Hasta La Gadget!

Yeah, you don’t really need 1080p in a compact like this. You know it, we know it. Kodak probably knows it too. Still, it’s always pretty wild to pick up a little piece like this and know it can shoot to a native resolution that our parents can’t even pronounce. The new Zi8 is certainly bulky for a “pocket” camcorder, but makes up for it by sporting a rechargeable battery, line-in audio jack, HDMI out, 2.5-inch LCD and even keeping the pop-out USB plug around for old times sake. The perks of face recognition for improved exposure and gyroscope-based image stabilization are also pretty snazzy at this $180 pricepoint. We still aren’t quite sold on the way this camera (like most of these compacts) processes video — it seems to do a lot of damage to frame-to-frame motion, something that Apple fought off pretty well with the iPhone 3GS — but we’re going to take one home and test it out a little before we throw down a verdict.

Filed under: Digital Cameras, HDTV, Portable Video

Kodak’s 1080p Zi8 HD pocket camcorder in hand originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now that the gang at Creative have ‘fessed up to the Zii EGG first seen at the FCC earlier this month, we imagine we’ll be encountering this bad boy quite often over the coming months. If you need your StemCell Computing fix right now, we have a video that showcases the newest developer platform running a racing game in all of its accelerometer-packing, 3D OpenGL ES-enhanced glory. Peep for yourself after the break.

[Via EpiZENter, thanks Michael]

Continue reading Video: Creative Zii EGG 3D gaming demo

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Video: Creative Zii EGG 3D gaming demo originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve already heard talk of a Nokia N97 Mini (or Mini N97, if you will) from folks who should know what the situation is, and it looks like things have now gotten more interesting still, with some seemingly legitimate pictures of the rumored device finding their way to us that show it out and about with its bigger brother. As you can see above and in another pic after the break, the device is slightly smaller and slightly slimmer than the regular N97, and it’s also received a few subtle design changes, particularly on the back, where the camera has lost its sliding cover. Could it be real? Almost certainly — either that, or it’s a tremendously talented KIRF — though we’re not sure we understand the business justification for a new version of the N97 that isn’t small enough (or different enough, for that matter) to hold its own spot in the lineup. Not much more to go on than that, unfortunately, but you can pretty safely move this one up a notch on the ol’ Rumor-o-Meter.

Continue reading Nokia N97 ‘Mini’ gets pictured in the wild?

Filed under: Cellphones

Nokia N97 ‘Mini’ gets pictured in the wild? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As readers of this site know, Greenpeace has quite an active sideline in rating (and berating) technology companies that generate excessive toxic landfill. In fact, we’ve seen so many of these reports that we almost forgot what the organization does best: chasing down whaling vessels, trespassing, hanging banners, and generally bedeviling polluters in the name of Mother Earth. And now, after repeatedly calling out HP for using PVC and hazardous chemicals in its devices, the group has taken matters into its own hands — specifically, by slipping into the company’s Palo Alto headquarters and painting “hazardous products” on the roof, in really big letters, with non-toxic children’s paint. Congratulations to the activist group for finally finding a way to spread their message to low-flying pilots in the San Francisco Bay area! One more pic after the break.

[Via Switched]

Continue reading Greenpeace takes a break from issuing reports to vandalize HP corporate HQ

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Greenpeace takes a break from issuing reports to vandalize HP corporate HQ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today, we’re joined by two ladies: Ace Reporter Caroline McCarthy again and “Allie” of Heavy & Flo fame. This makes the two remaining boys of The 404 very happy. On today’s show, we’ve got sex offenders, speakeasies, 1920s Prohibition, and Ashton Kutcher. Excited? We are.

(Credit: "Allie" of Heavy & Flo/CNET)

So what does “spifflicated” mean? It means we all got wasted. According to 404 historian Caroline McCarthy, most of the terms we use today to mean inebriated come from the 1920s era of Prohibition. “Spifflicated” happens to be our favorite.

While Justin Yu was out, we found a way to track him using this new iPhone app, which will tell you where the closest sex offenders live near you. With the help of the girls, we come up with some more useful apps like an “Is she underage?” app, or a “Please, just cut to the chase. How much money do you make?” app. We wish there was an app to tell when you’re about to make a mistake late one night at a bar. Apple? Anyone?

We chat a bit about the Microsoft and Yahoo deal, but we think it’s funnier to ask the eternal question, “Why Ashton Kutcher?” We have no idea why nearly 3 million people are following him on Twitter. I mean, give us a break. We know you lucked out, and you get to wake up to Demi Moore every morning, Ashton. You don’t have to rub it in our faces.

Finally, a woman gets sued for $50,000 because she Twitters out, “Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon Realty thinks it’s okay.” Of course, we think this a whole load of bull, but we are perplexed as to why this company, Horizon Realty, has decided to unleash the Internet because of its fairly asinine move to “[s]ue first, then ask questions later.” So far, we’ve collected these tweets about our new favorite company we love to hate:

• Horizon Realty is why everyone has AIDS.
• Also, I hear Horizon Realty kills puppies, is pro-cancer, and steals cardboard boxes from the homeless. Oops- Add me to the lawsuit.
• @Horizon_Reality Horizon Realty just tweeted that my mouse has herpes. I am suing for libel ans asking at least $50K

Send in your favorite “Horizon Realty” tweet to The 404 at the usual: the404 [at] cnet [dot] com. Also, leave a voice mail at 1-866-404-CNET (2638). Peace!

EPISODE 392

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Originally posted at The 404