Hasta La Gadget!

The gadget: A direct followup to the excellent Zi6 HD pocket cam, the Zi8 adds a 1080p 30fps mode, a lithium ion battery, image stabilization, HDMI-out and a mic jack. It’s restyled too, and less pudgy.

The price: $180

The verdict: Kodak’s first foray into pocket camcorders set them ahead of the pack, at least for a while—a trick they’ve pulled off again with the Zi8. They’ve stolen back the top spot not with video quality—though it is impressive—but with a few obvious features that, until now, hadn’t trickled down to this price point.

Click for gallery

First though, the core improvements: This Zi’s undergone a full hardware redesign which, once you peel the ugly, feature-touting sticker off the front, feels more modern, more solid, and more, well, designed than its lumpy predecessor. The screen is way, way sharper, which makes the whole camera, despite its similar interface and button layout, truly feel like a new piece of hardware. HDMI output works instantly and smoothly, and the microphone-in jack pulls concerts and noisy environments into the Things The Zi8 Can Do list. The hard, flip-out USB plug has been replaced with a rubberized flexible one, which makes life easier for situations where you don’t have much clearance on a USB port. Oh, and the battery—a Li-Ion slab replaces the old model’s rechargeable AAs.

The Zi8’s ballyhooed feature is its 30fps 1080p video recording, which, along with a new 5-megapixel photo option, joins the 720p (30fps and 60fps) and WVGA video modes of the Zi6. The added resolution is technically impressive, sure, but it’s also sort of excessive, and mostly unnoticeable. People have a hard enough time distinguishing between 1080p and 720p video when it’s professionally produced and displayed on a high-end screen; the Zi8 is still very much a pocket camera, meaning that the video isn’t quite crisp or vivid enough to gain much from the added pixels. Cameras like this are meant for uploading quality-sapping video sites—something the Windows-only software makes dead-simple—not Blu-ray discs.

That’s not to say the raw video quality is bad—far from it. It’s noticeably better than the Zi6, and a new, larger sensor boosts quality at all resolutions, especially in low light. Again, this is still a pocket camcorder, so expect some noise in dimmer situations. That said, the noise is subtle and tolerable, and a far sight less crappy than most of its direct competitors.

The reason the Zi8’s video really stands out is image stabilization. This is a much bigger deal than it might sound, because it accomplishes something that might not be immediately obvious: it cuts down on shimmering—that queasy rippling effect you get whenever you move a cheap camcorder too quickly. It’s still there, but with less microtwitches and jitters, it’s way less apparent. In addition, the Zi6’s macro mode makes a reappearance on the Zi8, but it’ a lot more usable, since its field of focus has grown since the Zi6, which only gave you an inch or so of leeway before things got fuzzy. On top of it all, the Zi8’s lens is wider. Some people might miss the extra optical zoom a little bit, but I found the wider angle much easier to film with.

The photo mode is acceptable, but not at the level of even a entry-level point-and-shoot, and prone to blurry shots, since the record button is a little stiff, and you’re usually not holding the camera in an especially stable way. But in fitting with the ethos of this whole genre of device, it’ll usually do just fine.

The takeaway here is that the Zi8, though still firmly a budget camcorder in terms of both price and image quality, is a device you’ll be comfortable relying on in more situations than the old model, or for that matter, any other pocket cam on the market today. You’ll worry less about how well-lit your subjects are; about just how macro you want to go; about keeping your hand steady enough to make your footage not look like frantic cellphone clip from a disaster scene; about how loud your surroundings will be. It’s not going to replace a real camcorder in all situations, nor is meant to—but for a lot of people, it’ll be more than good enough. At $180, that’s nothing to smirk at. [Kodak]

Sharp, clean video in bright lighting, respectable video in low light

Antishake

Slimmer profile

More versatile USB Plug

Li-Ion Battery

More plugs!

No internal storage

Software is convenient, but not that powerful

There aren’t really any specs available for the Window W26 “Sorcerer’s Stone” MP3 player, but we can tell you this: it won’t turn anything into gold, and Muggles can’t figure out how to use it.

[Via PMP Today]

Filed under: Portable Audio

Wizards beware: the Window W26 Sorcerer’s Stone plays WMA files originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Aug 2009 08:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Still doubting that Sony has a new duo of e-book readers on the horizon? Have a look at this. Sony Insider is reporting that retailer J&R posted up product listings for both the PRS-300 and PRS-600, but both were quickly pulled in order to avoid a stern wrist slap from the suits at Sony. ‘Course, neither were pulled quickly enough, and what we’re left with is a list of full specifications and MSRPs for the both of ’em. If said sheets are to be believed, the 5-inch (800 x 600 resolution) Sony PRS300-RC Reader Pocket Edition will ship with 512MB of onboard memory, PC and Mac support, a battery good for 7,500 page turns and USB 2.0 connectivity. The 6-inch (800 x 600 resolution) PRS600-SC Reader Touch Edition checks in at 0.4-inches thin and boasts a virtual keyboard, doodle capability, 512MB of storage, a built-in English e-dictionary, PC and Mac support and the same battery as on the smaller sibling. We’re looking at price tags of $199 and $299, respectively, but with no apparent WiFi or WWAN built in, it’ll still be a hard sell over Amazon’s connected Kindle here in America.

Filed under: Displays, Handhelds

Full specs leak on Sony Reader PRS-300 and PRS-600 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Aug 2009 07:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As an ex-Brit, I’m well aware of the authorities’ love of surveillance and snooping, but even I, a pessimistic cynic, am amazed by the governments latest plan: to install Orwell’s telescreens in 20,000 homes.

£400 million ($668 million) will be spend on installing and monitoring CCTV cameras in the homes of private citizens. Why? To make sure the kids are doing their homework, going to bed early and eating their vegetables. The scheme has, astonishingly, already been running in 2,000 family homes. The government’s “children’s secretary” Ed Balls is behind the plan, which is aimed at problem, antisocial families. The idea is that, if a child has a more stable home life, he or she will be less likely to stray into crime and drugs.

It gets worse. The government is also maintaining a private army, incredibly not called “Thought Police”, which will “be sent round to carry out home checks,” according to the Sunday Express. And in a scheme which firmly cements the nation’s reputation as a “nanny state”, the kids and their families will be forced to sign “behavior contracts” which will “set out parents’ duties to ensure children behave and do their homework.”

And remember, this is the left-wing government. The Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling, batting for the conservatives, thinks these plans are “too little, and too late,” implying that even more obtrusive work needs to be done. Rumors that a new detention center, named Room 101, is being constructed inside the Ministry of Love are unconfirmed.

Sin Bins for Worst Families [Sunday Express. Thanks, Annaliza]

Photo illustration Charlie Sorrel, original image public domain

As a dedicated lazy-bones, I think that the best thing about the Truck Farm is that, to make it, you don’t have to lug garden supplies back home. You just drive over to the store and load up on, say, topsoil, and you’re done.

The mobile allotment was built by “four-wheeled-farmers” Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, two Brooklynites with no garden, but a 1986 Dodge Ram with an empty load-bed. It uses technology proven in roof gardens, with custom drainage by rainwater management company Alive Structures, and even the soil itself is a special, gas-friendly lightweight hybrid, mixing up styrofoam, gels, clay and organic matter.

What’s the point? The Truck Farm is a business, and works a lot like the vegetable box schemes found around the world. You pay a monthly fee and the Truck Farm will pay a visit to your home, where you can pick produce fresh out of the dirt. The guys have even made a series of short movies (see part one, below) showing the history and making of Truck Farm, complete with their own music.

Project Page [Wicked Delicate via Inhabitat]