Archos unveils Helmet Camcorder for Generation 4 PMPs

Apparently snapping shots on a whim to tell your life story just isn't good enough these days, as folks are writing scripts to take unplanned photos of their groggy faces and strapping head-mountable cameras to their skulls in hopes of producing the next worldwide YouTube hit. Jumping on the "record everything, everywhere" bandwagon is PMP-producer Archos, and its aptly-named Helmet Camcorder gives you on-the-go recording ability that reportedly plays nice with the company's 404, 504, 604 and 604 WiFi units. The "plug-in mini-cam" records directly to MPEG4 and sports a built-in microphone / remote to somewhat control the insanity, and can presumably be channeled instantly to your Archos PMP or transferred to your PC via USB 2.0 for future editing. The company claims "DVD quality" (640 x 480 resolution) results from the 0.25-inch Sony Super HAD CCD, and the entire webcam gets its juice from the mighty Archos device that it's plugged into. So if you still haven't gotten around to using your PMP for television recording, you can make a few comedies of your own this winter for just $149.99.

[Via Tech Digest]

[jhracer3 @ Nov 12th 2006 11:32AM]

Honestly, what are you smoking? Why would you just jump to assuming that any small camera is designed for pornagraphic purposes? And, why would guys be in the girls locker room to begin with?

This device is going to have mass appeal to people in extreme sports (snowboarding, skateboarding, BMX biking, etc), and people who make comedies/uTube style videos.

[Simon P @ Nov 11th 2006 3:41PM]

It's hardly fair to accuse them of jumping on the bandwagon. They had helmet cams for their previous generation and have had clip-on video-recorders since the days of the JBMM20 a long, long time ago.....Archos are, have always been and hopefully always will be one step ahead of the mass popular PMP crowd. Let the flock have their iPods and Zunes, those in the know will have their Archos' ;-)

[riggs @ Nov 11th 2006 4:14PM]

archos FTW!, wheres the rest of my archos brethren?

[daviel @ Nov 11th 2006 5:15PM]

Gosh, that's big...
would u really risk your archos and an accessory just to get that helmet cam shot of your lame dirt bike jumps???

[JerkyChew @ Nov 11th 2006 6:27PM]

I've been waiting for a decent helmet-cam-to-PMP for a long time now. So far I haven't found a good digital-only solution to slap a cam to my MX helmet, just standard tape recorders. What I'd really like is a cam that broadcast via WiFi to a PMP in my truck, so I don't have to have a brick strapped to my chest protector. Still, this is a step in the right direction.

[Jesse S @ Nov 11th 2006 7:12PM]

Hasn't this been out for months?

It's been on ARCHOS's webstore since like October, at the least.

OLD NEWS IS OLLLLLLLD.

[Jack Mangano @ Nov 11th 2006 8:05PM]

yeah, i got me the Archos AV500 that was on WOOT.com
worth every penny IMHO. now i got this helmet cam i gotta swipe up... and set it up inconspicuously in my bookbag for highschool. i already love this for ripping stuff off of my tivo unit. and the music ability is teh rox.

[James @ Nov 11th 2006 10:04PM]

Nice, that will come in handy to record IPSC and IDPA matches!

[keith @ Jan 9th 2007 10:30AM]

Not to sure what you mean about risking you player either that or you have your expensive camcorder, attached to a expensive bullet cam with external batter that needs a 35lt rucksack to fit in, even then with a 480 line camera the result are OK, you don;t get in=mage stabilisation so it jumps all over the place, musc easier to protect the archos in a jacket, small bag, (archos 504 80gb is around £240)