Adobe CS3 Is Finally Here; May Prove Macromedia Merger Was Good Idea
Posted by Seamus Byrne at 11:40 PM on April 16, 2007

For all you graphics geeks who have been waiting eagerly to find out whether or not Adobe has screwed up all of your favorite Macromedia design tools, now's your chance to plunk down $1,000+ to find out. CS3 launches today, and it's as freakin' thorough as expected. You can buy Design Premium for $1,799, Design Standard for $1,199, Web Premium for $1,599 and Web Standard for $999. Also available are separately wrapped apps: Adobe Photoshop CS3, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended, Adobe InDesign CS3, Adobe Illustrator CS3, Adobe Flash CS3 Professional, Adobe Dreamweaver CS3, Adobe Fireworks CS3, and Adobe Contribute CS3.
If you've been holding out on buying a new system, Adobe says go ahead: All of the programs run as Universal apps for both PowerPC Macs and their Intel-based successors, with some significant speed improvement there. Adobe also says that you get a speed boost running CS3 on the latest Windows hardware.
Follow the jump to see CS3's new scary clown mascot plus some extra specs...

UMPCs have yet to take off, yet Intel's already launching an alternative to the overgrown handhelds—the Mobile Internet Device (MID). These mini-tablets will run Linux, not Vista, as their operating system.
Although our gut reaction to seeing the words "new" and "memory card specification" in the same sentence is a hearty "WTF mate?!", the SxS format seems to be different, and perhaps justified. Sony and SanDisk are teaming up to produce the SxS cards to be compatible with ExpressCard slots and be used in pro camcorders—like the ones we're seeing at NAB this week—and are useful for people who really need quick access and transfer speeds.
Now that everyone who's even a little somebody's getting (ahem, Meizu) into the touchscreen phone game, the nobodies are making some noise as well. Here's Deeda's Pi Phone, which supposedly has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, flash, Instant Messaging, Google Maps, zooming, vibrational touch feedback, bajillions of supported audio and video formats (including MPEG4), UWB, and a calculator—among other things.
This house sitting robot from Japan doesn't actually walk your dog, feed the kids, or fetch the mail, but it does make sure your house doesn't get robbed. Well, not exactly. It doesn't stop the actual act of burgling, but it does take snapshots of whoever broke in and made off with your HDTV and your collection of Knight Rider DVD boxsets. 

There are speakers, and there are SPEAKERS. This one, from the Geneva Lab, is one of the latter. As well as having a dock that will fit just about every iPod (video, nano, mini) there is a built-in, slot-loading CD player that also plays CD-ROM and MP3, and an FM radio with preset digital tuner. It comes with remote control and can connect to other sources, including the TV. Oh, and don't think the speaker stand comes for free - that you have to pay for.
It's also known as the Luna and the Fashion High, but here's Nokia's 8600 in all its glory. UK retailer Carphone Warehouse posted a pic and details of the phone, describing it as "a handset with a distinctly fashionable feel."
Sony finally followed Panasonic's lead by introducing a prosumer-level camera that records to a flash drive. But not just any flash drive, the XDCAM EX records high-def video directly to two ExpressCards. That's good news for MacBook Pro owners as they'll be able to pop the card into that snug slot and edit away.












