Sharp, the Japanese electronics firm, has announced that it is planning to ship a new touchscreen liquid crystal display that also has scanner functions for mobile electronic devices this September.

The new screen will be thinner than current models and will also offer clearer and better quality images than existing screens, the manufacturing company claims.

It is able to respond to more than one touch at a time. Users can therefore use a variety of hand gestures, such as pinching, squeezing and tapping, to perform tasks.

The product uses embedded optical sensors in the same way that a scanner does, which accounts for the thinness of its form, Sharp claims.

Sample shipments will begin in September of this year, with volume production possibly set to start in earnest next spring, the International Herald Tribune reports.

Barnsley’s Metropolitan Borough Council has announced that it has "gone green" and got rid of 50 of its "energy guzzling" fax machines from its South Yorkshire offices.

Avanquest Solutions and Xerox have installed a combined IT solution in their stead, which allows the council to electronically process all faxes, printing and copying.

This has been facilitated through Avanquest’s implementation of Captaris RightFax with Xerox MFDs - so that all documents can now be captured electronically on the RightFax Database for easy retrieval if necessary.

Users can then send a fax directly from their Xerox MFD if they need a fax or paper document - or from their Outlook or SAP client in other instances.

The borough council recently formalised its desire to fight climate change and cut carbon emissions by signing and committing to the Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change.

Agfa Graphics has announced that it will bring a "broad selection of updated products and solutions" to the forthcoming GRAPH EXPO exhibit in Chicago, which takes place between the ninth and 12th of September.

The prepress solutions on display will include Agfa’s entry-level wide-format industrial inkjet printer, Anapurna M - and the worldwide debut of the ApogeeX 4.0, which feature Adobe’s PDF print engine and advanced automation of pages and plates.

A selection of the firm’s colour managed software - featuring soft and hard proofing - will also go on show for the first time in North America.

"We look forward to showing all GRAPH EXPO attendees how Agfa delivers products and technologies that easily and cost-effectively meet the challenges of today’s highly competitive marketplace," said Susan Wittner, Agfa’s director of marketing in North America.

"Our representatives, technical experts and consultants will show visitors to our exhibit how they can achieve more of their short- and long-term goals. Through our new tools for workflow, project management, inkjet printing and proofing, prepress and print professionals can continue to improve their entire Graphic Enterprise."

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has launched a new $300 million marketing campaign.

The new global campaign, entitled ‘What do you have to say?’, lets users mash up their content with free and exclusive content from celebrated graphic designer Paula Scher, Burton Snowboards founder Jake Burton and singer/fashion designer Gwen Stefani.

The campaign comes as the firm outlines its new Print 2.0 strategy, which aims to deliver a next-generation platform that increases print speeds and lowers the cost of printing for high-volume commercial markets.

It also hopes to make it easier to print from the web and to extend HP’s digital content creation and publishing platform across all customer segments.

"Today we’re igniting growth across every single part of our business and introducing market-leading imaging and printing solutions for consumers, small and medium businesses, the graphic arts community and enterprise customers," Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of the Imaging and Printing Group at HP.

"With Print 2.0, we’re leveraging the power of the web as a gateway for our customers to communicate, collaborate and publish their content in ways they could not before."

Hewlett-Packard (HP) will introduce new technology in its latest printer model the HP Scitex XL2200.

New proprietary print head technology has been implemented in the HP Scitex X2 and it is predicted that the new product will be capable of producing prints more cheaply and accurately than current products.

The print heads operate using piezoelectric components. This is the first HP product to include such technology and it has led the company to claim that it has produced the "next-generation digital printing platform".

"This new technology will deliver unmatched quality for commercial and industrial printers and enable these customers to offer new printing services to grow their businesses," HP states.

Along with the Scitex XL2200, the company has also rolled out a number of other consumer printers and office printers for small and medium-sized businesses - as well as a range of software tools for digital content creation and for printing content directly from the web.

Brother has announced that its latest release of two new colour laser printers is part of a strategy to increase its market share of the colour printer industry.

The manufacturing firm currently has a 29 per cent share of the market - but it hopes these new and improved models, which are designed for use by small and medium-sized businesses, will help it up its proportion of the sales market.

The new models offer wireless communication protocol, image manipulation through the LCD screen and colour prints at four times the rate currently offered by entry level printers.

"We aim to sell a few hundred units of the new printers in the next three months," general manager Yoshiaki Otsuka commented as the new colour laser printers were unveiled.

"For heavy users, the high-yield toners will ensure they get the most value and among the lowest cost per page for both colour and monochrome printing."

Blu-ray will still emerge as the winner in the ongoing high-definition format war, despite Paramount Home Entertainment and DreamWork Animation’s decision to back rival HD DVD exclusively.

This is the opinion of independent industry analyst firm Understanding & Solutions (U&S), which says it does not have a vested interest in backing either of the formats over the other.

"The weight of industry support is still very much behind Blu-ray," U&S director Jim Bottoms commented. "58 per cent of the high-def market comes from Blu-ray-exclusive business," he added.

HD DVD currently accounts for around 23 per cent of the market exclusively, with Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment responsible for the majority of this share.

Blu-ray currently has a much larger slice of the market, says U&S, with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, MGM Home Entertainment and Lionsgate all contributing to its success.

"There is a lot of confusion with consumers over high-def in general," Mr Bottoms added.

"I heard from a consumer, ‘I was going to buy an HDTV screen, but now I’m going to buy a Blu-ray screen. That is quite typical of the confusion that exists. But the important take away is that there is great opportunity [with high-def], but there still needs to be some work done to turn this all into a reality."

Sony and Samsung have announced that their joint venture company, S-LCD, has started shipments of its 8th Generation Line (8G) of LCD television panels.

The new 8G panels were unveiled at an official ceremony, with the two companies claiming that they were jointly "processing the world’s largest motherglass substrates, measuring 2,200mm by 2,500mm".

S-LCD says the introduction of the new panels marks a "major turning point" in the LCD TV 50-inch class and claims that that it expects to reach a production capacity of 50,000 8G panels by the end of 2007.

"We have remained a step ahead of the competition in terms of production scale and timing," Won-kie Chang, chief executive of S-LCD, commented.

"Our sights are now on LCD TVs in the 50-inch class and we aim to lead that segment. Our success with [the] 7G line will continue with the new 8G line operation, and we will grow into the world’s largest LCD maker."

Demand for front projectors is rising among home theatre enthusiasts, despite the continuing media focus on HDTV flatscreens, a new report states.

A study from Quixel Research claims that front projector sales are still on the up, even though the market for sleek flat-screens is continuing to intensify.

Projector unit sales increased by four per cent between the second and first quarter of the year, according to the report - and revenues from sales increased by eight per cent.

"For many passionate home theatre buffs, a front projector is the only way to have a ‘big-screen’ experience," Tamaryn Pratt, Quixel’s principal, is quoted by TWICE as saying.

"Higher-resolution models have really shined a light on the category again.

"However, there are devotees at all price levels and now there are enough options, both well known and niche brands, that almost anyone can have an immersive experience in their home and even outdoors for that matter."

Canon has announced that it has released a new digital camera, the 21.1-megapixel, full-frame Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III Digital SLR camera.

It is designed to take Canon’s prowess into the high-fashion and commercial photo studios, where "bulkier, medium-format cameras previously reigned".

"The EOS-1Ds Mark III Digital SLR camera is a prime example of the EOS philosophy and Canon’s ongoing commitment to providing photo professionals with the tools they need to create the finest quality images," Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager at consumer imaging group, Canon USA, commented.

"To continue our legacy, we must provide not only the right professional tools, but also the finest photo tools for the job and do so consistently, whether we are presenting this exemplary EOS-1Ds Mark III SLR camera, or any one of the many fine specialty lenses, flashes and accessories that populate the EOS professional photo system."

The new camera is scheduled to start shipping in November and will go on sale at an estimated selling price of $7,999 in the US.