You want questionable design? Kenko's giving you questionable design. Rather than just leaving the remote unattached like, oh, every other digital photo frame maker in the universe, this firm has found a reason to stick it on the side of the frame itself. Generally known for its photographic paper, Kenko has ventured into the ever-growing world of digiframes with the 7-inch KDF-07, and while the flip-out remote can be tucked behind when not needed, we're still a bit perplexed as to why it's even assembled in this manner. Specs wise, you'll find support for JPEG, MP3, AVI and MPEG1/2/4 file formats, a multicard reader, a 480 x 234 resolution panel and a USB port for transferring files from your PC. Folks somehow obsessed with the above pictured device can supposedly snag one in grain, black or silver motifs for ¥16,800 ($160), but we're betting that crew is mighty small. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via CNET]

Fancy yourself a bird watcher do you? Good -- be they the hollow-boned or British-beach going variety, this is the cam to catch 'em. The Kenko Field Catch image spotting digital camera features a 14x, 70-mm optical zoom lens, 3.1 megapixel CMOS, SD slot, and optional power from a pair of AAs. In addition to a viewfinder, a high / low throw-switch on top allows for a quick 24x or 7x zoom on the 2.0-inch LCD. Thing is, this is the same VistaPix IS70 announced for star gazing back in January by Celestron -- a company which recently disappeared from the interwebs. It's expected to fetch ¥64,800 (about $589) and possible hefty fine depending upon use when launched mid December in Japan.

Update: Celestron seemed to be having a case of server blues this morning -- they're back.

[Via Impress]

Japanese firm Kenko has just announced its DVC-306 camcorder, available in your choice of red, blue, or silver. Also doubling as a 3 megapixel digital still camera, it has the usual smallish 1.5-inch TFT but lacks a optical zoom, relegating it to the world of the irrepressiblylow end .The video quality doesn't seem so hot either shooting in MPEG-4 640x480 at 20fps, but at least you can record a lot of it -- up to 720 minutes on a 2GB SD card. The camera also has 32MB of built-in memory and MP3 playback capabilities. Price is ¥20,000 (about $170 US), but it looks like this is Japan-only, as far as we can tell, like most everything else today.