That new Flip Mino HD is pretty slim, sure, but it's no Trio PenCam HD, a skinny new hi-def camcorder its manufacturers have crowned "the world's smallest HD camcorder." The device measures 1.4 by 0.8 by inches and weighs 2.9 ounces. It can shoot video in 1280 by 720 at 30 frames per second. Also, unlike a handful of pocket camcorders (Pure Digital and Creative, I'm looking at you), this thing takes still pictures with a 5-MP camera.
The Trio PenCam features 3X digital zoom, 4GB of built-in memory, and HDMI out. It's also got a built-in MP3 player and a downright microscopic 1.1-inch OLED display. It'll run you $149.99 at Amazon.
The Olympus E-P1 (shown above) is part of a new breed of cameras called Micro Four Thirds: they promise D-SLR-quality images and the blazing focusing speeds of D-SLR cameras, at half the size of D-SLRs. The E-P1 delivered on all points except fast focusing speeds. Olympus tried to improve things with a firmware update, but it didn't helpshown .
Here's a news flash: Cell-phone cameras be damned, because a significant segment of the population is actually prioritizing sharp, well-exposed images over ultimate convenience. Since the introduction of the first Canon Digital Rebel in 2003, this quality-conscious segment has been turning to interchangeable-lens digital SLRs (DSLRs) to take the best possible photos.
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, we saw a similar movement, as more and more consumers purchased film SLRs. However, as small auto-everything 35mm point-and-shoot cameras began to be able to create SLR-like images, SLR sales dwindled. We're on the precipice of the same thing happening in the digital world. Consumer DSLRs are going down.
Monster Cable occupies its own specialized niche in the technology industry: some swear that the company tempts nervous, uneducated buyers into paying for expensive audio/visual cables that they really don't need. Beyond the hype, however, should be a realization that this is a company built on the need for bandwidth.
On Tuesday, Monster held what company executives billed as a "technology demo event" talking about the future of connectivity. A good deal of it was background on HDMI 1.4, and its bandwidth requirements, together with so-called "4K: resolutions that are coming down the pipe.
I found a couple of points noteworthy, however: Brad Bramy, director of marketing for Silicon Image, predicted the 2010 and 2011 would be the year that the mobile and CE industries would begin to converge, offering the possibility that some of the 1.4 billion phones on the market would join some of the 160 million portable devices (such as camcorders) and offer HDMI out.
Attention photography junkies in the Tri-State area: head to the Javits Center immediately for "PhotoPlus," a gigantic expo today and Saturday featuring all things photography. To those who can't make it, you can live vicariously through our 70+ image slideshow over on PCMag.com.
No major product announcements were made at the show, but almost every big company was there to give hands-on time with their products, some of which have yet to hit the streets. Photo junkie or not, the following should definitely be on your gadget radar:
Nikon gave a handful of journalists a sneak peek at the Nikon D3S digital-SLR camera; it was announced last week and is expected to be released in late November with a $5,199.95 (body only) list price.
I was invited to join Nikon to shoot with a production-model D3S at the Big Apple Circus, which opens to the public tomorrow evening. I've spent time with other professional Nikon SLR cameras over the years, including the D3 and every other Nikon D-SLR, and the D3S's interface felt incredibly familiar and just as intuitive as that of the D3.
This latest Nikon offers new marquee features, however, such as 720p HD video capture and an incredible top ISO setting of 102,400 (see sample image above, captured at ISO 102,400 with a 1/30-second exposure, including a 100-percent pixel view), which enables photographers to capture (somewhat) usable images in near-total darkness. More sample images after the jump.
Look at what we just got in the mail. It's the just-announced newest version of the Flip Mino HD. I've only played around with it for a few minutes, but I think it's safe to say that Pure Digital (now owned by Cisco) really got the pocket camcorder's looks right this time out.
The first Flip looked fairly cheap--almost disposable. The first-generation Flip Mino and its aesthetically identical counterpart, the Flip Mino HD, was a marked improvement. But the device still looked a bit dated, like something that might be branded by Radio Shack back in the 90s.
This device, on the other hand, is quite slick, with its brushed metal finish. The HDMI port has made its way down to the bottom of the device--there are no additional video or audio out ports on the camera. The rear features a larger LCD and the same touch-sensitive buttons as the earlier version of the Mino.
The device also feels a lot more solid than its diminutive predecessor. You don't get the feeling that this camcorder is going to fall apart in your pocket.
We'll be bringing you a hands-on review of the device in the near future at PCMag.com. In the meantime, check out a slew of close-up shots, after the jump.
With the introduction of the latest version of iMovie comes a new video format from Apple. According to the company, "iFrame is designed to make importing and editing video fast and easy without taking up a lot of space on your hard drive." Sanyo has become the first company to embrace the new format, with its new Dual Cameras, the VPC-HD2000A and the VPC-FH1A.
Available now, the new cameras are "the world's first camcorders to offer compatibility with iFrame," according to Sanyo. The VPC-HD2000A and VPC-FH1A will run $599 and $499, respectively. Both cameras are programmed to default to the new format.
Cisco-owned Pure Digital today unveiled a refresh of the Flip Mino HD. The latest version of the ever-popular pocket camcorder features a larger screen, increased capacity, and a new brushed metal design. The camera also packs a new version of the company's proprietary FlipShare software.
The new Flip Mino HD now features 8GB of an-board memory, which should give users roughly two hours of recording time, according to the company (I imagine this is under the VGA setting). The screen size (one of our major complaints about the camera's predecessor), has been increased from 1.5- to 2-inches. The new Flip also features an HDMI jack (a feature now found on most other HD pocket camcorders). The new software lets user upload videos directly to Facebook.
The new camera still carries a relatively lofty sticker price at $229. It's predecessor has been priced at a more competitive $199.
JVC today entered the fast-paced pocket camcorder (see also, YouTube camcorders) space with the introduction of the Picsio GC-FM1, a palm-sized hi-def camera. Spec-wise the camera looks a lot like the Kodak zi8, which recently snagged our Editors' Choice.
The camera shoots in 1080p, 720p, VGA, and QVGA modes, and can snap still in up to 8MP. There's an on-board HDMI port, image stabilizer, SD card slot (expandable up to 32GB), a 2.0 LCD, image stabilizer, and direct upload to YouTube and, interestingly, iTunes (files are saved as .MOV).
Frankly, what really sets this camera apart is its looks. It comes in (brace yourself) Black Ice, Blue Steel, and Purple Passion, all of which have, to quote JVC, "a tone-on-tone geometric pattern and chrome accents for a jewel-like appearance." The company is targeting the camera's firmly toward the female demographic.
Over the past several years, the LEGO brand has grown into something approaching a cult, with fans creating some amazing projects (LEGOs in space, the Woniak/Jobs playset) and other companies incorporating the design-friendly bricks into sometimes surprising products (iPod speaker docks). PCMag even once commissioned a LEGO artist to build a PC.
Now CE-for-kids maker Digital Blue is coming out with some of the most appealing LEGO-inspired products I've seen, including a camera, videocam, MP3 player, and more. Yep, they're for kids--but I can think of more than a few grownup who'll crave one or another of these cool products. And yes--they're stackable!
The LEGO Digital Camera, above, sells for $49.99 list. It has 3 megapixels and a 1.5-inch LCD on the back; 128MB of built-in memory holds around 80 photos.
Have you been waiting for the digital equivalent of the traditional Polaroid instant-camera experience? As the Polaroid PoGo Instant Digital Camera is a hybrid printer/camera product, we enlisted PCMag's printer and camera experts, M. David Stone and PJ Jacobowitz, to review it. One thing I can tell you: They both had a lot of fun testing it.
This 5-megapixel camera uses the same ZINK (zero ink) technology to output its photos as the Polaroid PoGo Instant Photo Printer and the Dell Wasabi PZ310 . With ZINK, clear dye crystals are embedded in the photo paper; heat from the printhead activates the color in the crystals. A downside is that you're limited to 2- by 3-inch photos; one thing you can do with the PoGo that you couldn't with an analog Polaroid camera is to save and store digital versions of your photos. You will need an SD card, as the camera comes without one, and its internal memory is only enough to hold a handful of images.
The PoGo's image quality is modest, about that of a high-quality camera phone. Prints are tiny, and ZINK isn't yet up to the standards of ink-based photo printing. But it provides what people want and expect from a Polaroid camera--enjoyable picture-taking and the ability to print your results out on the spot (and perhaps to draw a small crowd while you're doing so, as happened with one of our reviewers).
It was only a matter of time before these two came to blows.
The Olympus E-P1 and upcoming Panasonic GF1 are the smallest Micro Four Thirds cameras available. They both offer DSLR image quality in compact bodies.
The Micro Four Thirds Olympus E-P1 offers DSLR image quality but is much smaller than most DSLRs. This camera is pleasing on so many levels--but disappointing when it comes to auto-focusing speed. Not only is it not as fast as a tradition DSLR, but even some point-and-shoots offer faster performance. (See our full review on PC Mag.com)
Earlier this month, Olympus released firmware updates to the E-P1's body,14-42mm, and 17mm lenses. The purpose of the updates: to improve focusing speeds.
I spent some time today with the E-P1, 14-42mm lens, Shooting Digital's Shutter Lag test, and I've come to the conclusion there's not much improvement in focusing speeds. Before the update, the camera took an average of 1.3 seconds to focus and shoot. After the update, it averaged 1.2 seconds. A traditional DSLR with auto-focus can focus in less than half that time; the Canon D50 averages just .5 seconds.
Some gadgets just hit the "awesome" button in the deep, lizard part of your brain. At an NVIDIA meeting today, my "awesome" button got smacked hard by the Fujifilm FinePix REAL 3D W1, the world's first point-and-shoot, consumer 3-D digital camera. It's expensive, somewhat awkward, and probably impractical. But it's really cool.
The W1 is a bit of a brick, sure, but who cares? It's 3-D! The camera is black and glossy, and looks a little like a Sony Cybershot T-series with its big, slide-down shutter cover. It's much thicker than a Sony T-series (but still easily handheld) and it has - woah now - two lenses on the front. It uses those lenses to take two images, which it merges together into a 3D picture.
The W1 takes both photos and videos in 2D and 3D mode. I took a bunch of 3D photos and recorded a 3D video. The 3D photos come through in .MPO format, a new multiple-image format supported by NVIDIA's 3D Vision kit ($199), a set of drivers and glasses which turn any monitor into a 3D device. The 3D videos are a pair of streams stored in a standard AVI container; the NVIDIA 3D Vision's software player knows how to merge them into a 3D movie.
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Nikon gave a handful of journalists a sneak peek at the 
Cisco-owned Pure Digital today unveiled a refresh of the Flip Mino HD. The latest version of the ever-popular pocket camcorder features a larger screen, increased capacity, and a new brushed metal design. The camera also packs a new version of the company's proprietary FlipShare software.
