PMA 2007: GE have announced aggressive plans to enter the digital camera market. Entry-level GE digital cameras will start with 7 megapixels of resolution and 2.5-inch LCD screens. Higher-end GE cameras will offer up to 12 megapixels of resolution and 3-inch LCD screens. A photo printer will also be included in the line-up. The new products will be distributd by General Imaging, a new, privately held company that serves as the exclusive worldwide licensee for the GE line of digital cameras and printers. Cameras will be available in North America from mid-April, whilst shipments to Europe and Asia are scheduled for later this year. The GE digital cameras will make their debut at the PMA show in early March.

General Imaging Press Release

GE Enters Digital Camera Market; General Imaging Named Exclusive Worldwide Licensee

NEW YORK—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Already one of the most trusted consumer brands in the world, GE will soon become one of the hottest names in high-quality digital still cameras.

GE and corporate newcomer General Imaging Co. announced today that the two companies have reached an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement by which General Imaging will design, manufacture and distribute an all-new line of GE-branded digital cameras.

“We were seeking to enter the digital camera arena and found a perfect partner,” said Brad Irvine, GE President of Trading and Licensing. “The cameras from General Imaging are truly worthy of the GE name, representative of GE’s leadership in technology and innovation.”

General Imaging Co. Chairman and CEO Hiroshi “Hugh” Komiya said the GE brand comes with instant credibility.

”GE is a brand that consumers around the world know and trust,” he said. “This is a brand known for innovation and technical leadership. We fully intend to deliver on the GE brand promise and even further enhance the GE brand value.”

Headquartered in Torrance, California, General Imaging brings together an all-star cast of photo industry veterans. Komiya is a former president of Olympus Imaging Corporation.

Leading sales efforts in North America will be Rene Buhay, a former Vice-President of Global Sales for ArcSoft who had also headed North American sales for both Samsung and Ricoh. Noted industrial designer Takeyoshi Kawano will be the company’s chief designer. Kawano’s design credits include the Sony Walkman, the Sony VAIO computer and the Olympus Stylus camera series.

“Style will play an important part in our product development,” Kawano noted. “Consumers are demanding not just advanced features but stylish designs. We’re responding to that demand with cameras that are a statement of style and at the same time have all the latest technology.”

According to Kawano, advanced features such as image stabilization, high ISO sensitivity, and panoramic stitching will be standard on ALL models.

“With advanced features like this on all our cameras, it will be difficult to take a bad photo,” he said. “GE cameras will literally change the quality of pictures for today’s consumers.”

Entry-level GE digital cameras will start with 7 megapixels of resolution and 2.5-inch LCD screens. Higher-end GE cameras will offer up to 12 megapixels of resolution and 3-inch LCD screens. A photo printer will also be included in the line.

The GE digital cameras will make their debut at the annual Photo Marketing Association trade show, March 8-11, in Las Vegas. Cameras will be available in North America from mid-April. Shipments to Europe and Asia are scheduled for later this year.

Buhay believes that response to the new camera line from retailers and consumers alike will be overwhelming.

“I’ve been in the electronics field for many years, and the GE cameras are like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” he said. “Our aim is to be Number 1 in all aspects – quality, technology, performance and value – and these cameras will do that.”

For more information go to http://www.ge.com/digitalcameras

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