Square Group Ltd in association with Adobe, Apple and a slew of other partners organized an Adobe Creative Suite CS3 seminar at BFI Southbank in London last Tuesday, May 15, 2007. The seminar featured presentations from both Adobe and Apple about the new features of the many applications that make up Adobe’s new crown jewel, CS3, alongside demonstrations of related products from the likes of Eizo, Wacom, Extensis, HP and G-Tech. SourceCrowd was in attendance and can bring you an exclusive report from the event.
Before the seminar, attendees were able to peruse stands with a few interesting products on show. Eizo wowed the crowd with its stunning professional quality displays like the ColorEdge CE240W sporting hardware colour calibration, 14-bit color processing and easy profiling. Extensis was showcasing two of its software products for asset management: Suitcase Fusion, a font manager to organize, categorize and activate/deactivate fonts on the fly, and Portfolio, a complete multimedia files management tool. HP was showcasing the HP B9180 Photosmart Pro Printer, an eight-tanks pigment ink powerhouse which demonstrated stunning results on some of HP’s custom papers (especially impressive were the results on canvas-textured paper). Wacom had both the A4 Intuos3 graphic tablet and the Cintiq 21UX display available for hands-on demonstrations, making precise editing of pictures a breeze. Last but not least, G-Tech had the whole range of its external high speed hard drives solution on display. The elegant silver enclosures sport the latest in eSata and Firewire connections on the G-Raid2, G-Drive 250GB External FW400/USB2, G-Mini and G-Safe, with high-end fibre-channel RAID solutions also available in the G-Speed models.

Then it was finally time to immerse into the presentation!

The first speaker was Richard West, Apple Business Development Manager for the UK and Ireland. He started by stressing how important it is, in a multimedia communicational landscape, to put to good use the plethora of different ways that businesses have to reach clients, by customizing communications to target and focus on different markets. Adobe Creative Suite CS3, he argued, is the tool of choice to do so, allowing the use of a single creative process for multiple disciplines through its multiplicity of applications. Since output is so important to the designers and developers who use CS3, he then went on to demonstrate how colour calibration devices (in this case, the Pantone Huey Pro MEU113) can work in tandem with OS X ColorSync Utility (found in the Applications>Utilities folder) to prevent disparity between screen output versus print/web output. In particular he showed how it is possible to compare colour spaces graphically, and onscreen proofing of different colour spaces just by dragging and dropping images on the application. Microsoft’s Windows has “borrowed” the same functionality for its latest OS, implemented in Vista under the name Windows Colour System (located in the Control Panel).

Stay tuned for the second part of our report - coming soon!

Following this month’s beta testing release (see SourceCrowd’s report here), Microsoft has announced the highly anticipated XBox 360 game Halo 3 will be released on September 25, 2007 in the US (one day later in Europe). Hoping to drive games and consoles sales in the run-up to Christmas, Microsoft will launch the third chapter of the first-person shooter game in 3 versions: the basic game will cost $59.99, a limited edition retailing for $69.99 and a legendary edition for $129.99. Microsoft is set to mount a huge publicity campaign to boost the new game contender, hoping it will help in the console wars against Sony’s PS3 and Nintendo’s Wii.

Pre-order Halo 3 clicking here.

LG.Philips LCD announced it has developed the world’s first 14.1″ flexible color E-paper display, equivalent in size to an A4 sheet of paper and less than 300 micrometers(㎛) thick. The images displayed are said to be comparable in quality to printed pages. This new device is a further enhancement after the company’s black and white flexible E-paper display announced in May 2006. According to the LG.Philips website, the E-paper uses electronic ink from E-Ink Corp. to produce a maximum of 4,096 colors. It has a viewing angle of 180 degrees, allowing images to be viewed even when the display is bent.
This new colour version uses a substrate that arranges Thin-Film Transistors (TFT) on metal foil rather than glass, allowing it to recover its original shape after being bent.

Apple has today cut the UK prices for the iPod Shuffle mp3 players by 10%, lowering the entry-level diminutive gadget’s price point from GBP55 to GBP49. This move follows a similar trend set in April, when Apple had reduced the prices of its high-end video iPod range (SourceCrowd announcement here).

The iPod Shuffle is available in 5 colours with 1GB capacity and up to 12 hours of playback time, measuring only 1.62 × 1.07 × 0.41 inches.

Apple has updated its consumer line of MacBook laptops adding faster processors (Intel’s Core 2 Duo), bumping up the RAM to 1GB and offering larger hard drives. The popular 13.3″ laptops still come in the familiar three configurations, with two white models and a high end black one, built-in iSight, 802.11n wireless networking and OS X Tiger and iLife suite preloaded. The lineup with the new processors is as follows:

• 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 13.3″ White MacBook, 80GB hard drive, 1GB RAM, Intel Graphics 950, RRP $1099
• 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 13.3″ White MacBook, 120GB hard drive, 1GB RAM. Intel Graphics 950, RRP$1299
• 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 13.3″ Black MacBook, 160GB hard drive, 1GB RAM, Intel Graphics 950, RRP $1499

The new MacBooks are available for purchase now from the Apple Store
and other selected retailers.

Best price for Apple MacBook MA700LL/A 13.3″ Notebook PC (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive) - White

The Haier Elegance is a “lipstick case-sized” luxury GSM mobile phone which boasts the “smallest GSM phone with integrated mp3 player” tag. It measures a mere 9.1 x 3.5 x 1.8cm (3.5 inches long), sporting a black pearl reflective finish, built-in mp3 player with up to 1.128GB of space (through optional microSD card adding to the 128MB of space included), FM Stereo tuner, Voice Recorder, Photo viewer, stereo BlueTooth transmitter and full color OLED display. The diminutive phone promises 3 hours of talktime and 11 hours of music playback, not bad for a gadget people will buy for its looks and sleek design more than its practicality.

It is available in US dual band technology or European tri-band to conform to the different GSM standards and is ready for purchase worldwide through Haier’s online shop.

AMD has today launched its ATI Radeon HD 2000 series of graphic card. They feature, according to the company’s website, a series of “firsts” in the graphics market: second-generation Unified Shader Architecture (USA), a 512-bit memory bus designed for full performance high dynamic range (HDR) rendering, and new Unified Video Decoder (UVD) technology for high-fidelity HD media playback. The HD 2000 series also takes full advantage of DirectX 10 and Windows Vista’s features, as well as the latest OpenGL programs. The new chips have built-in Crossfire capability, allowing users to pair up 2 cards in PCI Express slots without the need of any additional hardware or cables. AMD’s guide design can include HDMI-out with audio, thus completing the process of transforming PCs into real media hubs in the modern home.

This HD revolution involves notebooks as well as desktops: the Mobility Radeon HD series features the same architecture in a package that uses smaller 65 nm process technology in order to achieve passive cooling and promises lower power consumption. At the same time, these powerful chips should relieve the main CPU from the more taxing graphic tasks, allowing next-gen HD content to be enjoyed on even the smaller, thin portable computers.

The Radeon HD 2000 series for desktops will be available in the next few days, with the first Mobility models set to launch in new laptops by the end of the month.

Low prices on nVidia and ATi graphics cards with next day delivery!

Canon USA is launching two new high-end PowerShot models, the 8MP 12x-zoom capable S5 IS and the ultra compact 8MP 4x zoom SD850 IS. Both models feature Image Stabilization (the IS badge after their name), face recognition AF and in-camera red-eye reduction.
The S5 IS is one of Canon’s bridge models, aimed at the prosumer enthusiast, and is styled like a small DSLR. It has an impressive 36-432 (35mm equivalent) focal length, 2.5in swivel LCD screen to frame the shots, push 1600 ISO mode for low-light photography, high quality widescreen 30fps movie mode, and uses SD cards for storage (32MB included). It has a retail price of $499.99 and will be available in July.

The SD850 IS Digital Elph packs a punch in a sleek compact design. It comes with a UA lens, a high-refractive element that according to Canon enhances picture quality while reducing lens size, features 35-140 (35mm equivalent) focal length, 2.5in LCD screen, 1600 ISO mode for low-light shooting conditions, widescreen 30fps VGA movie mode, and uses SD cards for storage (32MB included). It has a retail price of $399.99 and will be available in June.

eJamming AUDiiO is an online tool that allows you to connect to other musicians everywhere in the world and play your instruments together in an online jam session, all for free.

It was deemed one of the top 24 innovators by Fortune magazine, and that is no surprise when you realize the slew of possibilities it opens for both the learning and experienced musicians. Once you set up your account and download the beta (PC and Mac versions available), all that is left to do is to plug in your choice of instrument in your computer, and search for other like-minded musicians to jam with. In this respect eJamming works very much like any other social networking site.

One of the main problems faced by all computer musicians is the interface latency (the time intervening between the note played on your instrument and the processed sound coming out of your speakers). eJamming AUDiiO promises to reduce latency by measuring the relationship (distance, connection speed etc.) between the players connected in an online session, and imposing the minimal necessary delay on each instrument to synchronize the players. A comprehensive FAQ on the website guides you through the setup, and is full of tips to optimize the performance of your system to give a real “live” feel when playing.

eJamming AUDiiO is certainly one of the most interesting ideas to come out of the “Web 2.0″ user experience paradigm that we have seen so far.

Who said USB flash storage has to be dull and of strictly practical design? Surely Mimoco would not agree, as they add 4 Star Wars themed dongles to their line of stylish Mimobot USB Art Toy flash drives. These limited edition fashion statements let you store all your important files on a choice of Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Stormtrooper, and R2-D2 shaped devices. They come in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB densities (ranging from $79.95 to $169.95) and are available from Mimoco’s website.

“Where do we go now?”sang Axl Rose some years ago.

These days, GPS navigators have gone from being a fancy accessory to essential gadgets in every driver’s car, whether in portable form or integrated in the dashboard, helping people get to their chosen destination with minimum fuss.

Recently some new models have hit the market, together with updates to the software driving these smart devices, so SourceCrowd is presenting you with a small roundup of the latest developments: hopefully you’ll never lose your way again!

Without much fanfare, Palm has dropped the price of its newest GPS Navigator kit. The kit has seen a $50 price drop from the original $300 launch price to $250. Sweetening the deal even more is a $50 mail-in rebate that Palm is offering to customers who purchase the bundle from Palm.com. With an effective final price of just $200, this makes Palm’s self-branded GPS solution a surprisingly strong value in the fiercely competitive mobile GPS solution market.

The GPS Navigator 3 package is a relatively new offering from Palm, having been introduced in February 2007. The GPS Navigator 3 debuted at a $300 price but Palm has almost always offered a $50 mail-in rebate on their GPS kits.

The kit is compatible with the full range of Treos released over the pat few years—650, 680, 700p, 700w/wx, and 750. The latest 6.03 version of the superb TomTom Navigator 6 software is bundled in this package on a pre-loaded 1GB miniSD card with full size SD adapter.

TomTom announced the Tom Tom ONE XL Portable Extra-wide Screen GPS Navigation System with a 4.3-inch touch screen. According to TomTom, the large screen gives drivers a better overview of the road ahead by displaying more streets and information. The device provides turn-by-turn direction in 36 languages with 55 different voices to choose from. The TomTom ONE XL also offers a points-of-interest data base that includes hotels, restaurants, gas stations and museums.

The Tom Tom ONE XL Portable Extra-wide Screen GPS Navigation System has access to up to date traffic information using an RDS-TMC Trafic Receiver accessory or a subscription to TomTom Traffic. The TomTom One XL includes free QuickGPSfix software, which features the latest maps and fast route calculation. Drivers will also have access to all TomTom PLUS services including safety camera alerts, real-time traffic and weather reports, updates on road conditions and the TomTom Buddies feature.

TomTom HOME service is also served up with the ONE XL, which is a free software application that lets users manage, download, store and transfer content from their computer onto their TomTom GPS device. Drivers can use TomTom HOME to plan trip routes, download voices, obtain traffic reports and install maps to keep their TomTom up to date at anytime.

The TomTom One XL will be available in the U.S., Europe, Australia and South Africa by May 2007 and will retail for $400.

Last but not least, Mobilkom austria and Wayfinder announced the launch of the most powerful and easy to use Navigation solution, A1 NAVI, on the Nokia N95 Unlocked Quadband GSM HSDPA 5MP Camera Cell Phone with built-in GPS.

The latest version of A1 NAVI, which is based on Wayfinder Navigator 7 comes equipped with top of the line map 3D map experience, Wayfinder Power Search (patent pending technology) that enables the users to search in many databases simultaneously, night mode that adapts the color and light strength of the screen and other user friendly services that will greatly enhance the user experience.

The offering is bundled into a fixed price per month including unlimited usage of the attractively priced service.

“At Wayfinder we are excited about the introduction of phones with built-in GPS which will greatly simplify the user experience of phone based navigation. It is also becoming more common that operators choose to pre-install our services on phones with built-in GPS”, says Magnus Nilsson, CEO Wayfinder Systems AB.

A1 NAVI will be available on Nokia N95 in June 2007.

Wayfinder Navigator 7 will also be available on Nokia’s E90 phones with built-in GPS from the Communicator series.

Microsoft is today set to launch the Elite version of its Xbox 360 console, a substantial upgrade which clearly targets competing next gen gamestations like Sony’s Playstation 3. The new console comes with reworked looks (sleek black surfaces with metallic detailing) a bigger storage space of 120GB and HDMI port to drive High Definition TV sets. Included in the package are HDMI and component cables, Xbox Live headset, and a wireless game controller.

The white clad Premium and Core packages of the console remain available alongside this new beefed up version, which is set to retail at $749.99.

Crucial has introduced a new ultra-slim line to its Gizmo! USB flash storage products. The Gizmo! Jr. is half the size of a standard USB flash drive (measuring a mere 12.4 mm (w) by 34.3 mm (l) by 2.2mm (t)) and weighs only 1.62 g. The diminutive drive comes in three flavors, offering 1GB, 2GB and 4GB of storage space on the go. A key chain, a lanyard and a protective sleeve come bundled with every Gizmo!.

Crucial is also planning a special introductory price offer in the UK set to last for 3 days until April 29, 2007. Special discount prices (with savings ranging from 10-16% depending on density) can be found here.

TIPA (Technical Image Press Association), a consortium of Europe’s leading photography magazines, has today announced its annual awards, dubbed as the European ‘Oscars’ of the Photo Imaging Industry. The prestigious recognitions are given to products excelling in a number of categories, from consumer point&shoot cameras to DSLRs, plus related software, printers and accessories.

Nikon has once again picked up the Best Entry Level DSLR award, with the Nikon D40x 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera following last year’s winner D50. SourceCrowd had reported about the introduction of the new Nikon here.

A great recognition in the Best Photo Software category goes to Apple Aperture 1.5, especially since a lot of criticism had been leveled at the 1.0 version of the pro application. Aperture is a complete workflow and image management app with Apple’s trademark cool design and ease of use, and has now reached full maturity with the update to 1.5. It follows in the path of past winners like Adobe’s Photoshop.

The George Foreman iGrill (!) is the ultimate barbeque cooking machine for the iPod generation… or something like that. We don’t know what the launch campaign slogans will sound like, but we have just heard about this “gem” and couldn’t pass up the occasion to relay it to our readers. The iGrill is an indoor/outdoor electric barbeque grill with an impressive 200 sq. inches of nonstick coated cooking surface, adjustable temperature control probe and… is iPod ready with an integrated 10 watts speaker. So invite your friends around… no barbeque party will ever be the same again!

The The George Foreman iGrill is available now for a street price of $149.99.