Also: Archos PVP features 100G bytes, 7-inch screen; burn a CD/DVD and label with one device
Giving new meaning to the concept of wallet-sized photos, Kodak has released its EasyShare Picture Viewer , a credit-card-sized digital photo album that stores up to 150 digital photos (internal memory of 32M bytes) and displays them on a 2.5-inch LCD screen. The $150 device weighs 2.4 ounces and is available in retail stores, Kodak says.
To view additional photos, users can insert a standard Secure Digital or MultiMedia Card into the device. Also, as new digital photos get added to a user’s PC, they can be automatically downloaded to the Picture Viewer when the device is connected to the PC. A button labeled “Share” lets users mark favorites for printing and e-mail. When users place the device on a Kodak EasyShare Printer Dock Series 3 (sold separately), photos can then be printed by pushing a button. The device also can print to ImageLink Print System or PictBridge-compatible printers, Kodak says.
Archos PVP features 100G bytes, 7-inch screen
The latest personal video player from Archos is the AV 700 Mobile Digital Video Recorder, a portable device that includes a 7-inch widescreen LCD and the ability to directly record video onto the 100G-byte drive. The device is scheduled to be available in June on the Archos Web site for $600 (40G-byte version) or $800 (100G-byte model).
Users can record video content from a TV, DVD player, VCR, cable box or satellite receiver directly to the AV 700 (the device is connected to the video source through a cradle and composite cables). The device encodes and plays back video in MPEG-4 format, along with MP3 stereo sound. Home movies can be transferred to the device through the USB host port connected to a camcorder, Archos says. It includes a scheduling feature that can change the channel of a VCR, satellite receiver or cable box to record a program.
It also comes with other multimedia applications, such as a music player, photo viewer and some gaming applications (Mophun games are available at the Archos Web site). The music player can synchronize automatically with Microsoft Windows Media Player 10, and supports the PlaysForSure program to purchase and download content from MSN Music, Musicmatch, Napster, Wal-Mart Music Store and CinemaNow. In addition to Windows Media Audio file support, the music player can play MP3 and WAV audio files.
Burn a CD/DVD and label with one device
Alera Technologies last week announced its Aleratec 1:1 DVD/CD Copy Cruiser Pro LS, a personal disc publisher that records and duplicates DVDs and CDs and prints silkscreen-quality labels without a printer. The device costs about $400.
The Copy Cruiser Pro LS device uses LightScribe technology, which takes the optical drive’s laser (the same one that burns the data onto the disc) and controls the light energy to the disc. When the laser hits the disc, a chemical change occurs, resulting in a reproduction of artwork, text or photos. LightScribe is a business unit of HP that licenses this technology to drive and disc makers, including Panasonic, Pioneer, BenQ, Maxell and Philips.
The Aleratec device, which fits on a desktop and weighs less than 12 pounds, also can function as a 1:1 DVD/CD duplicator or an external USB 2.0 DVD/CD recorder (with 16x-speed DVD recording speed), the company says. Labeling software comes with the device.
Shaw can be reached at kshaw@nww.com. Check the CoolTools Weblog at www.networkworld.com for semi-weekly new gadget news.
