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Brando HD Media Player Docking Station does multi-format 1080p
It seems that Brando can't go a month without bringing out yet another slightly-improved domicile for your orphaned SATA HDDs. Following in the footsteps of the very recent Multimedia Dock, the latest unit adds H.264 decoding to the already present DivX, Xvid and MPEG-4, while output graduates to full 1080p. Featuring HDMI and a plethora of supported media formats, the humble docking station has certainly grown up, but is it enough to compete with standalone media players? Input flexibility would suggest so -- the new device accepts 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch hard drives, alongside USB flash memory, SD, MMC, and MS cards -- but alas, Brando loses the plot at the final hurdle, asking for an astronomical $199. With prettier alternatives available at half the price, this is unlikely to sell like hotcakes, but Brando's breakneck refresh cycle give us the feeling it won't be long before we see that perfect do-it-all dock.
Ricoh GR Digital III continues 28mm-equivalent, high-priced lineage
Having given its GR Digital II camera more than a year on the market, Ricoh has seen fit to now upgrade that model by latching on another digit and what it claims to be the "greatest ever GR image quality." It wouldn't be much of a step forward if that wasn't the case, but let's see what else the Japanese company hopes to tempt us with. The wide-angle 28 mm/F1.9 GR Lens is all new, while the high-sensitivity 10-megapixel CCD and the GR Engine III image processor are likely evolutionary steps from the previous generation. Collectively, they promise improvements in all the areas you'd expect: faster focus, less noise and better low light images. There's also a 3-inch 920,000-dot VGA display, video recording at 640 x 480 / 30 fps, SDHC expandability and a complete lack of optical zoom. The veracity of Ricoh's claims can be tested from mid-August in the UK in exchange for £530 ($870), while the full press release and specs are already available at the read link below.
Canon HF S11 and HF 21 AVCHD camcorders flash more memory in Japanese debut
With Panasonic recently announcing a 240GB camcorder, Canon has deemed this a good time to juice up the storage on its own product line with a pair of updated models. Both the HF 21 and the new flagship HF S11 double their predecessors' integrated memory to 64GB, with the latter also adding in a new night shooting mode and more advanced image stabilization to the mix. The expanded storage will allow up to five and a half hours of recording at the top quality settings, which pales in comparison to the 30+ hours you can get from Panasonic's HDD-equipped beast. Other major specs, like the DIGIC DV III image processor, Full HD CMOS sensors, AVCHD format and SDHC expandability, have been left untouched. You can expect Japanese availability in early August, with the US and Europe probably joining in on the fun just as soon as the territory-specific VIXIA and Legria labels have been slapped on. [Via Camcorder Info]
Samsung goes bargain hunting with SMX-K40 and SMX-K45 camcorders
We've already had a look at Samsung's most interesting camcorder introduction of the day (that'd be the HMX-U10), but those looking for a more conventional alternative may take interest in one of these two. The SMX-K40 and SMX-K45 both take a different approach to capturing clips by logging them at 720 x 480 and offering users "HD upscaling" to the HDTV via HDMI. Both devices also boast a 65x optical zoom for those undercover escapades in voyeurism, while the Optical Image Stabilizer keeps things relatively shake-free. The primary difference between the two is the storage options; the K40 requires that you bring your own SD or SDHC card, while the K45 is equipped with a 32GB SSD. Both units sport 2.7-inch LCDs, USB charging and upload-to-YouTube functionality, and they'll each ship this August for $329.99 and $499.99, respectively. The full release is after the break.
Samsung PL70 and PL55 bring 12 megapixels to the unwashed masses
Promising to allow the differently rich consumer a chance to experience "the latest and most advanced digital imaging technology" (of 2008), Samsung has today announced two new entry-level cameras. While the headline features -- 12.2 megapixel sensor and 5x optical zoom -- are identical, the PL70 (SL720 here in the US) comes with a 3-inch LCD screen, 28mm wide-angle lens and an optical image stabilizer, whereas the PL55 (SL502 for us Yanks) makes do with 2.7-inches, 35mm and digital image stabilization. The senior model also records video at 720p ( 640 x 480 for the PL55) and boasts the nifty ability to search images by a person's face. The usual scene, face, smile and blink detection is available on both cameras, while pricing is set at $229.99 and $149.99, respectively, for the August-bound shooters.
Panasonic HDC-HS350 allows you to record over 30 hours of HD
If you liked the HDC-TM350, then we can pretty much guarantee you'll be a fan of the HS350, unveiled by Panasonic today. Essentially identical to its elder brother -- but for the hard disk bump on its right side -- the new AVCHD camcorder ups internal storage from 64GB to 240GB and retains all other salient features: 10.6 megapixel 3MOS sensor, 12x optical zoom and SDHC expansion up to 32GB per card. The increase in storage allows for over 30 hours of continuous full HD recording, meaning that your battery will give out long before you need to fiddle with your storage options. No word on the when, where and how much questions, but if we had to guess we'd say soon, everywhere and plenty.
SanDisk's 32GB class 10 SDHC card competes for world's fastest
When it comes to claims of being the world's first or fastest, there's a big difference between announcing product and actually delivering it for retail. So let's be clear, SanDisk might be announcing the world's fastest 32GB SDHC card today, but it won't be shipping until August. It's not even the first 32GB class 10 SDHC card announced since Panasonic did its unveiling more than a month ago -- and this is where SanDisk's speed claims get confusing. That "class 10" logo is supposed to be a standard means of identify the card's speed as rated by the SD Association. Yet SanDisk claims a max read/write speed of 30MBps whereas Panasonic claims a max of just 22MBps. Guess we'll have to see head-to-head benchmarks to know the truth. Regardless, it is fast and that makes it suitable for capturing 160 minutes of full HD (1920x1080 pixels) video recorded at 24Mbps.
Olympus E-P1 'digital Pen' gets official, so does our lust
It's official, Olympus' first MIcro Four Thirds camera is up and dancing upon the global stage. Dubbed, E-P1 "digital Pen" (reflecting the camera's Olympus Pen-series heritage) this MFT shooter aligns with the looks and specs that came our way yesterday in leaked format. In other words, we're looking at an image stabilized (sensor-shift) 12.3 megapixel Live MOS sensor with TruePic V image processing, ISO 100-6400 sensitivity, a 3-inch LCD, 20 shooting modes (5 exposure, i-Auto, and 14 automatic scenes), an SDHC slot, and HDMI TV-out for playback of 720p (1280x720 pixel) recorded video at 30fps. The 14-42 lens kit retracts into the barrel when not in use and Olympus' Supersonic Wave Filter helps keep dust under control when swapping-out the lens for Micro Four Thirds, Four Thirds, or OM lenses. A few advanced previews of the E-P1 are already available -- peep those in the read links below if you can't wait for the July launch or the full-blown reviews due in a few weeks. Update: Priced at $749 (body only), $799 (with 14-42mm lens), and $899 (with 17mm pancake lens and viewfinder). Honestly, those prices are better than we had hoped for especially in a camera measuring just 121 x 70 x 36-mm (4.7 x 2.7 x 1.4-inches) playing host to a DSLR-sized sensor.Read -- LetsGoDigitalRead -- DPReviewRead -- Photography BlogRead -- Official E-P1 product page
Eye-Fi Pro wireless SD card hands-on
We're all pretty spoiled in these digital days; not that long ago taking a look at a vacation's worth of photos required a trip to the store, a couple of hours (or days) wait, and then the better part of an afternoon getting fingerprints all over a stack of poorly composed shots that you daren't throw out because you just paid good money to have them printed. Now you pop a memory card into your computer, wait a few seconds for them to fly into an appropriately labeled folder, and then... probably forget you took them. It's so much easier it's hard to fathom the process getting even more simple, but that's what Eye-Fi has done with its line of wireless flash memory cards, which beam pictures directly from your camera. The company has just announced the $149, 4GB Eye-Fi Pro to make the process even more direct, letting you send pictures straight to a computer while also adding some additional features that pros and semi-pros will appreciate. We put it through its paces after the break.
SanDisk designs "netbook-specific" SDHC card, grossly overcharges for it
SanDisk, the company famous for making device-specific SD cards that are actually just regular SD cards with stupidly high prices tags, is back again -- and this time, things are just too offensive to laugh off. Designed to provide "extra storage" to netbooks with a multicard reader, these Netbook SDHC cards are priced at $39.99 for 8GB and $79.99 for 16GB. Isn't this kind of stuff criminal in some countries?
Engadget's recession antidote: win one of four OCZ 16GB SDHC cards!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got four of OCZ Technology's Gold Series 16GB SDHC cards, ready to hold tight to whatever memories / content you want to throw on there. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Check after the break for some photos of the prize!Special thanks to OCZ Technology for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. Four winners will receive one (1) OCZ Gold Series 16GB SDHC card. Approximate value is $46.75. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Tuesday, May 26th, 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Panasonic's Class 10 SDHC cards make the wait for SDXC easier
A full 15 months after Panasonic dropped jaws with its 32GB Class 6 SDHC card, the company is hitting us up with another world's first. Announced today over in Europe, the outfit has revealed a new line of SDHC memory cards that boast a Class 10 speed rating. Said spec was recently given the green light as part of the SD Card Specification v3.0, and as you could likely surmise, the increase in transfer rates should enable the cards to better handle all that HD video your DSLR seems to be capturing these days. Still, the boost is relatively minimal (particularly compared to the forthcoming SDXC format), with Class 10 promising maximum speeds of 22MB/sec and Class 6 cards already offering top-end rates of 20MB/sec. Mum's the word on price, but Panny expects these to ship next month in the UK before heading to other markets sometime later.
Engadget's recession antidote: win an 8GB Kingston SDHC Video card!
This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got an 8GB Kingston Technologies SDHC Video card on offer. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!Big thanks to Kingston for providing the gear!The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) Kingston Technologies SDHC video card. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Tuesday, May, 12th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here.
Dexim MHub mixes up an iPod dock with a USB hub
We're actually sort of surprised that we haven't seen many more iPod dock / USB hub / card reader hybrids, but the Dexim MHub here is the only one we can recall seeing apart from the Griffin Simplifi. At a steep $70, it's certainly not the cheapest way to add three USB ports and an SD card reader, but it certainly does look nice. Should be on sale now.[Via Gear Diary]
LaCie DataShare recycles your bits, will never say goodbye or hurt you
As gadget nerds and Type-A early adopters, you no doubt have a few microSD and SD / SDHC cards laying around that Cheeto-farm you call an office. LaCie's $10 DataShare USB card readers let you recycle those cards into make-shift USB drives. Not bad for a ginger. Watch the uncomfortably arousing video after the break -- go ahead it's safe, LaCie wants you to.[Via Pocket-Lint]
Eye-Fi's 4GB WiFi SDHC cards start to ship out
Nah, Eye-Fi's latest Secure Digital cards still aren't nearly as capacious (nor as cheap) as other alternatives on the market, but good luck getting that free-after-rebate 8GB SDHC card from IAWANNA Corp. to upload images via a wireless hotspot. We pinged the company today to see if the company's 4GB Explore Video and Share Video SDHC models were shipping out, and we were informed that orders placed over the web were indeed leaving the docks. If you're not kosher with handing $99.99 or $79.99 (respectively) over through the intertubes, both devices will splash down in stores starting on April 19th.
Panasonic adds native iPod dock to D-Docks, drinks the Kool-Aid
Sony gave up on ATRAC (outside of Japan anyway) and to being an iPod accessory shill long, long ago. But Panasonic, through its own inertia or arrogance has persevered with its D-SNAP and D-DOCK rigs long after its market share was doomed. After all, there's no need for Panasonic to continue pushing the SD card, they've won. Still, it does a Japanese heart good to know that it can now coax its fleshy keeper into buying a D-Dock with a native iPod dock connector and sliding panel that reveals a preference for 90's- or noughts-era music media. SD and SDHC card too, of course, this is Panasonic. [Via Akihabara News]
GDC09: Nintendo updates Wii Shop Channel with 'SD Card Menu' [update]
Click to check out our video walkthrough! At his GDC 2009 keynote, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata will announce, Apple-style, that a Wii Shop Channel update will be available to all. We ran over to the Wii and began the agonizing update process to discover -- an "SD Card Menu" ...? Yes, it would seem that the vaunted "storage solution" has arrived."Welcome to the SD Card Menu! Here, you can launch channels saved on SD Cards by temporarily utilizing the Wii System Memory." CONFIRMED. That's right, launch from SD.If your system memory is full, you still have to delete stuff, but there's now a streamlined, automated process to do that from this new SD Card Menu. It will even choose stuff for you, if you want. Update: The new Wii system update also adds support for SDHC cards up to 32 GB -- that's alotta Virtual Console games folks!
Thanko's latest USB pen sports four SDHC card slots (just because it can)
As our coverage from 2004 indicates, SD card-reading pens are amongst the oldest, most reverent gadgets on the face of this planet. That said, even they aren't immune from upgrades, as Thanko has just produced one that's approximately four times superior than the one you're still trying to squeeze ink from. It's latest USB pen contains not one, not two, not even three -- but four integrated SDHC card slots. We get the feeling that actually writing anything while transferring data from a foursome of flash cards will be near impossible, but aren't you strangely inclined to hand over ¥1,480 ($14.87) in order to find out?[Via OhGizmo]
FujiFilm's 12 megapixel F200EXR camera promises a revolution, might just deliver
Meet the FujiFilm FinePix F200 EXR, the company's first camera to host its new 1/1.6-inch Super CCD EXR sensor revealed back in September. The sensor promises high resolution, high sensitivity, and a wide dynamic range without the noise typical of these compact shooters. Spec-wise, we're looking at a 12 megapixel resolution, 3-inch LCD, 28-mm wide-angle 5x zoom lens with CCD-shift stabilization, a 5fps burst mode and 640 x 480 video recording in AVI (Motion JPEG) format, support for SD/SDHC and xD Picture Card storage, and plenty of automatic shooting modes as well as manual control over the shutter speed and aperture. No word on pricing or release but we can't wait for the reviews on this one. Until then, you'll have to settle for the preview over at Lets Go Digital.Read -- Official specsRead -- Preview