Design Art and Photography » 2008 » September http://sirint.com Just another WordPress weblog Sat, 06 Nov 2010 20:43:22 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Photokina launch pad for Sigma len parade Sigma has used Photokina to showcase four new lenses.

First up is the 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG which is equipped with a built-in HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor).

The 14-element-in-12 group lens includes Extraordinary Low Dispersion (ELD) and Special Low Dispersion (SLD) elements.

It will come in Sigma, Nikon, Canon, Pentax and Sony AF fits at a price yet to be announced.

Also new is a 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM lens designed for use on Four Thirds digital SLRs. Features include a minimum focusing distance of 45cm, maximum magnification of 1:7.4 and full-time manual focus override. It will cost £379.99.

Sigma has also unveiled 10mm and 4.5mm fisheye lenses for Pentax and Sony digital SLRs with an APS-C size imaging sensor. Both include a maximum aperture of f/2.8 and HSM.

The 4.5mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM, priced £599.99, has an angle of view of 180 degrees 'in all directions', producing a circular image within the frame (when used with a DSLR with an APS-C size sensor).

'The minimum focusing distance is 13.5cm and maximum magnification of 1:6 make it particularly useful for close-up photography,' according to the firm.

While, the 10mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM will cost £449.99 and is said to deliver a diagonal angle of view of 180 degrees.

SLD glass helps to minimise colour aberration on both lenses.








]]> http://sirint.com/design/photokina-launch-pad-for-sigma-len-parade.htm Diamond jewelry wins on Emmys night Similar Stories | Topics

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September 22, 2008

"Ugly Betty" star America Ferrera wore a 19th-century diamond flower necklace, old mine-cut diamond pendant earrings, a rose-cut diamond cluster bracelet and 19th-century diamond line bracelet from Fred Leighton to the Emmy Awards. Los Angeles—For nominees and presenters attending the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, classic diamond looks, including simple studs, drop earrings and stacked diamond bangles, were the big winners of the night.

Risk-takers were notably few when it came to jewelry wardrobing, with attendees instead choosing more understated pieces. That's not to say, however, that the show lacked in glamour. Rather, television's biggest stars channeled an elegance of the Old Hollywood flavor.

Vintage diamond pieces were a major presence at the event, with 1920s and '30s pieces seen on Kyra Sedgwick and Glenn Close, and old mine- and cushion-cut diamonds seen on everyone from Holly Hunter to Mary-Louise Parker.

Among the standout looks were Ugly Betty's America Ferrera in a 19th-century diamond flower necklace by Fred Leighton, paired with 2.5-carat old mine-cut diamond pendant earrings, a rose-cut diamond cluster bracelet and a 19th-century diamond line bracelet.

And Brooke Shields looked stunning in a hot pink gown accessorized with Fred Leighton's old mine-cut diamond leaf and vine earrings in silver on gold. She also wore a 19th-century diamond bow brooch placed just above her waist.

"Lipstick Jungle's" Brooke Shields donned Fred Leighton's old mine-cut diamond leaf and vine earrings and a 19th-century diamond bow brooch to the event.January Jones and the Kwiat team took the prize for most creative use of diamond jewelry. Mark Townsend and Kwiat created a custom diamond hairpiece for the Mad Men star by wrapping Kwiat diamonds by the yard with large diamond pieces.

And while she stood out among her four male co-hosts, Heidi Klum also made waves as a style chameleon among the ladies. The Project Runway host donned six separate Lorraine Schwartz looks over the course of the evening, sporting big, bold diamond pieces. Among the attention-grabbers were shoulder-grazing gray and yellow rough-diamond flower earrings, swinging butterfly drops and a bohemian diamond and lavender jade suite.
]]> http://sirint.com/design/diamond-jewelry-wins-on-emmys-night.htm Seagate Updates FreeAgent Hard Drives

Seagate has introduced the Fall 2008 lineup of its FreeAgent external hard drives. Seagate’s flagship offering, the FreeAgent Go portable storage solution, is the slimmest external drive available today. The new FreeAgent Go is the first external hard drive to offer a docking option. The FreeAgent Desk drive and FreeAgent XTreme drive are the family’s two 3.5-inch high-capacity desktop offerings. The FreeAgent Go for Mac and FreeAgent Desk for Mac are both formatted for use with Mac OS X out of the box and are Time Machine ready with FireWire800/400 or USB 2.0 connectivity.

Seagate Press Release

Seagate Debuts New Storage Solutions To Address Growing Consumer Need To Store, Share And Enjoy Digital Content

Save. Share. Simplify...with SeagateВ® FreeAgentв„ў external hard drives

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif.-September 15, 2008-Seagate (NYSE: STX), the world leader in storage solutions, today announced the Fall 2008 lineup of the company’s award-winning FreeAgent™ external hard drives. This new generation of the Seagate® FreeAgent™ family includes attractive desktop and mobile options, for both Mac® and Windows® operated PCs that make it a breeze to back up, share and protect valuable digital content like photos, videos and music.

Seagate’s flagship offering, the FreeAgent Go portable storage solution, is the slimmest external drive available today. At a height of only 12.5mm, the new FreeAgent Go easily fits in a pocket while still including all the advanced shock and vibration protection people have come to expect from Seagate. Another industry first, the new FreeAgent Go is the first external hard drive to offer a docking option, providing a practical way to move from the desk to the road, while leaving the hassle of fumbling with cables and locating USB ports to the history books. With up to 500GB of capacity, the FreeAgent Go bridges the gap between standard portable solutions and desktop solutions with enough storage to carry entire libraries of movies, pictures and music. No longer does one need to sacrifice capacity for portability, Seagate FreeAgent Go provides the benefits and convenience of both in a truly seamless on-the-go package.

“With the amount of content being created and consumed today, the average broadband household will soon need close to a terabyte of storage to account for their personal media collections on PCs, portable devices, and DVRs,” said Jane Shields, research analyst, Parks Associates. “With Seagate’s coupling of high-capacity, reliable and easy-to-use solutions with attractive designs, the company is helping more people enjoy the benefits that come with backup and sharing of their digital media collections.”

“The growth of the 2.5-inch form factor external hard disk drive market has been very strong – almost doubling in 2Q08 compared with 2Q07,” said Wolfgang Schlichting, research director, Removable Storage at IDC. “This growth is much higher than the overall market and driven by the products’ convenient size and connectivity, as well as their large storage capacity and affordability.”

The FreeAgent Go desktop docking station is sold separately and comes paired with a black leatherette carrying case to add style while protecting the drive from the bumps and scratches encountered while traveling in hand bags and during other on-the-road adventures. The FreeAgent Go is now available in a variety of popular colors, including silver, black, red, and blue. The drive also ships with a flexible, thin USB 2.0 travel cable.

The FreeAgent Desk drive and FreeAgent XTreme™ drive are the family’s two 3.5-inch high-capacity desktop offerings, and provide up to 1.5 Terabytes of storage. The sleek and modern design of these drives provides the flexibility to sit horizontally or stand vertically to maximize your workspace. The FreeAgent Desk drive is a brushed aluminum high-capacity solution with a USB 2.0 interface. The FreeAgent XTreme drive is a black, brushed aluminum high-capacity storage solution with a triple interface of eSATA, USB 2.0 and FireWire 400.

“The first FreeAgent storage solution offering introduced in 2007 unquestionably made a mark for Seagate in the consumer space, demonstrating that hard drives can be designed to provide a stylish complement to a computing environment,” said Pat King, senior vice president of Seagate’s Consumer Solutions Division. This second-generation of FreeAgent storage solutions takes the extra step of providing easy-to-use technology in a consumer-friendly package.”

Seagate FreeAgent drives are compatible with Windows® Vista® and Windows® XP® Operating Systems and come equipped with Seagate Manager™ software, an enhanced application that provides scheduled automated back-ups and multi-computer synchronization. The FreeAgent drives for Windows also offer security in the form of software-based AES-256bit encryption and Seagate DrivePass™ password protection for drive access to help keep your information safe and private . The environmentally smart utilities help save energy by putting the drive in sleep mode once it has been idle for 15 minutes. Seagate FreeAgent hard drives include Energy Star 5 rated AC adapters and are now packaged in 100% recyclable materials. And with Seagate’s industry-leading five-year limited warranty, the FreeAgent storage solutions provide the confidence that your digitally-captured memories and life’s work is on a hard drive you can trust.

As part of this product introduction, Seagate will also unveil external storage solutions designed specifically for the Mac community. The Mac community has spoken and Seagate is listening. The FreeAgent Go for Mac and FreeAgent Desk for Mac are both formatted for use with Mac OS X out of the box and are Time Machine ready with FireWire800/400 or USB 2.0 connectivity. Seagate understands that Mac customers have specific needs and performance requirements and these demands are being met with the FreeAgent external hard drive for Mac offering.

FreeAgentв„ў | Go Drive for Mac
With a FireWire 800/400 interface, docking station and carrying case the Seagate FreeAgent Go drive for Mac is equipped to move seamlessly between the desktop and road. Formatted for use with Mac OS X and Time Machine ready, the FreeAgent Go for Mac is the perfect back up companion for any Apple® computer. Seagate FreeAgent Go for Mac is available this month for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $159.99 USD for 250GB and $189.99 USD for 320GB.

FreeAgentв„ў | Desk Drive for Mac
The high-capacity FreeAgent Desk drive for Mac features a brushed aluminum arctic silver finish that is a perfect match for the current iMac Desktop. With a FireWire 800/400 connection and tuned to be Time Machine ready, the FreeAgent Desk for Mac is available this month for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $169.99 USD for 500GB, $269.99 USD for 1TB and $349.99 USD for 1.5TB (available in October 2008).

FreeAgentв„ў | Go Drive
A pocket-sized storage drive that packs a punch, the Seagate FreeAgent Go drive is slim, compact and shipping in four color options available as of September 2008 in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $119.99 USD for 250GB, $149.99 USD for 320GB and $239.99 for 500GB.

FreeAgentв„ў | Dock and Case
Protection for those on the go and a docking station for convenient and quick access to your files, these accessories for the FreeAgent Go drive are sold separately. The dock and case will be available in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $29.99 USD.

FreeAgentв„ў | Desk Drive
This convenient desktop storage solution, Seagate FreeAgent Desk drive, is the perfect desktop companion for basic back up and security for all your digital files. This high-capacity USB 2.0 interfaced drive provides enough room to hold libraries of images, music and video. The FreeAgent Desk drive is available as of this month in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific, for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $129.99 USD for 500GB, $149.99 USD for 640GB, $229.99 USD for 1TB and $279.99 USD for 1.5TB (available in October 2008).

FreeAgentв„ў | XTremeв„ў Drive
Designed for performance, especially for those who work with high-definition video and graphic files, the Seagate FreeAgent XTreme drive is the perfect fit. The FreeAgent XTreme delivers a 3GB per second transfer rate with the eSATA connection. This drive also includes FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 connection options. The FreeAgent XTreme is available worldwide for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $159.99 USD for 500GB, $179.99 USD for 640GB, $259.99 USD for 1TB and $299.99 USD for 1.5TB (available in October 2008).

About Seagate
Seagate is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of hard disc drives and storage solutions, providing products for a wide-range of applications, including Enterprise, Desktop, Mobile Computing, and Consumer Solutions. Seagate’s business model leverages technology leadership and world-class manufacturing to deliver industry-leading innovation and quality to its global customers, with the goal of being the time-to-market leader in all markets in which it participates. The company is committed to providing award-winning products, customer support and reliability to meet the world’s growing demand for information storage. Seagate can be found around the globe and Seagate.com .

Seagate, Seagate Technology, the Wave logo, FreeAgent, FreeAgent Go, FreeAgent Desk, FreeAgent XTreme, Seagate Manager, and Seagate DrivePass are trademarks or registered trademarks of Seagate Technology LLC or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. When referring to hard drive capacity, one gigabyte, or GB, equals one billion bytes and one terabyte, or TB, equals one trillion bytes. Your computer’s operating system may use a different standard of measurement and report a lower capacity. In addition, some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other functions, and thus will not be available for data storage. Seagate reserves the right to change, without notice, product offerings or specifications. 


]]> http://sirint.com/design/seagate-updates-freeagent-hard-drives.htm Beyonce reveals $5 million engagement ring Similar Stories | Topics
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September 12, 2008

At the Sept. 5 "Fashion Rocks" event, Beyonce showed off her 18-carat diamond engagement ring. New York—Though pop star Beyoncé Knowles tied the knot with rapper Jay-Z about five months back, she's finally revealed her engagement ring, and it's quite a knockout.

Designed by Lorraine Schwartz, whose jewelry Beyoncé tends to favor for red-carpet appearances, the platinum ring features a jaw-dropping 18-carat diamond and is valued at $5 million.

Beyoncé gave the ring its public debut on Sept. 5 at Conde Nast's "Fashion Rocks" event in New York City. The annual fete is a celebration of both fashion and music.
]]> http://sirint.com/design/beyonce-reveals-5-million-engagement-ring.htm Jewelry takes catwalk at Fashion Week Fashion designer Monique Lhuillier chose pieces from John Hardy to accessorize her Spring 2009 collection. By Catherine Dayrit

New York—Jewelry has had a fine showing on the runways of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City so far this week, with fashion designers accessorizing their Spring 2009 collections with chunky, stacked bangles, statement necklaces and yellow gold designs.

Everyone from uptown designer Oscar de la Renta to downtown denizen Anna Sui is helping to keep the fire kindled under the statement-necklace trend. The former showed a massive coral necklace that swung all the way down to a model's waist, while the latter showed bib-like beaded necklaces made up of a mélange of vibrant, earthy beads.

Rather than smooth, fine bracelets, designers such as 3.1 Phillip Lim and Marc Jacobs showed a penchant for chunky, stacked bangles.

But those with more streamlined tastes need not worry. Simple bracelets in yellow gold complemented chic, girl-about-town looks on the Tory Burch runway, and diamond drops and classic necklace and bracelet styles from Leviev brought major sparkle to Pamella Roland's spring collection. It marked the third time that the diamond brand had partnered with Roland, with more than 750 carats on display at the Sept. 10 show.

This Leviev platinum and diamond necklace, featuring 320 round brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 127.91 carats, brought major bling to a Pamella Roland white ensemble during her Spring 2009 runway show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.Another designer jewelry brand on the runway was John Hardy, whose one-of-a-kind "Cinta" collection was handpicked by Monique Lhuillier to accessorize her spring collection of sweet chiffons and airy tulles. The John Hardy pieces she chose were seashell rings, pendants and cuffs handcrafted from vintage shells, sculpted in gold and set with colorful gems.
]]> http://sirint.com/design/jewelry-takes-catwalk-at-fashion-week.htm Western Digital Introduces High Capacity Portable Hard Drives Western Digital today announced the availability of two high capacity external hard drives: My Passport Elite and My Passport Essential drives are now available in half-a-terabyte (500GB) models. Both feature USB-bus powered (no AC adapter needed), synchronization software to ensure changes are synced across storage media, and plug-and-play compatibility with gaming consoles such as Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PS3.

Measuring 0.590 x 4.967 x 3.130 inches (HxLxW) and weighing less than half a pound, the drives are compact and lightweight for easy portability. The Essential version comes in eleven different colors; the Elite, in four colors.

The Elite model offers more options than the Essential, including a capacity gauge, auto back-up software and the ability to remotely access files from any MioNet-enabled PC (the latter is a Windows-only feature).

My Passport Elite has a suggested list price of $219.99; the Essential version costs about $199.99. www.wdc.com


]]> http://sirint.com/design/western-digital-introduces-high-capacity-portable-hard-drives.htm Dancing with the Stars’ Harris to host JIC awards Similar Stories | Topics
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September 10, 2008

Samantha Harris will host the Seventh Annual Jewelry Information Center GEM Awards on Jan 9, 2009. New York—Dancing with the Stars co-host Samantha Harris will play master of ceremonies at the Jewelry Information Center's (JIC) 2009 GEM Awards, a gala event that takes place each year in New York City.

The event will be held on Friday, Jan. 9, at Cipriani 42nd Street.

A renowned entertainment-news journalist, in addition to her work on ABC's hit variety show, Harris is a correspondent for E! Networks' E! News. She co-hosts the network's live awards-show coverage and writes, reports and produces for E! News.

"Samantha Harris is recognized for her elegance, poise and, of course, for heightening our industry's awareness to consumers by wearing beautiful fine jewelry on Dancing with the Stars," JIC Board Chairman David Bouffard said in a media release. "We are thrilled to have Samantha as our new host. She will bring a fresh vitality to the GEM Awards gala, making the evening even more magical."

JIC launched the GEM Awards in 2003 to honor leaders in the industry and media who have helped to promote the wearing of fine jewelry and watches to the consumer.

For more information, visit's the JIC's Web site, JIC.org.
]]> http://sirint.com/design/dancing-with-the-stars-harris-to-host-jic-awards.htm Phase One introduces 3.5/45mm TS lens

Pre-Photokina 2008: Phase One has announced the 3.5/45mm TS, a tilt-shift lens developed in collaboration with Hartblei. The 45mm lens offers up to 12 mm shift (combined with a 360 degree rotation) and 8 degrees tilt. In addition, it is bundled with Phase One’s Capture One 4 Lens and Focus optical correction technology.

Press Release:

Phase One Introduces Tilt/Shift Lens
Based on Collaboration with Hartblei

Copenhagen, September 3, 2008 - Phase One A/S today announced an exclusive strategic alliance with Hartblei to drive medium format photographic lens innovation. The first product of this alliance is the Phase One 3.5/45 mm TS lens, based on the popular Hartblei 45 mm f/3.5 Super Rotator lens.

Specially designed for the professional photographer, this small, lightweight tilt shift lens is ideal for location or studio applications. It offers up to 12 mm shift and 8 degrees tilt for maximum flexibility.

Together Phase One and Hartblei have engineered important design advancements with this lens, including:

  • New 2008 batch optical glass with multi-layer coating
  • Improved 12 blade aperture design
  • Mechanics with tighter tolerances
  • New interior antireflection coating
  • More streamlined mechanical design

When used with the Phase One 645 camera system, the Phase One 3.5/45 mm TS lens offers a simple, alternative to more advanced technical cameras. With it, photographers can adjust the plane of focus without changing the depth of field, correct perspective and selectively sharpen and soften an image – quickly gaining creative possibilities that cannot be realized in post-production.

The Phase One 3.5/45 TS lens comprises a simple eight-lens optical system. Each element is coated with a multilayer anti-reflective coating to reduce internal reflections, increase image transmission efficiency and enhance contrast. The new lens is also is supported by Phase One’s Lens+ and Focus+ optical correction technologies available in Capture One 4.

Pricing and Availability
The Phase One 3.5/45 TS lens is 2.990€ / $3,990 and may be ordered now. It will be demonstrated at Photokina, at which time more details will be available. Volume shipment is expected in Q4 2008.

Phase One 3.5/45 mm TS lens specifications
Compatible Cameras Phase One 645 / Mamiya 645AFD
Focal length 45 mm (equivalent to 24 mm focal length for a 35mm camera)
Focusing manual
Maximum aperture

1:3.5
Aperture range 3.5 - 22 (manual)
Optical Construction 8 elements in 7 groups
Angle of view

83° (98° with optical unit shifted)
Minimum focusing distance

1.15 ft (0.35 m)
Filter size Ø82 mm
Lens movement

Individual rotation of both tilt and shift in any direction
Rotation movement range 360°, with click stops every 15°
Shift movement range 0 to 12 mm in any direction
Tilt movement range

0 to 8° in any direction
Standard Accessory Flower-shaped lens hood
Compatible Mount

For Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Sony
Weight 880 grams
Dimensions 96×110 mm


]]> http://sirint.com/design/phase-one-introduces-3-5-45mm-ts-lens.htm Diamonds win stage time at MTV’s VMAs Similar Stories | Topics
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September 08, 2008

Glamour girl Rihanna donned diamond rings and bracelets from Loree Rodkin on both hands at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. Hollywood, Calif.—MTV's Video Music Awards tend to be among the most colorful of the awards shows, and last night's event didn't disappoint, with high-energy performances, edgy fashions and diamonds rocking all ends of the stage.

Among the biggest diamond trends were blinged-out bracelets, including layered bangles and bold cuffs, big stud earrings for both the ladies and gentlemen, and dramatic right-hand rings.

Talked-about looks included pop star Rihanna in Loree Rodkin diamonds, Demi Moore in Cartier and Pink in Neil Lane.

Rihanna wore multiple diamond bracelets, including carved-wood styles with white gold and brown diamonds, a white gold and gray-diamond tassel bracelet, and a white gold and bone bracelet with round-diamond balls. She also donned yellow gold and diamond hoop earrings, a multicolored-diamond "fleur de lis" ring in white gold and black rhodium, and an attention-grabbing "shadow cross ring" featuring a rose-cut diamond center and a maltese cross band in yellow gold.

Moore presented the "Best Male Video" award to Chris Brown, and wore a suite of classic pieces, including a Cartier diamond bracelet, earrings and right-hand ring.

And Pink, who performed on the Paramount Studios lot, sported Neil Lane diamond bracelets on both wrists, plus a right-hand ring and earrings.

Additional designers who got a lot of love on the MTV red carpet included Bochic, Erica Courtney, H. Stern, LeVian and Platt Jewelry.
]]> http://sirint.com/design/diamonds-win-stage-time-at-mtv-s-vmas.htm Kwiat flagship opens in New York City Actress and singer Jennifer Hudson at the grand opening of Kwiat's flaghip store in New York City. By Teresa Novellino

New York—Kwiat held the grand opening of its flagship boutique in Manhattan last night, celebrating its new home among the see-and-be-seen group of luxury jewelers that have strung themselves along Madison Avenue recently.

The party's host was Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson, who accessorized her emerald-green cocktail dress with some of the brand's blockbuster diamond pieces and leaned across the counter to try on more as photographers snapped away.

Actress Eva Amurri and editors from various consumer fashion magazines also feted the brand at its new 1,000-square-foot boutique, located at 725 Madison Ave.

It is Kwiat's first retail store and part of the company's efforts to make its name known on a high-end shopping avenue, which also boasts bold-faced jewelry brands such as Graff, Leviev, Honora and DiModolo.

With price points ranging from about $2,000 to several million dollars for red-carpet-style pieces, the jeweler hopes to fill a niche in its new neighborhood and offer a non-intimidating atmosphere for those browsing along Madison Avenue, says Russell Kwiat, whose great-grandfather established the company in 1907.

He says the flagship will allow the brand to test the retail waters and that the company is considering further stores, but is looking globally in shopping hot spots such as Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Russia.

The new store's interior is decorated in Kwiat's signature steel-gray hues, and its doors open up to a grand atrium with an 18-foot-high ceiling and a stunning floral chandelier. There is also a private room available for VIPs and celebrities.
]]> http://sirint.com/design/kwiat-flagship-opens-in-new-york-city.htm