Imaging Briefs

Fremont, Calif. — Umax announced two new entry-level digital cameras. The 4-in-1 AstraPix 430 is shipping now for a suggested retail price of $95. The 1.3-megapixel AstraPix 430 can capture five simultaneous images in burst mode, short video clips at 352 by 288 up to 15 fps, and up to 30 fps at VGA and CIF resolutions when in Web cam mode. The camera features a built-in microphone and speaker for recording and listening to voice notes and annotations. The camera also includes 16 MB of internal memory, an optical viewfinder, and an SD memory card slot. The AstraPix 490 is also a 1.3-megapixel camera that is PC and Mac compatible. It is shipping now for a suggested retail price of $149. It can record video at 320 by 240 at up to 30 fps, features a CompactFlash card slot, audio recording and MP3 playback. The AstraPix 490 includes 7MB of onboard memory and ships with a headset.

Irvine, Calif. — Pacific Digital has selected WYNIT to distribute MemoryFrame, a USB DirectConnect digital photo frame, to photography retailers. WYNIT services more than 4,000 photography stores and specialty retailers in the U.S. MemoryFrame is a standalone, electronic frame that can display digital images in a continuous slide show on MemoryFrame's active-matrix screen. The MF-570 MemoryFrame is shipping for a suggested retail price of $329.

Pleasanton, Calif. — Visioneer introduced the OneTouch 9220 USB color flatbed scanner. The OneTouch 9220 can scan traditional prints, 35mm slides or negatives, and 4-by-6-inch photo prints at 300 dpi in less than seven seconds or a full color page at 300 dpi in less than 15 seconds. It can also scan up to three 35mm slides or four negatives at once. The scanner features 2,400-by-4,800 optical resolution and five buttons to scan, copy, OCR, e-mail, and perform a custom task. The buttons are pre-configured at the optimal settings for these most common tasks, so first-time users can start scanning immediately. The Visioneer OneTouch 9220 USB is currently available for a suggested retail price of $149.99.

San Francisco — Simple Star introduced a new version of its imaging software, PhotoShow version 2.1, which is available now for a suggested retail price of $29.99. The new version of the original PhotoShow software program offers support of Video CD, allowing users to burn PhotoShows onto any CD-R and then watch the PhotoShow on their TV by playing it in a DVD player. With PhotoShow 2.1, a user can create multimedia digital slide shows that can be viewed online, burned to a CD-ROM, used as a screen saver or published to a Web site. Simple Star licenses its software to computer hardware manufacturers, digital imaging companies and online entertainment companies. In addition, Simple Star sells software directly to consumers through publishers who distribute through retail channels and through large online marketers such as Kodak, Intel and RealNetworks.