If we had a dime for every time someone tried to “redefine the mobile imaging experience,” we’d all be shooting with Hasselblads from the back of Ferraris...there’s just a new “this time we mean it!” camera phone unveiled every six months. But this week in New York and Beijing, Kodak and Motorola both threw their weight behind a new collaborative device they say is “built to shoot” as much as it is “built to talk.” The Motozine ZN5, a new 5 megapixel camera phone, shows off the latest engineering breakthroughs from both manufacturers, from Motorola’s “CrystalTalk” technology to Kodak’s “Perfect Touch” in-camera editing fixes.
The ZN5, which will likely be called the “Zine”, is the first in a new line of Moto phones that will emphasize spontaneity. The brand promise is that users will have “the freedom to share pop culture, on their terms.” If their terms are bluetooth/wireless enabled and microSD card-ready, new users will be in luck by the end of this year, when the phone is released in the U.S. (price and carrier still to-be-determined).
If consumers were hoping for a super-fast way to upload all the hot shots they’ll be able to capture on the ZN5, though, they may be disappointed. The new multi-media device is not 3G yet, but instead, set up to run with quad band EDGE. Still, with its on-board editing, picture quality and many connectivity options, the ZN5 does look to be one of the first camera phones which could alleviate the need for picture-sharers to use their laptops at all.
What do you think about this product? Talk about it in the Dealerscope forums.
Sales of consumer technology in the U.S. jumped seven percent in the month of May over the same period the year before, thanks to the arrival of economic stimulus checks, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing statistics from the NPD Group.
Year-to-date sales remain off of 2007’s levels, however, and May was the first month to post a gain over the same time the year before. In addition, NPD predicted “challenging conditions” in the year’s second half.
Posting strength were such market segments as flat-panel TVs, digital cameras, and portable media players. However, sales later in the year may be hurt now that customers have already purchased the products and will no longer have the checks in hand.
Do these numbers sound right to you? Talk about it in the Dealerscope forums.
The Consumer Electronics Association on Monday officially opened registration for industry professionals for the 2009 International CES, which is scheduled for Jan. 8-11 in Las Vegas.
Those interested can sign up at the newly redesigned www.CESweb.org, or fill out the registration form here. In addition, those interested in speaking at the event are invited to submit proposals here.
Are you coming to CES? Talk about it in the CustomRetailer forums.
Futuresource Consulting covers the DSLR market in Europe and recently released some info based on their weekly price tracker system regarding price drops on DSLR cameras across Europe. According to their reports, the average selling price (ASP) of Digital SLR cameras across Europe has witnessed a decline of 1.6 percent (20 Euros/$31.60 U.S. approx) in the past ten weeks, dropping to just over 1,250 Euros as of last week ($1.975 U.S.).
“Our price tracking system shows that some of the largest decreases in ASP appear in the 6-7MP pixel segment,” says Adam Cox of Futuresource Consulting. “This group has seen a decline of nearly 8%, just short of 50 Euros ($79 U.S.), over the past 10 weeks.
“With most newly-launched DSLRs occupying the 10MP segment, which is experiencing relatively slow price erosion, older models such as the 6.1MP Nikon D40 are remaining price competitive. In fact, over the past 10 weeks this particular model’s ASP has decreased by more than 7 percent.”
The 10+MP segment now accounts for the bulk of the DSLR market, and the average selling price is dropping relatively slowly: less than 3 percent in the last ten weeks. The Olympus E-420 is a strong example of a DSLR camera from this segment, and it has witnessed a decline in ASP of just over 4.5 percent.
“Continued aggressive pricing of compacts and DSLRs is having an impact on the value of the camera business,” says James Wells, Futuresource Consulting, “although as margins continue to be squeezed, the industry will find it increasingly difficult to rely on price cutting to encourage consumers to upgrade.
“However, large like for like price declines did have a significant impact on the market in 2007, with overall digital camera shipments growing 25 percent globally. In terms of 2008 growth the DSLR market outlook looks particularly strong, with Futuresource projections showing growth of 19 percent to 8.9 million units, equating to 5.4 billion worldwide, this despite the credit crunch.”
The Wireless Business Owners’ Consoritum (WiBOC) is planning to host a complimentary webinar July 9 on the subject of “Maximize Your Closing Ratios by Leveraging Your Store Traffic Patterns.”
The webinar will feature Mid-America Wireless President Gary Wilbers and Sales Director Bob Warren, as well as TRAX Sales VP of Sales Scott Dawe and WiBOC’s own president, Mark Landiak. Subject matter includes understanding closing ratios of different businesses, optimizing staffing levels, fracking & comparing multiple stores’ traffic & sales activity and gaining visibility into your store’s effectiveness.
The webinar will be held July 9 at 10:30 EST, with a replay at 2 p.m. To register for the event, see here.
Koelnmesse, Inc., the Chicago based subsidiary of the German trade show organizer of Photokina (from September 23-28, 2008 in Cologne, Germany) recently introduced a travel package to Photokina tailored to U.S. photo dealers/retailers as well as professional and amateur photographers.
Details of this group tour were developed in collaboration with the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) based in Jackson, MI. The travel package will include 3 days at Photokina trade show, site visits at Photo Retailers and Photo labs in the Cologne area and is rounded off by a visit to the October Fest in Munich.
The group tour will include 3 nights at a business class hotel in Cologne, entry badge to Photokina, a one day guided tour with onsite visits to retailers, photo labs and manufacturers in the Cologne area, welcome reception at Photokina, transfer with the high speed ICE Train to Munich and tickets to the Octoberfest where travelers can enjoy an additional 3 days at the Octoberfest before returning to the U.S.
Mette Petersen, President of Koelnmesse Inc. explained, “ We know that many U.S. Americans are very keen on looking at new technology being launched every two years during Photokina. Our goal is to offer a package that is highly informative and entertaining, but also takes into account time constraints of U.S. travelers. Travelers joining our itinerary will be able to enjoy a six-day trip, however, only miss three working days. We are also pleased to work with Lufthansa offering services to various destinations in Germany.“
The group tour is scheduled from Wednesday, September 24 until Monday, September 29. For more information on the Photokinda Plus October Fest” package details, please contact: Carol Brodsky at 866-674-3476.
An era in consumer electronics ends today, as Microsoft founder Bill Gates marks his final day full-time with the company.
Gates announced two years ago that he would step down from his leadership position in order to devote his full energies to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The 52-year-old Gates will remain the company’s chairman and largest shareholder, but will henceforth be a philanthropist first and a businessman second.
For Dealerscope’s coverage of Gates’ 11th and final address at last year’s International CES, see here.
What do you think about Gates stepping down? Talk about it in the Dealerscope forums.
Dynalite, a manufacturer of lightweight, portable flash equipment recently announced the appointment of Peter Bradshaw as their Director of Design & Marketing.
Bradshaw comes to Dynalite with over 30 years of sales, marketing and design experience in the photographic industry. Bradshaw’s extensive knowledge and experience has benefited many photographic companies including Matthews Studio Equipment, Profoto AB, Bowens International, Moab Paper Co., and Inkpress Paper Co. His most recent project included establishing the photographic retail channel for ColorVision/Datacolor’s line of Spyder colorimeters, along with direct supervision of over 50 major photo resellers across the USA and Canada.
Combining his dedication to photography and his knowledge of the photographic business, Peter offers Dynalite a wealth of experience and knowledge. In his new role, he will work closely with Dynalite to develop new marketing strategies, new advertising
initiatives and new products.
Peter Poremba, President of Dynalite stated in a recent interview that “as our products grow in popularity with today’s on-the-go shooters, so do our marketing efforts. We are pleased and excited to welcome Peter Bradshaw to Dynalite and we’re confident that he
will play a key role in our future growth.”
Mansueto Digital recently launched its newest FastCompany.TV program, PhotoCycle. This Internet-distributed video show will focus on the full cycle of photography including basic camera know-how, inspiration, instruction, and discussion of the “business of professional photography.”
Avid photographer and Managing Director of FastCompany.TV, Robert Scoble explains, “PhotoCycle is going to be unique. Joining a professional photographer, Marc Silber, with talented ‘Flickr-famous’ photographers like Thomas Hawk you’ll get both helpful tips on how to take your digital photography further as well as get unique insights into how professional photographers ply their craft.”
Hosting the show is Marc Silber, a highly respected teacher of photography and a professional photographer. Silber’s work (available online at www.silberstudios.com) has been featured in numerous exhibitions, which have all been met with wide acclaim. Joining Silber will be Thomas Hawk, a top Flickr Photographer.
Silber commented, “My passion in teaching photography has been to bring the masters of photography as close as possible to my students. PhotoCycle gives us this ability and opens our classroom up to everyone. We’ll keep our viewers up to date with new developments—tips and tricks, and as the name says, we’ll cover the full cycle of photography.”
In the first episode, at www.fastcompany.tv, Silber visits Glacier Point in the Yosemite Valley to interview legendary photographer Ansel Adams’ son Michael. Michael explains Ansel’s process, workflow, joy of photography, and shares rare and unreleased footage of his father discussing what he considered to be the key to a great photograph.
Launched in March, FastCompany.TV is an online video network which features coverage of technology trends, interviews with leading executives and business people, reviews of the latest technology products, as well as lifestyle programming. Shows currently featured include Scobleizer TV, Fast Company Live, and Workfast.
FastCompany.TV is a subsidiary of Mansueto Digital, which after a $10 million investment in 2007, now operates an expanding network of sites, which include FastCompany.com, Inc.com, IncBizNet.com, IncTechnology.com and Scobleizer.com