iriver SPINN gets knocked off as... a digital camera
By Donald Melanson 
posted Feb 21st 2009 5:22PM
posted Feb 21st 2009 5:22PM
We were pretty impressed by the unique design of the iriver SPINN media player when we got our hands on it last year, but that doesn't mean it's a design that'll instantly improve any device, as fully exemplified by this little wonder now making the rounds in China. Apparently dubbed the SWIVEL-CAM, this one's a 5-megapixel shooter that packs an 8x digital zoom (and digital zoom only), along with a 3-inch LCD, 16MB of internal memory, an SD card slot for expansion, and video recording in either 4:3 or 16:9 modes, not to mention the usual e-book reader, voice recorder, and "game player." Intrigued? Then you can get your order in right now for $120.
[Via PMP Today]
[Via PMP Today]
KNOCKOFF?????
.....no.
it's shape is similar, but it serves an entirely different purpose and is sort of clever (albeit, not new)
Sorry Donnie, don't agree with you on this one.
+1
If anything's a knockoff, I've got to say that the iriver is copying my ancient Sony Clie NR70V. I loved that thing, too bad the screen broke...
How the hell are you supposed to hold it? Your hand is either going to be over the lens or the flash, or both.
I have to admit its not a ripoff. A lot of cellphone have such a swivel camera here in japan since few years back. My ex-cellphone had just that. It was older than the Spinn obviously.
you guys have never seen the SPINN? this isnt a KIRF or anything - that is totally the iriver body design, thats what counts.
its a knock off, not of function, of design.
No apple touch killer here!!!
smrt?
Seriously, that consists of most of you comments. Don't you have anything more useful or interesting to do than being a pathetic troll?
Rip off ? Let me ask you this have you ever seen a notebook with a ring binder ? a long rectangular notebook like the one sitting on my desk which looks and works just like an iRiver or a chinese camera.
What age are you Donnie ?
OOOOH, I need reviews of this Swivel cam. This looks like it might make a good cheap DVR for a helmet stick cams.
Fucking shit, you suck at the internets. lrn2 not double- and triple-post, noob.
Please don't be a double-post!
Fucking shit, you suck at the internets. lrn2 not double- and triple-post, noob.
Oh noes! A double-post! D=
I agree with Zuwxiv, this is more reminiscent of the Sony Clie more than the Spinn. especially with the rotating camera thing..
like this? dont waste ur time , get a samsung i85 camera.
It's not really a knock-off, other than the vaguest shape primitives, that would be like saying just about any USB stick is a knockoff of any USB stick that came before it.
While it is possible to knock off a design aesthetic and it still be a very different device, the aesthetics and design elements are very different here.
only 120$ ? is it really that cheap ?
$120? For a cheap crappy China cam without optical zoom while for the same price you can get a branded camera that has optical zoom and will create decent images? Yeah, this thing will be selling very well.
Yeah but look at how small the lens is. Seriously only the eye of an animal can absorb enough light at that size to provide any decent resolution. I hereby dub this five mexapixel shooter an "outdoor-only" camera.
It's time we saw an entirely different design paradigm if we want to cram good high-sensitivity electronics into devices with tiny lenses. I mean, you can claim a pinhole camera takes 8MP shots but it won't be what's actually happening at the physical level...