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Power Downloader finds a new online photo browser

With 2008 under way, Power Downloader knew it was time to get back to work. His first order of business would be to sift through e-mails that had piled up over the holidays. After scanning through the messages from various contacts around the world, Power came upon an e-mail from Francois Foto, one of Power's most trusted contacts from France.

After wishing Power Downloader a happy new year, Francois Foto mentioned that one of his new year's resolutions was to use his vast photo library in a some sort of project. One idea he thought of was to … Read more

Snap 7.2 megapixels for $91, get a free photo printer

Smile! Circuit City has the Samsung S730 7.2-megapixel digital camera for $90.99 after an instant rebate. But wait, there's more: Toss the Epson R280 photo printer into your cart and get it free after a $75 mail-in rebate.

The S730 is an ultra-compact model with a 2.5-inch LCD, 3x optical zoom, and 10 scene modes. I haven't tried it myself, but CNET readers gave it an average rating of 8.3/10. As for the R280 printer, it's a six-color model that promises to crank out borderless 4x6-inch prints in as little as 11 … Read more

Lessons from the Richter Scales-Lane Hartwell imbroglio

The Richter Scales have reposted their "Here Comes Another Bubble" video sans the much-disputed Lane Hartwell photograph of Owen Thomas that they used in the original video without permission and without attribution. Lane has also made a statement:

As the Richter Scales stated in their blog, the video that used my image--without my permission--was viewed just under one million times on YouTube. In the end, the band opted not to work with me toward a fair resolution of the issue. I have to say that I'm very disappointed with the members of the band I negotiated with … Read more

Photos: Best of CES 2007 awards

This will be the third year that the Consumer Electronics Association has asked CNET to judge the Best of CES Awards. Before we start the nominations for 2008, take a look back at what won us over last year.

Smugmug adapts for large, small screens

Correction: I updated the blog to correct a misspelling of Don MacAskill's name.

SmugMug, a site popular among photography aficionados, has been retooled with a more adaptable interface and overhauled video-sharing technology.

The new interface, which the Mountain View, Calif.-based company calls SmugMungous, automatically displays one of nine different sizes of a photo on the screen, with a patch of thumbnails of related images to the left side. The reason for the SmugMungous name: the largest of these images is 1600x1200 pixels, enough to fill up very large monitors.

In addition, the new site comes with an iTunes … Read more

Pocket 10 megapixels for $179.99 shipped

A digital-SLR is all well and good for nature photography, family portraits, and other high-falutin' shootin', but sometimes you just want a camera you can slip into your pocket. The Casio Exilim EX-Z1050 measures a scant 0.8 inches thick but comes stuffed with features. It's available from CircuitCity for $179.99 with free shipping.

I've owned four Exilims over the years (only one of which was replaced due to breakage), and I've always been pleased with their slim designs, easy operation, and venerable Best Shot modes (which take the guesswork out of camera settings for photography … Read more

Microsoft releases final version of HD Photo plug-in for Photoshop

Update: I clarified the caption of the illustration to better indicate what editing had gone on to produce the side-by-side images.

Microsoft has taken the beta tag off a plug-in to let Photoshop read and write files in the HD Photo format, which Microsoft is standardizing as JPEG XR.

The free plug-in is available for download for Windows and Mac OS X systems. The plug-ins work on Windows XP and Vista, Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5, and Photoshop CS2 or CS3, Bill Crow, who's overseen the HD Photo and JPEG XR effort, wrote on his blogRead more

Shoot to kill with the Canon Digital Rebel XT digital SLR, $382

Been waiting to pull the trigger on a digital-SLR camera? Wait no more: Dell has the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT--by all accounts a fantastic model--for $382. Considering that this baby sold for upwards of $900 when it debuted a couple years ago, it's pretty much a steal at that price.

Specs include an 8-megapixel sensor, 7-point auto-focus, and loads of fancy photographic features that, quite frankly, I don't pretend to understand. I can tell you that I bought an original Digital Rebel several years back, and I absolutely lurve it. (I won't, however, tell … Read more

Get a compact photo printer for $40

Stop schlepping to the drugstore every time you want to print your digital snapshots. (Half the time those kiosks are broken, anyway.) Instead, turn your home into a photo lab with a dedicated photo printer, the kind that churns out glossy prints straight from your camera (or its memory card). The HP Photosmart A616 sold for around $180 when it debuted last year; now you can snag one for a mere $40.

I've used a similar printer for years, and it's incredibly handy. In addition to everyday photos, we print party pix on the spot to send home … Read more

Toshiba joins photo frame parade (yawn)

With so many variations of digital photo frames on the U.S. market, it's small wonder that Toshiba is peddling its version in Europe. Even giant bi-pedal lizards are horning in on the act here.

Against all that competition, Toshiba's "Tekbright" doesn't seem terribly impressive on paper. It does have a tiny bit of built-in memory (64MB) and can play MP3s, but it's got only a 7-inch screen--which isn't saying much in this day of 15-inch high-resolution displays--and at 129 euros (about $189), it's hardly a bargain. But we do like … Read more