Product Review: Digital Foci Image Moments 6 Photo Frame
Posted on December 12, 2008 - Filed Under Culture, Photo | Leave a Comment
The holidays are upon us, and here you are again, not sure what to get that far-away loved one. Want to send someone all the pictures of your vacation, or update the grandparents on what the kids are doing, Kodak-style? Sure, but original photos are fragile and can get bent or damaged during shipping. Instead, pre-load a digital photo frame with the images, ship it off, and you're done. The Digital Foci Image Moments 6 digital photo frame is one such frame you could use for this very purpose.
It should be that easy, at least. Just to get new images into a playlist, you're going to have to spend a good bit of time reading the manual and making sense of the frame's often-inconsistent setup and unreliable buttons.
Full specs on the three different models in the Image Moments product line can be viewed here, but let's cover a few of the bases now. The six-inch (5.7" viewable) frame's brushed two-tone chrome plating and overall small footprint combined with the sharp backlit screen and built-in speakers get it off to a good start.
The frame comes standard with ports for many compact media formats, including Memory Stick Pro/Duo, Compact Flash/Micro Drive, SD/MMC/xD, and a mini-USB port for connecting to a computer for transferring from any other format you might have. However, a computer is not required for operating the frame or importing images. You can transfer them from the memory cards onto the 450MB of internal memory in the frame, or leave the card in the frame and display images directly from there. It also has a tilt sensor inside it to know whether it's oriented horizontally or vertically, and will display pictures accordingly, as well as stretch them to fit or display original size, depending on how you set it up.
Unfortunately, there are a number of drawbacks once you actually start using the frame and managing the content you want to display. Navigating the software within the frame can be confusing, especially for people not comfortable with technology. If you pre-load it for the grandparents and set it so all they have to do is plug it in and turn it on, they should be fine. However, if they hit any buttons on the frame, you might soon be getting a phone call asking how to "make it work again."
True Belief
Posted on December 11, 2008 - Filed Under Photo | Leave a Comment
“Foggy sunburst on Loafer’s Lake…”. Ontario, Canada. Taken by Jean
Source: planetearthdailyphoto.blogspot.com
Book Review: Photojournalism: The Professionals’ Approach – Sixth Edition by Kenneth Kobré
Posted on December 7, 2008 - Filed Under Culture, Photo | Leave a Comment
Photojournalism: The Professional's Approach is a large book in more ways than one. Sure, it's a hefty book at 512 pages, but it also has another kind of weight: the weight of responsibility. Photojournalism as a practice has an accountability that goes beyond judgment and values; the photojournalist becomes our eyes to the world, and must try and capture only the truth and not impose his or her own judgment on an event.
Photojournalism, now in its sixth edition, features interviews with leading professionals along with many examples of fine photojournalism. This latest edition has been revised to include international pictures and stories as well. This book contains everything from hard news to sports to features in its eighteen chapters.
Chapter 1, "Assignment," examines where most dramatic news stories come from. No, it's not from the city desk of some newspaper, but rather from the vigilant photographers who monitor the emergency scanners waiting for the next breaking situation. These photographers may just sit in their cars near a crossroads monitoring multiple scanners, hoping to be leaving the scene already by the time everyone else is just arriving. Also discussed in this chapter are other resources that can be used to track down news stories, including PR departments, websites, TV, and a good contact list.
Chapter 5, "Portraits," concerns the journalistic portrait. These are photographic essays that tell the story of a person. In this chapter, you see what it takes to put a person at ease so that his or her real personalities can emerge in front of the camera. Some of the tips offered include knowing when to talk and knowing when to listen, and even knowing when to bore the subject so that he or she stops posing and starts relaxing.
Chapter 7, "Photo Editing," takes the stance that when someone examines multiple images, he or she spends less than three-quarters of a second looking at an individual photo. The challenge becomes finding the right image out of hundreds – possibly thousands – of images that will communicate a story in a meaningful way. In this chapter you learn about theories of picture selection, research on reader preference, how to work with images, effects of cropping, working with space in an image, the size of image, and how to work with captions.
Chapter 11, "Photo Story," is about telling a story using pictures. This is the ultimate professional experience for many photojournalists. Some stories can take minutes to develop and others can take years. Here you learn how to communicate a story with pictures and words, including the different formats of photo stories, and the equipment that you will need to do things right. Also included in this chapter are a number of professional photo stories as examples.
Budget Compact Camera Group Test
Posted on December 2, 2008 - Filed Under Digital, Photo, Reviews | Leave a Comment
The first of our Holidays ’08 compact camera group tests. We’re starting with the budget group, which contains nine models in the sub-$150 range. So what can you expect to get if shopping on a tight budget? Are there really any differences between the various models? And are there any bargains to be had or hidden gems in the entry-level ranges? Check out the roundup after the link to get all the answers…
Phil: Note this is the first of five group tests (Budget cameras, Ultra compact style, Advanced point and shoot, High end enthusiast and Ultra zoom), the next four groups will cover another 30 cameras.
Sigma Corporation Acquires Foveon
Posted on December 1, 2008 - Filed Under News, Photo | Leave a Comment
Sigma Corporation today announced that it has acquired Foveon, Inc., the company that developed the world’s first three-layer image sensor. The two companies have had a long-term working relationship during which Sigma has incorporated the Foveon sensor—which stacks three layers (RGB) in each pixel location—into its digital cameras.
Two additional Foveon-equipped cameras are slated for release from Sigma in 2009. According to Sigma, the acquisition will further the development of new types of image sensors and provide better integration between the cameras and X3 sensor.
For more, check outwww.sigmaphoto.com
Anti-Malware Technology in SanDisk USB flash drives
Posted on December 1, 2008 - Filed Under Digital | Leave a Comment
McAfee Anti-Malware Technology in Secure USB Flash Drives : SanDisk and McAfee announced SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise with anti-malware protection from McAfee. In addition to protecting corporate USB flash drive users from data leaks, the solution includes the McAfee Scan Engine, which offers advanced heuristic analysis for comprehensive detection of both known and unknown threats. Expected to be available before year’s end, this “always on” safeguard blocks malware from entering the secure USB flash drive even when the device is used outside of the firewall.
McAfee virus security
Cruzer Enterprise with McAfee security protects users from infection with an automatic anti-malware scan that prohibits file transfers to the secure USB drive when it detects infection on a host PC. Malware, short for malicious software, is a program that is intended to disrupt a computer system by introducing a harmful code such as a virus, worm or Trojan horse. The addition of McAfee Scan Engine and virus definition files (DATs) prevents malware from attaching itself to the portable drive and in turn, infecting the internal enterprise host. The scan engine examines every file saved or copied to the USB flash drive.
SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise flash drive
“SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise is an ideal solution for the mobile workforce and for IT departments concerned with data security, because it allows employees to have access to data everywhere and yet be fully protected,” said Roy Ramati, vice president and general manager, Enterprise Division at SanDisk. “Adding McAfee’s technology to our security solutions for the enterprise enables our customers to extend their security perimeter to mobile storage.”
McAfee’s anti-malware solutions
“With today’s increasingly mobile work force and the speedy proliferation of new threats, it’s just as vital for organizations to protect their portable devices from malware as it is to secure their perimeter,” said Christopher Bolin, executive vice president and chief technology officer, McAfee. “The McAfee Scan Engine has been battle-tested over many years and is the foundation of McAfee’s anti-malware solutions. SanDisk Enterprise Cruzer customers can rest assured that they have reliable and accurate detection from malicious code.”
SanDisk Cruzer Enterprise drives
Cruzer Enterprise safeguards all files stored on the drive with advanced hardware-based 256-bit AES encryption. Users are required to create a complex password during the set-up process. The combination of encryption and password protection makes it extremely difficult for unauthorized users to access data should the drive be lost or stolen. SanDisk CMC server software provides lifecycle management for Cruzer Enterprise drives, including password recovery and renewal through the network, remote termination of lost drives, central back-up and restore, and central usage tracking. This means data is not lost when a drive is lost, and IT administrators can provision a replacement flash drive with user files stored on the network.
SanDisk USB flash drives
SanDisk, a global leader in USB flash drives, is driving the convergence of flash drive security, authentication and virtualization through its Enterprise Division to create a comprehensive solution for mobile professionals in enterprises and government agencies. Today, SanDisk’s Enterprise Division offers solutions for securely storing and managing enterprise data, both inside and outside of the enterprise environment, coupled with authentication capabilities. With the upcoming introduction of virtualization technologies, SanDisk expects to allow IT managers to boost employee productivity by mobilizing the corporate computing environment through flexible, secure solutions that also reduce total cost of ownership.