SAN JOSE, Calif. - April 2, 2008 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta, a public preview of new and improved functionality to be delivered in the next major release. Lightroom is the professional photographer's essential toolbox, providing one application for managing, adjusting, and presenting large volumes of digital photographs. Lightroom 2.0 beta will feature enhancements such as dual-monitor support, localized dodge and burn correction and will be the first Adobe application to support 64-bit for Mac OS X 10.5 Intel Macs and Microsoft Vista 64-bit operating systems.
"Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta provides early access to requested improvements over version 1.3 and continues our ongoing dialogue and open communication with the photography community," said Tom Hogarty, senior product manager for Photoshop Lightroom and Camera Raw. "We're excited not only for our existing customers, but also for the general public who will have an opportunity to take Lightroom 2.0 beta on a test run."
New in Lightroom 2.0 beta
An improved layout in the Library module allows for a more intuitive approach to image organization by simplifying the location of the features needed to find and filter photographs. A new feature called Smart Collections automatically updates collections with images that match desired criteria such as star-rating, keyword or other metadata. "The Suggested Keywords feature eases the task of keywording by making recommendations based upon keyword associations across a catalog as well as the use of keywords in neighboring images."
Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta includes improved memory handling through 64-bit support for OS X 10.5 Intel Macs and Vista 64-bit operating systems. Additional enhancements in Lightroom 2.0 beta include support for a dual monitor configuration that maximizes a photographer's workspace and can be easily adjusted to meet a particular workflow. Additionally, the Develop module has been updated to provide the ability to correct specific parts of an image without affecting other areas. Now, fundamental photographic techniques such as dodge and burn can be performed using the same non-destructive approach, allowing unprecedented control within the Lightroom program.
Beta Availability
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta is available as a 30-day trial for free download on Macintosh and Windows platforms at http://www.labs.adobe.com/downloads. Existing Lightroom 1.0 customers will be able to test the beta for an extended period until Aug. 31, 2008 and can invite friends to take part in this trial period. Recommended system requirements are Macintosh OSX 10.4, 10.5 1 GHz PowerPC G4 or G5 or Intel-based processor, or Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise, Intel Pentium 4 processor, 1 GBRAM and a 1024x768 resolution screen.
About Adobe Systems Incorporated
Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information - anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Adobe Delivers Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 Beta
SAN JOSE, Calif. - April 2, 2008 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta, a public preview of new and improved functionality to be delivered in the next major release. Lightroom is the professional photographer's essential toolbox, providing one application for managing, adjusting, and presenting large volumes of digital photographs. Lightroom 2.0 beta will feature enhancements such as dual-monitor support, localized dodge and burn correction and will be the first Adobe application to support 64-bit for Mac OS X 10.5 Intel Macs and Microsoft Vista 64-bit operating systems.
"Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta provides early access to requested improvements over version 1.3 and continues our ongoing dialogue and open communication with the photography community," said Tom Hogarty, senior product manager for Photoshop Lightroom and Camera Raw. "We're excited not only for our existing customers, but also for the general public who will have an opportunity to take Lightroom 2.0 beta on a test run."
New in Lightroom 2.0 beta
An improved layout in the Library module allows for a more intuitive approach to image organization by simplifying the location of the features needed to find and filter photographs. A new feature called Smart Collections automatically updates collections with images that match desired criteria such as star-rating, keyword or other metadata. "The Suggested Keywords feature eases the task of keywording by making recommendations based upon keyword associations across a catalog as well as the use of keywords in neighboring images."
Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta includes improved memory handling through 64-bit support for OS X 10.5 Intel Macs and Vista 64-bit operating systems. Additional enhancements in Lightroom 2.0 beta include support for a dual monitor configuration that maximizes a photographer's workspace and can be easily adjusted to meet a particular workflow. Additionally, the Develop module has been updated to provide the ability to correct specific parts of an image without affecting other areas. Now, fundamental photographic techniques such as dodge and burn can be performed using the same non-destructive approach, allowing unprecedented control within the Lightroom program.
Beta Availability
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta is available as a 30-day trial for free download on Macintosh and Windows platforms at http://www.labs.adobe.com/downloads. Existing Lightroom 1.0 customers will be able to test the beta for an extended period until Aug. 31, 2008 and can invite friends to take part in this trial period. Recommended system requirements are Macintosh OSX 10.4, 10.5 1 GHz PowerPC G4 or G5 or Intel-based processor, or Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise, Intel Pentium 4 processor, 1 GBRAM and a 1024x768 resolution screen.
About Adobe Systems Incorporated
Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information - anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.
"Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta provides early access to requested improvements over version 1.3 and continues our ongoing dialogue and open communication with the photography community," said Tom Hogarty, senior product manager for Photoshop Lightroom and Camera Raw. "We're excited not only for our existing customers, but also for the general public who will have an opportunity to take Lightroom 2.0 beta on a test run."
New in Lightroom 2.0 beta
An improved layout in the Library module allows for a more intuitive approach to image organization by simplifying the location of the features needed to find and filter photographs. A new feature called Smart Collections automatically updates collections with images that match desired criteria such as star-rating, keyword or other metadata. "The Suggested Keywords feature eases the task of keywording by making recommendations based upon keyword associations across a catalog as well as the use of keywords in neighboring images."
Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta includes improved memory handling through 64-bit support for OS X 10.5 Intel Macs and Vista 64-bit operating systems. Additional enhancements in Lightroom 2.0 beta include support for a dual monitor configuration that maximizes a photographer's workspace and can be easily adjusted to meet a particular workflow. Additionally, the Develop module has been updated to provide the ability to correct specific parts of an image without affecting other areas. Now, fundamental photographic techniques such as dodge and burn can be performed using the same non-destructive approach, allowing unprecedented control within the Lightroom program.
Beta Availability
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta is available as a 30-day trial for free download on Macintosh and Windows platforms at http://www.labs.adobe.com/downloads. Existing Lightroom 1.0 customers will be able to test the beta for an extended period until Aug. 31, 2008 and can invite friends to take part in this trial period. Recommended system requirements are Macintosh OSX 10.4, 10.5 1 GHz PowerPC G4 or G5 or Intel-based processor, or Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise, Intel Pentium 4 processor, 1 GBRAM and a 1024x768 resolution screen.
About Adobe Systems Incorporated
Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information - anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.
Crumpler Whickey and Cox Camera Bag Review
Few bag manufacturers do a better job at creating innovative bags (and bag names) than Crumpler. The same company that brought you the popular "Brazillion Dollar Home" camera bag and "The Bucket for Soupansalad" is no stranger to exceptional camera bags with outrageous names. Crumpler's latest camera and notebook bag is called the "The Whickey and Cox" and despite the strange name it's one amazing bag.
On the surface the look and feel of the Whickey and Cox is quite conventional for modern SLR system backpacks. The tripod holder and lack of multiple exterior pockets give serve as telltale signs you're looking at a camera bag. But this isn't an ordinary camera bag. The product description on Crumpler's website reads, "Come on down to the Whickey and Cox, we got all kinds of burs, winos and spurts, you can drunk till you drink you're not drunkin. But don't drive and trunk or we'll call the elephant and barrow squad."
I don't know what the heck that means, but it sure got my attention.
JerryJ
more : digitalcamerareview
On the surface the look and feel of the Whickey and Cox is quite conventional for modern SLR system backpacks. The tripod holder and lack of multiple exterior pockets give serve as telltale signs you're looking at a camera bag. But this isn't an ordinary camera bag. The product description on Crumpler's website reads, "Come on down to the Whickey and Cox, we got all kinds of burs, winos and spurts, you can drunk till you drink you're not drunkin. But don't drive and trunk or we'll call the elephant and barrow squad."
I don't know what the heck that means, but it sure got my attention.
JerryJ
more : digitalcamerareview
Crumpler Whickey and Cox Camera Bag Review
Few bag manufacturers do a better job at creating innovative bags (and bag names) than Crumpler. The same company that brought you the popular "Brazillion Dollar Home" camera bag and "The Bucket for Soupansalad" is no stranger to exceptional camera bags with outrageous names. Crumpler's latest camera and notebook bag is called the "The Whickey and Cox" and despite the strange name it's one amazing bag.
On the surface the look and feel of the Whickey and Cox is quite conventional for modern SLR system backpacks. The tripod holder and lack of multiple exterior pockets give serve as telltale signs you're looking at a camera bag. But this isn't an ordinary camera bag. The product description on Crumpler's website reads, "Come on down to the Whickey and Cox, we got all kinds of burs, winos and spurts, you can drunk till you drink you're not drunkin. But don't drive and trunk or we'll call the elephant and barrow squad."
I don't know what the heck that means, but it sure got my attention.
JerryJ
more : digitalcamerareview
On the surface the look and feel of the Whickey and Cox is quite conventional for modern SLR system backpacks. The tripod holder and lack of multiple exterior pockets give serve as telltale signs you're looking at a camera bag. But this isn't an ordinary camera bag. The product description on Crumpler's website reads, "Come on down to the Whickey and Cox, we got all kinds of burs, winos and spurts, you can drunk till you drink you're not drunkin. But don't drive and trunk or we'll call the elephant and barrow squad."
I don't know what the heck that means, but it sure got my attention.
JerryJ
more : digitalcamerareview
Dollar, Stocks Rally As Banks Replenish Capital
Equities shares rallied along with the US dollar, and precious metals were smacked in the wake of massive bank writedowns at UBS and Deutsche Bank.
Let's take a look at UBS and Deutsche Bank starting with the record $19 billion writedown at UBS.
For more on ratchet provisions, please see Cost of Capital "Ratchets Up" at Citigroup and Merrill.
$3.9 Billion Writeoff At Deutsche Bank
Bloomberg is reporting Deutsche Bank to Write Down EU2.5 Billion in Quarter.
It's not the news that matters, it's the market's reaction to it. In this case the dollar rallied, equities rallied, and precious metals sank.
Bloomberg is reporting Dollar Advances Most in Almost Two Weeks as UBS Seeks Capital.
April Gold
click on chart for sharper image
Silver
click on chart for sharper image
Gold and silver corrections tend to be very sharp. Just like this. What we do not know is if this is the start of something very serious, or if it's just another quick scary pullback. What we do know is European banks are arguably in as bad a shape as some US banks, the US$ may (or may not) have caught a bid, and gold and silver seasonality are unfavorable through July. All in all, it's not a great environment for metals.
Is the Bottom In Equities In?
It's extremely unlikely. The biggest most reckless financial experiment in the history of the world cannot be corrected in a six month stock market decline. The structural problems still exist: Unemployment is poised to soar, credit card and home equity writeoffs are coming, commercial real estate is headed south big time, and there is a huge problem with marking to market $500 trillion in derivatives that could waterfall at any time. However, none of that is today's business.
Today's business is UBS, Deutsche Bank, and Lehman successfully raised capital, the US dollar rallied, and the bulk of the subprime problems may now be behind us or at least postponed for a later date. I talked about this idea in Closer Look At The ARMs Reset Problem.
Of course the Alt-A and Pay Option ARM problems are as bad if not worse than the subprime problem was, but the market does not seem worried about that now.
All in all, there was simply too much bearishness at the end of the first quarter. Those playing for a bounce, got one. Time will tell how far the bounce goes. And time may be more important than price. The markets declined for six months, so the markets can easily rally for two, even if the bulk of the rally is now be behind us.
Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List
Let's take a look at UBS and Deutsche Bank starting with the record $19 billion writedown at UBS.
UBS AG, battered by the biggest writedowns from the collapse of the U.S. subprime mortgage market, reported a 12 billion-franc ($11.9 billion) first-quarter loss and said Chairman Marcel Ospel will step down.Raising capital a second and third time gets to be expensive. It appears that UBS had ratchet provisions in the deal with GIC.
UBS rose the most in two weeks in Swiss trading after announcing plans today to seek 15 billion francs in a rights offer to replenish capital, on top of 13 billion francs already raised from investors in Singapore and the Middle East. Zurich-based UBS will write down $19 billion on debt securities, bringing the total to almost $38 billion since the third quarter of 2007.
"Behind closed doors they have been cleaning up very swiftly and the capital increase will put them back onto a solid foundation," said Joerg de Vries-Hippen, who oversees about $26 billion, including UBS shares, as chief investment officer for European stocks at Allianz Global Investors in Frankfurt. Still, "it will take years to repair the bank's reputation," he said.
Raising capital again will mean UBS has to renegotiate the terms of the mandatory convertible bond it sold to GIC and the Middle Eastern investor.
For more on ratchet provisions, please see Cost of Capital "Ratchets Up" at Citigroup and Merrill.
$3.9 Billion Writeoff At Deutsche Bank
Bloomberg is reporting Deutsche Bank to Write Down EU2.5 Billion in Quarter.
Deutsche Bank AG, Germany's biggest bank, will write down 2.5 billion euros ($3.9 billion) of loans and asset-backed securities and said markets are deteriorating. "Conditions have become significantly more challenging during the last few weeks," Deutsche Bank said today in a statement.The Market Reaction
Deutsche Bank gained in Frankfurt trading on speculation the worst of the losses in the banking industry may almost be over. The German bank, which increased earnings in 2007, said a week ago its 2008 pretax profit target is under threat because of "difficult" market and economic conditions.
"The subprime crisis is catching up to Deutsche Bank," said Konrad Becker, a Munich-based analyst at Merck Finck & Co. who recommends holding the shares. "This means that Deutsche Bank is at risk of reporting a first-quarter pretax loss."
"The immediate stock reaction is hope among investors that we've touched bottom," said Derek Chambers, an analyst at Standard & Poor's Equity Research in London who has a "hold" rating on Deutsche Bank.
It's not the news that matters, it's the market's reaction to it. In this case the dollar rallied, equities rallied, and precious metals sank.
Bloomberg is reporting Dollar Advances Most in Almost Two Weeks as UBS Seeks Capital.
The dollar rose the most in almost two weeks against the euro after UBS AG said it will raise about $15 billion, signaling the world's biggest financial institutions can ride out the freeze in credit markets.With the dollar rallying and the market unconcerned about additional writedowns (at least for the moment), one might expect gold and silver to tank. And indeed that's what's happening.
The U.S. currency also appreciated against the yen after a Bank of Japan report showed a slump in business confidence in March. The euro also weakened after Deutsche Bank AG said it will take a record $3.9 billion writedown and described market conditions as "significantly more challenging."
"U.S. banks have already disclosed their problems and now Europe is following suit," said Geoffrey Yu, a currency strategist at UBS who says the euro may decline to $1.47 by the end of the quarter. "It's time for value investors to come in and buy the dollar at its lows while the euro is starting to feel the transmission effects from the U.S. slowdown."
"The news out of the rest of the world is just as bad, if not as worse, as in the U.S.," said Adam Cole, the London-based head of currency strategy at Royal Bank of Canada, the nation's biggest lender. "The dollar bear market is in its final stages and at some point, we'll see a substantial bounce."
"Global growth is recoupling to U.S. growth and other central banks will have to start to play catch-up in terms of rate cuts," said David Forrester, a Singapore-based currency economist at Barclays, which forecasts the dollar to gain to $1.50 per euro in three months.
April Gold
click on chart for sharper image
Silver
click on chart for sharper image
Gold and silver corrections tend to be very sharp. Just like this. What we do not know is if this is the start of something very serious, or if it's just another quick scary pullback. What we do know is European banks are arguably in as bad a shape as some US banks, the US$ may (or may not) have caught a bid, and gold and silver seasonality are unfavorable through July. All in all, it's not a great environment for metals.
Is the Bottom In Equities In?
It's extremely unlikely. The biggest most reckless financial experiment in the history of the world cannot be corrected in a six month stock market decline. The structural problems still exist: Unemployment is poised to soar, credit card and home equity writeoffs are coming, commercial real estate is headed south big time, and there is a huge problem with marking to market $500 trillion in derivatives that could waterfall at any time. However, none of that is today's business.
Today's business is UBS, Deutsche Bank, and Lehman successfully raised capital, the US dollar rallied, and the bulk of the subprime problems may now be behind us or at least postponed for a later date. I talked about this idea in Closer Look At The ARMs Reset Problem.
Of course the Alt-A and Pay Option ARM problems are as bad if not worse than the subprime problem was, but the market does not seem worried about that now.
All in all, there was simply too much bearishness at the end of the first quarter. Those playing for a bounce, got one. Time will tell how far the bounce goes. And time may be more important than price. The markets declined for six months, so the markets can easily rally for two, even if the bulk of the rally is now be behind us.
Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List
Canon IXUS 970
Canon�s new compact digital camera - the IXUS 970 - looks the business, and with good reason. It is one of the most impressive (and powerful) that they have ever built. In fact, it is so high quality; it should well be able to compete with your old SLR (though possibly not your brand-new SLR with the fancy lens).
The blurb from Canon states:
With a powerful 5x zoom lens, the Digital IXUS 970 IS is well equipped and intelligent, but never compromises on style. Its compact body is packed with features including an enhanced optical Image Stabilizer.
What about how it actually works though? Well, with 10.0 megapixels I hope you�re also happy to fork out for a large memory card; otherwise you might as well not bother. Nonetheless, the 5x zoom works really well, with no distortion and enhanced optical IS technology.
To cover the other features of the camera, it has red-eye correction, face detection technology (to cancel out blur and artefacts), motion detecting (as previous), DIGIC III processor (that apparently makes your photographs much more life-like) and finally eighteen different shooting modes. Should you get bored you can of course switch to sepia, black and white, sunset mode, night mode, macro mode and many others.
As with all modern cameras, Canon hasn�t just thought of how the camera functions - the form is also important. The hand-held edge curves toward your hand, giving you a decently sized surface to hold onto. The Multi Control Dial is apparently quick and simple. Those who grew up with the technology shouldn�t have a problem with it; others might find it a little fiddly.
The 2.5? PureColor LCD II is extremely high quality - one could almost say top of the range. The viewing angle is wide, there�s good contrast between the colours and thanks to the anti-glare you�ll even be able to view it in full light. None of this �I can�t see what�s going on!� anymore.
Finally, in case you�re thinking �well my camera does all of this�, does your camera include a movie option such as Long Play? The idea behind this is that you can be extremely arty and capture a gradual scene such as a sunrise and then play it back. An impressive feature indeed. Whether you�ll actually be using it for anything beyond the first novelty go is another matter�
If you�ve taken a look at the sample images, you�ll see that they are of course extremely high quality. This is one of the few cases though where the marketing is true. Things have moved on so far from my lowly 2.0 megapixel digital camera that when I saw the Canon in action I just thought that I had one. The only concern I had was the low-light imaging quality, but even that was covered with the 4-stop advantage.
Overall, if you want a camera that is quite flexible for pictures of various types then you won�t go too far wrong with the Canon. It is quite stylish and slick, and reasonably easy to use. As long as you�re happy with the outlay of about �279 (seems average for about this level of camera) and the price of a decent SD card then you should be taking great photographs in no time.
(Via Forever Geek.)
Canon IXUS 970
Canon�s new compact digital camera - the IXUS 970 - looks the business, and with good reason. It is one of the most impressive (and powerful) that they have ever built. In fact, it is so high quality; it should well be able to compete with your old SLR (though possibly not your brand-new SLR with the fancy lens).
The blurb from Canon states:
With a powerful 5x zoom lens, the Digital IXUS 970 IS is well equipped and intelligent, but never compromises on style. Its compact body is packed with features including an enhanced optical Image Stabilizer.
What about how it actually works though? Well, with 10.0 megapixels I hope you�re also happy to fork out for a large memory card; otherwise you might as well not bother. Nonetheless, the 5x zoom works really well, with no distortion and enhanced optical IS technology.
To cover the other features of the camera, it has red-eye correction, face detection technology (to cancel out blur and artefacts), motion detecting (as previous), DIGIC III processor (that apparently makes your photographs much more life-like) and finally eighteen different shooting modes. Should you get bored you can of course switch to sepia, black and white, sunset mode, night mode, macro mode and many others.
As with all modern cameras, Canon hasn�t just thought of how the camera functions - the form is also important. The hand-held edge curves toward your hand, giving you a decently sized surface to hold onto. The Multi Control Dial is apparently quick and simple. Those who grew up with the technology shouldn�t have a problem with it; others might find it a little fiddly.
The 2.5? PureColor LCD II is extremely high quality - one could almost say top of the range. The viewing angle is wide, there�s good contrast between the colours and thanks to the anti-glare you�ll even be able to view it in full light. None of this �I can�t see what�s going on!� anymore.
Finally, in case you�re thinking �well my camera does all of this�, does your camera include a movie option such as Long Play? The idea behind this is that you can be extremely arty and capture a gradual scene such as a sunrise and then play it back. An impressive feature indeed. Whether you�ll actually be using it for anything beyond the first novelty go is another matter�
If you�ve taken a look at the sample images, you�ll see that they are of course extremely high quality. This is one of the few cases though where the marketing is true. Things have moved on so far from my lowly 2.0 megapixel digital camera that when I saw the Canon in action I just thought that I had one. The only concern I had was the low-light imaging quality, but even that was covered with the 4-stop advantage.
Overall, if you want a camera that is quite flexible for pictures of various types then you won�t go too far wrong with the Canon. It is quite stylish and slick, and reasonably easy to use. As long as you�re happy with the outlay of about �279 (seems average for about this level of camera) and the price of a decent SD card then you should be taking great photographs in no time.
(Via Forever Geek.)
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