Microsoft announces 720p LifeCam Cinema HD webcam

With the rise of YouTube (and the like) comes the need for advancements in webcam technology. What you see above is Micosoft's latest webcam offering, the LifeCam Cinema HD.

This USB 2.0 capable device is capable of 720p video capture at 30 fps in addition to auto focus, 4x digital zoom and a noise canceling microphone. There’s also a bundled technology which Microsoft calls ClearFrame which is supposedly meant to provide users with a ’smooth, detailed video’ whatever that means.

As for a price, the LifeCam Cinema HD will be out in the stores this January at $79.99.

Flip Mino HD gets larger screen, more memory

Fans of the Flip MinoHD will be pleased to know that its new version has double the memory at 8GB. They will also be pleased to hear that the new version of the MinoHD has a two-inch LCD with 960 x 240 resolution (it’s predecessor has a 1.5 inch screen with 528 x 132 resolution). It also features an HDMI connection, but no cable is included for this.

This new version of the slim 720p camcorder should be out before the holidays at a price of $229.

Epson P-6000 and P-7000 photo viewers feature tehtering

Epson has released the P-6000 and P-7000 photo viewers with a tethering feature. If you connect a select Nikon and Canon camera viewers via USB, it will take real time shots from the camera’s memory card and download it directly to the photo viewer’s hard drive. These things are pretty expensive as the P-6000 (80GB) costs $599.99, and the P-7000 (160GB) costs $799.99

Vivitar DVR 150

One of the latest fads in cameras and camcorders models is the Flip model with the candybar handheld shape and easy-to-download flip-out USB feature. The Vivitar DVR 150 follows that model with a 1.8-inch LCD screen, 2GB of built-in memory with expandable cards, built-in USB connector, TV out, as well as webcam mode. Unlike other cameras of its type, it is waterproof down to 16 feet and has infrared night vision.

It comes in four different colors and costs about $50.

Nyko makes Zoom Lens for DSi Camera

Nyko, who is famous for making accessories for gamers, has now created a case for the Nintendo DSi that allows the user to make full use of the DSi’s camera feature.



The Nyko Zoom Lens has an 8x zoom lens which will improve the shots that you take on the DSi, but you have to admit, it will be hard to change the quality of something that only has 0.3 megapixels in the first place.

You should be able to purchase it for about $25.

Can the Casio EX-FS10 improve your golf game?

The Casio Exilim EX-FS10 is essentially your run-of-the-mill point-and-shoot camera with 9.1 Megapixels. It also includes 1000fps burst mode, 720p video recording, a 3x optical zoom, and one very unique feature: a way to improve the user’s golf swing.

As you can see in the photo above, the golfer’s caddy is holding the camera to look at the angles of the golfer’s swing posture. I’m guessing the red line is the angle of swing, and the blue line is the direction where the ball will go.

I imagine that this feature was developed to market to the golfing crowd, and maybe it will work. There is no word of price or availability as yet, though.

Creative Vado HD camera

Creative has recently announced their third generation model of the Vado HD camera. Not much has changed as far as its basic features, but it does have some “improved low light video recording and manual exposure adjustment”. It also has a new motion detection mode, support of external microphone, a headphone output, as well as the ability to take stills. It is both Mac and PC compatible with five cool colors.

These 3rd generation cameras will have 4GB worth of memory and will cost about $179.99.

Olympus E-P1: Old school look, advanced modern features

Those who are considering a different kind of digital camera as a holiday gift should consider the Olympus E-P1. Not only does it have that old-school camera appeal inspired by the Olympus Pen, but it has 12.3 Megapixels, Autofocus Live View, good imaging, multiple exposures, shadow adjustment, plus auto adjustment and face detection.

Of course, all of this costs a pretty penny, to the tune of 800 dollars. Maybe you should just get a DSLR.

JVC Victor Everio GZ-MG980

A while ago, JVC announced that they would be expanding their Everio camcorders. They have now announced three new camcorders, and one of them is the GZ-MG980.



The GZ-MG930 has an 80GB HDD, as well as an SD-SDHC slot for more memory. It has 10.7 Megapixels with a 1.6 CCD sensor which is good for 720 x 480 resolution. It also has 39x optical zoom and a 2.7 LCD screen. It should have a price of about $690.

Gold-plated 3D camera available

If the James Bond villain Goldfinger wanted to take 3D photos and video, he would probably use the 3D Inlife DV&PLAYERx5. You don’t have to get the gold version, as it comes in black with the 3D DV&PLAYERx3.

As far as the specs go, it has a 3-megapixel sensor, and stores data on SD cards. That’s about all my source said about this, but you can go to the company website to learn a little more about it, but not the price.

JVC Everio GZ-HD620 is world’s lightest and smallest HD camcorder

JVC has just announced that their Everio GZ-HD620 is the world’s lightest and smallest HD camcorder with built in HDD. As you can see with this photo with the lipstick for scale, it is pretty dang small. If that isn’t enough for you, then it measures 53mm x 63mm x 115mm, and weighs 270g.

It has resolution of 1,920 x 1,080, AVCHD, Dolby Digital 2 channel audio, 120GB HDD, 30x optical zoom, 200x digital zoom, a 2.7 inch LCD screen, micro SD/SDHC slot, USB port, HDMI port, as well as a YouTube uploading function. The camera will come to Japan with a price tag of $1,240.

SQ28m is one tiny camera

I’m not certain whether this SQ28m made by Japanese camera maker Exemode is the world’s smallest digital camera, but its tiny size of 53mm x 23mm x 19mm makes it small enough for a keychain.



The SQ28m has 64MB of internal SDRAM, as well as the option of a 2GB microSD slot. You can shoot JPEGs with a 1/2.7 inch 1.95 Megapixel CMOS sensor, and you can even shoot JPEG or AVI video in 320 x 240 resolution at eight frames per second.

It should hit Japanese stores on January 20th at a price of $70.

Factron Simplex: Metal housing for iPhone lenses

This next device is designed for those who want to use their iPhone for its picture taking skills. Granted, I usually don’t use my cell phone camera unless it is a last resort, but this Factron Simplex allows the iPhone user a case for his or her lenses.

You have to buy the lenses separately, and Factron sells them for this device. The case is available at their online store for $199.95.

Use the iPod nano as an underwater camera with the H2O Audio case

For those who have been wanting to explore the full range of their iPod nano camera can take it to a new realm: underwater.



H2O Audio has created a waterproof shell for the iPod nano 5G, which is perfect for the integrated video player. Now, like this person in the photo, you can take pictures of people swimming, fish, and anything under the sea. You should be able to get the waterproof case (iPod nano sold separately) for about $79.99.

HP Mini 210 Leaked

HP will be unveiling 8 new machines at the CES 2010 and one of them happens to be the HP Mini 210. This latest notebook will be powered by a N450 Pine Trail processor and will be officially announced next week.

Among the other features of this new HP netbook include a 1.66 GHz N450 Atom CPU and GMA 3150 graphics. It will be available in an assortment of colors (Sonoma Red, Solid Black, Silver Crystal or Pacific Blue) and will retail for about $330.

Asus Eee PC 1001P Arriving on January 6

Asus is expected to come out with another netbook this coming January 6 with theAsus Eee PC1001P. This netbook will make use of the latest Pine Trail technology spearheaded by the stored Atom N450 processor inside a 10.1” netbook.



Among the features of this latest notebook include a 160GB HDD, 1GB of RAM and pre-installed Windows XP. It will weigh only 1.1 kgs. including the battery. The Asus Eee PC1001P will be available for pre-order at Amazon Germany at €267.70 or about $384. It will be available in black or white.

ChromeOS netbook specs leaked?

If you weren’t aware, an official ChromeOS notebook is reportedly on its way at an unannounced date. We haven’t heard much about it but according to IBTimes, the specs have already leaked.

According to IBTimes, the ChomeOS netbook will have ARM CPU and a NVIDIA Tegra chipset in addition to a 10.1-inch multitouch display, 2GB of RAM, 64GB SSD, WiFi, Bluetooth and some sort of 3G connectivity. And best of all, the netbookis said to be priced right around $300.

Is this rumor to be believed? Who knows, we’ll have to wait and find out.

Barnes & Noble expect to ship 60,000 Nooks this year

Barnes & Noble’s eReader Nook has had a bumpy start in the competition against the Kindle, but it seems that it’s getting better now, with a software update released to fix all the bugs and quirks. Counting all the pre-orders and sales of the Nook, B & N expects to ship just over 60,000 of them this year. This is compared to Amazon, which shipped a massive 400,000 Kindles in its first year.

However, over half a million Nooks are expected to be sold during the first year of 2010, which definitely means that the war between the Nook and Kindle is on.

Samsung R311 Axle Cell Phone Review–Well Under Control

Call me a purist if you must, folks, but I have always preferred cell phones that have at least a measure of external control capability.  Touch screens are awesome, make no mistake, but I do like at least a bit of backup to be had in the form of external controls.  A keypad, QWERTY keyboard, and the like just help make a more complete phone experience for me.  And the Samsung r311 Axle cell phone offers great external controls.

But sadly, that’s about all it does have to offer–the Samsung r311 Axle is a folder style phone that comes with     a phone book with room for five hundred name and number entries, Bluetooth compatibility, Internet browser, seventy two onboard ringtones, a 1.3 megapixel digital camera, alarm clock, calendar, basic calculator, stopwatch, and two hundred forty minutes of talk time on the battery.

As you can see, it’s pretty skimpy on the bells and whistles–there are so few on this phone you almost can’t hear them–but if it’s basic you want, and easy to use, then you could definitely do much worse than the Samsung r311 Axle.

The Good

External controls

Easy to use

Shallow learning curve

The Bad

Almost painfully short of features

Score: 4 / 10

BPhone Looks Like a Netbook!

The trend as far as mobile phone designs today is all about how compact they can be for easier mobility and keeping. Bulky and large phones are a Jurassic thing of the past but the BPhone may be an exception if you talk about combining latest technology with mobile communications.

The BPhone is a 5" convertible device that comes with a QWERTY keyboard, trackball and comes preloaded with Windows XP. Though it may be hard to classify this device, many just call it a Netphone… for now!

NewerTech iPhone 3G/3GS Mount for Car Windshields

Here is a sensible new mount you can consider getting for your iPhone. NewerTech unveils the iPhone 3G/3GS mount for car windshields which should put to good use the included GPS features that come with your Apple device.

It measures only 9” long and comes in black. The mount makes use of a familiar suction cup which you can easily mount on your windshield. It swivels so that you can use your iPhone either in landscape or portrait mode. The NewerTech iPhone 3G/3GS mount cost $19.99

Palm Pre catalog reaches 1,000 apps

Pal Pre’s app catalog has been fighting to reach even a fraction of the iPhone app store’s numbers, and they might have just done that now, reached a “fraction”, as there are now over 1,000 apps in the catalog now, about 1% the size of the iPhone app store.

The Pre app catalog was launched in June, meaning it took just a bit over 6 months to reach the 1,000 apps.