TosPom is a ball equipped with a camera and a color display that takes photos while you and your friends play ‘catch’. TosPom is designed to snap an image of the catcher’s face and show it on the built-in screen. Amazingly, somehow, the ball always manages to have the camera pointed in the right direction. It also has a gimmicky bracelet feature that you must wear to view past images. By simply placing the bracelet over the ball, past images are displayed on the screen.
Honestly, why can’t it take photos while in mid air? I think it would be much more interesting if you could throw the ball way up into the sky while the device snaps “bird-eye views” of the Earth down below.
Was the Sanyo Xacti’s SD resolution recording capability and feminine design not up your alley? Check out the pint-sized Sony HDR-TG3E that boasts full HD quality (1920×1080) video and 5.1 sound recordings.
Design-wise, while it may be “cute”, Sony isn’t playing games. The HDR-TG3E sports a full titanium body making it 40% lighter than steel camcorders. The video camera is coated with a “Premium Hard Coating” that is resistant to scratches. A flip-out 2.7-inch LCD display, BIONZ processor (for superior image quality), face detection for up to 8 faces, and Sony’s D-Range Optimiser technology (for automatic adjusted contrast) rounds out its features list. An optional GPS unit will be available to allow geo-tagging of photos. The HDR-TG3E records videos directly onto Sony’s Memory Stick PRO Duo cards with support for 16GB cards; a 4GB card is included in the package. If you have an HDTV, the video camera supports TV-out via an HDMI cable.
The Sony HDR-TG3E will be available in May 2008 with an undisclosed (yet) price tag.
Samsung has let the word out that its VLUU NV24HD point-and-shoot digital camera is about to hit the streets. The camera features a 2.5-inch AMOLED display, 10.2 megapixel image sensor, and Samsung’s DRIM Engine II chip, for high speed image processing and quality images. Other highlights include:
* Supports video recording of up to 1280 x 720 resolution at 30fps
* High definition stereo audio recording
* 24mm ultra optical wide 3.6x zoom lens
* automatic red-eye correction
* face detection with smile detection
The Samsung NV24HD pre-production model shown at CES 2008 was sporting a highly touted touch-sensitive UI, which surprisingly wasn’t mentioned. See video:
The PistolCam is a small, compact camcorder that can be “clipped on” to most handguns. The PistolCam can take still images or record video with its 512MB of storage and 3.2 megapixel image sensor, capable of recording up to 60 minutes of video in VGA quality MPEG-4 (at 30 fps). It even has a laser sight, which makes it even cooler. Mini USB is used to transfer files between the PistolCam and a PC.
The premise behind the PistolCam is to provide a gun barrel view of what law enforcers see, removing the confusion about what really happened during an arrest. It helps catch “trigger happy” police offers, provide evidence in court, and makes a great training tool for new recruits. The handgun is not included.
Demo of the PistolCam’s quality (which isn’t too bad):
They should make the TaserCam, so we can really see what is happening when college students get tasered.
The simple to use Flip Video Ultra Camcorder comes in a 512MB or 1GB model capable of recording 30 or 60 minutes of video. It can record VGA (640 x 480) quality MPEG4 videos at 30 fps. The Flip Video Ultra has a flip-out USB 2.0 connector for quick video transfer to your PC, along with 2x digital zoom (no optical zoom), a 1.5″ TFT display (528 x 132 pixels), 1/4″ VGA CMOS sensor using large (5.6 µm) pixels for maximum light sensitivity, built-in speaker, and TV-out. Battery life is up to 2.5 hours on regular 2 x AA alkaline batteries; using 2 x AA Energizer e2 batteries will boost usage to 6.5 hours.
Not very “beefy” specs, but surprisingly the New York Times did a review the Flip Video Ultra and were surprised by the quality of the compact camcorder:
The video and audio quality is surprisingly good — not as sharp as a tape camcorder or even digital still cameras, but far superior to cellphone video. It has TV resolution (640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second), with softer images than you’d get with a real camcorder.
The shocker is the Flip’s low-light abilities, which trump even $1,000 camcorders. Not only is the video grain-free, but recorded dim scenes actually look brighter than they looked to your naked eye.
The Flip Video Ultra Camcorder also has a tripod mount that makes it compatible with most tripods. It is available in white, black, pink, orange, and green for $142 (1GB) at Amazon.
The Sang Da SD999 is a cell phone and a surveillance camera package, that allows you to keep an eye on things at a distance away. Using radio frequency, the included “mini” wireless CCTV camera streams the video to the mobile phone. Unfortunately, the range on the Sang Da SD999 is only 10-30 meters, so no long range spying here. I’m sure it’ll come in handy around the house though. Keeping an eye on the kids and all. The camera also sports a “night vision” mode.
The Sang Da SD99 cell phone features a 3-inch QVGA display, 1.3-megapixel camera, microSD slot, Windows Mobile 5.0, and a preinstalled NES emulator. The CCTV camera, on the other hand, cannot record video with sound. There is no zooming or remote rotating of the camera either. Bummer.
Looking at the photo below, the video quality isn’t ‘that great’. No idea on pricing.
If you’re a photographer that just can’t wait to rush home and upload your photos to your website or blog, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ50 is for you. The TZ50 supports 802.11 b/g, so you can simply upload your pictures onto the Net at your nearest Wi-Fi hot spot (Starbucks). Other features include:
* 3-inch TFT LCD display
* 9.1 mega pixel sensor
* 10x optical zoom
* ELMAR Leica DC VARIO lens (F = 4.7 to 47 mm)
* video recording; up to 1280 x 720 resolution
* up to ISO 6400
* automatic scene selector
* shutter speed: 8 to 1/2000 seconds
* PictBridge support
* Dimensions: 103.3 x 59.3 x 36.5mm
* Weight: 240 g with memory card and battery
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ50 hits Japan on May 16th for 49,800 Yen (about $500).
Samsung has unveiled it’s latest Xacti camcorder, the very cute and pocketable VPC-CG9. I don’t know if Sanyo had a little female focus group to help design the Xacti CG9, but it has a very feminine touch to it. However, the CG9 is pretty macho inside, though, sadly, no HD:
* 2.5-inch flip-out TFT LCD
* 9.1 CMOS sensor
* built-in flash
* 40MB of internal memory
* 5x optical zoom
* Focus distance: f=6.8 to 34.0mm (35mm equiv.: f=38 to 190mm)
* MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video codec
* 60 fps video recording capability
* Face recognition up to 12 faces
* SD/SDHC card slot
* USB 2.0 and S-Video Output
* Dimensions: Approx. 2.9 x 4.0 x 1.5 inches
* Weight: Approx. 7 oz. (with battery and SD card)
Of course, the awesome folks at Akihabara got their grubby hands on one… They’ve also got gorgeous photos of the Xacti CG9 at their website.
