Vistaprint North American Services Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of VistaPrint Ltd., Hamilton, Bermuda,completed another phased expansion of its North American manufacturing facility in Windsor, Ontario.
  The expansion is one of several planned phases for the facility, which opened in 2005, and added nearly 140,000 square feet of manufacturing and office spaceThe new expansion incorporated a multitude of green initiatives to reduce energy consumption. This phase of the expansion was completed during Vistaprint's 2009 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, 2009.
  The expansion, started in summer of 2008, includes over 80,000 square feet of production space and 39,000 square feet of office space, bringing the facility's total area to just under 300,000 square feet. The Windsor plant is responsible for the fulfillment of the company's orders in North America. On a daily basis, Vistaprint processes an average of 44,000 orders at its facilities in Windsor and Venlo, the Netherlands.

The Tamrac Ultra Pro 11 bag

CeWe Color Holding AG, Oldenburg, Germany, announced sales of Euro 88.6 million (US-$ 126.5 million), compared with Euro 99.1 million in the same period last year. According to a press release, the decline is mainly due to unfavorable currency effects related to the company

CeWe Color photo retailing activities in East Europe.

  CeWe Color's core business with photofinishing and imaging services recorded sales of Euro 69.4 million (US-$ 99.1 million), only a slight decrease of 0.8 percent against the second quarter 2008, excluding currency effects. The result after taxes increased by 9.2 percent to Euro 1.5 million (US-$ 2.14 million), the cash-flow improved by more than 20 percent due to reduced investments.

Integrated digital advertising solutions provider Eyeblaster, New York, N.Y., released a study focused on the measurement of time and consumer consumption of online display advertising. The company used isolated data from a sample size of 42 billion rich media impressions spanning across all formats and global regions, analyzing "dwell time," a metric that measures engagement as the average time consumers intentionally spend with online ads.
  The study shows video nearly doubles the average dwell time. Consumers spend 37.7 seconds with non-video in banner ads vs. of 71.51 seconds on ads with video. In addition, dwell rate is at its highest in the morning, peaking at 9:00 a.m. The data shows click-through rates picking up in the early evening, and both click-through rates and dwell rate declining as the evening progresses with a drop at about 8:00 p.m.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Sears Holdings Corp., Hoffman Estates, Ill., reported a net loss of $94 million for the second quarter 2009 as compared to net income of $65 million in the second quarter of 2008 With reductions in selling and administrative expenses of $212 million during the second quarter of fiscal 2009 as compared to the same quarter in 2008, Sears Holdings maintained gross margin rate at 26.5 percent for both the second quarter of 2009 and the second quarter of 2008.    

  Total revenues decreased $1.2 billion to $10.6 billion for the 13 weeks ended Aug. 1, 2009, as compared to total revenues of $11.8 billion for the 13 weeks ended August 2, 2008. The decrease was primarily due to lower comparable store sales and included a $126 million decline due to the impact of foreign currency exchange rates.

Duracell, Bethel, Conn., launched its new Duracell Smart Power initiative, which expands the brand's product portfolio beyond the traditional battery to address the ever-growing and ever-changing power needs of the modern consumer. The company's latest offerings fall under an emerging category of personal power solutions and signify Duracell's commitment to keeping today's consumers connected to the devices they need the most at all times.
  Duracell Smart Power and its range of personal power solutions continue the company's focus on reliability, performance and technological innovation but now deliver added power efficiency, allowing consumers the freedom to live beyond the grid. Several new products mark the start of Duracell Smart Power, including:

• Duracell myGrid charging pad, a device that eliminates the mess of multiple cords by simultaneously charging multiple devices, such as cell phones, MP3 music players or other mobile devices. Once the charging pad is plugged in, your devices can go cordless.
• Duracell Instant Charger, a compact Lithium Ion rechargeable charger provides reserve power for popular mobile devices that come with USB power cords.
• Duracell Powerhouse Charger, which provides reserve power for consumers' most critical devices, including any cell phone, PDA or MP3 player that comes with a USB power cord or can connect to the Powerhouse's mini-USB arm.
• Duracell Pocket Charger, a pocket-sized, supplemental Lithium Ion rechargeable power source works with all USB-powered cell phones.
• Duracell GoMobile, an Energy Star-certified device that delivers a charge to AA or AAA NiMH batteries in just one hour. It is designed to fit in a car's cup holder.
• Duracell GoEasy, an Energy Star-certified compact recharger that charges up to two AA or AAA NiMH batteries
• Duracell Daylite LED Flashlight, which captures up to 100 percent of light to focus a brighter, whiter beam, while providing five times the battery life of everyday "incandescent bulb" flashlights.
  

According to the 2009 PMA U.S. Camera/Camcorder Digital Imaging Survey, camera phone ownership is on the rise. Fifty-eight percent of U.S. households owned at least one camera phone in 2008, more than doubling the percentage owning them just a few years ago. More and more consumers are now using smartphones. In fact, the Apple iPhone continues to be the most popular camera phone according to the camera finder page on the Flickr website. Popularity is assessed by the number of pictures uploaded to Flickr from each particular camera phone.

  According to Gartner, worldwide mobile phone sales declined 6 percent in the second quarter of 2009 when compared to the second quarter of 2008. Smart phone sales, however, increased 27 percent compared to the same period in the previous year. According to Carolina Milanesi, research director at Gartner, some of these devices sold well because consumers who would have usually purchased standard midrange devices either cut back to less expensive handsets or moved up the range to get more features for their money. Touchscreen was a major driver for replacement sales and benefited the manufacturers with strong, touch-focused midtier devices. In the first half of the year though, the decline in average selling prices accelerated, affecting manufacturers that focus on midtier or low-end devices.

-- By Kristy Clairmont

PMA Marketing Research Analyst

Friday, August 21, 2009

Adobe Scene7 Marketing announces a new report, "Video: How It's Changing Online Shopping," is now available. 
  Download a free copy to learn more about why consumer video consumption is growing; how video can influence a sale and help to justify the purchase of nearly any product; which e-tailers are converting at all-time highs thanks to the persuasive power of video; and what's involved in launching video on your site.

Synchronizing your online photos with your iPhone is a snap with the new Pocket Pics application from Lucidiom Inc., Vienna, Va., available free on Apple's iTunes Store to all Photo Finale Web account holders. With Pocket Pics, when a Photo Finale account holder adds pictures to her online collection, the iPhone will automatically display the new pictures in Pocket Pics. Photo Finale is Lucidiom's award-winning, white-label, photo sharing and ordering site that retailers can customize as their own.
  "We're providing software and services that allow retailers to make money amidst all the social networking hype," said Lucidiom CTO Jason Pareti. "Lucidiom Pocket Pics allows retailers to offer that anytime, anywhere access today's consumers crave and, because it alerts subscribers when new photos have been added to a collection, it increases the retailer's sales potential."

Pocket Pics splash page on iPhone

  
  Integrated in-store and online services are a must in the photo world and our Lucidiom APM 7.0 kiosk software features instant kiosk to web uploads as well as the ability to access online photos from the kiosk. With RSS feeds able to instantly update digital frames with pictures and now Pocket Pics syncing online collections to iPhones, customers have 24-7 access to photos, and retailers 24-7 access to sales, Pareti says.

  The Pocket Pics application can be downloaded for free by consumers through Apple's iTunes Store.  The app is compatible with firmware version 3.0 on the iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch devices.
  Lucidiom is providing a marketing kit to aide retailers in advertising Pocket Pics to their customers.  The kit includes web graphics, in-store materials and creative marketing ideas to help boost awareness and membership subscriptions.

According to Inside Facebook, the social networking site is testing a major expansion to its Gift Shop, allowing items from third party developers. The move will expand Facebook's merchant platform beyond the "Pay with Facebook" tests that are running inside a few applications and, for the first time, will integrate a variety of third party virtual gifts into the Facebook Gift Shop. In addition, Facebook users will now be able to purchase physical merchandise in the Gift Shop with Facebook Credits, Inside Facebook reports.
  Mashable reports while virtual gifts will still be about $1 (10 credits), physical merchansie could go into the hundreds of credits. The initial test, according to a statement from Facebook, will include American Greetings Interactive, GreetBeatz, Somecards, and Real Gifts.
  Facebook is taking a step toward making Facebook credits a viable universal web currency. Unlike Paypal, Facebook payments will be made through its own virtual currency, giving it even greater control over transactions, Mashable speculates.

MGI Digital Graphic Technology and Axode announced a strategic partnership agreement. MGI will integrate Axode vision systems on its Meteor DP60 Pro 4-color multi-substrate digital presses. The combined system is designed to ensure the integrity of secure variable data print jobs, and will maintain the Meteor DP60 Pro's quality while guaranteeing zero-content default, the companies said. The Axode system can be used to accompany production of a variety of secure documents, including cards, labels, stickers, and many other applications.

  MGI USA, Melbourne, Fla., is MGI's fully owned subsidiary that services the North and South American, Caribbean and Asia/Pacific markets. 

The Hasselblad CFV-39 digital back, designed to match the design and functionality of the Hasselblad V cameras, turns any V camera into a digital workhorse, according to Hasselblad. The CFV-39 accommodates the conventional square image format (29 megapixels) or a rectangular format with 39 megapixels. The CFV-39 allows Hasselblad V camera owners to benefit from the Carl Zeiss lenses used in the V system. With the CFV-39 digital back, Hasselblad introduces DAC (digital auto-correction) to the V system; also, it is powered by Hasselblad's Phocus image processing software. At 36.7-by-49 millimeters, the CFV-39 image sensor is more than twice the size of a full-frame 35mm DSLR sensor. The CFV-39 digital back is compatible with any V camera manufactured since 1957, and images can be saved to a CF card or be controlled from a PC using Phocus software and a Firewire connection

  The CFV-39 digital back for the Hasselblad V series cameras is available through the global chain of Hasselblad resellers at Euro 9.990.

ExposureManager, Torrance, Calif., a customizable, full-service online sales resource for photographers, introduces EM Photo Day, a new order placement system for photographers using handwritten order forms. It is available now.

  "While online sales are a profitable business for our photographers, ExposureManager understands that that it is still common practice for photographers to distribute forms at events to be completed by hand," says Donovan Janus, CEO of ExposureManager. "

  To get started, for each photo day or event, photographers send ExposureManager the blank order form they'll be using for their event. EM Photo Day staff will then configure the order entry interface and set-up the price sheets. Once the photo day or event is complete, a CD or DVD of the images or an FTP link must be sent to ExposureManager for import into the system. As an added service, the completed handwritten order forms can be sent along with the image files to ExposureManager (on disc, via FTP link or they can be sent in paper form) for data entry/order processing to be completed by EM Photo Day staff for a nominal fee or the photographer can keep the original order forms and place the orders themselves online. The order entry screens will appear much the same as the order form.

  The EM Photo Day System also allows for the creation of personalized products such as trading cards and magazine covers. Photographers can create their own graphical templates following ExposureManager's basic structural guidelines and ship one-of-a-kind products to their customers. The system presently allows for Digital Memory Mates and Event Tickets as well. Should a photographer wish to utilize graphical templates using their own guidelines, they can do so for a small set-up fee.

  The EM Photo Day System allows photographers to preview all the images to be ordered along with the capability to review any customized products too, as they will print, so as to catch any mistakes.

Bossakorm Buena of Thailand won Grand Prize for the image titled "Can''t Stop Smiling."

Kelby Media Group, Tampa, Fla., announces the $11,000 grand prize winner and 10 honorable mentions from the Second Annual Worldwide Photo Walk, which took place July 18. This year's record-breaking Photo Walk was held in 900 cities around the globe with more than 32,000 participants.
  "There were so many amazing, intriguing, fascinating, and just fun shots, that it made going from nearly 900 shots down to 10 finalists and one winner incredibly challenging. The sheer quality of the shots taken this year were just over the top," said Scott Kelby, Photo Walk organizer and president of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP). 
  The 2009 Photo Walk grand prizewinner is Bossakorm Buena of Thailand for the image titled "Can't Stop Smiling." Bossakorm Buena receives an $11,000 prize package from the Photo Walk sponsors, including Adobe, Nikon, B&H Photo, Bogen Imaging, Wacom, Kelby Training, Lensbaby, Photoshop World, onOne Software, X-rite, Peachpit, NAPP, Think Tank Photo, Digital Photo Academy, Drobo, and iStockphoto.
 In addition, 10 honorable mention winners each receive a prize package valued at $1,500.

The market for image sensors will experience a decline in 2009, the first since Strategies Unlimited began tracking the market in 2007. The market is expected to drop to $6.4 billion, an 11 percent decline from 2008. The average growth rate will return to single-digits in the coming years, following over a decade of 22 percent compound annual growth.

  The market for image sensors demonstrates a cyclic phase. The rapid growth in revenues for camera phones is maturing, so cycles will have a stronger effect going forward, despite a temporary decline caused by the global economic cycle. Overall, unit sales will still grow in the coming years for image sensors, but short-term changes in demand, periods of oversupply and shortage, and severe price pressure will make it more difficult to stay competitive.

  Japan once dominated world image sensor production and still manufactures over 90 percent of the world's CCDs. Even though CCDs continue to be the leader in digital still cameras and security cameras, Fujifilm stopped production of image sensors for its line of cameras in 2007. Sony is debating stopping its production of CMOS arrays for camera phones, and Panasonic has already done so. Korean and Taiwanese suppliers, however, are gaining market share, especially when it comes to camera phones. From 2006 to 2008, Samsung grew 61 percent, placing it among the top suppliers. Other Korean and Taiwanese companies, such as SETi, SiliconFile Technologies, and PixArt Imaging are increasing competition. In the second half of 2008 Hynix reentered the image sensor business. These companies are focusing on the China handset market.

  Image Sensors: Market Review and Forecast-2009 is the fifth in a series by Strategies Unlimited and it continues to be the most comprehensive and in-depth market report on the subject. It includes all image sensing applications in the visible spectrum, including scintillator-coated arrays for x-ray radiography. The study draws heavily on Strategies Unlimited's extensive interviews with suppliers in Japan, Korea, the U.S., and Europe, combined with its deep expertise in this market. For more information, contact Strategies Unlimited at +1 650 941-3438 (voice) or e-mail at info@strategies-u.com, or check the company's web site at www.strategies-u.com.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Zookbinders, Deerfield, Ill., has super-sized and upgraded its PhotoBook to create PhotoBook PLUS. Professional photographers now can offer an all-occasion book with premium covers, larger sizes and thicker pages at about half the cost of leather albums, the company says. PhotoBook PLUS is available in 12-by-12, 10-by-10 and other large sizes. Multiple leather and digital design options are available, and the pages are thicker than the original PhotoBook so it feels more like a bridal album. Pricing starts at $110, and the company offers a two-week turnaround.

Museo Fine Art, the digital fine art media from InteliCoat Technologies, South Hadley, Mass., is making its Museo Silver Rag digital fine art paper available in 60-inch rolls. Featuring a 100 percent cotton furnish, the 300 gsm Museo Silver Rag combines the semi-gloss look of a traditional air dried fiber print with the feel of a fine cotton paper and image quality, the company says. Optimized for pigmented inks, Museo Silver Rag contains no optical brighteners to ensure outstanding long-term base color stability, and is crafted in the United States to meet the Library of Congress and ISO standards for permanence, the company adds.

   "Our customers have been increasingly requesting bigger papers in order to meet the rising popularity of wider printers in the fine art photographic market," says David Williams, Sales and Marketing manager for Museo Fine Art.

Canon G11

Epson announces new line of Artisan all-in-ones

Epson America Inc., Long Beach, Calif., announces its new line of Artisan all-in-ones -- the Artisan 710 and Artisan 810 -- designed for everything from creative projects to afterhours work from home. Both units offer scanning and copying, and deliver photos that are preferred by consumers 3-to-1 over other, similarly priced all-in-ones, according to independent testing by Newman-Stein Inc., and offer built-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet networking, automatic two-sided printing and fast performance.
  The Artisan 710 and 810 provide a range of unique features for everyday printing needs. Using the front panel features, consumers can preview, select, enhance, and print photos without a computer. The flagship Artisan 810 boasts a 7.8-inch smart touch panel and 3.5-inch color LCD that lights up only the buttons needed, while the Artisan 710 has an easy-to-use control panel with 2.5-inch LCD.
  For one-of-a-kind projects and creative needs, the Artisan 710 and 810 can turn photos or drawings into personalized coloring book pages or note paper, or print college-ruled, wide-ruled and graph school paper. They also allow consumers to create and print custom designs directly onto ink jet printable CDs and DVDs. In addition, Epson's six-color Ultra Hi-Definition Claria ink and exclusive MicroPiezo print head with DX5 technology, deliver photos with smudge, scratch and water resistance, as well as fade resistance.

Genius a brand division of KYE Systems Corp., Miami, Fla., announced two new additions to the company's line of digital tablets, the G-Pen M609X and G-Pen M712X, for graphic designers and artists.  The new tablets are a follow up to the G-Pen M609 and M712 and come with extra features at a lower price.
 The G-Pen M609X and G-Pen M712X are both dual-mode and come with extensive multimedia functions.  Plug and Play ready, both units work with Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Mac OS X 10.2.8 or later. The unique dual-mode capabilities, which allow users to switch the screen from wide to standard and back again, combined with high resolution (4,000 LPI) make these new multimedia tablets the ultimate canvas for serious designers. Additional elements to the G-Pen X versions include PhotoShop Elements 6.0, a pad cover and ability to make brush-width adjustments.
 The G-Pen M712X is priced at $219 and comes with PhotoShop Elements 6.0, PhotoImpact 12SE, Macro Key Manager and Office Ink/Free Notes, the G-Pen M609X comes with all the same software (minus PhotoElements 6.0), and is priced at $169.

Pandigital, Dublin, Calif., recently unveiled its new PanTouch Clear line of digital photo frames, which deliver a dramatic new design marked by creating the perception of "floating" digital images.
  To create the floating effect, the new PanTouch Clear frames feature an 800-by-600 high-resolution display that appears to be floating in the surrounding glass. Even the stand in back is clear for an unobstructed view.
   In addition to the new styling, Pandigital has enhanced its popular PanTouch interface to be even simpler and more intuitive to use by making all the primary functions accessible in an easy one-step process. Plus, customers can select and view their photos and control the frame's functions with easy-to-understand icons that can be touched directly across the entire glass surface of the frame.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

DIMA 2009 keynote speaker Jeremy Gutsche of Trendhunter.com spoke about finding opportunities in times of chaos. His new book, "Exploiting Chaos," covers the topic in-depth. A free preview of the book is now available.

A series of ten new short-form videos produced by Emmy-winning media company The Institute for the Development of Enhanced Perceptual Awareness, Venice, Calif., chronicle the stories of eleven residents of Boring, Oregon and Normal, Illinois; including a "green" mortician/funeral director; a fireman; a ghost whisperer; and an entrepreneur/skateboarder, as they use their Toshiba laptops to follow their dreams and transform their lives beyond boring and normal.

  The two-minute episodes (one representing each town) will debut weekly on MySpace. Visitors can vote through Sept. 13 for their favorite towns, based on the videos. On September 14, Toshiba will reveal the town with the most votes, awarding them with a $15,000 technology upgrade for a local school. One voter per week will also win a Toshiba Mini Laptop during the contest. Other prizes for voters include "Boring vs. Normal" t-shirts.

The Belfast Telegraph reports sales at the 14 Harvey Norman stores in Ireland have slumped by between 20 and 40 percent, and not one is profitable. The Australia-based retailer is not immediately planning to close any of the stores despite the sharp decline in retail spending and rising unemployment.
  Harvey Norman Executive Chairman Gerry Harvey said in a statement he has never witnessed the type of rapid sales decline the group is currently experiencing in Ireland, and has previously described Ireland's economy as a "basket case," the Belfast Telegraph reports.
  Despite the losses in Ireland, Harvey Norman recorded a like-for-like sales increase of 1.4 percent for the year ended in June.

Sears Holdings Corp., Hoffman Estates, Ill., announces Sears and Kmart stores are offering consumers the Sears and Kmart Christmas Club card, which allows shoppers to save ahead for their holiday purchases at Sears and Kmart months before hitting the stores or surfing the Internet. Starting now, Sears and Kmart Christmas Club card users can put aside some funds on a regular basis through November 14 to add value to this unique gift card and receive a special reward when they do.
  When activated between now and Oct. 31, Christmas Club card users will earn a three percent reward - up to a maximum of $100 - based upon the value they have on their Christmas Club cards on November 14. To activate cards or add additional value at any time, customers can visit any Sears or Kmart store location, or online at www.sears.com/christmasclub or www.kmart.com/christmasclub.
   Susan Ehrlich, president, Financial Services, Sears Holdings, says feedback from their customers prompted the retailer to take action. "We heard that our customers were concerned about how they were going to pay for their holiday shopping this year and we wanted to provide a way to ease that concern. Our customers have been pretty clear about what's most important to them this holiday season. They want more ways to provide the very best holiday they can, and they want to do that in a responsible way. When they save ahead with the Christmas Club card from Sears and Kmart, our customers can really enjoy the holidays without the worry of having to deal with an expensive bill later."
  Starting, adding value to, and redeeming the Christmas Club card is designed to be as easy and flexible as possible. Customers can start their Christmas Club cards with as little as five dollars, and they can add value as often as they want. As with all Sears and Kmart gift cards, there are no fees associated with the Christmas Club card, and the value on the card will not expire. Cash or credit refunds are not allowed except where required by law. All gift cards can be redeemed at Sears, Kmart and Lands' End stores or websites, as well as at www.mygofer.com.

Jill-e designs, Victor, N.Y., announces any website owner who appreciates the fashionable, functional carry bags available from jill-e designs and wants to earn quick and easy sales commissions can do so by joining the company's new "extraordinary Affiliates Program."
  Photography studios, travel agencies, fashion retailers, blogs - virtually any party with its own website - can simply place a link to jill-e designs on their web site, and all completed sales initiated via that link earn the site owner a 10 percent sales commission.
  The "extraordinary Affiliates Program" is scheduled to go live Sept. 1.  The company says it's ideal for enterprises that might not be able to hold an inventory of products, are not otherwise involved in merchandise sales, or are not immediately familiar with the market segments jill-e designs serves - but see a fit with or have an interest in jill-e designs and want to be a part of its remarkable success story.
  Jill-e designs doesn't charge a fee to join its "extraordinary Affiliates Program."  The only requirements are that an affiliate has a valid website and e-mail address, and the willingness to set aside a little space on their web site for a link to the jill-e designs web site.  jill-e designs offers a choice of text links, banners, coupons and other design elements that allows the affiliate to determine the look and scope of their link. Affiliates are even invited to promote particular jill-e designs bags and accessories that dovetail with their own products, services and objectives. 
  jill-e designs has contracted with ShareASale.com to provide reliable third-party transaction tracking, customized reporting and timely payments. 

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

The number of employers planning to reverse salary cuts and freezes and restore matching contributions to 401(k) plans has increased in the past two months, according to the latest update to an ongoing series of surveys by global consulting firm Watson Wyatt, Washington, D.C. Nevertheless, the survey also found that many employers remain concerned about retaining their top performers.
  The survey found 33 percent of employers that froze salaries plan to unfreeze them within the next six months, up from 17 percent two months ago. Forty-four percent plan to roll back salary cuts in the next six months, compared with 30 percent two months ago. Additionally, 24 percent of employers plan to reverse reductions to 401(k) match contributions in the next six months, versus 5 percent in June.
  "Some employers are seeing the light at the end of tunnel and feeling optimistic about the prospect of improved business results," said Laura Sejen, global director of strategic rewards consulting at Watson Wyatt. "However, even as some of the program cuts are rolled back, many employees are facing smaller raises, lower bonuses and higher health care costs."
  The survey found 66 percent of respondents that increased the percentage that employees pay for health care premiums do not expect to reverse that decision. Also, 40 percent of respondents are planning to shift more health care benefit costs to workers by increasing the percentage of premiums they pay. Another 41 percent of companies expect to increase the deductibles, copays or out-of-pocket maximums for their 2010 health care plans.
  In addition, a majority of employers (52 percent) are now more concerned about retaining their top performers and critical-skill employees than they were before the economic crisis hit. In an effort to keep employees engaged, 83 percent of employers have increased communication and 40 percent have held additional employee forums such as town halls or other interactive sessions to address economy-related concerns. While almost half (47 percent) have changed employee roles to expand responsibilities, a far smaller number is expanding the use of recognition programs (27 percent) or creating special compensation programs for high-performing or at-risk employees (18 percent).

Other findings:

• Almost three in 10 (27 percent) think their company's business results have already bottomed out, and a further 15 percent think they are currently at bottom.
• Looking ahead three to five years, 83 percent expect to see an increase in the number of employees working longer, past their desired retirement ages, and 43 percent of employers expect to see a reduction in staff sizes. Half also expect to see an increase in the difficulty of retaining critical-skill employees, and 46 percent in attracting them.
• More than a third of employers have noticed an increase in the number of employees taking hardship withdrawals (36 percent) and loans (37 percent) from their 401(k) and 403(b) plans in the last two months.

Casio EX-Z450 can capture 12 megapixel stills and HD video.

Topaz Labs, Dallas, Texas, releases Topaz Detail, a Photoshop plug-in that uses new advancements in imaging technology to manipulate image detail, sharpness, and toning without creating visual artifacts like overshooting or halos.
  The new technology in Topaz Detail gives it the unique ability to greatly manipulate image detail and sharpen images without any signs of regular sharpening artifacts. Topaz Detail is invaluable for photographers who want to achieve high-quality image sharpening, natural feature enhancement, and crisp black and white conversions.
  Topaz Detail retails for US$39.99 and is compatible with both Windows and Intel-based Mac OSX.

First Data, Denver, Colo., an electronic commerce and payment processing services firm, is launching the FD400, a low-cost, battery-powered, wireless point-of-sale terminal for on-site or event  photographers, merchants and other professionals who do not have constant access to both a power source and communication line, like an Internet or phone connection.
  The FD400 offers a low cost ability to accept electronic payments at card present rates. Users can take the terminal directly to the customer, and customers can pay at the point of delivery. The terminal features long battery life and handles wireless payment processing including credit, debit, gift card, loyalty, check and electronic benefits transfer. It is also a 3G terminal, which means where a 3G broadband network is available, it can take advantage of greater efficiency and increased transaction speed.

Monday, August 17, 2009

In today's DIMAcast, PMA Publisher Gary Pageau interviews David Haueter, associate director of InfoTrend's Photo Printing Trends and Photo Merchandise services. Haueter's responsibilities include product coverage, trend analysis, primary market research, and gathering forecast data for the photo print and photo merchandise markets. Prior to joining InfoTrends, Haueter was principal analyst for the Digital Documents & Imaging group at Gartner. In this role, he focused on digital camera, photo printing, inkjet printer, and multifunction product markets.

   InfoTrends is hosting the Digital Imaging '09 conference Sept. 16-17 at the Hyatt Regency SFO, Burlingame, Calif., offering attendees a new format to create a customized educational agenda - matching interests with content on future market directions, opportunities and trends. The interactive two-day conference brings together leading digital imaging executives including providers of hardware, software and services, corporate content owners, publishers, photofinishers, labs, photo retailers and digital print providers. DI '09 is for digital imaging executives wanting to build partnerships and secure new business for 2010, according to InfoTrends. To learn more, visit www.digitalimagingconference.com.

Tech Equipment Finance Inc., Mesa, Ariz., launched the Accrú Consumable Rebate System, designed to offset the cost of equipment that customers may finance or lease, by up to 25 percent. The system was developed exclusively by TechEFI to help develop loyalty between participating equipment vendors and their customers. This rebate program allows TechEFI lease customers to set aside a percentage of their ongoing consumable purchases towards the pay-off of their equipment lease. The rebate discounts are provided by participating vendors and/or suppliers and will be managed by Accrú, a third-party rebate management company and subsidiary of Tech Equipment Finance.

  "Although consumable rebate programs are not new to the graphic arts printing industry, most programs have been exclusive to either the equipment manufacturer or the finance company that sponsored the program," said Mike Rose, vice president of Sales and Marketing for TechEFI. 

  Laurent Associates International, a business and channel development consulting firm for the display graphics industry, was selected to facilitate the roll-out of Accru via a nationwide network of equipment manufacturers and resellers.

Maung Maung Gyi won Grand Prize with his work, "Cave of Hope."

Nikon Corp., Tokyo, Japan, announces the winners of the Nikon Photo Contest International 2008-2009 - one of the world's largest and most prestigious photo contests.
 Held since 1969 and currently staged once every other year, the contest provides an opportunity for photographers around the world to communicate and to enrich photographic culture for professionals and amateurs alike.
  For the 32nd staging of the contest, the Nikon Photo Contest International 2008-2009 ran with the theme "At the heart of the image," which is also the brand statement of Nikon Imaging Co. Attracting more than 51,000 photographs from 153 countries and regions, or 1.1 times the number of entries than the previous contest, the Nikon Photo Contest International 2008-2009 generated interest from the largest number of countries and regions in recent years.
  A total of 54 prize winners were selected from among the large number of entries, with Maung Maung Gyi from Myanmar selected as the winner of the Grand Prize for his work entitled "Cave Of Hope."
  The winners along with their works can be seen on the Nikon Photo Contest International website.

Black Iris Gallery & Custom Framing, Spooner, Wis., hosted the Northern Lights Camera Club second-annual photography exhibit and artist reception Aug. 8. Twelve NLCC members exhibited, including portrait photographers as well as landscapers, and a variety of levels. Photographers each gave a presentation on their work. The show will run through Sept. 12, with photos on display, and matted reprints and cards.

  Black Iris owner and NLCC business sponsor JoAnn Martin said that there were more photos on display this year, with 26 pieces framed.

J. C. Penney Co. Inc., Plano, Texas, reported a $1 million net income loss for the second quarter ended Aug. 1, 2009, versus income of $117 million last year. Total sales in the second quarter decreased 7.9 percent compared to last year, while comparable store sales decreased 9.5 percent. Geographically, the best performance was in the southwest region of the United States, while the weakest results were in the southeast region.
  The company said the second quarter results reflect the continued successful execution of its Bridge Plan strategy and further improvement in cash flow performance.

For the second fiscal quarter ended July 4, 2009, Visant Corp., Armonk, N.Y., reported consolidated net sales of $498.8 million, compared to consolidated net sales for the second fiscal quarter ended June 28, 2008 of $567.6 million. Also, the company reported consolidated net income of $84.5 million for the second fiscal quarter of this year, compared to $94.2 million for the second fiscal quarter of 2008.

  Says Marc Reisch, chairman, president and CEO, "We are very pleased with the strong 2009 performance of both our Memory Book and Scholastic businesses. Consistent with our outlook, results in our Marketing and Publishing Services segment have been negatively impacted primarily due to lower advertising spending by customers in our sampling business and dramatically lower spending by state and local governments that has significantly eroded demand for elementary/high school book components from our publishing services operations. We expect these trends to continue in the third quarter."

  Net sales of the Scholastic segment decreased $16.0 million. The decrease was attributable to lower volume for jewelry and graduation products, due primarily to the shift in timing of customer orders into the first fiscal quarter of 2009 from the second fiscal quarter of 2009, the company says. Net sales of the Memory Book segment decreased $0.2 million to $283.2 million. The decrease was primarily due to lower volume from commercial print customers. Net sales of the Marketing and Publishing Services segment decreased $53.0 million to $88.0 million.

Visant Corp. and subsidiaries

(in thousands)

	Three months ended July 4, 2009	Three months ended June 28, 2008	Six months ended July 4, 2009	Six months ended June 28, 2008
Net sales	$498,829	$567,634	$764,372	$814,674
Net income	$84,450	$94,225	$88,574	$91,515

Events

A longtime Rochester Institute of Technology event that highlights the spirit of community and volunteerism while generating a spectacular nighttime photograph heads to Washington, D.C., next month. The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian will be the subject of RIT's 25th Big Shot photograph on Saturday, Sept. 26. The Big Shot photography project relies on the participation of hundreds of volunteers to provide the primary light source for the image while photographers shoot an extended exposure. Past Big Shot projects have attracted up to 1,200 volunteers. Faculty members from RIT's School of Photographic Arts and Sciences and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf are the main organizers of the event.

  The museum will be the subject of the Big Shot photograph, with the Washington Monument in the background. The National Museum of the American Indian is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its opening on the National Mall.

  Since RIT started its Big Shot project in 1987, the event has traveled to several national landmarks and twice crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Big Shot photographers have captured such landmarks as the U.S.S. Intrepid, the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden, and George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, while drawing in thousands of volunteers and spectators throughout the past two decades.

  Anyone is welcome to participate in the Big Shot event. There will be a reception at the museum immediately following the making of the photograph. Click here to register for the reception.

ZBE Inc., Carpinteria, Calif., established a $1 million "Cash for Clunkers" Printer Trade-in program. This will allow imaging labs to trade in their professional photo printers and obtain funds toward the purchase of a new Chromira 5x ProLab printer. High trade-in values are available for "old inefficient clunker photo printers" from a variety of manufacturers, says ZBE.

  "This is our version of the economic stimulus program," says Zac Bogart, president of ZBE. "Many labs are struggling with their old inefficient printers. They are paying hefty service agreement fees to keep them running. These printers are guzzling time, energy, and labor.  We want labs to know that there are other options." Contact ZBE for details.

Toshiba Corp., Tokyo, Japan, claims its 64 gigabyte SDXC card will have the world's fastest data transfer rate for reading and writing to a flash storage card: a maximum write speed of 35 megabytes per second, and a read speed of 60 megabytes per second. In addition, 64GB is the largest capacity yet available in the market.
  "The combination of large storage capacities and increased data transfer rates will meet the needs of a wide range of consumer electronics applications such as digital still cameras and digital camcorders that require high bandwidth data communication," Toshiba says. "For example, digital SLR cameras will be able to shoot longer continuous bursts in the highest quality RAW format. Similarly, with these cards, it will be possible to download a 2.4GB video in only 70 seconds."

  The new card is compliant with the new SD Memory Standard. Samples will be available in November. Toshiba will also offer 32 and 16GB SDHC cards with the data transfer rate.

iPhone app publisher, Unique Apps, Tamps, Fla., released a new iPhone application called PhotoScatter. This app allows users to submit photos to most of the top photo sharing sites on the internet.
  Users simple select or take a photo, choose the sites to submit to, add a title and description, if desired, and submit.
  Version 1 of PhotoScatter supports Facebook, Flickr, Shutterfly, PhotoBucket, Picasa, and Twitter (TwitPic). More photo sharing sites will be adding to future versions.

According to PMA Marketing Research, the U.S. photo book market is expected to reach $340 million in 2009. In 2008, 10 percent of households completed photo books. The majority of households (69 percent) that made photo books made them as family keepsakes. Thirty-seven percent of households made them as a way of showing pictures to other. Gifting was another reason cited for making photo books.

  Of those households that made photo books, 38 percent made 4-by-6 or 5-by-7 inch mini paperback books in 2008. This number was even higher for households that were making photo books for the purpose of sharing pictures with others. Standard 8-by-8 or 8-by-11 inch hard-cover books were made by about one-third of photo book households and were most likely made as gifts for family or friends. Fourteen percent of households made custom-cover books, but this percentage doubled among households making the book as a gift for a friend. Photo books 12-by-12 inches or larger were made by 19 percent of households. Those making the book for other reasons not cited were most likely, however, to make this style book. Perhaps these books are made to showcase a significant event, such as a wedding or birth of a child. Leather cover books were made by 11 percent of photo book households and the number did not vary much by the purpose for making the book. Nineteen percent of households stated they made other types of photo books in 2008.  

  In January 2009 when PMA Marketing Research surveyed the sites of online firms and retailers, the average prices for 4-by-6 and 5-by-7 inch paperback mini books were in the $5 and $8 range, respectively. Standard hard-cover books sold for about $24 while leather cover books were about $32, on average.

  For comments and questions please visit the Marketing Research blog PMA Foresight.

-- By Kristy Clairmont

PMA Marketing Research Analyst

Friday, August 14, 2009

Global e-commerce solution provider Digital River Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., expanded its e-commerce agreement with data storage company Western Digital (WD). Digital River recently launched a new online store to help WD expand its online market reach beyond the United States into Canada and Europe. For this expanded site, Digital River is handling online orders, ensuring product fulfillment and managing regulatory fees related to the recycling of electronics products in Europe. Digital River has been managing WD's U.S. online consumer sales since 2005.

Skooba Design, Rochester, N.Y., expanded its original Checkthrough "checkpoint-friendly" laptop bag collection, with the addition of an ultralight backpack and a rolling laptop/business case. Checkthrough bags are specially designed and tested to pass through airport security X-ray screening without having to remove the computer. According to the company, its Checkthrough bags-developed in close coordination with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)-are the best-selling items in Skooba's 10-year history, and the new styles are in response to customer demand for additional versions of the product. The company has multiple patents pending on both current and future Checkthrough products, and also offers a range of checkpoint-friendly laptop skins.

  Both the backpack and roller feature durable, weather-repellant ballistic exterior fabric, nickel-finished hardware, Doc Pocket organizers for airline tickets and passport, clear zippered pouches for allowable liquids, and many other travel-friendly features. Plenty of pockets-20 in the backpack and 18 in the Roller-organize gadgets, accessories and other small items.

  The new Checkthrough Backpack and Roller are shipping now, at suggested retail prices of $129.95 and $189.95, respectively.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Bentonville, Ark., reported net sales for the second quarter were $100.082 billion, a decrease of 1.4 percent from $101.546 billion in the second quarter last year. Without the negative impact of currency exchange rates equal to $4.199 billion, net sales for the quarter increased 2.7 percent to approximately $104.281 billion on a constant currency basis (which assumes currency exchange rates remained the same as the prior year). Income from continuing operations increased to $3.449 billion from $3.401 billion in the same period last year.

Wal-Mart second quarter net sales

Dollars in billions

		Three months ended July 31			Six months ended July 31
	2009	2008	Percent change	2009	2008	Percent change
Wal-Mart U.S.	$64.209	$63.989	0.3	$125.453	$122.980	2.0
International	23.965	25.257	-5.1	45.228	49.184	-8.0
Sam's Club	11.908	12.300	-3.2	22.872	23.424	-2.4
Total Company	$100.082	$101.546	-1.4	$193.553	$195.588	-1.0

Retail Markets

The Leica S2 is coming in September.

Leica Camera AG, Solms, Germany, announcedits new professional SLR, the Leica S2, will be available at the end of September this year.  

  The camera, which was first announced at photokina 2008, features a 37.5 megapixel image sensor in the new format of 30-by-45 mm, which was developed by Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y., especially for the Leica S system. In spite of its enormous resolution, the camera can take serial pictures as fast as 1.5 fps by means of the new Maestro image processor, which is also capable of creating high-quality JPEG files directly in the camera - a feature that is not available with any other medium-format camera, according to Leica. While U.S. prices are not yet available, pricing in Germany starts with Euro 18,600 (including VAT) for the body. Initially, Leica will offer two lenses for the S2, but has announced the availability of another two lenses before the end of this year.

Sears Holdings Corp., Hoffman Estates, Ill., announces an  online pre-sale program for customers who want to be among the first to get their hands on the much anticipated Samsung DualView Cameras - the TL225 and TL220 with front and back LCD screens. Now, picture takers will be able to see themselves in the shot to ensure that they turn every scene into a frame-worthy photo opportunity.

  "Taking pictures creates memories that last, and we want to ensure that our customers have access to the latest home electronics products to make those moments memorable," stated Karen Austin, president, Sears Holdings Home Electronics. "Sears' online pre-sale of the Samsung DualView cameras further extends our commitment to provide our savvy shoppers with opportunities to be among the first to obtain the hottest, new technology."

  To make it even easier for picture takers to get out from behind the camera and into the shot, Sears is offering customers easy, streamlined access to purchase the Samsung DualView cameras. In additon to online pre-sales, Text-2-Buy will allow Sears' customers with a web-enabled phone to text SAMSUNG to 73277 (that's "Sears" on the keypad) from anywhere their cell phones work to purchase the camera, including inside physical stores. Customers will receive a text message back with a link driving them to the product page where they can check out on Sears2go. Standard text messaging rates apply.

  The online pre-sale began yesterday. Retail availability for the highly anticipated Samsung DualView cameras in teh United States does not begin until Sept. 13.

Océ North America, Trumbull, Conn., ays the combination of the Océ Arizona 350 XT wide format UV curable flatbed printer with rigid, lightweight Re-Board substrate results in a sustainable, versatile solution for a wide variety of display graphics applications. Made from 40 percent recycled paper using water-based adhesives, Re-Board substrate is 100 percent recyclable. The substrate is based on a unique structure of corrugated cells and layers of special liners. Re-Board substrate has been used in Europe by major corporations to create strong, environmentally friendly furniture, retail and trade show displays, portable emergency housing, and many other unique applications. Now Océ is bringing Re-Board capabilities to the United States as part of the Océ Imaging Supplies product portfolio.

   "When a product comes to market which meets the criteria for the three-Rs (Reduce-ReUse-Recycle), the industry needs to sit up, take notice and embrace it. Re-Board meets all of these requirements. Combining this 100 percent conventionally recyclable material with the Océ Arizona 350 XT UV curable flatbed printer and Océ ProCut digital cutting system creates a unique, earth-friendly solution that is both functional and cool," said Vic Nathan Barkin, president of Vic Barkin Consulting.

  Océ says the Re-Board substrate is a "greener" replacement for wood, plastic, MDF and metal. Applications that have been created with PVC, Styrene and MDF can be replaced by a greener solution that offers cost benefits along with sustainability.

Kubota Image Tools, Bend, Ore., introduced the Kubota RPG SpeedKeys for Lightroom 2, which is a wireless USB keypad with 1-button access to: essential adjustments such as brightness, exposure, fill light and more; the most popular Kubota Lightroom presets; and advanced tools such as paint with light, burn, soften skin, and hand-color. The Kubota RPG SpeedKeys comes with 29 Kubota Lightroom Presets. As a bonus, the SpeedKeys comes with the entire collection of Kubota Lightroom Presets v3, which includes develop, export, print, filter, and more. All of the presets included in Kubota Lightroom Presets v1 and v2 are also included in the set, plus new presets. There are more than 100 presets in all (a $49 value).

  The Kubota RPG SpeedKeys for Lightroom are available for purchase online. The price is $349. Also available is the Kubota RPG SpeedKeys with Kubota RAW Workflow for Lightroom 2. This video tutorial helps photographers learn how to efficiently use Adobe Lightroom 2. This combination pack is available now for $399 (a savings of $50 if purchased separately). Kubota Image Tools is also already developing future updates to allow for customization of the Kubota RPG SpeedKeys for Lightroom. These updates will be available as free upgrades to early adopters of the Kubota RPG SpeedKeys.

Freestyle Photographic Supplies, Hollywood, Calif., has long been devoted to supporting black and white photography, and it has featured the works of top photographers at its Creative Center for Photography. Last year, Freestyle hosted its first employee gallery exhibition; due to its success, the company is holding "Freestyle Exposed.The Tradition Continues!" It contains works ranging from traditional fine art to innovative alternative processes. An Artist Reception takes place Aug. 20 at 5:30 p.m., and the exhibit runs from Aug. 20 through Oct. 5.

Canon Consumer Imaging UK will host a two-day showcase of its professional photo, video and printing products Oct. 27-28 at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London. The event, Canon Pro Photo Solutions, is the largest exhibition of Canon consumer imaging products held in the United Kingdom. The event is aimed at moving and still image professionals says Canon, offering visitors a "workflow solution" from image capture to output.

  The show will be divided into four zones:

·         Input, featuring DSLR, Digital Video and pro lenses.

·         Software.

·         Output, featuring Canon professional print solutions.

·         Business Support solutions, highlighting critical support products, communities and tools for a profitable business.

  The event also will offers photographers live demos of a professional workflow solution, seminars and a chance to have their portfolio reviewed by experts. Entrance to the two-day show will be free for those registered in advance.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Consolidated Graphics, Houston, Texas has cut wages from 10 to 15 percent and let go a number of employees -although just how many employees have lost their jobs has not been revealed. CEO Joe Davies says the cuts were necessary to allow Consolidated Graphics to reduce prices enough to remain competitive.
  Despite the reductions, the company continues to invest in its leadership development program, hiring 40 college graduates this summer. The three-year training program now has a total of 394 associates.

Microsoft and Nokia announced an agreement to collaborate immediately on the design, development and marketing of productivity solutions for the mobile professional, bringing Microsoft Office Mobile and Microsoft business communications, collaboration and device management software to Nokia's Symbian devices. According to a press release, this is the first time that either company has embarked on an alliance of this scope and nature.

  The solutions will be available for a broad range of Nokia smartphones starting with the company's business-optimized range, Nokia Eseries. The two companies will also market these solutions to businesses, carriers and individuals.
   In addition to the collaboration on existing software and services, Microsoft and Nokia will use their know-how in enterprise experience and consumer understanding to jointly design a range of new applications for future Nokia devices.
   This announcement builds on the existing work Nokia is doing by optimizing access to e-mail and other personal information with Exchange ActiveSync. Next year, Nokia intends to start shipping Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile on its smartphones, followed by other Office applications and related software and services in the future, including the ability to view, edit, create and share Office documents on more devices in more places with mobile-optimized versions of Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft OneNote. The company als intends to create optimized conferencing and collaboration experience with Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile, allow mobile access to intranet and extranet portals built on Microsoft SharePoint Server and enable enterprise device management with Microsoft System Center.

The Sun Mover is one of three new California Sunbounce products now available through Sinar Bron.

X-Rite, Grand Rapids, Mich., reported second quarter 2009 net sales of $49.4 million, compared to $73.5 million in second quarter 2008. These results are in the range of company expectations given market conditions and reflect a decline of 32.8 percent versus a comparatively strong prior year performance. On a year-to-date basis, net sales were $96.0 million, 31.1 percent below the same period results last year. Both the Color Measurement and Color Standards segments experienced similar year-over-year declines as many customers and channel partners continued to delay purchase decisions in key X-Rite markets.

  "While we are beginning to make progress in some new market segments that have been less affected by the global economic slump, core markets such as printing and automotive continue to face weak customer demand and corresponding investment levels, which in turn impact the demand for X-Rite's products," said Thomas J. Vacchiano Jr., X-Rite's chief executive officer. "Some good news is that we are beginning to see an increasing number of customers and partners reengaging in discussions with X-Rite about previously suspended projects or new projects, which may be an indicator of improving order rates later this year or in 2010."

  The second quarter net loss was $7.6 million versus a loss of $20.9 million in the same period in 2008. X-Rite completed its announced closure of business operations for Viptronic, a subsidiary of X-Rite located in Brixen, Italy as of June 2009. It is expected that the sale of the campus will be completed by September of this year at a price estimated to be $2.4 million.

  X-Rite also said momentum for its new MatchRite iVue system continues to build as Benjamin Moore recently decided to adopt this technology as a solution for its retail stores. Additionally, the company reported that an increasing number of customers adopted its new ColorMunki Design product to improve speed, cost or quality in the design phase of their product realization processes. Early adopters include partners such as Corel and Bunkspeed, and customers such as Kohl's and Columbia Sportswear.

X-Rite Inc.

(In millions)

	Three months ended July 4, 2009	Three months ended June 28, 2008	Six months ended July 4, 2009	Six months ended June 28, 2008
Net sales	$49.4	$73.5	$96.0	$139.4
Net loss	$(7.6)	$(20.9)	$(16.3)	$(37.7)

PNI Digital Media, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada,  posted revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2009 of C$5.4 million representing an increase of 29 percent over the same period last year. A third quarter record of 3.4 million orders were transacted over the PNI Digital Media Platform, representing a 79 percent increase year over year.
  "We set new PNI records for Q3 revenue and transactions," says Kyle Hall, CEO, "while reducing cash expenses by 17 percent year over year. We continued to develop innovative solutions for the coming holiday season, new consumer experiences for next year, and new vertical applications of the PNI Digital Media Platform."
  According to the company, transactional revenue of C$3.9 million represents a 39 percent increase year on year.

Getty Images Inc., Seattle, Wash., has two new Web & Mobile image products featuring very small file sizes - 170 pixels and 280 pixels - designed specifically for online and mobile use. These new Web & Mobile products enable customers to license high volumes of high-quality, simple-to-use imagery for the digital element of their campaigns and communications.

  "As media consumption continues to accelerate towards digital, our customers tell us they want high quality imagery quickly, easily and at the appropriate price points in order to develop compelling digital campaigns that connect with their audiences," says Andy Saunders, vice president of creative imagery at Getty Images.

  Getty Images' Web & Mobile images are priced according to pixel size and license model, ranging from $5 for RF and $15 for RM, to the current $49 (413 pixels/500kb) Web-resolution product.

Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y., introduces the new i1200 Plus and i1300 Plus Series Scanners, with up to 50 percent speed increase over their predecessor models. With no additional cost to its customers, the Kodak i1200 Plus and i1300 Plus Series Scanners will improve document capture productivity for departmental and workgroup scanning.
  The Kodak i1200 Plus Series Scanners will boast speeds of up to 45 pages per minute (ppm), compared to 30ppm of previous models.  The Kodak i1300 Plus Series Scanners also feature an improvement of scanning speed for color at 200 dpi to 40 ppm -- a 33 percent increase.

ShoZu Ltd., London, United Kingdom, is poised to enhance social networking on BlackBerry smartphones with the introduction of a new, highly integrated client, available on BlackBerry App World.
  The new ShoZu client takes the ShoZu service on BlackBerry smartphones to a higher level of functionality - beyond just uploading to multiple social networking sites simultaneously. It provides two-way interactivity with a variety of social networking sites mobile users want to interact with on a daily basis through one interface.
  The new mobile client provides two-way interactivity with a host of social networking sites on BlackBerry smartphones, including the ability to receive updates from multiple sites to one integrated spot directly on the handset, read and reply to comments in real-time, update status, upload images and video, add tags, titles and descriptions before or after uploading, and much more. The mobile client also offers the ability to edit, add, and remove destination sites to/from a user's account.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Carnegie Mellon University spin-off Pittsburgh Pattern Recognition is developing "face mining technology" that enables new video viewing experiences." In today's AIE Imaging Executive podcast, CEO Henry Schneiderman discusses how the technology will impact photography.

The state of the art in advanced imaging takes center stage as Ramesh Raskar of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) presents the latest developments in the field of computational photography at the 6Sight Future of Imaging Conference, Nov. 10-12, 2009, at the Monterey Conference Center in Monterey, Calif.

   Computational photography exploits plentiful, low-cost computing and memory; new kinds of digitally enabled sensors; optics; probes; smart lighting; and communication to capture information far beyond just a simple set of pixels.

   Raskar is head of the Camera Culture research group and codirector of the Center for Future Storytelling, both at the MIT Media Lab. He predicts a richer, multilayered visual experience including depth, fused photo-video representations, or multispectral imagery.

   "Computational photography offers the promise of major advances in visual expression and communication," says Alexis Gerard, 6Sight cofounder and conference chair. "It will enable us to create images that break out of traditional constraints to retain more fully our fondest and most important memories, and it will extend the archival and artistic possibilities of photography. Our attendees will witness the absolute state of the art as Professor Raskar explains and demonstrates advances his group is working on in the areas of generalized optics, sensors, illumination methods, processing, and display. His talk will truly be a window into the future of imaging. We're excited to bring this rare opportunity to the 6Sight community."

   "I believe we're on the cusp of significant technical and conceptual changes in how we view and practice imaging, and I'm excited to have the opportunity to share these thoughts and engage in a dialogue with the high-powered audience 6Sight is known for," says Raskar. "The Media Lab has cooperated with Alexis since we contributed to the research for his groundbreaking book, 'Going Visual.' His 6Sight conference is the single most important venue for strategic thinkers from all parts of the imaging ecosystem to brainstorm what the future holds for them and forge the necessary personal and professional connections to make the most of that future."

  Look for an interview with Raskar available starting Aug. 24 on the DIMAcast, and an article based on that interview in the September issue of Digital Imaging Digest. Additional information about the 6Sight conference program and speakers is available at www.6sight.com. Raskar's website is www.media.mit.edu/~raskar. Information about the I3A annual conference, which will be colocated with 6Sight, can be found at www.i3a.org.

To inspire existing community members and engage new ones on its growing social networking site, www.livinginhd.com, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Co., Secaucus, N.J., is launching the End of Summer Celebration, a month-long weekly giveaway ending Labor Day, marking memorable summer moments through online photo and video sharing.  
  First-time users are automatically entered into the sweepstakes by joining the community, and submitting their favorite summer photos or videos that meet a weekly theme. Entrants can also include a caption that provides viewers with helpful information about the content's subject. The photos and videos uploaded to the site will spark photography ideas, while giving members the chance to win their choice of either the LUMIX DMC-GH1 digital camera or a 50-inch VIERA G10 Series Plasma TV. Weekly themes include weddings, "great American roadtrip," vacations for two, and food creations.

With the heightened interest in saving money during this economic downturn, Yahoo! Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., has launched a new Yahoo! Deals website to provide daily deals, online coupons, and exclusive offers all in one place: the new The site also debuts social and community features as well as money-saving video content.
  Penny-pinching is on the rise as individuals and families ride out the recession. In fact, Web searches for "printable coupons" on Yahoo! are up 50 percent in 2009, compared to the same time in 2008, and up 135 percent compared to 2007.
  In addition to bargains, coupons and exclusive offers from partner companies like Ecobunga!, Greenzer, TechBargains.com and LogicBUY, the new site offers features like video stories on consumer shopping trends and savings tips provided by Inside Edition; a gas finder module that helps users find the cheapest gas by zip code; improved search functions; new social features that allow savvy shoppers to share deals with friends via email and popular social networks, and to save deals for later use; and a new community feature that lets users post or read comments on each deal
  In a recent Yahoo! survey, 43 percent of participants said they are using coupons more since last year. They also cited that easier access to coupons would motivate them to use coupons more often, a sentiment stated by 76 percent of women. That said, the majority of people polled feel that there are not currently enough coupons for things they want to buy and nearly half actually think coupon hunting is a chore. Less than a fifth of consumers have a "go-to" online site and almost 80 percent think the process of finding coupons is difficult.
  Additionally, the survey asked how pride factors into couponing. Saving money makes people feel good as 59 percent stated that "they feel great when buying things with coupons." This trend is much stronger for women, with a greater percentage of men feeling embarrassed when using coupons. Bargain hunting can also become a badge of honor with 29 percent wanting to be known as the coupon king or queen.
  Yahoo! Deals also provides a Twitter feed that churns out deals in real-time.

If you own a Canon PowerShot digital camera purchased and registered before July 20, 2009, Canon U.S.A. Inc., Lake Success, N.Y., wants to entice you to upgrade to a new digital SLR by offering you a $50 - $100 rebate on your purchase.

  PowerShot owners who purchase a new Canon EOS 50D or the full-frame EOS 5D Mark II will receive a $100 rebate by mail; those who purchase an EOS Rebel XS, XSi, or new T1i with HD Video will receive $50 back by mail.

A Fine Image, a specialty photography and video company headquartered in Newton, Mass., introduced customized wedding album services. The new service offers many colors, textures and embossing designs to wedding albums. The albums are offered in various themed formats, including contemporary, classic, traditional or candid. The custom-made albums are also in sync with the color scheme and theme of each wedding, allowing customers to choose the color of the paper, book, cloth and text. Both hard and soft covers are available. The customization service also offers albums in a variety of designs which include storybook design with pictures in sequence, contemporary coffee table style or collage format.

  Sample wedding albums are available online.

A longtime Rochester Institute of Technology event that highlights the spirit of community and volunteerism, while generating a spectacular nighttime photograph, heads to Washington, D.C., next month. The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian will be the subject of RIT's 25th Big Shot photograph on Sept. 26. The Big Shot photography project relies on the participation of hundreds of volunteers to provide the primary light source for the image while photographers shoot an extended exposure. Past Big Shot projects have attracted up to 1,200 volunteers. Faculty members from RIT's School of Photographic Arts and Sciences and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf are the main organizers of the event.
  RIT students, faculty, staff and alumni will join the Washington, D.C., community and museum members in this volunteer effort. Volunteers will meet outside the museum at 7:45 p.m. There is no pre-registration required. Volunteers need to bring either a flashlight or camera flash unit and are asked to wear dark clothing. Participants will receive a memento print of the final photograph, compliments of Nikon Inc.
  The museum will be the subject of the Big Shot photograph with the Washington Monument in the background. The National Museum of the American Indian is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its opening on the National Mall, which is located just south of the U.S. Capitol. The unique architecture of the building is the culmination of many discussions and meetings with Native communities and individuals throughout the Western hemisphere. The museum's unique curvilinear design evokes the mesas and canyons of the Southwest and gives the appearance of being weathered by wind and water. The exterior is clad in a Kasota limestone quarried from Minnesota and is a warm buff color that has several finishes to suggest the building grew out of the landscape.
  Since RIT started its Big Shot project in 1987, the event has hopscotched to several national landmarks and twice crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Through their viewfinders, Big Shot photographers have captured such landmarks as the U.S.S. Intrepid, the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden, and George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, while drawing in thousands of volunteers and spectators throughout the past two decades.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

It's difficult to take a unique shot of tourist icons, like the Sydney Opera House. New on PMA TV is a video from photographer Jim Everett, who demonstrates how to "break the rules" to capture an intimate view of frequently-photographed places and things, and create an unusual end result.Click here to go directly to Everett's video; to access the treasure trove of other video content on the site, click on PMA TV.  

In this week's PMA Marketing Moment, Bret Harmen, co-owner of Photo Summit in Summit, N.J., takes a moment to explain how Photo Summit, along with its sister store, Madison PhotoPlus, are going green.

Financial Times (FT) reports mass retailers, led by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Bentonville, Ark., are reversing the traditional effort to provide access to all available products by cutting back on the number of products they sells. Valuable shelf space is being reserved for best-selling lines, while inventory of products that do not sell as well is being reduce or eliminated.
  The report says Wal-Mart is employing the reduction tactic in an effort to increase sales per square foot while reducing inventory and cutting labor costs for stocking. Retail analysts predict the cutback could reduce the number of lines Wal-Mart carries by 15 percent.

  Other retailers are are reducing selection as well. Walgreens is dropping the average number of items carried per store from 20,000 to about 17,500. Supermarkets Kroger and Stop & Shop are also cutting back on product offerings, using data on shopper preferences acquired through loyalty cards, FT reports.

The Houston Chronicle reports Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is seeking to attract Hispanic consumers with a Sam's Club store carrying foods and products imported from Mexico and Central America. The 143,000-square-foot pilot store, called The Más Club, will open the first half of 2010 in Houston, Texas.
  Customers of The Más Club will purchase an annual membership separate from a Sam's Club membership. Fees have yet to be determined.
  The Hispanic market has captured the attention of retailers because of its growing population. Last year, Hispanics had a buying power of $862 billion. That's expected to increase to $1.2 trillion in 2012, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia, the Houston Chronicle reports.

DECOR Expo and DECOR, Art Business News and VOLUME magazines announce new ownership under the newly formed Next Step Media.

  Formerly owned by Summit Business Media under the company's Art Division, the properties, along with Artexpo, were sold to Art Acquisitions LLC on July 31.

  In a second transaction that day, DECOR Expo and DECOR, Art Business News and VOLUME magazines were sold to Summit's former Art Division Publisher Kim Feager, co-founder of Next Step Media. Artexpo was sold to Redwood Media Group, a new company formed by Summit's former Art Division Vice President Eric Smith, which will operate separately from Next Step Media. 

 Members of the Next Step Media management team are: Kim Feager, co-founder and publisher; Kim Klatt, DECOR Expo show director and sales representative; Kristin Stefek Brashares, managing editor of DECOR and VOLUME magazines; Jennifer Dulin Wiley, managing editor of Art Business News; and sales representatives Melissa Louis, Mark Shapiro, Rita Popowicz and Renee Pinner.

  The decision was made to postpone DECOR Expo Atlanta and reintroduce in 2010. DECOR, Art Business News and VOLUME will continue to distribute regularly scheduled issues.

Ad Klein Woolthuis

An Apple iPhone showing Athentech''s image correction software app.

Monday, August 10, 2009

International Paper leadership was given 15 days to appeal fines of more than $100,000 for safety violations at a plant in Augusta, Ga., according to Georgia Public Broadcasting. Officials of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) imposed the fines after inspecting the facility following the death of an employee who was struck by a timber-loading crane last February.
  OSHA says the company ran the crane without a working warning horn meant to alert workers when the machine is in motion. OSHA officials cited several other safety and health violations at the Augusta plant, such as substandard emergency lighting, lack of safety barricades around dangerous machinery and accumulation of hazardous dust.

SanDisk Corp., will offer its products in a new packaging, designed to make it easy for consumers to recognize products and understand benefits, Telecomtiger reports. 
  New packaging will reinforce brand identity and use a new color code. Red packaging will indicate SanDisk Standard products; silver, SanDisk Ultra products; and black, SanDisk Extreme products.

Rite Aid Corp., Camp Hill, Pa., announces a new online savings program where customers can save with coupons they can print after watching short informational videos on select products.
  The Video Values program was created by AdPerk, a provider of strategic video marketing solutions for retailers. Customers can click on the Video Values image on www.riteaid.com and watch videos for select products, then access to exclusive coupons and savings.
  Videos can be viewed by brand, category or manufacturer. Customers can watch videos about select products available at Rite Aid and print related in-store coupons totaling up to $130 in savings. They also receive a $5 Rite Aid Bonus Coupon when they earn 20 video credits. Some videos are worth multiple credits.
  New videos and coupons will be offered and updated on an ongoing basis. Customers choose which brands and products interest them. The more videos they watch, the more savings they earn.

Online premium stationery company Tiny Prints, Mountain View, Calif., has teamed up with photo book maker MyCanvas.com, owned and operated by Ancestry.com, to launch a premium photo books service. This partnership marks an important milestone for Tiny Prints as it expands its product offerings beyond personalized stationery and favors.
  With the premium photo books from Tiny Prints and MyCanvas, consumers can take their favorite snapshots and create one-of-a-kind photo books using design templates exclusively from Tiny Prints artists, while also adding a variety of borders, embellishments and more. These features combined with the easy-to-use customization and preview tools from MyCanvas allow consumers to create personalized albums that reflect their own personal style and taste.

The fifth annual Art of Photography Show, an international competition and exhibition of photographic art, will debut the top 111 photographs chosen from 16,000 entries from 57 countries on Aug. 29 at the Lyceum Theatre Gallery in San Diego, Calif. The exhibit will run through Nov. 1, and is expected to attract 25,000 viewers.
   Charlotte Cotton, the curator and head of the Photography Department at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, judged the entries.

According to the 2009 PMA Camera/Camcorder Digital Imaging Survey, 45 percent of U.S. households made paper prints from digital images in 2008. For digital camera households only, this number jumps to 61 percent. The average number of prints made per image was 1.6 in 2008 for those households that made paper prints.

  The number of traditional prints made by U.S. consumers continues to fall each year, but the number of digital prints being made has been growing. It is projected that 2009 will be the first year digital print volumes dip slightly. PMA Marketing Research estimates that 14.8 billion digital prints were made in 2008 and that is expected to drop to 14.4 billion prints for 2009. Likewise, spending on retail and online printing is expected to fall. The number of prints made by U.S. consumers at home dropped in 2008 while the number of prints made at retail and online grew. In terms of print share, retail and online printing each hold 35 percent of the market, with home printing capturing the remaining 30 percent.

  Households that do make prints, however, appear to be doing more with them then they were the previous year. Sixty-percent of printing households made prints to put them in albums at home in 2007, but this number increased to 70 percent in 2008. Eighty-three percent of households made prints to give them to family or friends in 2008, an increase from 69 percent in the year prior. Households were also more likely to put pictures in frames at home or at the office.

  For comments and questions please visit the Marketing Research blog PMA Foresight.

 -- By Kristy Clairmont

PMA Marketing Research Analyst

Friday, August 07, 2009

Sony Ericsson has been made aware of an online email campaign claiming that Ericsson will give away a free laptop computer to users who forward the promotional information. The same campaign includes a photograph of the Sony Ericsson logo and mentions an Ericsson contact name and email number.

  In another spam campaign, unsolicited emails have been sent to members of the general public from an email address that appears to bear the name 'Sony Ericsson' and which tells that the recipient has won a sum of money in a competition and requests that certain personal data be confirmed. Sony Ericsson points out that these email campaigns are hoax, and that the Ericsson contact name does not exist.
  Sony Ericsson added all competitions and promotions involving the company are run through official channels such as Sony Ericsson's website or Sony Ericsson's partners' websites. Users should be wary of any competition or promotion that appears to come from outside of Sony Ericsson or Sony Ericsson's partners official channels, and never reply to such an email, but instead forward it to questions.gb@support.sonyericsson.com.

United Online Inc. Woodland Hills, Calif., a provider of consumer products and services over the Internet, reported financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2009.
  Consolidated revenues were $260.8 million, an increase of 113 percent versus the year-ago quarter. The increase was primarily attributable to the company's acquisition of floral delivery company FTD in August 2008.
  Scott H. Ray, executive vice president and chief financial officer, commented, "Our businesses continue to generate significant cash flows, which enabled us to repay $28.0 million in debt during the second quarter while maintaining a healthy cash position of $117.4 million at June 30, 2009. During the three quarters since the FTD acquisition closed, we have reduced our debt balance by more than $40 million and, at the same time, we have increased our cash and cash equivalents by nearly $48 million." 

Rarely seen images from the early days of photography will be revealed in the British Library's first ever major photographic exhibition, BBC News reports. About 250 original images, including work by 19th century pioneers William Henry Fox Talbot and Julia Margaret Cameron, will go on display in London.

  "Points of View: Capturing the 19th Century in Photographs," running from Oct. 30 to March 7, 2010, will examine the development and influence of photography, from its invention in 1839 up to the growth of the popular amateur market in the early 20th century.

  The library's collection of 300,000 images includes pictures taken in the fields of science, anthropology and archaeology. The collection concentrates more on the social uses of photography than the artistic.

The Image Loft, Manchester Center, Vt., a provider of photographic and art reproduction services and conservation custom framing and finishing, has teamed with nationally acclaimed artist Nancy Howe to raffle off a framed giclee print, "The Dance Within," from Howe's project "Painting A Brighter Future for Kenyan Women."

  Proceeds will go to The BOMA Fund for the support of the Rural Entrepreneur Access Program (REAP}. The fund, a U.S.-based non-profit organization, works with community organizations and woman groups in Northern Kenya as an efficient means of poverty alleviation.

  "When my youngest son, who is now serving in Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division, decided to join the Army, I found myself wondering what I could do to support his efforts," says owner John Conte, a member of the Professional Picture Framers Association (PPFA), who found inspiration for this project during a 2006 visit to Kenya with his family. 

 "I decided to look more into the future, to help prevent what has happened in Afghanistan from happening elsewhere. Building sustainable local economies and improving daily lives are key to a more peaceful future." 

Datacolor created the photography book, "Colors of My Life" from photos submitted for a contest.

Digital color management technology firm Datacolor, Lawrenceville, N.J., has brightened the lives of children in Chile with the production and sale of the photography book, "Colors of My Life."  Proceeds from the book will benefit Hope for Children, a Chile-based charity dedicated to improving the lives of underprivileged children throughout the country.
  "Colors of My World" is an 80-page hardcover photography book, which began as a simple photography contest sponsored by Datacolor's European office.  As part of the contest, consumers submitted two photographs that incorporated colors they felt best depicted their lives or personalities.  The final images -- 60 images total -- worked so well as a single body of work that Datacolor decided to create a portfolio in the form of a book.
  "We were completely overwhelmed by the number of images we received as well as the quality of the photos," says Sophie Schwery, Consumer Business Unit manager, Datacolor in Europe. "Our decision to produce a book of these beautiful photographs was an easy one and working with the Hope for Children organization to benefit children has been rewarding beyond words.  We would encourage anyone who loves photography to purchase the book and help brighten the lives of children."
  First prize in the contest went to Alice Lemarin, a young French artist who will receive an all-expense paid trip to the Tuscany Photo Workshops.
  Copies of the book "Colors of My Life" can be purchased through Blurb for US$22.82.

Featuring educational seminars, product training by suppliers, keynote speakers, and a two-day product show, the PMA Canada Exposition 2009 is Sept. 10-11 at the Toronto Congress Center, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. PMA Canada Exposition 2009, in its fifth year, is a "can't miss" event for photo retailers, professional photographers, consumer electronics outlets, custom framers, scrapbook retailers, photo educators, and press.

   "The PMA Canada Exposition brings together the many sectors of the imaging industry in Canada," says Bob Moggach, PMA Director, Canadian Activities. "Besides the many exciting trade show exhibits, this year there will be education tracks with seminars covering the hot new products for 2009-2010; new techniques for professional framers; and exciting insights from award-winning photographers and artists to enhance the skills and services that studio, sports, and event photographers can use to augment their business models. The recession is over in Canada. Now is the time for members to take advantage of this event to grow their business."

   Highlighting the two solid days of educational programming is a pair of luncheon keynote presentations by Kenneth Wong, Queen's University (Thursday, Sept. 10, 12:00 noon - 1:15 p.m.), who will provide some foresight on the world of marketing once the recession ends, and William J. McCurry, McCurry Associates (Friday, Sept. 11, 12:00 noon - 1:15 p.m.), who will moderate a panel of buyers that scoured the trade show floor to predict the hot sellers of the holiday season.   

  Gold sponsors for PMA Canada Exposition 2009 are Canon, Fujifilm, Kodak, and Noritsu.

   Those seeking more information for travel and hotel arrangements can call 888-877-0054, ext. 123, or email nilo@dwt.ca. Office hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. For information regarding the show, contact the PMA Registration Department at 800-762-9287 or Bob Moggach at 800-461-4350.

A new research study published by IDC Retail Insights, Framingham, Mass., shows retail demand intelligence (RDI) as the most pressing technological investment issue currently facing retailers. According to the new report, retailers are not only implementing advanced demand-forecasting tools, but are using RDI as a foundational retail technology, tightly integrated with retail planning systems, supply chain applications, and customer selling systems. To help retail executives compile a shortlist of RDI IT suppliers that best address the needs of their business, the new IDC Retail Insights study, Vendor Assessment: Retail Demand Intelligence Vendor Maturity provides an analysis of the vendor landscape for RDI solutions.
  In today's economy, consumers are increasingly exacting. They require customization, targeted promotions carrying personalized benefits and incentives, highly automated and easy-to-use multi-channel technology, and rapid response times to their changing preferences. The retailer needs to be transparent, with accessible product information, clear communications, brand-appropriate service levels, and consumer-centric multi-channel support - all without being intrusive.
  To properly address these requirements, deliver a truly improved shopping experience, and gain competitive advantage, retailers must fine-tune their business processes to be able to make near-instantaneous decisions. Demand trends change rapidly, and consumers expect companies to be always up to date and ready to deliver whatever they want in the shortest amount of time. The cornerstone of these capabilities is retail demand intelligence (RDI).
  Acting in sync with reactive business intelligence, predictive RDI can give retailers the ability to act on shifting demand trends as they happen. RDI platforms are often the foundation that enables retailers to achieve the business objectives driving their most important initiatives.
  The new IDC report evaluates 14 vendors on their ability to provide an RDI platform that drives customer-centric precision retailing, and was designed to help retailers as they launch their own exploratory or selection processes. A free copy is available to qualified retailers who request it via email.

Wilton Brands Inc., Woodridge, Ill., announced its parent company, Wilton Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries reached an agreement in principle with their largest creditors, JGF Credit LLC and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, regarding a comprehensive restructuring of Wilton Holdings' capital structure.

  The parties agreed to a continued period of forbearance during which they will work to effect the financial restructuring on terms that have been mutually agreed.  JGF and DB agreed to stand still with respect to the involuntary petition filed against Wilton Holdings on July 17, 2009 and that they will withdraw the involuntary bankruptcy petition at the time of the consummation of the financial restructuring of Wilton Holdings.

  Wilton's product portfolio includes scrapbooking and other craft products and the company is a marketer of some brands of embellishments, stickers, and punches through the EK Success and K & Company product lines. The company also launched the Martha Stewart Crafts line in May 2007.

Sony Electronics Inc., San Diego, Calif., introduces the Party-shot personal photographer (model IPT-DS1) - a camera dock that pans 360 degrees and tilts 24 degrees, automatically detects faces, adjusts composition and takes photos for you.
  The Party-shot camera accessory uses the camera's BIONZ image processor with its Face Detection and Smile Shutter features to take photos without the user needing to snap the shutter button. This device makes it easy to capture more natural expressions and fun, candid moments of you, your family and friends.

Thursday, August 06, 2009

CeWe Color Holding AG, Oldenburg, Germany, renewed its borrowed capital lines as scheduled. Despite the worldwide financial crises, the company's credit lines were extented from a total of Euro 71.5 million (US-$ 103 million) to Euro 92.5 million (US-$ 133.2 million) for loan periods of up to five years.  

  "This consistently sound financial strength is a perfect basis to realize our ambitious plans for growth," commented CeWe Color CEO Dr. Rolf Hollander.

The Summit Global Group, Salt Lake City, Utah, which holds an exclusive five-year licence to produce and distribute Polaroid-branded digital still and video cameras, digital photo frames and Polaroid PoGo mobile products, has appointed plawa-feinwerktechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Uhingen, Germany, authorized distributor of Polaroid-branded digital imaging products for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France. plawa will also support the sales efforts in several East European countries, Turkey and Russia.

Nikon Corp., Tokyo, Japan, announces an unexpected surprise quarterly profit after offsetting weak demand for its chip equipment with cost cuts, but still forecasts bigger losses this year.
  Operating profit was 730 million yen ($7.68 million) for the first quarter, compared to last year's 28.7 billion yen profit. For the full financial year ending in March 2010, Nikon, predicts an operating loss of 30 billion yen, lowered from its previous forecast of a 12 billion yen loss.

CVS Caremark Corp., Woonsocket, R.I., announces net revenues for the second quarter of 2009, increased $3.7 billion to $24.9 billion, up from $21.1 billion during the second quarter of 2008.
  Earnings from continuing operations for the second quarter ended June 30, 2009, increased 8.0 percent to $889.1 million, compared with earnings from continuing operations of $823.5 million during the second quarter of 2008. Adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations, which excludes $107.3 million of intangible asset amortization related to acquisition activity, for the second quarter were $0.65, compared with $0.60 in the second quarter of 2008.

Leica Camera AG, Solms, Germany, has announced a loss of Euro 4.8 million (US-$ 6.9 million) for the fiscal year 2008/2009, which ended March 31, 2009. In the previous year, the company recorded a profit of Euro 3.0 million. Total sales of the group were Euro 156.2 million (US-$ 224.5 million), a decrease of 14.1 percent from fiscal 2007/2008.

  According to Leica CEO Rudolf Spiller, the negative development is mainly due to unfavorable economic environment in the company's international markets, the discontinuation of certain products and the delayed launch of new models.

  Compared with the previous year, sales of system cameras declined 26.9 percent to Euro 41.8 million (US-$ 60.1 million). Sales of compact cameras shrank 10.3 percent to Euro 44.3 million (US-$ 63.7 million); the sports optics business recorded a decrease by 16.6 percent to Euro 24.8 million (US-$ 35.7 million).

  With sales of Euro 27.9 million (US-$ 40.1 million), the North American countries USA, Canada and Mexico continued to be Leica's most important single export market. With sales of Euro 49.1 million (US-$ 70.6 million), Leica achieved 36.6 percent of its sales in Asia. The domestic business in Germany accounts for 15.9 percent of the company sales, with a volume of Euro 18.3 million (US-$ 26.3 million).

  Commenting on Leica's prospect for the current fiscal year 2009/2010, Spiller said that a forecast was very difficult in view of the economic environment, adding that he expected a negative result. Leica will, however, continue its restructuring measures and intends to use its opportunities with new models including the Leica S2, which was first presented at photokina 2008, new lenses and additional products in the sport optics segment

The new Fujifilm Mall brings together various photo publishing products and services.

The Optio WS80 is a new waterproof digital camera from Pentax Imaging Co., Golden, Co. The camera has a 10-megapixel CCD and a 5X internal

Pentax WS80 waterproof camera

optical zoom in a body that is less than an inch thick. It also has a 2.7-inch LCD with 230,000 dot resolution. With construction that can withstand submersion to five feet (1.5 meters), the Optio WS80 takes underwater photos and video including high resolution, widescreen, HD video up to 720p at a 30 frames per second.
  Other features: Face Detection technology sees up to 32 faces; Smile Capture automatically releases the shutter when a subject smiles and Blink Detection alerts the photographer if the subject's eyes are closed during the exposure; Shake Reduction (SR) technology features Pixel Track SR, Digital SR and Movie SR; Auto Picture mode automatically selects from eight shooting modes; sensitivity is up to ISO 6400.

Pentax Optio E80

  The WS80 comes in two color options, black with orange accents or white with purple accents. 
  The Optio P80 digital camera features a lightweight design in three colors: black, pearl and mint. The new entry-level Optio E80 features a 2.7-inch LCD monitor, beginner-friendly controls and high resolution widescreen HD video capture.
  The P80's features: 12.1-megapixel CCD; 4X wide angle optical zoom (equivalent to 27.5-110mm); 2.7-inch LCD with 230,000 dot resolution; high resolution, widescreen, HD video capture up to 720p at a 30 frames per second; Shake Reduction (SR) technology with Pixel Track SR, Digital SR and Movie SR; Face Detection technology sees up to 32 faces in as little as 0.03 seconds; Smile Capture automatically captures pictures when the subject smiles, and Blink Detection alerts if the subject's eyes are closed during the exposure; Auto Picture mode automatically selects from eight shooting modes; sensitivity is up to ISO 6400.

Pentax Optio P80

  Pentax says it has improved the Face Detection AF & AE function on the P80 to now capture subject faces from an angle, and has made the Auto-Tracking AF function more responsive. version of the helps keep an active subject in constant focus.
  The Optio E80, available in silver or black, has easy-to-press, large control buttons, Auto Picture mode and uses AA-size batteries. Camera features: 10-megapixel CCD; 2.7-inch; 3X wide angle optical zoom (equivalent to 32-96mm); high resolution, widescreen HD video capture at 720p at 15 frames per second with sound; ISO sensitivity to 6400; easy to read camera menus; Face Detection.
  All cameras will be available in September.

Drytac Corp., Richmond, Va., introduces a UV curable clear coat for use on applications requiring maximum flexibility. InstaCure SuperFlex is a high gloss coating flexible enough to form around rivets and stretch into compound and complex curves, and also thermo-formable. Tests show it has the ability to stretch up to six times its original size, allowing manufacturers of fleet and vehicle graphics to benefit from the low cost and high speed applications made possible with high UV curable liquid coaters.

  INSTACure SuperFlex contains a proprietary blend of acrylate and non-yellowing urethane UV curable polymers to give coated prints flexibility.  The coating develops a tough exterior finish that is scratch and abrasion resistant and able to withstand commercial truck washes using standard commercial cleaners.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

The founders of photo-sharing site Photobucket, Alex Welch and Darren Crystal, are leaving Fox Interactive Media, reports TechCrunch. The pair sold Photobucket to Fox Interactive in May, 2007, for around $300 million. According to the report, Welch and Crystal will leave the company at the end of August.

Tru Vue Inc., McCook, Ill., announces "Museum Glass Feeds America," an in-store consumer promotion, running through Feb. 28, 2010, designed to help Americans struggling with hunger.  

  Participating framers and their customers will help generate up to $25,000 in donations to Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief charity that secures food and funding for local food banks in every state. This equates to 175,000 meals to individuals and families in need.

  For more information, visit www.museumglassfeedsamerica.com.

It's obvious that good communication, often in the simple form of conversation, is critical to business success; but research shows half of all business people find it difficult to have an open, honest conversation at work. In today's AIE Imaging Executive podcast, Jamie Showkeir -- a partner at Phoenix, Ariz.-based business consulting firm Henning-Showkeir & Associates, which has helped organizations such as 3M, HP, Kaiser Permanente, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and The Nature Conservancy improve workplace culture -- explains how business leaders can create better, more effective conversations with and among staff members.

The latest issue of The 6Sight Report -- featuring trends analysis, market research reports, exclusive conversations with industry leaders, information on high-level job openings and major transitions at imaging companies -- is now available to subscribers. This month's issue includes these features:

France's nationally sponsored school of photography - Ecole Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie (ENSP) of Arles, France -installed a Chromira 5x ProLab. The ProLab was installed by ZBE, Carpinteria, Calif., and its dealer in France, Wanduch Lab Consult. Also, Colo Photo Shop, the largest chain of digtal photography labs and studios in Mumbai, India, installed a Chromira 5x ProLab to offer customers large-format images. The ProLab was installed by ZBE and its dealer in India, Kemlogic. Founded in 1981, Color Photo Shop has since grown to employ more than 500 in 35 locations.

RadioShack Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, will unveil its new brand creative platform, "The Shack," Aug. 6, supported by an integrated television, print and digital media schedule, as well as a high-profile, three-day launch event taking place in New York City and San Francisco.
  "Trust is a critical attribute of any successful retailer, and the reality is that most people trust friends, not corporations. When a brand becomes a friend, it often gets a nickname -- take FedEx or Coke, for example. Our customers, associates and even the investor community have long referred to RadioShack as 'the Shack,' so we decided to embrace that fact and share it with the world," said Lee Applbaum, RadioShack's chief marketing officer. "This creative is not about changing our name. Rather, we're contemporizing the way we want people to think about our brand."

  In an unrelated, but similar note, Pizza Hut Inc. issued a recent statement it was not changing it's name to simply, "The Hut." "Pizza Hut is not changing its name. We are proud of our name and heritage and will continue to be Pizza Hut. We do use 'The Hut' in some of our marketing efforts," says Brian Niccol, CMO, Pizza Hut.

Hama 15-inch digital frame

With the FotoMuse ($2.99 in the Apple App Store) iPhone App, users can quickly transform snapshots into artistic renderings. Photographer and author Kris Gebhardt developed the app in partnership with WebUrban LLC. The FotoMuse app enables users to import any photo from their iPhone album and transform it into a work of art in less than 20 seconds. "People can crop, resize, and mix images with artifacts from old photos, vintage-edged film, and other media," Gebhardt says. "After adding contrast, selecting a border, and choosing a layer, it's easy to save the image - without actually changing the original photo."

The Epson P-6000 Multimedia Viewer

Two recently released products are the first in the lineup of holiday gift items that will be promoted this season by Epson America Inc., Long Beach, Calif. The Epson Perfection V30 scanner offers high resolution and image quality at a low price: US$79.99. Featuring hardware resolution of 4800-by-9600 dpi with 48-bit color scanning and 3.2 dynamic range and the same CCD sensor technology used in higher-end Epson scanners, the Epson V30 also offers one-touch scanning options and four easy-to-use buttons to automatically scan, copy, e-mail, or create PDFs. In addition, the scanner offers four scan modes to accommodate varying user levels, from beginner to professional.
  The Epson P-6000 Multimedia Viewer, at a suggested retail price of US $599, is designed for on-the-go photographers and provides a convenient way to download, store and view thousands of photos on location -- without a computer. It displays over 16.7 million colors on a large 4-inch LCD using Epson's Photo Fine Premia technology. A new tethering functionality allows photographers to view and save images directly to the viewer as they are shot and even control basic camera functions remotely.

There are approximately 15,000 interesting applications available for the Apple iPhone, including a wide variety of photography applications. The top ten paid photo apps have the tendency to change regularly, but the apps currently at the top of the list are highlighted below. These apps and many more can be purchased at the Apple iTunes App Store.

• The Camera Zoom app from Kendi Tech allows users to zoom in and out in real-time when taking pictures by simply moving the slider. Features include up to 4x digital zoom, realtime zooming camera preview, auto-adjusts photo to best quality after taking picture and more. The app sells for just 99 cents.
• Another popular app, ColorSplash, from Hendrik Kueck, lets users quickly and easily give photos a dramatic look by converting them to black and white, while keeping chosen details in color. The effect draws viewers' attention to the colored areas. ColorSplash features the same intuitive and responsive multi-touch user interface as the Juxtaposer app and sells for $2.99.
• Photogene, from Omer Shoor, is available for $2.99. Photogene is about improving digital photos and having fun while doing it. The application offers a comprehensive set of professional editing tools. Along with a multitude of other features, new features include framing effects.
• Nevercenter Ltd. Co. offers the CameraBag app that allows users to dramatically enhance photos using the many classic camera and film simulations. The features make it comparable to having 10 different cameras all in one little device. This application retails for $1.99.
• The Picfree app from Pinger Inc. enables users to send picture messages (MMS) for free to any US mobile or email. Picfree, however, is only for sending messages, not receiving them. The app is available for $5.99.
• The iFlashReady application is a camera flash effect from Imaging Luminary LLC. Users can brighten photos instantly to overcome the iPhone's lack of a build-in camera flash. The click of a button adds low, medium, or high levels of fill-in flash effect to reveal details in the dark regions, or light up the entire photo to improve brightness, contrast, and color. The app can be purchased for $1.99.
• The iZoom app created by Nick Drabovich helps users take zoomed in photos using the standard iPhone camera. Simply select the desired region on the camera viewfinder and press the shutter button. When the preview is ready press 'Use Photo' for an option to save the photo. The iZoom application is available for just 99 cents.
• The NightCamera app, from Sudobility, picks the decisive moment for capturing a particular image. NightCamera detects motion and pulls the trigger when steadiest. When the shutter button is pressed, for 3 seconds the app takes accelerometer readings, and at the exact moment the sensor determines that the camera is steady, the shutter is triggered. NightCamera also provides tips on night photography and can be downloaded for 99 cents.
• AutoStitch, from Cloudburst Research, makes wide-angel photography a reality on the iPhone, allowing multiple images to be combined into a seamless panoramic mosaic. The user only has to select the photos required. AutoStitch is the only app that can stitch images in any order, with both horizontal and vertical motion in the same stitch, and without the tedious manual alignment of images required in other panorama apps. AutoStitch can be purchased for $1.99.
• MacPhun LLC. offers 101 PhotoEffects which includes more than 101 different high quality filters and photo effects. Filters can be easily combined for thousands of different possibilities of photo experiments. After applying filters, pictures can be saved to iPhone albums in high resolution quality. This application retails for just 99 cents.

-- By Kristy Clairmont

PMA Marketing Research Analyst

InfoTrends, Weymouth, Mass., releases a new study investigating consumers' use of social networks, with particular emphasis on photo-related activities taking place via these networks. The results of the consumer survey that was conducted have some interesting implications for the digital imaging market.
  According to the survey research, nearly three quarters of regular social network users engage in photo sharing, showing this is clearly a photo-active group of consumers. Although a relatively low percentage of them indicated interest in ordering prints and photo merchandise from the photos shared there, InfoTrends believes that they represent more than 50 million potential customers for online photofinishers.
  Unfortunately, photo output options from social networking sites are rather limited due to the fact that social networking sites typically store photos at extremely low resolution. Interestingly, less than a third of respondents realized that their photos are stored at reduced resolution and over 20% consider social networking sites to be safe storage for their important photos.
  "Many social networking site users believe that their photos are effectively 'backed up' when they are stored on these sites, but this is simply not the case. This is an opportunity for online services that store high-resolution photos to educate the market and to make those photos more easily accessible on social networking sites for viewing and output," says Alan Bullock, associate director of InfoTrends' Internet Imaging Trends Service.
   The study also explores some of the newer technologies available to consumers for viewing and sharing their photos, including home networks, television screens, and mobile devices. While these connected solutions are clearly in the early stages of adoption, they are expected to gain acceptance as they become easier to use and connectivity options become standard on more consumer devices.

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

  The contest was sponsored by Fujifilm U.S.A. Inc., Valhalla, N.Y., and inspired by Fujifilm's "Dazzling Window Displays" webinar, the first in a year-long series of marketing webinars offered to IPI members. Contestants were judged on creativity, originality, composition and arrangement, and relevancy to topic.