Ricoh Americas Corp. (http://www.ricoh-usa.com) has released its G700Se digital camera. The ruggedized, water and dust proof camera is an improvement on the G500SE, continuing in the tradition of Ricoh SE products, the company says.

Complete with wireless data communication capabilities (Wi-Fi) and Bluetooth, the G700SE uses Global Positioning System (GPS) functions and laser barcode readers. The camera also features a Scandisk card (SD-1), which provides a higher level of security with password-enabled access. By sliding the card into the camera, a user can only read information by entering the correct password.

Yuki Uchida, vice president of New Business Development, says among the improvements found in the G700SE is a more robust and advanced GPS option, with an increased accuracy from six to three meters. This provides more reliable position and direction information, he adds. The camera has the ability to migrate information online to various mapping applications such as Google Maps, Google Earth and ESRI’s ArcGIS solutions, which in turn can aid in pinpointing location with satellite imagery that is useful in forestry, geological studies and wildlife preserves, to name a few applications.

The laser barcode reader unit makes it is possible to do rapid recognition of linear barcodes. The G700SE offers 12 megapixels resolution, with a 5x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom. The flash has a maximum range of 10 m and it has a 28 to 140 mm wide-angle zoom lens. It has a compact body size of 118.8 mm (W) x 71.0 mm (H) x 41.0 nm (D) and weighs about 286 g.

The Ricoh G700SE will be available in 2011 for about US$1,050.