The 82nd PMA (Photo Marketing Association) International Trade Show is underway, in Orlando, FL. This show is huge for the photography community, and lots of big announcements generally happen there.

PC Magazine sent Cameras Lead Analyst Terry Sullivan. Check out his slideshow for pictures of the delectable-looking, tentatively named Pentax 645 medium-format digital SLR camera (pictured at left), shown here for the first time in the U.S.; Sony's underwater cameras and accessories, soaking in aquariums; Olympus booth reps throwing cameras on the floor; and other interesting displays. He'll be adding more captioned photos every day, so check back.

There are lots of very good, inexpensive photo editing packages out there, such as Adobe Photoshop Elements 4, Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006, and Ulead PhotoImpact 11. But possibly more than any of these, Corel's Paint Shop Pro, which the company acquired from Jasc, has tried to give advanced amateurs and professionalsa real alternative to the full-blown, $649 Photoshop CS2 . We gave the latest version, Paint Shop Pro X, 4.5 stars when we reviewed it at PC Magazine recently. Paint Shop Pro lists for $129, though you can often find it for around $99. But Best Buy has it today for $29.99 after a $30 rebate. According to the site, their online store is backordered, but most stores have it in stock, so you can order on the Internet and stop by to pick it up.

Is TiVo giving away set-top boxes? Well, according to Chief Executive Tom Rogers, the company may try out a couple of pricing options, including a plan that lets you get a free TiVo box. However, the free box may be in exchange for higher priced and longer term plans, so that means bye-bye $13 per month service, which won't make many people happy.   

TiVo currently holds about 4 million subscribers, and new pricing plans may help them face fiercer competition from cable and satellite TV providers, as well as electronics makers. But, doesn't Time Warner offer their own version of a DVR for just $5 a month?

I missed the free TiVos that were given out at last year's DigitalLife Show, but if the company does decide to go along with this plan, I might just get myself one and subscribe (so I can TiVo Lost because sometimes I really get lost watching that show!).

[More details in this Reuters story.]

TRENDnet is kicking its traditional-looking HotSpot Detector to the curb in lieu of celebrating the upcoming FIFA World Cup. The company redesigned its TEW-429UB ($67.99) as a 2006 limited edition soccer-inspired HotSpot Detector. 

Perfect for any soccer fan/computer geek, the TEW-429UB Limited Edition comes with an LCD screen that details a connection's signal strength, battery life, and more. It supports 64/128-bit WEP & WPA / WPA2 Encryption on the Windows platform. It comes with a rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery and an 802.11g USB 2.0 Adapter to connect to available WiFi 802.11b/g signals.

The included neck strap is great if you tend to lose small objects and the retail packaging includes the flags of all of the final 32 countries competing in the event. Pretty cool, I might say. Maybe they should come out with the official 2006 Winter Olympics HotSpot Detector as well?

Available for a limited time beginning in April 2006 for $59.99.

Hoping to make a mark in the Apple iPod-dominated MP3 player market, Samsung will be releasing the YP-Z5 2GB and 4GB flash players, thanks to the leadership of Paul Mercer, a veteran Apple Macintosh software designer. Mercer says, "My whole vision has been to take Macintosh-class technology and to move it into new places."

The YP-Z5 supports "PlayForSure" WMA subscription music services, such as Napster and Rhapsody, and its 4GB version is the first player to support these subscription services.

The YP-Z5 features:

• 1.8" Color TFT-LCD display
• 35-hour playback time
• 25,000-picture storage
• Comes with earphones, USB cable, and install CD
• Touchpad navigation
• Photo Viewer
• Customizable player background with JPEG images
• Choice of black or silver

Expect the YP-Z5 on store shelves March 5th, priced at $199 to $249, which will surely compete with the iPod Nano ($232 to $270).

[Found via NYTimes]

Some of you probably heard of the cool new Optimus OLED keyboard from the famous Russian designer. But if expensive keyboards aren't your cup of tea, try the sleek looking Mus2 mouse from Art Lebedev's studio.

 

It's a two button mouse, with left and right-click buttons in a vertical alignment. It's shaped like a mouse pointer, and it even looks ergonomic to me. It comes with a USB receiver, making it a wireless mouse. And for Mac users, the Mighty Mouse is not your only option for a two-button mouse. The Mus2 works with both Mac and Windows platforms.

 

As with the Optimus keyboard, there is no word on pricing and no word on ship dates for the Mus2. This Lebedev guy has some really cool products, but I haven't seen anything in the U.S. — yet.