PMA 2000 AN IMAGING RESOURCE SPECIAL REPORT Go to Imaging Resource Home | PMA 2000 | News | Tips | Cameras | Scanners | Newsletter

UMAX Introduces AstraCam 1000
Point-and-Shoot for Under $130

LAS VEGAS -- UMAX Technologies, Inc. today makes owning a digital camera more affordable, with the AstraCam 1000 -- an easy-to-use, USB-connected digital camera that retails for $129. It is designed to enable novice photographers and casual users to take high-quality pictures for desktop albums, sharing over the Web or via email.

The AstraCam 1000's one-touch operation combines computer-ready photography with unprecedented ease of use. Its USB-cable connectivity simplifies the bridge between camera and PC, since it can be plugged in "hot" without rebooting the computer. The USB-enabled PC will recognize the camera immediatel y to let users download photos and save, edit, or print them directly.

"Digital photography is rapidly moving into the mainstream. Many first-time buyers are looking for affordable digital cameras. In 2000, about 25 percent of digital cameras sold will be priced under $200," said Michelle Lampmann, InfoTrends market research analyst for digital photography trends. "The AstraCam 1000 offers competitive features for a low price. Additionally, the AstraCam 1000 provides practical image file sizes and USB connectivity for quickly sharing photos via the Internet, which is the leading application for digital cameras users."

"The AstraCam 1000's affordability, simplicity, and elegance give our customers more than just technical specifications -- its design eases the novice user into digital photography without the high price of the more complicated digital cameras now on the market," said Michael Weizer, product marketing manager at UMAX Technologies. "The AstraCam 1000 enables users to easily upload their photos and share with family and friends."

UMAX AstraCam 1000 holds up to 72 photos and uses CCD sensor technology to capture digital images at true 640 x 480 dpi resolution and then transfers them to the user's PC with the click of a button. The high-quality glass lens delivers crisp images ready for immediate posting with no the need for image editing or other technical preparation. The optical resolution of 640x480 dpi is perfect for posting pictures on the Web to share with friends, family or colleagues.

The pocket-sized AstraCam 1000 offers a true plug-and-play experience to consumers with features that include:

• Simple USB cable connection and exclusive single-button image transfers

• 4MB of internal memory for storing images

• 72 image capacity of clear 640x480 photos

• Slim, ultra-portable design (4.3"h x 3.2"w x 1.3"d)

• Operates using standard alkaline batteries

The UMAX AstraCam 1000 digital camera also features After Shot Recovery (ASR), a patent-pending process that allows consumers to adjust the white balance of downloaded images with a single mouse-click. The ASR process uses image data directly from the camera's Digital Signal Processor (DSP) to make the adjustment, yielding a very high quality image enhancement.

For higher-resolution outputs, the bundled AstraCam 1000 software can use digital enhancements to achieve effective photo image resolutions of up to 1280 x 960 pixels, more than enough to reproduce good-looking 4" x 6" or 5" x 7" prints. UMAX AstraCam 1000 also ships with award-winning Adobe PhotoDeluxe -- Home Edition, to give consumers complete control over the appearance of their digital images. It also includes Photo software, which offers an exciting new way to share and manage digital pictures. Among other features, the software allows users to transform a picture into an executable file that can be sent as an "e-card" to friends, family and associates, via normal email. The recipient simply double clicks the e-card to view the greeting. With Photo and the pictures taken with the AstraCam 1000, the user can make dynamic 360-degree panoramas.

Pricing, Availability & System Configuration

The AstraCam 1000 will be available end of March for an estimated street price of $129. It is compatible with properly equipped Windows 98 PCs. For further sales and distribution information, contact UMAX at (800) 562-0311 or (510) 651-4000 or http://www.umax.com.

Customer Service and Support

Customers can call the UMAX technical support center at (208) 552-7980, Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. (MTN) and Saturday from 9:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. (MTN). Customers receive three months of free technical support after purchasing the digital camera and can also contact UMAX for technical support via email 24 hours a day, seven days a week ([email protected]), and via the World Wide Web (http://support.umax.com). Additionally, UMAX offers an intelligent expert system also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via the technical support telephone lines or through the UMAX support Web site.

About UMAX Technologies, Inc.

UMAX Technologies, Inc. is a technology leader in the design and distribution of a full line of imaging, products. The company maintains its leadership position in the imaging market with a broad line of desktop scanners, digital cameras and multimedia devices for the capture and manipulation of video images. UMAX is located at 3561 Gateway Boulevard, Fremont, CA 94538, and is on the Web at: http://www.umax.com.