Nikon has just released a firmware upgrade for the D3, and here are a few of them improvements.

• Images captured with “Rotate tall”, in the playback menu, set to “On”, are not automatically rotated for display immediately after capture (image review)
• The “Choose image area” option has been separated into two options, “Choose image area (FX / DX / 5:4)” and “Choose image area (FX / DX)”
• A new “Shooting menu bank” option has been added
• “Recent settings” can now be displayed in place of “My Menu”
• The virtual horizon can now be displayed with shooting in LiveView mode
• The “Vignette control” setting can now be confimed in shooting information
• The “Vignette control” item in the shooting menu now supports all types of G- and D-type lenses, except DX and PC lenses
• Autofocus performance has been improved
• Auto White Balance performance has been improved
• An issue that, in some rare circumstances, caused the battery indicator to blink, regardless of actual battery charge, has been resolved
• Errors in the German help displays have been corrected

Sony's OLED TV release is barely a year old and the Japanese firm is already looking even further into the future with a next generation display known as FEDs (Field Emission Displays). These will roll out at the end of 2009, and will target both medical and broadcasting industries with the possibility of 60" consumer TVs to follow thereafter. According to Sony, FEDs are more energy efficient and sharper than LCDs, and they're much easier to develop in large sizes, making them a viable alternative to OLEDs. No mention of pricing though, so I guess this will require you to dig deep when available.

Casio has just developed the Blanview LCD transmissive panel which does not require the help of backlight when used outdoors, making it a great development for cell phones and portable media players that will be released in the near future. Casio managed to increase the panel's transmittance by approximately 30%, while reducing power consumption for outdoor use by about 50% when compared with its existing model. Not only that, it this new structure is able to take outside light straight into the LCD panel itself, hence doing away with the need for backlighting. Samples will be shipped beginning from this month onwards in 2.7", 3.5", 5.7" and 6.5" models.

eMachines will be meeting the back-to-school season with a slew of new desktop PCs and widescreen LCD displays. Among the systems are the T3656, T5274, and W3653, and these will share the following specifications :-

• SuperMulti DVD drive
• 15-in-1 digital media card reader
• Six USB 2.0 ports
• 6 channel HD audio and amplified stereo speakers
• Preloaded with Microsoft Works 9.0
• Windows Vista with Service Pack 1

QNAP has revealed that it supports new applications such as Surveillance Station and QPKG software package platform on its Turbo NAS series (TS-109/ 209/ 409). This means QNAP NAS users will be able to upgrade their server firmware to version 2.1.0 or later if they want to make use of these new applications. The Surveillance Station offers users a truly secure IP-based surveillance system, where they can record video of up to two IP cameras to the QNAP NAS without the need for a PC. You can simply use the Internet Explorer browser to check out live audio and video monitoring, playback, and camera configuration.

Transcend has announced that the T.photo digital photo frame line will be expanded with the introduction of the T.photo720. Features of the 720 include :-

• 7" widescreen TFT display at 800 x 480 resolution
• 2GB internal memory
• Supports JPG, BMP file formats
• Slideshow support
• AOS (Automatic Orientation Sensor)
• Compatible with AVI, MOV, MPG, MP4, 3GP and Motion JPEG video formats
• Integrated FM radio
• microSD/M2 memory card slot

Word on the street has it that come July 10th, Archos will be debuting its first 3G Wi-Fi-enabled portable media player. While production of device has already been confirmed, it remains to be seen when such a desirable PMP will be unleashed on the ever-hungry public. I certainly can't wait for this one, as being able to surf the Internet wherever I want on something other than a notebook with a decent user experience is a plus point in my books. It is unconfirmed whether the new PMP will be locked down to a specific mobile network or remain SIM-free. Sounds like this is just a larger, flashier version of the 3G iPhone.

Or so that's what Sony wants you to think. Some of its newest LCD TVs are touted to hit the UK market (only) in sizes ranging from 26" all the way to 40". The Bravia E4000, for instance, features a special Picture Frame Mode that will display up to half a dozen artistic masterpieces whenever the TV is turned off. All I can say is, this won't fool a thief at night, so the best remedy would be to get a really huge HDTV if you can afford it so that burglars won't be strong enough to cart it off due to the size and weight. Alternatively, you can settle for your favorite photos if you happen to suffer from a particularly bad case of Narcissus complex.

Yinlips teases us with yet another portable media player - the YDP-G70. It comes in a clamshell form factor not unlike the Nintendo DS Lite, and features some pretty spiffy specifications such as :-

• 2 megapixel camera
• 3GP, MP4 and RMVB file format support
• 32-bit games emulator
• Integrated FM tuner
• AV out
• miniSD/MMC memory card slot

A spy camera which was believed to cost a whopping £10,000 was placed inside a black bag beside a notorious illegal fly-tipping site, where it managed to capture an image of the beauty you see on the right with a rubbish fetish. I jest - the disguise was so good, it managed to fool workers for Chichester District Council, West Sussex, into clearing the camera as they believed it was actual rubbish. There is no word on whether the camera was recovered or not, but it goes to show that sometimes the best of intentions could backfire - badly, on you.

Toshiba might still be smarting from the demise of its HD DVD format in the war with Blu-ray, but they ain't throwing in the towel just yet. The company has just approved the DVD Download/DL logo, which means they will be working on cheaper DVD players that focus more on enhanced image scaling capabilities. No idea on how this technology will work, but many pundits believe that it will be based on the company’s SpursEngine 1000 processor that is able to deliver higher quality video scaling compared to what DVD players offer today. How do you think this will affect Blu-ray sales? Are they jostling for the same market?

Leadtek's WinFast ExDTV2300 H hybrid TV capture card comes in a format that is rather uncommon - the ExpressCard interface. Features include :-

• Support for DVB-T and worldwide analog TV reception (NTSC, SECAM and PAL standards)
• Full screen stereo/SAP support
• MPEG-4/2/1/WMV/VCD/DVD/SVCD recording formats
• Component video input up to 480p
• Captures video from cameras/camcorders/VCR/DVD players/game consoles

AMD aims to turn the tables on NVIDIA with a special edition Radeon HD 4800 card which was specially designed to pummel the GeForce GTX 280 into submission where sheer performance is concerned. The yet-unnamed hardware relies on a water cooling system to keep its core running at a minimum of 950MHz while the video memory will be stretched to accommodate 950MHz or more when it comes to overclocking. NVIDIA has already taken hold of the performance crown for many a year already, and the company on the whole seems intent on retaining it each year - of course, AMD still has some strides to go before it matches NVIDIA across all fronts as an equal.

Yes, apart from the image leak from the German magazine concerning the new Nikon D700 DSLR, here's a product presentation video (in French) that showcases the D700's interface, menu system, flash, and even the battery port. Chances are this will be available sometime in July, retailing for approximately €2,600 - that's roughly a gazillion US dollars if your calculator's broken. Actually, $4,000 will net you a 12-megapixel shooter complete with a sensor cleaning system.