Digital Camera News, 1/17/08

Eye-Fi wireless SD card to offer direct iPhoto uploading

As expected, not a lot of interesting imaging news came out of this week's Macworld Conference & Expo, which wraps up tomorrow in San Francisco. WiFi-enabled SD card manufacturer Eye-Fi did offer one bit of interesting camera news during the event with the addition of iPhoto compatibility to the company's photo transfer system.

The Eye-Fi card uses WiFi transfer technology to wirelessly upload photos directly from your digital camera over a wireless network. Previous implementations worked primarily with a dedicated on-computer folder or online photo sharing sites. According to an Eye-Fi press release filed Monday, a downloadable upgrade will allow Macintosh users to bypass online sharing-site transfer and upload the photos directly to Apple's iPhoto software via their home wireless network.

Current Eye-Fi users can download the Mac update; new versions of the product will ship with the upgrade, which also provides setup support for Apple's Safari browser.

We're expecting an Eye-Fi test unit any day now, and will give the card's new capabilities a test drive during our product review.

New Panasonic AAs promise doubled battery life

If you're a Canon PowerShot A-series user, take note: the tech blog Engadget.com reported yesterday that Panasonic has released a new lineup of alkalines billed as "the longest lasting AA battery cell in the world."

According to reports, Panasonic's EVOLTA line of batteries last between 1.3 and 2 times longer than conventional alkaline batteries. Scheduled ship date is in late April. According to Engadget, expect a 15% price premium for the improved performance.

Check out the full story here.

Pentax will push DSLR development, official statement says

Speculation around what to expect from Pentax at the upcoming PMA show has reached fever pitch, with recently leaked photos of a potential new DSLR from Pentax partner Samsung only adding to the rumor noise.

A cryptic statement from Pentax appearing on the PMA Newsline today confirms (not surprisingly) that the company "will keep focusing on DSLR" for 2008, according to Pentax exec Hitoshi Sasaki.

"The segment will demand not only the cameras but also interchangeable lenses and accessories, contributing much to the expansion of sales and profits," Sasaki continued. "The lens line will further be enriched this year." The statement mentioned possible upgrades to Pentax's Optio compacts as well.

No official word on what shape these new lens additions might take, or on whether a new camera body or bodies are forthcoming for PMA.

Corel PhotoImpact X3 provides another affordable editing suite

According to a Tuesday press release from software maker Corel, another cost-effective photo editing solution should be hitting the market any day now.

Corel's PhotoImpact X3 promises to bring together "easy-to-use photo editing, inspiring photo projects, and amazing digital art to make digital photography and image creativity fun, fast, and easy." Focusing heavily on one-click fixes for common editing tasks, the latest upgrade to Corel's ongoing PhotoImpact software line is targeted to hobbyists and home users looking for basic functionality.

The new software and complete product information are already available through Corel's website. Pricing is $69.99 for the full version, and $49.99 for the upgrade. Look for an in-store release in a few weeks.