Computer Briefs

LAS VEGAS— Umax Technologies used the Photo Marketing Assoc. Show to announce its re-entry into the scanner market with two new USB 2.0 scanners. The Astra 4950 (suggested $89.95) and 4900 ($69.95) feature gray casing and single-pass CCD scanning. Both ship this month. The Astra 4950 and 4900 offer 1200 by 2400 dpi resolution scanning, 48-bit color depth and "one-touch" buttons on the front of the scanners for email, scan, copy or fax. The 4950 will include a transparency adapter to scan four 35mm negative and two 35mm slides.

LAS VEGAS— Alera introduced its new DVD/CD Digital Photo Copy Station, a memory card to DVD/CD copier, and the first product in the company's new line of Desktop Digital Imaging products. The DVD/CD Digital Photo Copy Station burns DVDs at 8x and CDs at 40x and has slots for CompactFlash Type I and II, SD/MMC, SmartMedia, and Memory Stick (including PRO). The unit can work independent of a computer but can connect to a PC via USB 2.0. It will ship this month for a suggested retail of $599 and comes bundled with Sonic Solutions' MyDVD, RecordNow! and Simple Backup, in addition to Arcsoft ShowBiz, MusicMatch Juke Box and Cyberlink's PowerDVD Movie Player.