Just in case you really needed yetanother alternative in the portable photo storage drive department, Jobo is doing you one better — introducing two new devices. Both the GIGA Vu Sonic and GIGA One Sonic will download up to 1GB in 30 seconds, and both feature RAW decoding, up to 250GB storage, and a 3.2-inch color display. In addition, these guys accommodate all the standard media card formats, including CompactFlash, Microdrive, SecureDigital (SD), SDHC, (Memory Stick) MS, MS Pro, MS Duo, and MultiMediaCard (MMC). Prices start at €329 ($417) for the GIGA Vu Sonic, and €240 for the GIGA One Sonic. Available worldwide next month. Full PR and specs after the break.

Continue reading Jobo unveils two new GIGA photo storage devices

Jobo unveils two new GIGA photo storage devices originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The rumor mill seems to be coalescing around a new CyberShot DSC-HX1 camera from Sony in the run-up to the big PMA camera show next week. In fact, on-line camera shops are already adding placeholders for Sony’s new flagship, super-zoom with 1080p video and HQ sound. If true, we’re just days away from seeing the official launch of a 9 megapixel (CMOS) camera with 20x zoom, 2.7-inch (possibly 3.0-inch like the DSC-H50) LCD, optical SteadyShot with anti-motion blur, and a 10fps burst rate at unspecified resolution. Rumor also has it priced at £400 which directly translates to $571 — though it’ll likely be priced between $400 and $500 (pre-tax) Stateside as these things generally go.

[Thanks, Semi]

There’s something undeniably sexy, romantic even, about modern digital rangefinders. Perhaps it’s the bevy of tactile controls that stand in such stark contrast to the button-less touchscreen trend infecting consumer electronics. Perhaps it’s nostalgia. Whatever it is, the Epson R-D1x just created a momentary pause of reverence amongst Engadget editors. Not much has changed since the R-D1 (followed by the R-D1s) was introduced four years ago: that 6 megapixel APS-C CCD sensor, RAW and JPEG support, and Leica M and L glass compatibility remain. Epson just modernized things a bit by adding a handgrip (model R-D1xG), a bigger 2.5-inch LCD, support for the SDHC card format (up to 32GB), and improved EDiART image processing. But this shooter isn’t about the specs, it’s about emotion. Ships April 9th for an undisclosed price.

[Via Impress]

Epson’s R-D1x digital Rangefinder locates our analog hearts originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Well, we dug up some hands-on pics of that new waterproof Canon PowerShot D10 we’ve been hearing about recently. Obviously, since it’s aimed at the “sport” set it has to be available in “camouflage,” and since it’s waterproof it has to be sort of bulky. As for the stats, this guy rocks a 12.1-megapixel sensor, DIGIC 4 processor, 3x zoom, image stabilization, and a 2.5-inch PureColor LCD II display that’s said to be twice as bright as the company’s standard LCD II. In addition, the camera is waterproof up to 10 meters, shock resistant, and the display sits behind a 2mm shield — if you should happen to drop this off the roof of an evil genuis’s high-tech lair (or into a pitcher of beer), no worries. Going for about $329, available at the end of April. Hit the read link for the pics.

Canon’s new PowerShot D10 is rugged, bulbous, and waterproof originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Olympus just joined the pre-PMA pileup with the announcement of its E-620 DSLR for entry-level enthusiasts. The E-620 is a mash-up of Olympus’ semi-pro E-30 and entry-level E-520 in a compact body approaching Oly’s own E-420 (the world’s smallest DSLR when launched). The resulting cam brings a 12.3 megapixel Live MOS image sensor with sensor-shift image stabilization, 7-point AF, TruePic III+ image processor, built-in wireless flash controller, and a fully articulating, 2.7-inch tilt-and-swivel live-view LCD. It also features Olympus’ Art Filters which take in-camera image enhancements a bit beyond sepia. Expect the E-620 body to ship in May for about $700; $800 with the 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 lens. Front-side front after the break.

LG, Samsung and Kodak have already gotten themselves into quite a legal tangle, but things have really come full circle in the last few days, with both Samsung and LG filing suits at the International Trade Commission over some alleged patent infringment on Kodak’s part. This, of course, follows Kodak’s complaints that both Samsung and LG were infringing on its patents, which the ITC is now apparently investigating in full. As you might expect, however, details on the patents involved, and any other specifics, are fairly light all around, but Kodak did manage to get a shot in at Samsung, saying that its latest filing is just a “retaliatory tactic and we intend to vigorously contest Samsung’s claims.” No word of a squabble between Samsung and LG just yet, though the two aren’t without their past tensions.

Olympus still hasn’t let out any sort of official word on a release date for it hotly-anticipated Micro Four Thirds cameras, but the company has just announced two new less-than-anticipated models, which will apparently each be exclusive to UK retailer Jessops for the time being. On the higher end of the range is the 12-megapixel Olympus X-915 (pictured above), which packs an ample 5x optical zoom, a 2.7-inch “hypercrystal” LCD, image stabilization, smile recognition, and a price tag of £299 (or about $435). At £259 (or $375), the 10-megapixel X-890 will save you a few bucks, but you’ll have to make do with some not insignificant trade-offs, including a more conventional 3x optical zoom, and a lack of smile recognition and some other features, though you will apparently still get some basic face recognition. No word on a broader roll-out for these just yet, but those in UK should be able to snag each at Jessops right now.

UK retailer launches exclusive Olympus X-915, X-890 digital cameras originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The GPS circuitry in the iPhone 3G could be used to do more — a lot more, in fact — than it currently does, and it looks like Apple might have an eye on an angle most people wouldn’t have considered (in other words, something other than turn-by-turn). Digging through iPhoto ’09’s innermost sanctums has apparently revealed references to some sort of asynchronous geotagging capability, whereby selecting locations from an app on the phone (or iPod touch, as the case may be) could be transferred directly to iPhoto and associated with events — perfect for shooting with, say, a real camera while toting your phone in your pocket. Of course, the capability is purely vestigial for now — no announcement has been made, and there’s no way for users to access this directly — so Apple could’ve spiked it or has it queued up for a future firmware update. Time will tell.

[Via iLounge and Ars Technica]

Apple to use iPhone’s GPS to geotag locationless photos? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Well, it looks like Samsung has learned a thing or two from all those KIRF cameras we’ve seen over the years, with its new 9-megapixel PL10 model packing a number of “multimedia” functions in addition to the usual picture-taking abilities. While there doesn’t appear to be an e-book reader or any games to speak of, the camera will apparently handle your MP3s and video files with relative ease, and even let you whip up a quick slideshow set to the cheesy tune of your choice right on the camera. As for the camera itself, you’ll have to make do without such niceties as an optical zoom, but you will get some face detection and digital image stabilization, as well as a decently-sized 2.7-inch LCD and, of course, your choice of five different colors. Look for this one to hit the UK in April for £179, or roughly $260.

Samsung debuts PL10 “multimedia camera” originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sigma hasn’t had a whole lot to say about its DP1 follow-up, the DP2, since it announced it last fall, but it looks to have pulled out all, or most of the stops for the Focus on Imaging trade show in Birmingham this week, where it has a fully functional pre-production model on hand. As you can see above, the camera doesn’t stray very far at all from the straightforwardness of the DP1 in terms of appearance, but the folks at SigmaUser did find quite a few less immediately noticeable differences once they got to check it out up close, including an improved grip and larger thumb rest area, a new startup / shutdown screen, an improved menu system and, ISO settings right up to 3200, among other promised improvements. Hit up the read link below for a closer look.

[Via 1001 Noisy Cameras]

Sigma DP2 shows itself in pre-production form originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.