If you thought the HD camcorder announcements at NAB Show 2008 started and ended with Canon's new duo, you'd be sorely mistaken. Panasonic is launching a new one of its own under the limelight: the Fall-bound AG-HMC150. This handheld rig is the newest member of the AVCCAM family and can capture clips at 1,280 x 720 or 1,440 x 1,080 while utilizing the industry standard MPEG-4 AVC / H.264 compression profile. You'll also find native 16:9 1 / 3-inch 3CCD imagers, a digital signal processor with 14-bit A / D conversion and 19-bit processing, 13x Leica Dicomar zoom lens, optical image stabilization and the ability to store footage on SD / SDHC flash cards. Sure, $4,500 is still a lot of coin, but it's certainly within the realm of reason for many prosumers out there.

Though not nearly as sexy (or well-spec'd, for that matter) as Sony's recently-unveiled HDR-TG1, AgfaPhoto's DV-5000Z still manages to hold its own on paper. Measuring in at 4.7- x 2.75-inches (12- x 7-centimeters) and weighing just over 7-ounces (200-grams), this HD camcorder features a 5-megapixel Micron CMOS sensor, 2.5-inch flip-out LCD, 3x optical zoom and an SD / SDHC slot to store everything on. As for shooting capabilities, it'll capture clips at 1,280 x 720 (using H.264 compression) and snag 16-bit stereo sound all the while. You'll also find USB connectivity, a rechargeable Li-ion and video out, natch. Unfortunately, there's no mention of this €249 ($393) device ever coming Stateside, but it'll be ready to roll in Russia later this month.

Granted, there are other 32GB SDHC cards already announced. But those pups dawdle along at Class 4 speeds. Panasonic just announced a Class 6 card, baby, blazing a 20MB/s max transfer rate when it rolls out in April. That's about four hours of 1920 x 1080i, compressed AVCHD video. Surely you have $699 lying around, right? Shirley?

The memory card announcements at PMA continue -- Kingston has just announced its first 16GB SDHC card. Sure, we're happy for them, but at $231, it's more expensive than SanDisk's $179 16GB card -- which comes with a USB 2.0 reader -- and it's certainly not as impressive as SanDisk's new 32GB card. Also, your hair is frizzy and you look fat. But have fun at the party!

The bits, they just keep coming -- now that 16GB SDHC cards are old hat, SanDisk's gone and upped the ante with these new 32GB cards. That matches Toshiba's record, but you won't be able to get your hands on one until April, when they ship for $349. A 16GB version and a new 8GB Ultra II SDHC Plus with flip-out USB connecter will also hit in March for $179 and $99, respectively -- but you know you want the big'un, don't lie.

As the barrage of flash storage announcements continues, SanDisk is taking its turn and unleashing the High-Definition Video lineup. Apparently, these SDHC and Memory Stick PRO Duo cards don't do anything different than the more traditional alternatives, but owners of these will get the priceless benefit of having recording times stamped right on the device. Additionally, each one comes with a "handy jewel case and labels for storage," which should totally keep you organized when workin' out that new flash-based camcorder. The new Video HD family will consist of 4GB ($79.99) / 8GB ($139.99) SDHC models and 4GB ($79.99) / 8GB ($149.99) MS PRO Duo iterations -- all four should be on store shelves in March.

Sure, it felt good being the only cat on the block rockin' 8GB of microSDHC storage in your cellphone, but time doesn't stand still, player -- SanDisk's just upped the status quo to 12GB. Yep, there it is, impossibly small and ready to be filled with data -- too bad we don't have any pricing info yet.

Not exactly in the market for an LCD HDTV, HTIB, or PDP? Or maybe you're just not concerning yourself with all those fancy acronyms. Whatever the case may be, Samsung is wrapping up its CES outpouring with four new camcorders, and we'll get things started by checking out the Full HD SC-HMX20C:

• Captures video in progressive Full HD 1080p, selectable for 30fps or 60fps
• HDMI-CEC (Anynet+), camcorder control using a Samsung HDTV remote
• 8GB of internal flash memory; SDHC / MMC+ expansion slot1
• 1/8-inch 6.4-megapixel CMOS sensor
• 10x optical zoom
• 300fps slow-motion recording mode for up to 10 seconds
• 4-megapixel still image capture
• 2.7-inch wide LCD touchscreen display
• iCheck button for easy access to memory / battery levels
• USB 2.0 and PictBridge connections
• Component, S-Video and composite outputs

For the rest of the foursome, click on through.

Panasonic has a pair of new HD camcorders, the HDC-SD9 and HDC-HS9 (pictured after the break), that should make any prosumer proud. Both cameras feature 3CCD sensors that record at full 1920 x 1080 to the AVCHD video format. The SD9, which is smaller than last year's SD5, records to SD and SDHC cards, while the HS9 can do SD and SDHC, or record to its built-in 60GB hard disk. Teamed with a 16GB SDHC card, that gives the HS9 29 hours worth of full HD recording. Both cameras feature face detection for auto-adjusting exposure and contrast to best portray skin tone, and Panny's Intelligent Shooting Guide for providing shooting tips on the LCD so users can adjust settings before capturing sub-par footage. Both cameras also have HDMI plugs, 5.1 channel surround sound (with five built-in microphones) and a high-speed burst still shot mode, with 24fps at 2.1 megapixela. The cameras will both be out in March 2008, with the SD9 retailing for $800, and the HS9 selling for $1,100.

That unassuming little 12.1-inch laptop is Fujitsu's LOOX R ultra-portable. It weighs in at 1.27-kg (2.8-pounds) with an LED backlit 1,280 x 800 display, up to 4GB or memory and 120GB of disk, dual-layer DVD writer, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 a/b/g WiFi, SDHC slot, Firewire, fingerprint sensor, PCMCIA, and more. Lots to like already. Now this: a standard battery running for 9.7-hours with the help of a purposely unspecified Intel processor. With an expected January ship, is it any wonder we're speculating that this is the world's first laptop to run a mobile version of Intel's new Penryn CPU rumored for release on January 6th? The first of many we'll see launch in the new year.

Last seen struttin' its stuff at IFA, MPIO's stylish MG200 is making waves again thanks to the price tag and release date it's now carrying along. Just to bring you back up to speed, this thing features a 128 x 128 resolution OLED display, FM tuner, a voice recorder, rechargeable Li-ion good for 18- / 4-hours or so (audio / video playback) and support for WMA, MP3, and MTV file formats. Now, on to the good stuff: 1GB and 2GB versions will both land on December 1st for ¥7,980 ($72) and ¥9,980 ($90), respectively, while the 4GB unit will arrive sometime before the year's end for ¥12,980 ($118).

We already saw A-DATA unveil what it claimed was the "world's first" 16GB SDHC card in the Class 6 family, and now Transcend is hitting us all up with a very viable alternative. The card guarantees a minimum write speed of 6MB/second, includes ECC to automatically detect and fix errors and sports a lifetime warranty, too. Not a lot to say beyond that -- especially considering the glaring lack of a price or ship date -- but we doubt you'll be waiting too much longer before seeing this on store shelves.

[Via AVing]

Just in case you really needed another alternative in the portable photo storage drive department, Jobo is introducing its GIGA One Ultra, which is available with a varying level of internal storage and a plethora of onboard card slots. The USB 2.0 unit promises transfer speeds "of up to 5.47MB/second" and is available with 40, 80, 120 and 200GB internal hard drives. Furthermore, each one is equipped with support for CompactFlash, Microdrive, SD, SDHC, MS, MSPro, MS Duo and MMC cards, and it even allows users to delete the data from one's card once the transfer is complete. You'll also find a two-inch LCD, battery status / remaining HDD space indicators, an aluminum casing and covered ports to fend off dust and debris. The new GIGA One Ultra is slated to hit shelves later this month and will run you €149 ($211), €199 ($282), €229 ($325) and €329 ($467) from least capacious to most.

For all of getting jazzed about your future filled with high capacity SDHC cards, we've got some stirring information for you. If you bounce over to Amazon's German wing, you can find yourself knee-deep in a Patriot 16GB SDHC card, selling for the low, low price of 279.99. Of course, good luck finding a device that can access the card's full capacity -- but hey, you're planning for the future, right?

[Thanks, Bryan]