Kodak announces world's first US$999 digital frame

Sorry, it's the "world's first consumer-available wireless picture frame featuring innovative Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) technology" actually. That's right, it's a 7.6-inch, backlight-free, OLED-panel digital picture frame with built-in wireless for just less than US$1,000.

On the upside (yes, I consider a US$999 price tag a downside), Kodak's Wi-Fi technology allows you to access pictures, video, and music stored on PCs throughout your home, as well as connect to online photo- and video-sharing sites (like Kodak Gallery, and Kodak partners Flickr and FrameChannel), and Internet content portals for news, weather, sports and other stuff. So that's cool. And it has 2GB of built-in internal memory, too.

I don't know for sure if the frame has to stay attached to the front of the base or not (I'm guessing that's where the frame's power supply, speakers, built-in memory-card reader, and USB port live). I'm hoping not, 'cause on first impression from this picture that base is ugly and kinda kills the whole ultra-thinness of the frame for me.

The OLED Wireless Frame will be available at Kodak.com beginning in the 2008 holiday season, with additional online and retail distribution to be announced. Though if you're giving this as a gift, you're loaded, out of gift ideas, or both. If this is you, would you please put me on your shopping list?

Via Crave CNET

Casio goes slow-mo again

Picture credit: Casio

Casio has announced its second camera to feature high-speed image capture and video recording today. In the same class as the Exilim Pro EX-F1 which wowed us, the EX-FH20 seems set to do the same.

The 1,000 frames per second (fps) video capture rate of the EX-FH20 may not be on par with the EX-F1's 1,200fps, but non-discerning consumers probably won't be able to tell the difference. While the EX-F1 has more exposure functions and is suitable for the enthusiasts, the EX-FH20 offers simpler controls and is targeted at the mainstream consumers.

Besides boasting a 20x optical zoom and sensor-shift image stabilization, the EX-FH20 is also a speed junkie. The default resolution is 9 megapixels but tune it down to 7.1 megapixels and the shooter will rattle off and shoot pictures at 40 fps. This is much faster than what most dSLRs can achieve. Casio also mentioned the camera will pre-capture 40 images before you press the shutter so you won't miss that great shot.
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Carl Zeiss to manufacture Canon's EF mount-compatible lenses

Picture credit: Carl Zeiss

Ever since Carl Zeiss put up its teaser ad on its site for a new lens mount, concerned photographers and rumormongers had been speculating over the past few weeks as to which brand the firm will make next. We placed our bets on the Micro Four Thirds format, but now we'll just go hungry for the next few weeks--the German optics manufacturer has just announced two lenses for Canon's EF mount.

The Planar T 50mm F1.4 and Planar T 85mm F1.4 are already up on the company's Web site, and it's been mentioned that they will retail for approximately US$830 and US$1,425, respectively. Word on the street has it that there will be a Distagon 21mm F2.8 glass which is estimated to sell for about US$1,995 coming later this year.

The lenses are all manual-focused, but have been engineered to work with EOS cameras produced since 1987. Functions such as program, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual exposure control will work well with the optics as there are electrical contacts to facilitate the transfer of information.

Much as Carl Zeiss is a heritage brand with a long legacy of producing some of the world's finest optics, we don't think consumers will flock to the new lenses due to their steep cost. And besides, the Japanese firm has a greater variety of glasses to suit different shutterbugs.

We are trying to find out if these lenses will be available in Asia, so check back with us soon.

National Geographic to launch mobile Web site

A few days before CTIA Fall 2008 began, the National Geographic Society announced a new effort to bring its content to mobile devices. The society will launch a WAP site next month that will offer photos, animal ringtones, articles from National Geographic magazine, and video from the society's television shows. Though exact content and the URL are still under development, mobile division vice president Aaron Kohn said that there also will be an online "green" guide with tips on eco-friendly products and shopping for sustainable fish.

Kohn confirmed that National Geographic is not looking to form an MVNO, but he said that the society is in talks with carriers and manufacturers to bring National Geographic branding to new handsets. That's good news considering our disappointment with the Cellular Abroad's National Geographic Talk Abroad Travel Phone. What's more, he said an National Geographic app for the iPhone is in the works.

At launch, all content on the WAP site will be free. Next year, however, the society plans to introduce paid content.

Via Crave CNET

SanDisk CompactFlash gets bigger, faster

Despite rumors of a buyout, it's memory business as usual for SanDisk, and that includes a new 32GB Extreme III CompactFlash card.

Like its 16GB sibling, the 32GB card is stuck in branding limbo: Faster than the standard 20MB per second Extreme III flash and slower than the 40MB per second Extreme IV cards, the 30GB per second 16GB and 32GB cards suffer the ID indignity of needing the speed printed right on the label. The 32GB card will cost you US$299 when it ships in October. Unfortunately, as SanDisk doesn't currently offer a 16GB or 32GB Extreme IV or slower Extreme III, I can't tell you whether it's worth the extra bucks.

Via Crave CNET

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