Olympus' Camedia Brio D-230

If Olympus' $2,000 Camedia E-20N is just a little too pricey or a little too fancy for you, Olympus also just told us about a lower-end "point & shoot" digital camera that may be closer to your needs and price range. The Brio D-230 features a 2.0 Megapixel (effective) image for what the company says are "photo quality" 8" x 10" prints (it is a camera, isn't it?). The little gadget has an Olympus Auto-Focus 5.5mm f 2.8 lens, (equivalent to 36mm in a 35mm film camera) with a digital telephoto up to 5X and a shutter release time of 0.3 seconds, along with start-up times of less than one second; and file transfer via Auto-Connect USB. The 6-ounce Brio D-230 also gives you an automatic flash and includes red-eye reduction technology with automated white balance and color management. The camera includes a Composite Image Mode that lets you merge two images into one in the camera without downloading them to your PC. Other effects include sepia and black & white image effect modes, rotation, and file resize mode, which saves a separate smaller copy of the image. QuickTime Movie Mode is available for up to 60 seconds of movies at 15 frames per second. The Brio D-230's Burst Mode shoots 1.3 frames per second. The Brio D-230 ships with a 16MB SmartMedia card, USB cable, CamediaMaster software, user guide, strap and two AA alkaline batteries. It has an MSRP of $349.