To coincide with the Walkman™ phone’s third birthday, Sony Ericsson has unveiled three brand new mobile phones giving music on the go to more users than ever. Best-in-class sound quality takes music on your mobile to the next level.

Building on three year’s experience and technology 30 years in the making, Sony Ericsson continues to lead the way in the mobile phone music arena with cutting edge music technology and unique accessories.

Today, Sony Ericsson unveils its latest innovative additions to the Walkman™ phone family: the W902, W595 and W302, and seven new music accessories. Sony Ericsson is unveiling phones and accessories with superior sound quality and pioneering features that take Walkman™ phones beyond music and expectations with fantastic extras such as great imaging and video capabilities.

“Since the launch of our first Walkman™ phone in 2005, Sony Ericsson has continued to pioneer a superior mobile music experience - and the 77 million Walkman™ phones sold to date are testament to this commitment,” says Ben Padley, Head of the Music Category at Sony Ericsson. “With this latest range of phones and accessories, we are offering high quality sound and a rich feature set that cements our position as a leader in the music phone category. We are pushing the boundaries of what people think is possible and are offering best-in-class sound quality and our most exciting Walkman™ phones to date.”

The list of pioneering and innovative features found on Walkman™ phones continues to be unmatched in the industry. Features like the music recognition application TrackID™, SensMe™, for matching your mood to the music and Shake control to change tracks with the flick of your hand make Walkman™ phones stand out from the rest.

Sony Ericsson can now also announce best-in-class sound quality and a clear audio experience from its W902 Walkman™. The W902 features the same superior sound quality as the W980, about to launch shortly, which was rated ”best audio experience” this month, in a trial conducted in Germany by TESTfactory*.

With the W902, users can listen to music the way it should be heard: true to original. It’s also a mobile phone for those that want it all, with a five megapixel camera and great video capturing and sharing capabilities, an 8GB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2) for storing more than 8,000 songs**, the W902 is a top-of-the-range device that will make you the envy of your friends.

The W595 Walkman™ is perfect for those who want to share sounds with their friends. Store and play more than 1,900 songs** through the built in stereo speakers. Plug in the in-box sharing jack to listen silently to your tunes with a friend or Bluetooth™ your sounds to Sony Ericsson’s range of wireless speakers.

The new W302 Walkman™ is packed with impressive features in an affordable no-compromise slim handset. Targeting all audiences, the phone comes complete with an impressive two megapixel camera, FM radio, TrackID™ and 512MB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2).

The next generation of accessories includes three new sets of speakers, the MBS-200, MBS-400 and MPS-100, to help music lovers go beyond the individual and play music directly from their mobile phone. Enhancing its music accessories collection Sony Ericsson has also introduced three new stereo headphones, HBH-IS800, HPM-88 and HPM-66 for the optimal listening experience.

The Walkman™ phone through history
Walkman™ phone continues to chart high

• August 2005 – Sony Ericsson launches its very first Walkman™ phone – the W800
• December 2005 - Three million Walkman™ phones sold to date
• April 2006 – Sony Ericsson launches its first Walkman™ phone music accessories; MPS-60 portable speakers, which goes on to sell millions of units worldwide
• October 2006 – Sony Ericsson launches its first slider Walkman™ phone – the W850 which also introduces the unique TrackID™ music recognition application
• November 2006 –Sony Ericsson launches the W950 Walkman™ with the biggest storage yet - 4GB
• December 2006 – 20 million Walkman™ phones sold to date
• February 2007 – Sony Ericsson launches its slimmest Walkman™ - the W880
• November 2007 – W910 Walkman™ phone with Turbo 3G/HSDPA launches as a complete entertainment device
• December 2007 – Walkman™ phone sales hit 57 million
• February 2008 – Sony Ericsson launches the W350, with Walkman™ on top and W380 with gesture control
• July 2008 – W980 Walkman™ phone with clear audio experience launches

With Sony Ericsson today music is reborn. What are you waiting for? Join the Walkman™ phone family and experience music how it was meant to be heard.

For more information visit www.sonyericsson.com/reveals

The W302 Walkman™ is an EDGE/GSM/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets in Midnight Black and Sparkling White in Q4 of 2008.

The W902 Walkman™ is a UMTS/HSDPA 2100 and EDGE/GSM/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets in Volcanic Black, Wine Red and Earth Green in Q4 of 2008.

The W595 Walkman™ is a UMTS/HSDPA 2100 and EDGE/GSM/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets in Active Blue, Cosmopolitan White, Jungle Grey and Lava Black in Q4 of 2008.

The W595c Walkman™ is a GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets in Active Blue, Cosmopolitan White and Jungle Grey in Q4 of 2008.

The W595a Walkman™ is a GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets in Active Blue, Cosmopolitan White, Jungle Grey and Lava Black in Q4 of 2008.

The Wireless Portable Speaker MBS-200 will be available in selected markets from Q4 2008.

The Wireless Portable Speaker MBS-400 will be available in selected markets from Q4 2008.

The Portable Speakers MPS-100 will be available in selected markets from Q4 2008

The Wireless Stereo Headphones HBH-IS800 will be available in selected markets from Q4 2008

The Noise Cancelling Headphones HPM-88 will be available in selected markets from Q4 2008

The Active Headphones HPM-66 will be available in selected markets from Q4 2008

Legal
1) Facts and features may vary depending on local variant.
2) Talk and standby times are affected by network preferences, type of SIM card, connected accessories and various activities e.g. games. Kit contents and colour options may differ from market to market. The full range of accessories may not be available in every market.
* The TESTfactory is an independent testing laboratory of Motor Presse Stuttgart, which is certified according to DIN EN ISO 9001 and is accredited in accordance with ISO / IEC 17025.
** Assumes eAAC+ encoded files

© Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, 2008.

The liquid identity, SensMe, TrackID, PlayNow and BestPic™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB. Sony, Walkman and the Walkman logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Corporation.
Ericsson is the trademark or registered trademark of Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson.
TrackID is powered by Gracenote Mobile MusicID. Gracenote and Gracenote Mobile MusicID are trademarks of Gracenote, Inc.
Bluetooth is a trademark or registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG Inc.
Java and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved. Subject to change without prior notice.

Sony Ericsson is a top global industry player with sales of over 100 million phones in 2007. Diversity is one of the core strengths of the company, with operations in over 80 countries including manufacturing in China and R&D sites in China, Europe, India, Japan and North America. Sony Ericsson was established as a 50:50 joint venture by Sony and Ericsson in October 2001, with global corporate functions located in London.

via sonyericsson 

Since we moved to Valencia I have been taking tons of videos for our Valencia Blog - but it’s getting really frustrating just recording with my little Exilim. I like the size of it but as you can see here, the quality ist just poor. It’s time to go HD and Vimeo also let’s you upload HD videos for free. Sweet. This camera really might be an option. 99 Euros don’t really hurt - any opinions? Will this camera produce videos like this?

via random-good-stuf 

That's why the new Photo Safe II from Digital Foci caught my eye. It's basically a 5400 RPM hard drive in a portable form factor with an integrated card reader. The .6-ounce Photo Safe II holds 80- or 160 GB depending on which model you buy and retails for $139 and $189 respectively. The card reader can handle a number of formats: Compact Flash, RS-MMC, miniSD, Memory Stick, MS PRO, MS Duo, xD, and the SD card that my Canon uses. The battery only lasts for around 80 minutes, but since the device only needs to be powered on to pull photos from my SD card while I'm out and about, that should be plenty. Digital Foci says that you can fully transfer a 1 GB compact flash card worth of files sixteen times on a charge. I'm taking a bunch of photos, but I won't hit that limit in one journey. I could use the SD card reader in my UMPC for this purpose, but I don't use that device for photo editing, so I'd prefer not to use that solution.

Once home, you can connect the Photo Safe II to a PC, Mac or Linux computer for photo transfer over USB 2.0. Until I decide if I want to buy one of these, I'm using the SanDisk SD cards that crack in half to expose a USB port. I think however, the Photo Safe II could fit nicely in my digital workflow... one that I'm patterning after Thomas Hawk, who generously shared his own workflow with the blogosphere earlier this year. Highly recommended reading for anyone that uses a digital camera.

via jkontherun 

By Jonathan Kimak

This looks like it could be a lot of fun. The Flee Digital Camera is designed specifically to take photos after you’ve launched it into the air. The casing for the camera actually looks like it was inspired by some of the fancier balls made for playing fetch with your dog.

The Flee is bluetooth enabled and will transmit the photos it takes directly to your cellphone. No word on the size and quality of the pictures or on what the usable range away from the cellphone is.

I think this would be fantastic for taking photos of various sports. Take it to the beach and throw it over your friends playing volleyball and get some great aerial shots.

It was designed by Turkish designer Hakan Bogazpinar...

via ohgizmo

Engadget HD managed to acquire one of JVC's Everio HD40 camcorders -- you know, that HD shooter with 120GB of onboard storage. If you're interested in seeing it get unboxed and manhandled (along with comparison shots with Samsung's delightful SC-HMX20C), click on over and enjoy. For those wanting some serious impressions, keep a check on this space -- we'll be forming some opinions and penning a review here shortly...

via engadget 

Creative Vado Pocket Video Cam

When it launched last September, Pure Digital's Flip video camera single-handedly revolutionized the camcorder world. With a sub-$200 price point, an extremely portable design, and a simple camera-to-Internet upload process, the device quickly captured an astonishing 13 percent of the market and has maintained a spot atop Amazon's best-seller list ever since. The device's unprecedented success ushered in a new class of gadget: the YouTube camcorder. The extremely familiar form factor suggests that Creative got its inspiration for the Vado Pocket Video Cam from Pure Digital. In the process, the company designed a camcorder that improves upon the Flip Ultra in a number of ways but still falls short in a few key areas.

(Editor's Note: Pure Digital's new Flip Mino, a follow-up to the Ultra, was announced on June 4. Check back soon for a full review.)

via pcmag 

Oregon Scientific's ATC5K and ATC3K action cameras are ready for, you know, action

The new ATC5K and ATC3K, Oregon Scientific's action-packed followup to its ATC2K camera from 2006, bring a few common-sensical upgrades to the waterproof, shock resistant original. They still shoot VGA, but the 3K has new 48 degree field of view and a new CMOS sensor, while the 5K bumps it 53 degrees and a 1.5-inch LCD. The cameras run on AA batteries and can handle up to 4GB SD cards, but where these cheap-cams really "shine" is the multiple included mounting attachments for recording your various extreme sporting exploits. Or when you really just need to set yourself on fire and put it on YouTube -- that works too. The ATC3K will be out in July for $150, with the ATC5K following in August for $200...

via engadget 

Expect More Than a Digital Photo Frame

Taipei, Taiwan, May 30, 2008 – In a marked shift from the analog to digital, many users utilize digital photo frames to showcase their loved ones or memorable events. ASUS recently launched a 7" digital photo frame, the ASUS UFOTO UF735, which not only displays your favorite digital photos with music accompaniment, but also doubles as a mini monitor on your desk to show information updates such as messenger windows, gadget information, picture viewer etc. Incorporated with a unique and exquisite design, the ASUS UFOTO UF735 truly deserves the accolade of winning the 2008 RedDot product design award in terms of innovation, functionality and product quality.

A Digital Album Comes with Excellent Display Performance
The UFOTO UF735 is embedded with a 7-inch high-resolution digital LCD panel to display brilliant photos. It is designed with an exquisite metal frame, lighting effects, symmetrical and intuitive control buttons that are easy to use for functional settings. Users can place their favorite digital photos and music into the UFOTO UF735 via memory cards, USB flash or syncing with the computer. They can also combine them seamlessly into a photo slideshow together with abundant transition effects for that perfect "storybook" feeling. With ASUS' innovative intelligent color enhancement – Foto-in-motion Technology, 5 modes can be selected according to users' preferences to showcase different photo display effects on the UFOTO UF735.

As a Sub-display of Your Monitor
What's more, the ASUS UFOTO UF735 has an exclusive "sub-display" function – allowing users an option to utilize it as a secondary display. This enables users to work unabatedly on the main monitor; while still receiving updates like messenger windows, gadget information, picture viewer etc. on the UFOTO UF735. It also offers three modes of capturing screen information; for example, you can drag and drop whatever forms from the main display of your PC or laptop to the UFOTO in an extended mode. It also provides users a convenient calendar and alarm – all providing great multitasking capabilities.

Additionally, there are more innovations that can be found in this digital photo frame. One such innovation is the reminiscence function – which allows users to search photos easily in the UFOTO UF735 according to a specific date. Also, with a rotatable stand for vertical, horizontal or wall-mount placement, users can easily place the UFOTO UF735 almost anywhere at home. It even incorporates an auto-rotation sensor which enables photo display for landscape or portrait positions; while the AI Light sensor intelligently adjusts the LCD backlight to achieve the best ambience brightness. All these features come together to provide users with the most comfortable viewing experience.

Specifications

For more information, please go to: http://event.asus.com/2008/DigitalHome/Ufoto/

via www.asus 

New Digital Cameras for Amateur Astro-Photographers

Not sure if this is you? If you've ever sat outside in the dark with your camera and tripod trying to capture stars and planets, you, my friend, could be an amateur astro-photographer. You would be more convincing at it if you treated yourself to a special camera... The Imaging Source just announced an offering of affordable, low noise astronomy cameras that will help you capture quality images of the night sky. Made of premium aluminum and zinc materials, you can choose USB or FireWire connectivity. You can mount them to telescopes for amazing images. Prices start at $350.00 -- go to Astronomy Cameras for more information and ordering options...

via picturesnob 

BenQ T850

The new BenQ T850 is the world’s slimmest 8 megapixel camera, measuring less than 15mm thick. Sporting a 3x optical zoom lens, ISO 1600 and a stainless steel body, the diminutive BenQ T850 also features a large 3 inch touch-screen LCD. Almost all camera functions can be accessed and engaged by using one of three simple finger movements: tap, circle, swipe. The price and availability of the BenQ T850 are still to be announced.

BenQ Europe Press Release

BenQ’s New T850 8M Digital Camera Has Users Smiling

EUROPE, May 28, 2008 – BenQ announced the launch of the world’s slimmest 8-mega-pixel digital camera, the T850 with 1600 ISO, 3x optical zoom and smc PENTAX lens. Sleek and compact at 14.9mm thick, the T850’s chic stainless steel casing (available in black or red) reflects the minimalist operating ease of the camera. Exceptional efficiency and user-friendliness are made possible by the highly intuitive photo taking and photo editing functions, which center around smartly organized circular touch buttons on the 3” TFT LCD screen. Furthermore, almost all camera functions can be accessed and engaged by using one of three simple finger movements: tap, circle, swipe. In fact, the T850 standouts among touch screen cameras as the only one employing a natural “swipe” gesture for viewing photos and video. A comprehensive selection of options including “Smile Catch”, Auto Face Tracking, Z Lighting, advanced photo art, scribble & scrawl and Quick Bar make the T850 a fabulously fun companion for bringing enjoyment and quality to today’s digital life.

Photo Taking So Simple, It’s Second Nature!
Spontaneous, quick, spur-of-the-moment. Such is what defines that special moment so precious to capture in a photo. And that’s exactly what defines the T850: controls and menus so simple and second nature that capturing a spontaneous moment is a snap. No pressing button after button to navigate through multiple menus. The T850 has pared down complex camera operations to a minimalist, logical approach. Circular touch buttons (just the size of the fingertip), which can be pulled up instantly on the extra-large screen, get users to the right setting fast so the moment isn’t just a memory. Plus, the T850 features a Quick Bar that gives users even faster access to 80% of all photo taking needs. For customized convenience, users can add three of their favorite functions to the Quick Bar. Intelligently designed touch-screen icons that clearly represent their functions further eliminate the confusion typical of other complicated camera menus.

Tap, Circle, Swipe for Easy Navigation and Photo Editing
Once pictures are taken, users can easily view and enhance photos via three types of finger motions on the screen. To reset the focal point, simply tap the preferred spot on the screen, and the T850 will re-center and automatically refocus the image. To enlarge a specific portion of the image, simply draw a circle around the location with your fingertip. The T850 will instantly perform a 12x zoom to the circled area. Plus, by using the picture cropping mode, users can save the enlarged image as a new image. Playback is no longer a pain with the T850’s ingenious functionality, which includes “swipe” recognizing ability – it’s the only camera currently available to perform functions with a simple finger swipe across the screen. While reviewing pictures, swipe a finger right to left across the screen to see the next picture; swipe left to right to see the previous image. When playing video or audio content, users can tap the playback bar forward (advance) thus eliminating the hassles of restarting the content from the beginning every time. The T850 is also equipped with advanced photo art functions. Touch screen capability lets users free-hand scribble and scrawl fun captions and drawings to photos. In addition, users can select from a numerous callout balloons and photo backgrounds/frames.

User-Friendly Conveniences
Despite a minimalist approach for operational ease, the T850 is packed with an array of thoughtful features for picture-perfect results. A high ISO 1600 lets users take pictures in dim lighting without artificial flash. “Z Lighting” enables users to adjust the image’s lighting after the photo has already been taken. The T850’s brilliant “Smile Catch” mode captures every elusive smile by automatically shooting in rapid succession, stopping only when the shutter button is pressed again. Competitors’ similar function can only shoot up to six times in succession. And for capturing life in fractions of second – such as for action shots – a “12 Burst” feature snaps 12 pictures in one second! Crisp, clear, well-defined pictures are guaranteed with a Super Shake-Free setting and Auto Face Tracking, which can fine-tune up to nine faces in one frame – perfect for scenes with many people. The T850’s 30 preset modes range from standard auto and video to more exact settings such as “Museum,” “Party,” “Beach” and “Fireworks.”

Specifications
Sensor CCD
Image 8.0 Megapixel
Picture Resolution 3264x2448 (8M) / 3264x2176 (3:2) /3264x1836 (16:9) / 2592x1944 (5M) / 2048x1536 (3M) / 1600x1200 (2M) / 640x480 (VGA)
Lens f = 6.2 (W) ~ 18.6 (T) mm ; F/2.7(W) ~ 5.2(T)
(35mm film equivalent: 37.5 ~112.5mm)
Zoom Optical 3x / Digital 5x (Preview) / Playback 12x
Focus Range Normal: 40cm ~ Infinity
Macro: 15cm ~ 50 cm (Wide)
Shutter Speed 1/2000 ~ 1 sec (scene mode 8 sec)
Display Size 3” LTPS LCD
Display Resolution 230,000 pixels
ISO Equivalent Auto / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 2000 (Shake Free mode) / 4000 (Movie mode)
White Balance Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Tungsten Light / Fluorescent Light / Manual
Flash Auto / Force Off / Force On / Auto Anti Red-Eye / Anti Red-Eye / Slow Sync
Self-Timer 10 sec
Movie Mode
MPEG4 / 30fps / 15fps, 640 x 480 / 320 x 240 / 16:9
Continuous recording with sound
Storage 8G SD card compatible
SDHC 16G card supported
Interface Digital output: USB 2.0 (High Speed)
Audio / Video output ( NTSC/PAL)
PictBridge competitable / DPOF
Battery 720mAh Rechargeable Li-on Battery (CIPA 200 pcs)
Dimensions (W x H x D) 91mm x 59mm x 16.9mm (14.9 slimmest)
Weight 120 g (without battery & SD card)
Accessories (Standard) User Manual
Hand Strap
Touch pen
Li-ion battery
Battery charger set
AV Cable
USB cable
Software CD ROM
Adapter (5V,600mA)
Pouch...

via photographyblog