So here's the situation.

Your really hot pen-pal in Europe has finally sent his or her picture to you and is now asking you to send one of your own as well. Knowing that that old prom pic just won't do, you take your digicam and pose as only a model would, then you download all the shots into your computer. Just as you were about to send off those pictures, something catches your eye: the lack of a hairline.

In the words of Douglas Adams: Don't Panic!

That's because David Nigel has prepared a step-by-step tutorial to help those in a... not-so-hairy situation. By creating a simple custom brush in Photoshop 7, which is pretty much composed of a few squiggly lines, one can create convincing hair and fur effects for those emergency touch-ups. He has also included directions and tips on how to blend the effect with your photo to make it look as convincing and as real as possible.

So, with that problem out of the way, things should be fine. Well, at least until the time that you and your pen-pal decide to meet up, that is.

Click on Read for the step-by-step procedures.

Nikon Europe has announced the arrival of its latest addition to its COOLPIX S Series, the COOLPIX S9. Branded as the most affordable of the S-Series digital cameras at a suggested price of $250, this camera does not, in any way, compromise the quality that is the trademark of Nikon products.

At 3.6 x 2.3 x 0.8", this pocket-friendly compact camera features a prism-folded Nikkor ED-branded 3x optical zoom lens with a six megapixel image sensor, a 2.5" LCD display with 153,000 pixels, and 15 beginner-friendly modes. An added innovation is the "right-angled" design of the lens that allows it to operate throughout its entire focal range without ever protruding from the camera's slim body.

For that best possible portrait image, the S9 has packaged a One-Touch Portrait button, which combines "D-Lighting" exposure connection technology from Apical Ltd., face-priority autofocus from Identix, and an in-camera red-eye fix function. Its Stop-motion movie function also makes it easier for users to create their very own stop-motion animated films by taking a shot of the models they wish to animate, move the models, then shoot again. The Best Shot Selector Mode, which automatically chooses the sharpest from a series of images is also in this cool package, as well as an AE-Best Shot Selector mode that chooses the best-exposed image from a series.

Images are stored on Secure Digital cards, or in 24MB of internal memory. It also comes with a USB and video output technology. Completing the line-up is Nikon's unique PictureProject software, which offers a broad range of powerful features for image editing, organising and sharing and compatibility with a range of plug-ins.

Weighing 115g without its rechargeable Li-ion battery (EN-EL8), the COOLPIX S9 comes in silver, blue, and magenta, this September.

Finally, Sony Europe have announced that the 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo will hit shelves in September. The 4GB micro memory stick, compatible with Sony's PSP as well as digital cameras and other Sony products, has been available for a while in other territories and will be a welcome addition to the Memory stick range for European PSP owners. According to the Sony press release, the 4GB stick can hold up to 1000 MP3 songs, 3000 digital photos in 5 megapixel resolution or more than 9 hours of MPEG-4 video, which probably means it'll hold around 2/3 of that.

The new 4GB stick will come in a new package, presumably to tear apart differences between fake sticks from auction site eBay and legitimate ones, as well as a free Memory Stick Pro adaptor and a 5 year warranty for approximately €170 (approximately US$274). Not bad if you ask me, but they have probably been priced to compete with Sandisk's 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo. I want one, and I'll get whatever one is cheapest: Sony or SanDisk!

Casio Europe have announced that they will be soon be releasing the Exilim Card EX-S600D. Based entirely on the Ex-S600, which came out last October, this model adds the functionality of video recorded in DivX format! Yes you heard, DivX. One of the most popular formats of video around, this compresses footage into a smaller size with lower loss of quality than rival formats.

Other main features it took from its predecessor include, DSP Anti shake technology, long battery life (average 300 still images), revive shot for bringing old pictures back to life again and also the Past movie, which records movies 5 seconds before the button is pressed. All these features are very ingenious.

Hardware wise it includes a 6.0 megapixel CCD 1/2.5 sensor capable of resolutions up to 2816 x 2112 pixels, 3x optical zoom, and a 84'950 pixel 2.2" display. Memory is in the form of SD/MMC cards, or the internal 8.3MB memory. Because of its weight and small form factor, its a very popular unit in sales, and prepare for its new features to increase those sales.

However, the only people taking advantage of this new release, will be those in Europe only.