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.

Powered by four 500 GB hot-swappable SATA hard drives with hardware-based RAID security features, Iomega® Power Pro handles large data and image files created in business environment.

It offers choice of computer connections, including FireWire® 800, FireWire 400, and USB 2.0, resulting in transfer rates up to 70 MB/sec. Included EMC® Retrospect® Express software delivers protection for Windows and Mac users, enabling automated backups and disaster recovery.

The Iomega Power Pro Desktop Hard Drive is expected to be available worldwide on April 10 for $1,699.95. (Pricing is U.S. suggested retail.)

Iomega’s lineup includes Iomega 1 TB StorCenter Wireless Network Hard Drive with Gigabit Ethernet too.

Best Buy said on Monday it will carry the U.S. broadcast radio industry’s high-definition radio technology at all of its stores nationwide, a move that could boost exposure for the nascent system.

In a continuing push to expand awareness of HD Radio, which receives over-the-air terrestrial stations with CD-quality sound and multiple new-program formats, Best Buy will sell car radios with HD Radio built in. During the rest of this year, other home and auto products that feature HD Radio will be available at the retailers’ 832 stores.

U.S. radio operators are working to promote HD Radio at a time when consumers are already faced with many digital music options, such as Apple Computer’s iPod, other MP3 players and satellite radio. The industry has pledged to spend $250 million on marketing through the HD Digital Radio Alliance.

Wacom has announced the introduction of the new 15″ DTF-521 LCD tablet, adding a little brother to its DTF line of business and education oriented writing instruments (which had debuted with the 17″ DTF-720 and the 21″ DTF-2100). The new product sports an XGA resolution screen with 1024 x 768 pixels and 16.2 million colours. The tablet/screen hybrid comes with an adjustable stand (140 degrees horizontal to 130 degrees vertical), and the standard cordless battery-free pen with 512 pressure levels. According to Wacom, the DTF-521 offers “a natural tool for freehand writing, annotating and navigating directly with the pen on the screen”, allowing huge amounts of freedom during a presentation or lesson. A VGA-out port assures easy connection with external screens and projectors.
The tablet has a RRP of $1624 (£699 excluding VAT in the UK, where it is known as the PL-521), and is compatible with both Mac OS X and Windows PCs (including Vista support).

This week’s National Association of Broadcasters conference (NAB) in Las Vegas has seen Apple unveil Apple Final Cut Studio 2, an upgrade to its pro video editing and production suite. During last Sunday’s presentation, Apple showcased the programs that make up the high-end HDV powerhouse editing tool suite: Final Cut Pro 6 for cutting together video sources, Motion 3 to add animated 2D and 3D titles, Soundtrack Pro 2 to manipulate the score, Compressor 3 to handle different output formats (from HD movie to iPod), DVD Studio Pro 4.2 to output to DVD media, and a new application, Color, that gives editors control over the look and feel of the footage through pro color grading capabilities.

The most interesting features that wowed the public were the Open Timeline, affording maximum flexibility to mix video sources (Final Cut handles “DV and SD up to HDV, XDCAM HD, DVCPRO HD, and fully uncompressed HD”) in one final product, and the introduction of a new post production format, ProRes 422. ProRes promises “uncompressed HD quality at SD file sizes” with real time drag and drop editing capabilities for HD video.

To this end, Apple has teamed up with AJA Video Systems to develop IoHD, a new hardware-based audio and video IO box that connects to the Mac using a single FireWire 800 connection, and promises real-time 10-bit HD conversion. The impressive IoHD sports a huge number of ports on the back and monitoring LEDs at the front, in an enclosure design reminiscent of Apple’s Mac Pro line.

Final Cut Studio 2 will cost $1,299 or $499 for an upgrade. Upgrading from any version of Final Cut Pro to the Studio will cost $699. Final Cut Studio 2 will be available next month, while AJA’s IoHD will debut in July for $3,495. Of course these are not consumer-priced products, but they are a breakthrough in high end HD video editing, offering solutions at a fraction of the price of the competition, making Hollywood style editing affordable for smaller studios and independent filmmakers.

iHome has today announced it will team up with the American Breast Cancer Foundation to donate a percentage of its sales of the pink iH19 Portable Water-Resistant Stereo Sport Case (compatible with iPod, Shuffle, and most other MP3 players) to breast cancer research. Pink is the internationally recognized color for initiatives linked to breast cancer awareness and research.

The iHome iH19 (RRP $70) is a water-resistant case with integrated dynamic stereo speakers and built-in remote control. It features a sturdy zippered case that can be attached to bikes, strollers, and exercise equipment with the included brackets. If you are looking for a stylish accessory to listen to your iPod everywhere, you can now help a good cause with your purchase!

Borrowing a page from Microsoft’s history of development woes for the recently released new OS, Vista, Apple has today announced that its eagerly anticipated new version of Mac OS X, Leopard, will be delayed until October 2007. The Cupertino, California based company had announced that Leopard would be released sometime in the spring at last June’s WWDC (its annual developers convention).

Now, according to a press release appearing on Apple’s official website, the release date has been pushed back because some key resources have been redirected from the OS development team in order to meet the late June deadline for the iPhone. Although this probably means no delays for THE hottest gadget of the year, many will see this as a missed opportunity for Apple to steal some of Microsoft’s thunder, seen the tepid reactions to the Vista release from both critics and the public.

The hotly anticipated game Halo 3 - an XBOX 360 best seller - will be released to the public in Beta form on May 16, 2007. Developers at Microsoft’s Bungie Studios will seek feedback from users regarding the online mutliplayer aspects of the first-person shooter hit. The Beta will be released exclusively on Xbox 360, lasting until June 7, 2007.The Halo franchise is one of the most popular on the console, helping to drive the original Xbox sales at its launch and going on to sell more almost 15 million copies of Halo and its sequel, Halo 2. The third chapter in the saga of humanity’s war against a breed of evil aliens is slated for release later this year, with Microsoft hoping it will give them an edge against their rival consoles, the Sony PS3 and Nintendo’s Wii.

Pre-order Halo 3 clicking here.