PocketCamcorder
Latest
DigiLife DDV-JF1 pocket cam shoots HD, packs its own projector
Another wild one from the surreal landscape of Computex. DigiLife's new DDV-JF1 camera bears much resemblance to most mini camcorders, but while it's perfectly content to shoot 720p footage and show it off on its 2.5-inch LCD, things really start to get wild when you notice that there's a 640 x 360 pico projector built right into the thing. No word on price or when to expect this thing to show up in your local Dalí-ist electronics shop.
Genius G-Shot HD520 camcorder does 720p for $149
It's been about a day after forever ago since we've seen a new camcorder from Genius, but if you're scouting a low-end, low-cost option that'll still capture clips at a halfway respectable resolution, you're in luck. Similar to many of the DXG offerings, the G-Shot HD520 provides 720p footage for under $150, and it can also capture 11 megapixel still shots when things slow down a bit. The six-ounce device records in MPEG-4 / H.264 format and features a 2.5-inch LCD and room for up to 8GB of storage -- you know, in case you fill up the 32MB that are included, which will probably never happen. It's available now from a smorgasbord of legitimate online retailers. Full release is after the break.
Flip Video Ultra HD makes its unofficial debut, gets unboxed
Thanks Best Buy, we owe you (another) one. Yet again, the big box retailer everyone loves to hate has provided the world with a glimpse of a heretofore unannounced product, and this one's got our mouths all kinds of damp. Barely a month after Cisco picked up Pure Digital for a small fortune, the Flip Video Ultra HD -- which seems to be the natural successor to the standard Ultra -- has already begun to hit select store shelves in America. Notable niceties include an HDMI output, 120 minutes of record time (up from 60 minutes), a removable / rechargeable battery and support for AA cells in a pinch. We're still waiting for the full rundown of specifications (and the price, too), but feel free to tap the read link for a stellar unboxing in the meanwhile.Update: Looks like it's going for $199.99. Thanks Matthies!
Pure Digital founder talks of Flip Video's future
When we got wind of Cisco's $590 million acquisition of Flip Video-maker Pure Digital, we immediately came to grips with the fit. After all, Cisco's been dying to pull another Linksys for some time now, and what better to expand its consumer electronics presence than with a cheap-o camcorder that's ripe for the addition of WiFi. Bigwig (and Pure Digital founder) Jonathan Kaplan recently sat down to talk about the product's future, and unsurprisingly, he definitely mentions the integration of Cisco's "strengths" into the handheld camcorder. Furthermore, he's hoping that an entity as large as Cisco can get the Flip Video line overseas, and he's also quite big on "building the brand." The takeaway? Don't be alarmed when a WiFi-equipped, streaming-capable successor hits the scene at CES 2010, complete with automatic upload-to-YouTube functionality.
Toshiba Camileo S10 pocketcam: the $200 1080p Flip-killer?
It's been a while since we first caught wind of the mysterious Toshiba Camileo S10, but the pocket camcorder has finally broken loose, and it's looking like a pretty solid competitor to the Flip Mino HD and the Kodak Zi6 -- it amps up the video resolution to 1080p and also takes five megapixel stills. That's pretty impressive for a pocketcam spec sheet, but the best part is the price -- if this thing lands Stateside for close to the £130 ($181) UK pricetag, we'd have to find reasons not to snap one up. Pocket-lint got a few hands-ons photos of the little bugger, check 'em out at the read link.Read - S10 announcementRead - Pocket-lint hands-on
Cisco said to be buying Pure Digital for around $500 million
Believe us people, popularity pays off. Just ask Pure Digital CEO Jonathan Kaplan, who is reportedly scrambling for ways to spend $80 million of the $500 million Cisco Systems is about to hand over in order to acquire the company. Granted, none of this has been confirmed just yet, but TechCrunch has it that the deal is all but done. Reportedly, Cisco's interested in bringing the firm into its portfolio in order to further push high-bandwidth using services. Obviously, user generated HD video fits pretty perfectly into that agenda. We suspect we'll be hearing more on the subject as the work week begins in earnest, but it sure sounds like Linksys is about to get a new cousin.
Sanyo's Xacti VPC-HD2000 pocket camcorder gets reviewed
Sanyo's Xacti line of pocket-friendly HD camcorders have been almost universally praised... when shooting outdoors. When trying to log clips in dim light, however, the story has been quite different. The outfit's VPC-HD2000, which was unveiled at CES this year, came out looking decently strong from PhotographyBLOG's review. The handheld packed in "more features than you'd expect," but the lofty price tag kept it from being a real contender. Sadly, the poor low light performance was grandfathered in, though the broad range of selectable ISO options were appreciated nonetheless. All in all, reviewers seemed to hold back on giving their wholehearted recommendation due to its price and the so-so image quality; in other words, you should probably avoid this one until its successor comes out, after which the MSRP may better reflect the benefits.
Ask Engadget: Best flash / HDD-based camcorder under $400?
With CES over and done with, there's really just one thing left to do: wait for all those wares that were announced to actually ship. To that end, we reckon this question is particularly timely being that a whole slew of camcorders were introduced in Vegas. Feel free to suggest an oldie-but-goodie, though."I am currently in the market for a new digital video camera. I currently have one of those ancient cameras that use tapes, and I haven't decided between an HDD or flash-based one just yet. I'm looking for something small and compact with USB connectivity, and I'd like to stay under $400 if possible. Any help would be really appreciated."Thanks for the question, Patrik. We presume those little pocket camcorders are out of the question due to their awful low-light performance, yeah? Yeah. Oh, and if any other reader has a question they'd like hosted up, send it in to ask at engadget dawt com.
Creative's Vado HD pocket camcorder sails to Europe
Creative's 720p pocket camcorder, better known as the Vado HD, has been shipping for months now here in America, but if you're parked in one of those glorious European countries, you've been missing out. As of this week, said camcorder is shipping in Europe, though Creative fails to mention how many euros / pounds it'll take to procure. Any early adopters care to share the deal they received?
RCA introduces slimmest Small Wonder camcorder ever: EZ209HD
If you were taken aback by RCA's EZ300HD, you'll serious consider marrying the EZ209HD. Said device is the company's slimmest, sleekest and "sexiest" Small Wonder ever, enabling users to grab HD footage and view playback on the 2-inch LCD display. It's also packing an HDMI socket, a rechargeable battery good for two hours of use and a microSD slot. It'll hit this quarter for $119.99 alongside the standard-def EZ207.
Kodak's rugged Zx1 handheld camcorder does 720p in the jungle
Kodak's 720p Zi6 has only been out for six months, but already we're seeing what's likely its beefed-up successor. The mighty Zx1 is debuting here at CES, and with it comes a 2-inch LCD monitor, easy upload to YouTube, 720p HD video capture at 60fps, an IP43-certified weather-resistant design and an SD / SDHC card slot that can understand media up to 32GB in size. All told, users can capture up to ten hours of high-def video, and the bundled HDMI cable makes showing off recent grabs as easy as pie. The Zx1 will arrive in five colors (pink, blue, yellow, red and black) and will include pre-charged AA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries alongside a charger. We'll bet Creative and Pure Digital have a little something of their own to show off before this one lands in April for $149.95. Full release is (where else?) after the break.
Hello Kitty Flip Mino can't stop recording self in mirror
Pure Digital Technologies' Flip Video lineup is getting Hello Kitty-fied with the Mino and MinoHD. Like their not-as-adorable kin, the camcorders sport one-touch video recording, a built-in USB port, and are able to record 60 minutes of video with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Most importantly -- and sure to tip the scales in Flip's favor over the Vado HD 720p Pocket -- the camcorders come in eleven different Hello Kitty designs. Far East Gizmos says the price will be $179.99 for Mino and $229.99 for MinoHD, which is the same price as the respective models without these adorable skins. Between this and last month's C1 netbook, we hope this is a sign of an uptick in lip-bitingly cute Hello Kitty-branded tech gear.
Creative's Vado HD 720p pocket camcorder reviewed: toe-to-toe with Mino HD
First was the netbook craze -- suddenly, everyone was cool with a miniaturized laptop. Now, the same sentiment has apparently bled over to the camcorder realm, with the Mino HD, Zi6 and Vado HD all vying for that precious space in your front left pocket. The latter, Creative's latest, was recently reviewed over at CNET, and while it'd be wonderful to find a clear cut winner, critics simply couldn't say that it was definitively superior in all ways to Flip's formidable rival. In short, the Vado HD's video quality was slightly less awesome than that of the Mino HD, but the feature set on the Creative was found to be far superior. Before pulling the trigger on either, we'd have a peek at the read link to see what aspects are most important to you.
Hands-on shots of Creative's Vado HD 720p pocket camcorder
Creative's recently unleashed Vado HD 720p pocket camcorder isn't dramatically different (design wise, anyway) than its predecessor, but it's obviously what's tucked inside that counts. Still, we have to admire the subtle but meaningful updates that Creative has applied here, and while beauty will strike everyone differently, we personally like the direction the Vado HD has taken. For a few more looks, saunter on down to the read link.
Creative's Vado HD 720p pocket camcorder now on sale for $199.99
It was up for pre-order late last month, but now Creative's proper successor to the Vado (that'd be the Vado HD) is finally on sale and ready to ship. For those with incredibly short memories, this 720p pocket cam boasts HDMI connectivity, 8GB of inbuilt memory for up to two hours of HD footage, a carbon black chassis, 2-inch LCD screen and an integrated USB connector for easy exporting. As for pricing, the MSRP sits at $229.99, but even Creative's own webstore is offering it for $199.99.
Creative's $200 Vado HD pocket camcorder ready for pre-order
We've seen these Amazon "leaks" time and again. So while the December 7th date for the Vado HD might be an educated guess, the details including that $200 price tag certainly look real enough. The display still measures 2-inches, but the beefier 3.3 x 7.9 x 6.3-inch solid state camcorder now brings 8GB of storage for up to 2 hours of 720p MPEG-4 recordings -- 8 hours at VGA quality. It also ships with an HDMI cable for instant playback to your like-equipped television. Otherwise, slot the cam into your PC's (XP and Vista, only) USB port to instantly share your works to YouTube and others with the help of the cam's built-in Vado Central Software. With this, the Kodak Zi6, and Flip Mino HD, there certainly won't be any shortage of pocket HD cameras of suspect-tweener quality to choose from this holiday season.[Via epiZENter]
Creative Vado HD pocket camcorder makes a few cameo appearances
Creative's Vado pocket cam hasn't been nearly as popular as the various Flips or the Kodak Zi6, but it looks like the company is taking another shot at it -- hot on the heels of the Flip Mino HD's introduction, we're seeing hints that a Vado HD is on the way as well. All we know so far is the S$299 (US$195) pricetag printed in Creative's Singapore holiday catalog, but the short HD videos posted by a user named "Vado" on Vimeo look nice enough. Check 'em after the break -- hopefully we'll find out more soon.
Kodak's Zi6 pocket HD camcorder reviewed
Comically (and accurately, might we add) described as being "about the size of a late 90's mobile phone," Kodak's Zi6 was widely hailed as the first true competitor to the mighty Flip Video. As we completely expected, this bugger was found to be remarkably easy to use by critics at Gadling, though the portable nature and simplistic operations were overshadowed by lackluster image quality. The cam struggled to adjust when whizzed around and when going from dark to light areas, and we were told to just put the thing away rather than attempt to use it in low-light scenarios. Of course, this shooter is only $179, so it still may be perfect for a select group of daylight-lovin' users. Hit the read link for the full review and a quick sample video to help you make up your mind.[Via Switched]
RCA takes EZ300HD Small Wonder camcorder to 720p
We won't front -- we weren't, how do you say, blown away with RCA's Small Wonder trio announced earlier this year, but we'll give this one a fighting chance. The EZ300HD can capture clips at 720p on the 2GB of internal storage or on any spare SD card you've laying around. You'll also find a 2.4-inch LCD, a low-res YouTube recording mode and a sure-to-be-awesome 4x digital zoom. Operation is supposedly dead-simple, and there's a USB port and video output just in case you feel like blowin' it up on the big screen. Grab it real soon for $159.99. %Gallery-32114%
Sanyo confesses its love for water with Xacti E2 pocket camcorder
The predictably named successor to the Xacti E1 has finally arrived, and it's just as waterproof as the original. The Xacti E2 records MPEG-4 AVC / H.264 video at 640 x 480, snaps stills at 8-megapixels, captures content onto SD / SDHC cards and features a 2.5-inch flip-out LCD for easy viewing of what footage you're snagging. There's also a 5x optical zoom and Face Chaser technology, the latter of which uses a "proprietary Sanyo algorithm to compensate for distracting up-and-down or side-to-side camera movement, keeping your subject steady and easy to follow." The 9.1-ounce device (in brilliant blue or pearlescent white) is available now in the US for a penny shy of $400.[Via Macworld]
