Hasta La Gadget!

We normally don’t bother to write about iPhone cases here at Engadget, but this one seemed pretty neat. Snappgrip is a case that turns your iPhone into a point-and-shoot camera — partly for kitsch’s sake, but mostly to make one-handed shots easier to pull off. The design is simple: it’s just a plastic shell with a shutter button, a dial for controlling shutter speed and a hand grip — the sort you’d normally find on a compact camera.

To use it, you’ll need to download the free iPhone or Android app. Interestingly, though, the company is releasing its SDK to developers, so in theory you’ll one day be able to use this case with other camera apps. Another quid pro quo: the case only fits the iPhone 4, iPhone 5 and Galaxy S III for now, though the company is considering ways to make the case universally compatible. Snappgrip is priced at $99, but it’s not shipping just yet (the Kickstarter campaign, linked below, is still going strong). For now, we’ve got a quickie hands-on video waiting just past the break.

Continue reading Hands-on with Snappgrip, a case that turns your phone into a point-and-shoot

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Peripherals, Mobile

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Source: Snappgrip (Kickstarter)

You may remember iON stepping out onto the action camera market back in spring, when we went hands on with the OG Air Pro. Fast forward to CES, and it’s back with a brace of new cameras to capture your every move. First up is the iON Adventure, a 1080p GPS-enabled helmet cam with a twist, almost literally. The device has the same tubular format as the original, but the lens is actually on one of the longer sides, rather than at the end of the barrel, making it more suitable for chest mounting. The Adventure also has two memory card slots, meaning you can pack in a whole lot more footage, battery willing. For those extended shoots, a new loop recording mode allows continuous, non-stop recording between the two cards — no more swapping out your micro-SD on the move. Other features include a vibrate-to-record function (it starts and stops recording when it detects movement) and a partnership with map / video sharing service Kinomap. The device has a sleek, gloss back finish, weighs just 4.2 ounces, and has a large, easily accessible record button on one end. While we only spent a short time with the camera, the quality of the build felt good, and the demo footage looked impressive. The Adventure will be available starting in March for $349.

The second new family member is the Air Pro 2. As you might have guessed, this is the second iteration of the original we saw back in March. Much of the external design remains the same, with the distinct octagonal accents at either end of the barrel. The main difference being the image sensor upgrade, which can now shoot at 14 megapixels, with 60fps for video and a 180-degree mode for those extra wide shots. Last time we liked the Air Pro, but we’ll be especially keen to see how the follow up performs. With more and more cameras launching into the market, differentiating can be difficult, something apparently not lost on iON, who has clearly tried hard to introduce new and distinct features. The Air Pro 2 also becomes available in March, with two versions — one with WiFi, one without. The wireless enabled one will cost you $299, or $249 if you don’t need the extra functionality.

Sean Cooper contributed to this report

Continue reading iON reveals Adventure and Air Pro 2 sports cameras, we go hands on

Filed under: Cameras

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We spent a short time with the new Canon Powershot N and found that even though the square body makes it a little awkward to use, it’s pretty fun at the same time. As a full-time camera, the cute gimmicky form factor is limiting. But as a little secondary camera? A blast. More »

Another point and shoot arrives at CES from Pentax and this one trades a restrained design for one that’s all your own. While the 16-megapixel Optio LS465 arrives in black, pink, purple color options, they also come with customizable skins. Essentially the skins just just paper inserts that fit under a removable clear plastic cover. You just twist the ring around the lens and off it comes. It can also capture video at 720p, while ISO levels can be cranked up to 6400. The Optio LS465’s f/3.9-6.3 lens is capable of up to 5x optical zoom, while a combined 36x is possible with digital zoom. The camera has a 2.1-second start-up time and there’s output ports for USB and AV-out. Check out the galleries below for a bit more.

Filed under: Cameras

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Action camcorders that you strap onto your body in whatever fashion are a dime a dozen nowadays. However, we came across a new similar device that offers some of the same features as today’s action cams, but it’s specifically meant for business use, specifically police officers. It’s called the Vidcie Tough from Looxcie, and it allows users to catch all the action from a person’s point of view.

We ended up getting some hands-on time with the new camera, and it’s actually one of the company’s more rugged offerings over the Looxcie 2 and the Looxcie HD. However, the Tough doesn’t shoot high-definition, but the camera allows you to stream the video in real-time back to headquarters, allowing viewers to see exactly what you see from the same perspective.

Obviously, from the pictures we took, the camera mounts to the side of glasses or sunglasses, and it offers a no-hassle approach to recording and streaming video. You can also use the camera alongside the mobile app on a smartphone or tablet, providing that you’re on a mobile network or a WiFi network.

The idea here is that the camera will allow team members to stay in constant contact with one another, and the public safety field is the perfect application for this type of camera. Looxcie points out that the camera can be a great training device, like creating first-person training videos, and it can provide much more interactive tools for users, instead of just still images.

Looxcie Vidcie Tough camcorder hands-on is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
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