MWSF: Umax Unveils Macworld Product Lineup

Umax Technologies recently announced the lineup of imaging products the company will have on hand at Macworld Expo in San Francisco this week.

At the show, Umax will be exhibiting its new Astra 6450, a consumer-oriented FireWire flatbed scanner. The Astra 6450 features a 42-bit color density using Umax Bit Enhancement Technology (BET), an 8.5 by 11-inch scan bed, and a hardware resolution of 600 by 1,200 dpi.

The $299 scanner also includes a transparency cover for scanning 35mm slides, negatives, and up to 4- by 5-inch transparencies, hot-swap support — users can connect or disconnect the scanner at any time without restarting their systems — and batch scanning.

The Astra 6450 is compatible with G3/G4 Power Macs and the iMac DV, and comes with Umax VistScan scanning software, Adobe Photoshop LE, ScanSoft OmniPage LE OCR, and Presto! PageManager.

In addition, Umax will be showing its PowerLook 1100, a FireWire flatbed scanner aimed at creative professionals. Priced at US$1,199, the PowerLook 1100 features a 42-bit (BET) color depth. The scanner also supports hot swapping, batch scanning, and comes bundled with a transparency adapter.

The PowerLook 1100 includes an auto-detect frame holder for automatic scanning of up to twelve 35mm slides and the ability for multiple Macs daisy chained on the FireWire bus to access the scanner. Compatible with G3/G4 PowerMacs running OS 8.6 and higher, the scanner comes with MagicScan scanning software, binuscan PhotoPerfect, Photoshop 5.5 (full version) and OmniPage LE.

Other scanners expected to be shown at the Umax booth include:

Astra 3450, a $129 USB flatbed scanner with a hardware resolution of 600 by 1,200-dpi, 42-bit color depth, push-button controls, and a built-in transparency cover

AstraNET e5470, a $199 USB flatbed scanner with a hardware resolution of 1,200 by 2,400-dpi, 42-bit color depth, push-button controls, and a built-in transparency cover

PowerLook 2100 XL, a $1,599 SCSI model with a resolution of 800 by 1,200-dpi, 42-bit color depth, 3.4Dmax, 12 by 17-inch scan bed, transparency adapter and auto-detect slide holders

PowerLook III, a 1,200-dpi flatbed priced at $999 with a 42-bit color depth, 3.4Dmax, transparency adapter, auto-detect slide holders, and batch-scan capability

PowerLook 3000, a prepress-quality SCSI-II flatbed scanner that offers a 3,048 by 1,220-dpi resolution (or 3,048 by 3,048-dpi on a 3.4-inch-wide swath on the 8.5 by 11-inch scan bed using a second lens) and a 42-bit color depth

Umax will also be showing its AstraCam 1800, a 1.3-megapixel digital camera priced at $199. The AstraCam 1800 captures 1280 x 960-pixel JPEG images that are stored on the included 4MB SmartMedia card. Other features include a USB port, three-mode flash, and automatic white balance.