the globe from our outdoor product sites. The bottom line is that we will be shipping free Palms as soon as people have completed the requirements."

More information on Palms:

• PalmOne Zire 72
• PalmOne Tungsten T3

ZipReviews.com: PDAs and Handhelds

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Tiny Digital Camera Spy-Cam Keychain

We haven't tried this QPS Mini Digital Camera Keychain yet, but it sure is tiny! This mini "spy-cam" dwarfs a business card and costs only $24.99. It has 16 MB of internal built in memory and holds about 80 photos.

You can use it for digital pictures, or when it's attached to a computer, for video email, video calls (audio) or adding live images to your instant messages. The package includes photo and video editing software.

Other features include an LCD display that tells you how many pictures remaining, a 10 second self timer, automatic exposure and white balance, a pop-up optical viewfinder, and 1/5 to 1/2000 shutter speed. Uses 1 AAA battery.

More information about the QPS Mini Digital Camera Keychain.

ZipReviews.com: Digital Camera Reviews

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Sandisk Doubles Storage Capacity for Mobile Phone Storage Cards

Many mobile phones now require additional storage capacity to accomodate digital music, photos, and other space-grabbing media.

Today, SanDisk Corporation announced that it is doubling the current maximum capacities of its popular SanDisk miniSD and SanDisk RS-MMC cards to 512 MB. These storage cards are used in a growing number of mobile phones with multimedia capabilities such as digital cameras, music players and video recording and playback.

The SanDisk miniSD card includes an adapter allowing it to be used in any of the existing SD card devices and the SanDisk RS-MMC card includes a mechanical extender so that it can be used in any full-sized MultiMediaCard slot as well as SD host devices that support the MultiMediaCard.

ZipReviews.com: Memory Cards

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New Apple iPod Photo 40GB and 60GB MP3 Players

Apple just introduced the new iPod Photo. The device holds up to 25,000 digital photos along with your music library, and comes in 40 GB and 60 GB models.

The high resolution 65k color screen displays your photos and you can scroll through your photo library using the iPod Click Wheel. You can combine your music and your favorite photos to create slideshows on your iPod, and it even features a TV-out for sharing your slideshows on big screen televisions and projectors.

iPod Photo comes in 40GB or 60GB models which hold up to 10,000 or 15,000 songs, and its extended battery life gives you up to 15 hours of music playback or up to 5 hours of slideshows.

iPod Photo features Apple's Auto-Sync technology, so it's easy to automatically download your entire digital music and digital photo library onto the iPod and keep it up-to-date whenever it is plugged into a Mac or Windows computer using FireWire or USB. If you have a Mac, you can Auto-Sync your iPod with your photo library in iPhoto. Windows users can Auto-Sync the iPod using Adobe Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Album or your My Pictures folder. iPod Photo works with iTunes 4.7 (also released today)

Pricing & Availability
The new 40 GB and 60 GB iPod Photo models will be available starting today for a suggested retail price of $499 and $599 respectively. The Apple iPod Photo includes a dock with audio and video out, earbud headphones, 1.4m AV cable, 1.2m 30-pin to FireWire cable, a 1.2m 30-pin to USB cable, AC adapter, black carrying case and a CD with iTunes 4.7 for Mac and Windows computers.

ZipReviews.com: MP3 Players
Source: Apple

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Finis SwiMP3 Waterproof MP3 Player

If you like to get wet, check out the waterproof SwiMP3 player for swimmers, triathletes, surfers, synchronized swimmers and anyone else who likes to listen to music and get soaking wet at the same time.

Using bone conduction technology, the SwiMP3 can be fully submerged in water, yet still deliver clear sound. Unlike other waterproof players that rely on traditional air conduction technologies, the SwiMP3 player uses bone conduction -- the direct transfer of sound vibrations from the cheek bone to the inner ear. According to the company, the player is fully waterproof, and holds approximately 30 songs for four hours of continuous music.

ZipReviews.com: MP3 Players

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palm One Treo 650 Smartphone

palm One introduced the hot new Treo 650 smartphone today. The Treo 650 combines a compact, full-featured mobile phone, digital camera, and mp3 player, with a Palm OS organizer, and email, messaging and web access for data services customers. This new 650 model improves on the previous model -- the Treo 600 feature set, with higher resolution screen, expanded multimedia capabilities, Bluetooth, and a removable battery.

The Treo 650 will be available as either a digital dual-band CDMA/1xRTT or a GSM/GPRS/EDGE quad-band world phone, and pricing will be set by individual carriers starting later this year, with worldwide rollout to follow in 2005.

With Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, and other organizing functions, you can dial contacts by name from your contacts list or enter a name or number on the keyboard or on-screen dial pad. Speakerphone, speed dial, conference calling, call history, and caller ID are also available.

The Treo 650 featires a vibrant 320 x 320 display, Non-volatile memory and removable battery; Integrated Bluetooth technology, digital camera with video-capture, and MP3 player capable of downloading songs straight from your desktop.

You can also view, edit and create Microsoft Word and Excel compatible documents on the go or view PowerPoint presentations for en-route rehearsals.

The Treo 650 smartphone comes with a MultiMediaCard/SD Card expansion slot, which supports industry-standard cards and input/output capability, so you can add other cool stuff to get more out of your Treo -- pictures, music, books, games, memory.

Sprint is the first carrier to announce service with this device, and will offer the Treo 650 for $599.99 starting next month. Though the phone won't ship with a Dialup Networking component of Bluetooth (for potential use as a modem for another laptop or PDA), according to Amy Schiska at Sprint there will be patch release in November to allow such functionality.

ZipReviews.com: PDA Review
ZipReviews.com: Camera Phone Reviews

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Creative PC-Cam 920 Slim: 4-in-1 Device

Creative Technology just released the new Creative PC-CAM 920 Slim, a sleek and tiny PC-CAM that you can use as a Digital Still Camera, Digital Video Camera, WebCam, and a Mass Storage Device. The camera weighs only 3.1 ounces (without battery and SD card), and measures just 3.34"w x 2.2"h x 0.7" deep.

The camera has a 2.0-Megapixel CMOS sensor and a 4X digital zoom, which provides 3.0 Megapixel still images by interpolation, and you can compose your shots through the 1.5-inch TFT LCD Display. In addition, the PC-CAM 920 Slim is fitted with a fixed focus lens to snap pix in Normal (45" to infinity) as well as Macro (6" to 8") modes.

There are some additional controls, such as exposure compensation, which allows fine-tuning of the image's exposure under different lighting conditions, four different white balance preset modes (C Auto, Sunny, Tungsten and Fluorescent), and Auto/Off Flash modes.

The PC-CAM 920 Slim doubles as a webcam (640 x 480 resolution) and is compatible with popular Instant Messaging software such as MSN Messenger, NetMeeting and Yahoo Messenger.

The camera also comes with a video capture feature for recording movie clips of up to two minutes with its built-in 16MB memory (AVI-format video in 320 x 240 resolutions). Memory capacity is expandable up to 512MB via its SD/MMC slot. The camera can also be used as a storage device for files and images with its bundled USB cable for easy "drag-and-drop" file transfers. Suggested retail price is $99.

ZipReviews.com: Digital Camera Reviews

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1 GB Compact Flash Card Prices Plummet

The price of 1 GB compact flash (CF) cards have come way down, and there are a few 1 GB CF cards now priced from about $70-$80 -- a steal for so much storage! The cards are used in many digital devices, including digital cameras, MP3 players, PDAs, cellular phones and camcorders. Today's overall top seller is the Lexar Media 1 GB CF card (pictured at right).

The Lexar has a sustained write speed of about 4.8 mb per second. If you plan to use your CF card mainly for MP3s or or for storing PDA data, the Lexar should be sufficient. For more demanding usage, such as PDA backups or digital cameras, try a faster CF card, such as the SanDisk 1 GB CF card, which has a 9 mbs write and 10 mbs read speed -- still a steal at under $100:

• Lexar Media 1 GB Secure Digital Memory Card (SD1GB-231)
• SanDisk SDCFH-1024-901 1 GB Ultra II CompactFlash Card

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Panasonic ONYX XVS Plasma Television

Panasonic has developed a new series of plasma televisions that couples the company's most advanced flat-panel display technology, and a unique glass front panel design that minimizes the TV's frame.

"The entire front panel is masked by a single pane of glass, with no exposed hardware," explains Ed Wolff, Vice President of Panasonic's Display Group. "When the image appears, the frame seems to disappear. All you see are crisp, clear, deep images that seem to float in air."

According to the company, the ONYX XVS series incorporates Panasonic's most advanced display technology to provide excellent picture quality: a new Super Real Gamma System steps up gradation to darker parts of an image, up to 2,048 shades and the equivalent of 8.5 billion colors, and provides richly saturated color to reproduce intricate details. A Sub-Pixel Controller refines images by correcting contours at the single dot level. This process improves precision control.

The ONYX XVS plasma television is offered in 42-inch, 50-inch and 65-inch screen sizes, and all are less than 4 inches deep. The unit comes with a separate multimedia receiver, which features Panasonic's Digital Access Pack: a group of features that together offer everything needed to enjoy high-definition and digital cable television, exceptional home theater DVD, digital photo albums and more.

ZipReviews.com: Flat Panel Televisions

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Garmin iQue 3200 PDA with Integrated GPS

Garmin's iQue 3200 Palm-Powered PDA offers fully integrated GPS technology, combining the portability of a PDA and the utility of an automotive navigation system in a sleek, lightweight design.

"The iQue 3200 is designed for individuals who simply want a device that can manage their personal information and deliver personal navigation in a single unit," said Gary Kelley, Garmin's director of marketing. "Beyond organization and navigation, the iQue 3200 boasts a bright display, long battery life and Secure Digital Input/Output (SDIO) capabilities for added functionality at an attractive price."

Garmin's "Que™" technology gives you features such as GPS navigation, including pinpoint location awareness on an electronic map, automatic route generation, off-route recalculation, turn-by-turn directions and voice guidance. You can tag your address book contacts or a specific appointment with a "location stamp" and then follow voice directions along a series of turns to the selected location. The iQue 3200 comes with an automotive navigation kit as a standard accessory to powers and recharge the unit simultaneously.

More info about the Garmin iQue 3200

ZipReviews.com: Handhelds & PDA Reviews

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Samsung SCH-S250 5 MP Camera Phone Unveiled

Samsung announced a 5 MP CCD camera phone today, using Asahi Pentax's 5 MP camera sensor. Such high resolution photos are a first for camera phones, bringing camera phones much closer to a viable digital camera solution.

The camera is capable of taking and playing video, MP3s, and can hook up to your TV to view the video footage. The SCH-S250 features a whopping 96 MB of internal memory, a 16 million color LCD display (over 60x more than most existing phone displays). The camera can store up to 100 minutes of 320x240 video, has a 1/1,000 shutter speed max. It even boasts a text-to-speech (TTS) conversion so you can listen to your incoming text messages.

The price is estimated at about $800-$900.

The Samsung SCH-S250 will currently only be available in South Korea.

ZipReviews.com: Camera Phone Reviews

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Eyetop DVD Video Glasses for In-Your-Face Video!

Eyetop Centra's wearable video screen with stereo sound, lets enjoy direct-to-your-face DVD video wherever you go. The Eyetop Centra video glasses plug directly into your mobile video device, and come with streo ear buds. Just put your glasses on, stow your video device for hands-free operation, and you see your video on the ative matrix LCD screen right in front of your eyes! You can even watch the video action on the built-in screen while you check out the world around you through your sunglasses. No driving allowed!

The cool blue video glasses feature a screen embedded in the lower center part of the right lens, so you can watch your videos, but not tune out entireley. The device has a full set of ergonomic and image adjustments, including focus, and works on most DVD formats, including DVD-R/RW, +R/RW, plus CD, MP3 and even Kodak photo CDs.

The Eyetop video glasses are compatible with all video devices featuring an audio/video output port, such as camcorder, multimedia hard drive, video game, computer with AV output or VCR.

More Eyetop Centra product information.

ZipReviews.com: Portable DVD Player Reviews

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Baby Photo Contest: Call for Entries

All proud parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles of babies around the country can enter the 2005 Nikon Coolpix Pride and Joy Baby Photo Contest for a chance to win a $25,000 US Savings Bond and an appearance in Parenting Magazine. Finalists will win a digital camera prize packages, courtesy of Nikon.

Nikon has partnered with the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation, a nonprofit organization that creates products and programs to help children living with a serious illness to better manage their disease and enjoy a better quality of life. Of the $9.95 contest entry fee, $5 will be donated to the organization.

Babies must be younger than 36 months old, and all baby photo entries must be submitted and received by December 31, 2004 for consideration.


Photo Contest Entry Forms are available at the Pride and Joy Website.

ZipReviews.com: Digital Camera Reviews

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Creative Zen Micro Wins Best MP3 WMA Player at DigitalLife 2004 Awards

The new Zen Micro MP3/WMA player has been declared this year's Portable Music Player winner in the "Best of DigitalLife 2004" award, with the presenters praising it for offering far superior features to the Apple iPod mini. DigitalLife is a consumer technology and entertainment event to showcase new digital products.

Ten Hot Colors
The Zen Micro comes in 10 hot new colors for all moods: Pink, Orange, Green, Purple, Red, Dark Blue, Light Blue, Silver, White, and Black. See all Zen Micro Colors at Amazon.

This snazzy little unit is beautifully designed and beats the iPod in its set of features. For about the same price as the 4GB iPod, you get 5GB of storage, FM radio and recorder, a 12-hour battery, calendar software that synchs with Outlook, and a digital voice recorder.

The Zen Micro was a major hit at DigitalLife. "Within a week of announcing the Zen Micro MP3/WMA player, we have already won a major award," said Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and CEO of Creative. "Huge crowds of people swarmed our exhibit area at DigitalLife, where we featured a display of all the different colors of the Zen Micro. The crowd was buzzing about which feature and what colors they liked best, and people lined up to place pre-orders."

Read more info, or pre-order the Zen Micro for the holidays:

• Creative Zen Micro 5 GB MP3 Player PINK
• Creative Zen Micro 5 GB MP3 Player ORANGE
• Creative Zen Micro 5 GB MP3 Player GREEN
• Creative Zen Micro 5 GB MP3 Player DARK BLUE
• Creative Zen Micro 5 GB MP3 Player LIGHT BLUE
• Creative Zen Micro 5 GB MP3 Player RED
• Creative Zen Micro 5 GB MP3 Player PURPLE
• Creative Zen Micro 5 GB MP3 Player BLACK
• Creative Zen Micro 5 GB MP3 Player SILVER
• Creative Zen Micro 5 GB MP3 Player WHITE

Related Reveiw Sections:

• ZipReviews.com: MP3 Player Reviews

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Snap Camera Phone Pictures: Pick Up Prints

Sprint PCS Picture Mail customers and their friends and family who receive email shares can now print their pictures through Fujifilm's Online Digital Printing Service.

Sprint and FujiFilm have announced a new feature that enables Sprint PCS Picture Mail customers to send digital camera-phone pictures from their online Picture Mail album to any participating retail photofinisher, including Ritz Camera, Sam's Club and Wolf Camera.

Just snap a photo with your camera phone, upload it to your Sprint PCS Picture Mail online album (www.sprint.com/picturemail). Sprint customers can then search by zip-code for a retail photofinishing location, and then pick up their prints in a matter of hours, depending on the retailer's service options. Picture Mail customers and those receiving an email share can select a retail photofinisher nearby or one close to a friend or relative, either locally or across the country.

In July, Sprint announced America's first one-megapixel camera phone, the Sprint PCS Vision Picture Phone PM-8920. From August 2002 to September 2004, Sprint PCS customers sent more than 270 million picture and video messages over the enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network.

Sprint customers can purchase a Sprint PCS Vision Pictures Pack for $15/mo, in addition to their current service plan. With this package, customers get unlimited Sprint PCS Picture Mail to take, upload, send, preserve, and enhance an unlimited number of pictures, unlimited PCS Vision access, 100 SMS text messages and up to $5 credit per month towards the download of premium services. The cost of printing service varies by participating retailer.

ZipReviews.com: Camera Phone Reviews

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New Olympus "m:robe" MR-100 & MR-500i -- Mixing Music and Digital Imaging

Starting in early 2005, Olympus will officially enter the digital music market with the launch of two models in its new "m:robe" series of digital music players.

The flagship model of the new Olympus m:robe series is the MR-500i that combines a 20-gigabyte digital music player with a 1.22-megapixel digital camera. The device has a flat touch-screen interface incorporated into a 3.7-inch color VGA LCD display.

There's also a smaller version, the m:robe MR-100 Digital Music Player, a smaller dedicated music player that delivers 5 gigabytes of storage for over 1,200 songs. At 3.5" x 2" x .6" and weighing only 3.5 ounces, the MR-100 is more compact and lightweight than the MR-500i and its minimalist all-black face incorporates a No-Button touch-panel interface with a monochrome 160 x 128 dot-matrix display with striking red LED.

"Unlike traditional digital music players that only allow you to tune out the rest of the world, the m:robe MR-500i actually allows you to tune into the world by taking and experiencing your digital images on their own or together in a remix with your personal selection of music," said Keith Swiderski, Business Development Manager, Olympus Imaging America Inc.



The design of the MR-500i is elegantly simple both inside and out, with an easy-to-use interface that eliminates all unnecessary buttons and allows you to organize and access images and music in a way that makes sense.

On the surface, the all-black face of the MR-500i is as flat and smooth as glass, and its contoured body is very compact. Weighing only 7.4 ounces, and measuring 4.3" x 2.9 x .8" it's easy to slip into a pocket, purse or backpack.

The MR-500i 20 GB hard drives will store up to 5,000 songs in WMA or MP3 format. On the VGA LCD display, you can view not just song titles and lyrics, but also the CD art of the musician's work should you choose to upload it to the player.

With the built-in search capability, you can search songs by keyword, album, artist, genre, top 10 hits and favorites, and sort all images in albums at the touch of a finger.

The MR-500i also sports a wired remote that features a two-line LCD display connected to the ear-buds, so you can find a song, skip a song, shuffle the songs in random order, add a song to favorites, adjust the volume or change the display without ever removing the player from its hiding place.

The Digital Camera
Touching the PHOTO icon on the MR-500i main menu instantly transforms it into a 1.22-megapixel digital camera. The VGA touch-screen acts as a large 3.7-inch monitor in which to compose and review images taken with the camera located on the back of the MR-500i. There is no shutter button -- just tap anywhere on the touch-screen and instantly take digital images. You can view the pictures all at once, by album, or by date in a calendar view.

Images and Sound Together
On the screen is also a REMIX icon. "Remix Play" combines both your music and your images into animated slideshows to create a soundtrack for your pictures. First, choose the photos you want to include in the remix. Then select from one of the available Remix Templates -- Flash Back, Tiles, Geometric, or Birthday -- and then choose the song you wish to accompany the remix. It's a great way to put together a slide show with related music for a nice multimedia play-back.

Related Products:

• iRiver PMP-120 Portable Media Player (20 GB)
• RCA Lyra Audio/Video 20 GB Jukebox

Related Reveiw Sections:

• ZipReviews.com: MP3 Player Reviews
• ZipReviews.com: Portable DVD Players
• ZipReviews.com: Digital Cameras

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iRiver PMC-100 Portable Media Center

The new PMC-100 series allows you to enjoy videos, music and photos anywhere you go.

MILPITAS, Calif. - October 15, 2004 -- iRiver announced the PMC-100 series this week. The iRiver PMC-100 holds up to 160 hours of video, about 1,200 hours of music or thousands of digital photos, and weighs only 10 ounces.

Featuring a wide 3.5 inch color display, integrated speaker, and a replaceable battery, the PMC-100 series brings lightweight portability to recorded television, movies, home videos, music and photos. The PMC-100 series features Microsoft Windows Mobile software which makes it easy to transfer songs, photos and videos from the computer to the handheld device, and simple to navigate through music, videos, TV and photos.

This new portable media center takes advantage of the Auto Sync feature in Windows Media Player 10 so you can easily synch content between your computer and the new iRiver player. The PMC-100 series supports Windows Media DRM 10 and can play back Windows Media Audio and Video files.

The PMC-100 series also features an integrated speaker and microphone, removable and rechargeable battery and a TV-out for displaying video and images through a television or display.

Related Products:

• iRiver PMP-120 Portable Media Player (20 GB)
• RCA Lyra Audio/Video 20 GB Jukebox

Related Reveiw Sections:

• ZipReviews.com: MP3 Player Reviews
• ZipReviews.com: Portable DVD Players

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Digital Video Cameras Going to the Dogs

George Petschnigg was working on a product design for a dog video camera, and may have just created the first greatest K9 Producer. Check out some of the Dog Videos here (Windows Media Player required).

ZipReviews.com: Digital Video Camercorder Reviews.

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Canon PowerShot S70 Firmware Update (fix E51 Error)

Canon has released a firmware update for the Canon PowerShot S70 digital camera. The update prevents E51 errors from occurring when making specific print settings. Check the Canon website, where you can enter your camera serial number to see if it is one of the affected cameras. You can update the PowerShot S70 firmware by yourself, though you must be very careful when doing so, as making mistakes during a firmware update could render the camera inoperable. Make sure to read all the information on the Canon website before attempting updates. Firmware updates can also be performed by Canon (contact the Customer Support Help Desk listed in the Canon Customer Support Leaflet that came with the camera kit).

ZipReviews.com: Digital Camera Reviews

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Photo Blogs, Moblogs, and Online Camera Phone Galleries

Camera phone and blog technology meet. The result -- live mobile phone photo galleries from around the world.

San Francisco, CA -- With the proliferation of low-cost camera phones, online galleries and real world photo exhibits are displaying thousands of photos from digicam snapshooters from around the world.

If you have a camera phone, you can beam your photos live onto the Internet using a "Moblog". A moblog is a "mobile blog" -- your own online gallery where you can post your pix directly from your camera phone. Just email your pix to a specials email address and they'll post automatically to your online moblog photo gallery.

Here are just a few examples of Moblogs, Photo Blogs, and Mobile Phone Photo Galleries online:

• SnapNPost
• SentOnline
• RxGallery
• TextAmerica
• Buzznet
• Phlog
• Fotolog
• Yafro

Don't have a camera phone yet? Check out:
ZipReviews.com: Camera Phone Reviews

Related Links: See ZipReviews.com for Digital Camera Reviews

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Documentary Films Shot Entirely on Motorola V710 Camera Phones

Innovative cinematographer Edward Lachman puts Motorola V710 mobile phones to good creative use to film Street Stories,, 5 short documentary films focusing on how mobile phones have become an integral part of modern day life.

The five subjects of Street Stories all recount a personal experience where the mobile phone greatly impacted their lives. Telling stories of close calls and salvaged romances, the five shorts are entitled Bear, Dog, Fiona, Taxi and Wrong Number.

According to Lachman, "the documentary is a credit to the world of the arts as well as the world of technology, exposing our culture's deep connection to mobile phones through the filming technique and the stories told."

Using the "Polaroid mosaic" visual style, where a single individual is made up of multiple shots in a fixed pose, Lachman captures viewers' attention with unique visuals and humorous stories. He achieves this mosaic through the simultaneous use of six V710 phones rigged in a special multi-camera setup.

The Motorola V710 has a megapixel camera, video capture and playback, Bluetooth technology and large color screen.

See: ZipReviews.com Camera Phone Reviews

View Street Stories.

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Fuji Finepix F810 Digital Camera

The new Fujifilm Finepix F810 shoots in both standard and wide-screen formats

VALHALLA, NY, September 23, 2004 -- For consumers who enjoy viewing their digital still images or movie clips on widescreen TVs or monitors, Fuji has announced the FinePix F810 digital camera. Featuring the same high quality Super CCD HR sensor, new image processor and 4x zoom lens found in the recently introduced FinePix E550, the new F810 provides the additional versatility of shooting in either standard (4:3) or widescreen (16:9) formats.

The FinePix F810 offers 6.3 million effective pixels and can capture up to 4048 x 3040 recorded pixels (12.3 million) in standard mode or 3968 x 2232 recorded pixels (8.9 million) in widescreen mode using Fujifilm's proprietary Super CCD HR (High Resolution) sensor system. The sensor offers expanded sensitivity, from ISO 80 for superb image quality to ISO 200 and 400 for high performance and ultra-high ISO 800 (at 3MP mode or less) for low light or fast action photography.

This unique image sensor is powered by a new image processor, which provides incredible speed combined with drastically reduced noise levels. As a result, the camera is ready to go in a start-up time of 1.2 seconds, is able to capture images with a frame-to-frame time of 1.0 second, and features a shutter lag of just 0.05 seconds.

The FinePix F810 is equipped with a Fujinon 4x optical zoom lens with a 35mm camera equivalent of 32.5-130mm in standard mode and 35.5-142mm in widescreen mode. The camera also offers a variety of shooting modes ranging from automatic, manual, programmed AE, aperture or shutter priority AE, macro, to four pre-programmed scene positions (portrait, landscape, sports, night scene). In addition, a continuous shooting mode may be selected, capturing top or final 4 frames at a rate of 3 frames/second, as well as a long burst mode, at a maximum of 1.6 frames/second, recording up to 40 frames (at 2 megapixel mode only). The FinePix F810 captures movie clips at 30 frames/second at full VGA with sound, either in standard or widescreen mode, with no time limitations.

The FinePix F810 offers a 2.1-inch widescreen LCD screen that provides approximately 100% of coverage for easy viewing and control. The camera is powered by a NP-40 rechargeable Lithium-ion battery and comes with Fujifilm's PictureCradle for recharging as well as for fast image downloading.

"The FinePix F810 is yet another example of Fujifilm's innovation and technology," said Bill Drysdale, Vice President of Marketing, Digital Devices Division, Imaging Group, Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. "It's fast, produces outstanding images and can be used in standard mode to view or make prints, or in widescreen mode when still images or movie clips are to be viewed on a widescreen TV or monitor."

The FinePix F810 digital camera will be available in October 2004 with an MSRP of $599.

Other top Fuji digital cameras include:

• FujiFilm FinePix A330 3.2MP Digital Camera
• Fujifilm FinePix S7000 6.3 MP Digital Camera
• FujiFilm A340 4MP Digital Camera
• Fujifilm Finepix S3100 4MP Digital Camera

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Canon PowerShot SD20 Digital Camera: Check the Colors!

Form Meets Function With Canon's New Five-Megapixel Beauties That Feature Fashionable Fall Colors in Garnet, Midnight Blue, Zen Gray and Silver

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Sept. 21, 2004 -- It's a great little camera, so why not add the style of these hot new camera colors. The new PowerShot SD20 Digital ELPH cameras combine excellent image quality and compact size (3.6 x 1.9 x 0.7 inches) with some extra sizzle.

The exterior package of these cameras are designed for the trendsetter. The PowerShot SD20 Digital ELPH comes in four new, exclusive colors that are ready to snap up plenty of attention this season.

Canon's new PowerShot SD20 Digital ELPH cameras exude style. These new models replace last year's superbly successful PowerShot SD10 Digital ELPH cameras, which debuted as the fall season's sizzling new fashion accessory when mega-hot fashion designer and star costumer Patricia Field paired the SD10 Digital ELPH cameras with her latest line and her models wore the cameras down her 2003 "House of Field" Fashion Week catwalk.

"With the introduction of these four new aesthetically designed PowerShot SD20 Digital ELPH cameras, consumers on the cutting edge of fashion can match their best fall looks with a digital camera that provides uncompromising quality and style," said Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager of the Consumer Imaging Group at Canon U.S.A. "The PowerShot SD20 Digital ELPH cameras offer upgraded features and enhanced image quality from their predecessors, in a compact package."

Distinctive Design
Through extreme dedication, Canon has achieved a design that actively contributes to peak performance and is yet exceptionally pleasing to the eye. Featuring the power of an all-glass Canon lens and the precision of DIGIC technology, the new PowerShot SD20 DIGITAL ELPH cameras elegantly combine function and fashion.

Sturdy Construction
The Canon SD20 are made up of a combination of metals including high-grade stainless steel and aluminum alloys with a variety of textures. Each color-variation is built using a unique process that accentuates its individual color.

Full Functionality
The PowerShot SD20 Digital ELPH cameras incorporate a full range of high-performance features including a high-quality four-element 6.4mm (equivalent to 39mm in 35mm format) f /2.8 single focal length lens and a 6.5x digital zoom. The camera also features an easy to read 1.5-inch (diagonally measured) color LCD Screen, through the lens (TTL) 9-point AiAF autofocus and an Intelligent Orientation Sensor that provides the user with a horizontal image during playback, even if the picture was taken vertically. The camera's shutter speeds (mechanical and electronic) range from 15 seconds to 1/1500th of a second and there are 6 white balance modes including Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent and Fluorescent H settings.

Print/Share...
At the Touch of a ButtonThe Print/Share button, found on most of Canon's new PowerShot models makes it easy, quick and convenient for anyone to produce high-quality photos without the need for a computer. Direct printing also speeds and simplifies printing to compatible Canon and PictBridge-enabled printers. The Print/Share feature also enables one-touch Direct Transfer to Windows XP, Me, 2000 and 98 computers, uploading to the Internet or emailing. Once connected, the Print/Share button will light up blue, indicating that it is ready to print. When used with Canon's portable Compact Photo Printers, consumers can make 4 x 6 inch photos in 85 seconds from virtually anywhere.

More information about the SD20 Digital ELPH Cameras:

• SD20 Digital ELPH (Garnet)
• SD20 Digital ELPH (Midnight Blue)
• SD20 Digital ELPH (Zen Gray)
• SD20 Digital ELPH (Silver)

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Photomicrographs: Digital Photography & Nanotechnology

MELVILLE, N.Y., Oct. 6, 2004 -- The winning image of the 30th Annual Nikon International Small World Competition represents a range of new possibilities using nanotechnolgy to transform our physical world in ways never before imagined.

Out of 1,200 images submitted from around the globe, only twenty were selected for this year's Small World Photomicrography exhibit. These winners will be recognized tonight at a twilight reception held at Good Morning America's Studios in New York's Times Square, where Nikon will debut the complete gallery of winning photos set to tour science and art museums across the nation beginning January 1, 2005.

The top three images include Mr. Seth Coe-Sullivan's image, a spiderwort flower anther and immature pollen by Dr. Shirley Owens, of the Michigan State University Center for Advanced Microcopy, and an image of differentiating neuronal cells by Dr. Torsten Wittmann of The Scripps Research Institute of Cell Biology.

"This year's 30th Anniversary of Small World recognizes the world's best photomicrographers who make critically important scientific contributions to life sciences, bio-research and materials science. These winners stand on the cusp of a revolution in imaging technology that enable scientific professionals to deepen their research and share their results faster with other scientific professionals who, in turn, build upon their accomplishments.

We are all beneficiaries of their scientific insights and artistic perceptions," said Lee Shuett, executive vice president, Nikon Instruments. "The photomicrographs featured in the gallery of art demonstrate scientific curiosity blended with extraordinary artistic sensibility."

Nikon Instruments also announced today that it will kick off its Small World museum tour throughout the US in January. "The Nikon Small World Exhibit attracts thousands of people of all ages fascinated by these uniquely moving images," said Eric Flem, communications manager, Nikon Instruments. "These photos allow us to share in the special moments of discovery that spark scientific curiosity, and can serve as inspiration to aspiring young scientists."

The Nikon Small World 2004 distinguished panel of judges included Michael Davidson, of Florida State University, Michael Peres, Ph.D., of the Rochester Institute of Technology, Bonnie Stutski, photo editor of Smithsonian Magazine, Ellis Rubenstein, president of the New York Academy of Sciences, and Ted Salmon, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina.

Now in its 30th year, the Small World contest was founded in 1974 to recognize excellence in photography through the microscope. Each year, Nikon makes the winning images accessible to the public through the Nikon Small World calendar, a national museum tour, and an electronic gallery featured at NikonSallWorld.com. The competition's reputation has grown over the years and is regarded as the leading forum for recognizing beauty and complexity as seen through the microscope. The Nikon Small World Photomicrography Competition is open to anyone with an interest in photomicrography. Participants may access entry forms and submit their images in traditional 35mm format, or upload digital images directly at MicroscopyU on the Nikon Web site (http://www.nikonusa.com).

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Digital Photography Group to Set Digital Imaging Standards

COLOGNE, Germany, Oct. 3, 2004 -- Eastman Kodak Company, Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., and Konica Minolta Photo Imaging, Inc. today announced an agreement to jointly develop a set of open standards for the consumer imaging and electronics industries, aimed at the preservation of digital photos and motion images on CDs, DVDs or other media.

As information storage technologies advance, the Picture Archiving and Sharing Standard (PASS) group's intention is to enable digital file compatibility with future playback devices, preserving the satisfying ‘photo experience' that consumers have enjoyed for decades.

The group intends that the new standard will:

• Define the requirements of digital media authoring/archival, playback, and print enablement for a new generation of products and services;
  
• Provide interoperability for pictures, motion images, audio and related content among such future systems;
  
• Utilize and unify multiple existing standards, to better meet the consumer's desire to easily store, organize, print and share for generations to come.
  

"We're looking at this from a consumer's perspective," stated Hisatoyo Kato, director, senior vice president, general manager, Business Development Division, Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. "People need to be confident that their pictures and videos will be readily available to enjoy and share in future decades. With all the different devices and systems that touch those digital files, and with the speed of technological change, creating a standard focused on such future interoperability is critical."

"The standard created by the PASS group will not only satisfy consumers by simplifying picture and video experiences through device interoperability, but will also benefit the entire digital imaging industry. For instance, retail photofinishers and consumer electronics companies, such as manufacturers of DVD players, will be able to utilize the standard for expanded business opportunities," stated Tsuyoshi Miyachi, president and chief executive officer, Konica Minolta Photo Imaging, Inc.

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