Hasta La Gadget!

The meteor that streaked across the Russian sky last February caused a big sensation, not just because it happened in broad daylight, being witnessed by many, but because of the amount of video cameras that captured this incredible event. Thanks to the prevalent use of dashboard cameras in Russia we were able to see videos uploaded to YouTube shortly after the event. These cameras are now becoming very popular in the U.S. Read about three of the best dashboard cameras currently in the market.

Toshiba will launch its Exceria Pro series of CompactFlash cards into the Japanese market tomorrow with 160MB/s read speeds and 150MB/s write speeds. The company claims the 32GB and 64GB models are the fastest CF cards you can get now, thanks to the UDMA7 protocol combined with its own NAND flash memory and custom firmware. As such, it’s certified them to the “video performance guarantee profile 2” (VPG-65) standard, meaning they’re guaranteed to sustain 65MB/s, which Toshiba says will support many CF-equipped 4K cameras on the market. Obviously, HD and RAW still shooters using pro DSLR models like Canon’s 5D Mark III and the Nikon D800 won’t have to sweat the frames-per-second, either. There’s no word on US availability or pricing, but we should know more when they hit Japanese shops on April 27th.

Filed under: Cameras, Storage

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It’s that time of year again — the gadgets of CES are finally starting to march into stores. Today’s newest catalog item comes from Panasonic in the form of the 16.1-megapixel Lumix DMC-XS1 compact. Equipped with a 24mm wide-angle 5x optical zoom lens, this $200 point-and-shoot is aimed at people looking to move beyond the hazy world of cellphone photography. Unlike some high-end smartphone cameras the DMC-XS1’s 1/2.33-inch CCD sensor is limited to 720p video capture at 30 fps. So, it likely won’t win over the hardcore paparazzo, but this compact’s 10 flashy design options may manage to score some points with fledging shutterbugs.

Filed under: Cameras

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Lacking the technical skills needed to build his own sophisticated shutter trigger system from scratch, photographer Linden Gledhill hacked together a rig of his own using an off-the-shelf system called StopShot so he could snap macro shots of insects in flight. More »

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

Snapzoom stole a lot of hearts at Engadget Expand, but it didn’t quite steal enough votes to win our Insert Coin contest. Now you can exact some justice, as the smartphone adapter for binoculars, telescopes and microscopes is up for grabs on Kickstarter to let you zoom in on the moon, bacteria or whatever else you can think of. So far it’s vacuumed up $15,000 toward its $55,000 goal, and while the early bird offer is sold out, backers can still grab one starting at $60, a hefty discount from the final $80 retail price. For $90, you’ll even get a basic 10×25 compact Bushnell travel binocular tossed in, so if you want to see what made our Insert Coin judges go zoom-crazy, hit the source or video after the jump.

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras

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Source: Snapzoom (Kickstarter)