JOBO device uses new technology to radically improve pro users’ productivity

REIGATE, UNITED KINGDOM, 17 September 2008 – Geotate, the pioneering auto-geotagging company, has announced the first photographic deployment of its unique technology with the introduction of JOBO’s photoGPS. By automatically and accurately adding geotagging data to each image, the photoGPS hot shoe accessory allows a far simpler workflow and higher productivity for photographers, as well as marketing agencies and publishers.

Jobo PhotoGPS on the Samsung GX10

Highlighting the advantages of Geotate’s Capture Now Process Later technology, Johannes Bockemühl, CEO at JOBO, commented: “For some time we’ve recognised the potential of the GPS camera sector. While we were eager to launch our own accessory, we recognised the limitations of existing technology for digital cameras. Traditional GPS solutions are prohibitively slow and power-hungry but Geotate’s unique approach to geotagging provided us with the perfect solution.”

“Professional photographers already understand the value of metadata for marketing and selling their work. photoGPS is a device that automates and simplifies the process of creating this metadata, a task that was previously cumbersome, error prone and time consuming. It opens the door for pro users to significantly improve their productivity and simplify the workflow for themselves as well as creative agencies, designers and publishers,” said Mark Terry, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Geotate. “Moreover, like many other camera technologies, we expect auto geotagging to be a feature that first shows its value in the pro market, but soon becomes commonplace in mass market cameras. With 300 billion digital images being taken each year, ways to easily help individuals manage their massive picture libraries are set to boom.”

A hot shoe accessory, photoGPS conveniently attaches to the user’s existing camera and is connected by the standard interface. Once geotagged, images can be more easily archived, browsed and marketed within the creative and publishing industries. JOBO has announced photoGPS will be available through retailers from October 2008, costing in the region of €159.

Demonstrations of the product will be available at the Photokina trade show in Cologne, Germany, between 23 September and 28 September 2008 at Geotate’s booth [Hall 4.1, stand B-024] and JOBO’s booth [Hall 5.1, stand A-010/A-018].

-Ends-

About Geotate
Geotate provides geotagging software to camera manufacturers and the digital imaging industry. Geotate’s unique technology can be embedded into cameras to instantly tag digital photos with their location – auto geotagging, as it is known. Its auto geotagging technology is a cost effective, low power, easy to integrate into digital cameras and, critically, overcomes the limitations of traditional GPS solutions, for example, battery drain, time to fix, indoor location issues and cost. Geotate software enables users to easily get more from their digital photo collection; improving visualisation, cataloguing and search.

Geotate is a recent spin-out from Philips with offices in Tokyo, Japan, Taipei, Taiwan, London, UK and Eindhoven, Netherlands.

About JOBO AG
JOBO is a family-owned company now in its third generation of family leadership. Having been founded in 1923, it has built up a reputation for quality, professionalism, and commitment. These core values remain their keys for continuous success in times of vast technological changes, growing markets, and globalization.

Through innovation and ingenuity JOBO has created standards within the imaging industry. For example, JOBO created the product class of small-volume, high-quality photo processors. And NASA pictures of the first flight to the moon (Apollo 11) were processed using JOBO equipment. JOBO is also one of the first exhibitors of the most important photo trade shows in the world – Photokina, founded in 1950. Since then, close interaction with photo dealers and end users has been critical in making JOBO an indisputable market leader in the world of photography.

Jobo PhotoGPS
Capture time	About 0.2 sec
Memory capacity	Around 1000 locations (build in 128MB memory)
Accuracy	10 m
Geodata	Via Tele Atlas Map Material (Country, City, Street, POI)
Connection to camera	Standard hot-shoe (ISO 518:2006)
Supported file formats	JPEG, RAW with XMP Sidecar file system
Power source	Internal rechargeable 120mAh cell (non user-replaceable)
System Information	Via 2 LED’s (System Status)
PC connectivity	USB 2.0
Battery charging electrical source	USB 2.0
System requirements	Windows XP (SP2) and Vista (SP1), MAC available from 2008
Dimensions	68 x 20 x 43 mm (main unit without adapter)
Weight	80 g
More Photos
.