Seagate Courts Digital Camera Extremists

Seagate Courts Digital Camera Extremists

Does any photographer really need 8GB of in-camera storage?

Hard drive giant Seagate is betting some shutterbugs will be happy to have that much space to fill.Img_cf The company recently introduced a pair of Compact Flash cards for digital cameras, in 4GB and 8GB capacities.

A Seagate executive told me at a recent press event that with the escalating shift to SLR digital cameras and a corresponding desire to save images in the super-dense RAW format, the company expects hard-core photographers will have no trouble filling up 8GB.

The cards use Seagate’s new 1-inch drive, soon to appear in an array of consumer gadgets, including some that will bear the Seagate brand. The company has no plans to enter any market where it will have to compete with Apple, however, so Sandisk executives can rest easy about their iron grip on the No. 3 spot in the digital audio player market.

5-Megapixel Camera For Cellphones

Sharp debuts 5-megapixel camera for
cell phones

Sharp Japan has shown off a new 5-megapixel CCD camera module for mobile phones. By the numbers, it is no match for Samsung's 10-megapixel camera phone, even if the megapixel myth has been debunked. The LZ0P3770, as close friends call it, is also the first cameraphone module to feature the world's first 3X optical linear zoom with auto focus. It measures just under an inch in length. Sharp is set to ramp up production in January, so you may see it in some phones out of Asia starting next year. Pricing for the sample is set at $172, though, so those future mobiles probably won't be on the cheap side. — Elliot Black