Sep 09

Sanyo launches Xacti VPC-GH4 full HD camcorder with YouTube, Facebook integration

Posted in: camcorder, social networking, SocialNetworking, Today's Chili, twitter, YouTube
Sanyo has announced another one of them there Xacti digicams, this time geared for the social media crowd. The VPC-GH4, like its sibling the VPC-GH2, features Full HD 1080 video recording; and unlike the aforementioned GH2, integrates YouTube, Facebook, and Picasa uploads — as well as Twitter notifications. But at what cost? Well, the newer model sees still photos dumbed down to 10 megapixels (the precursor featured 14 megapixel stills), but then again it’s set to retail at $200 — so it’s, like, $50 cheaper. Want a closer look? Want the full scoop straight from the PR itself? Can’t wait until it hits store shelves later this month? All your wishes will be granted after the break. But you should probably get some better wishes.

Continue reading Sanyo launches Xacti VPC-GH4 full HD camcorder with YouTube, Facebook integration

Sanyo launches Xacti VPC-GH4 full HD camcorder with YouTube, Facebook integration originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 03

Kodak PlayTouch preview

Posted in: camcorder, impressions, preview, Today's Chili, touchscreen

While Sony’s new Bloggie Touch provides the template for how simple and easy a touchscreen camcorder could really be, Kodak’s similarly well built and attractive PlayTouch provides a stark contrast, with a modicum of simplicity on the surface, but a megaton of functionality to uncover. The PlayTouch isn’t as pick-up-and go as the Bloggie, but the basic touchscreen controls can be quickly mastered. What sets the PlayTouch apart are the in-depth features like an external microphone jack (complete with gain control), video effects (like black & white and sepia modes), and the particularly ambitious video editor. You can only trim shots and extract stills from that latter mode, but paired with the newer generation EasyShare functionality that lets you pre-assign photos and videos for upload to YouTube and Facebook, among other services, you can almost completely avoid using your computer as anything but a dumb pipe to the internet.

The PlayTouch really isn’t a “gift it to your grandma” sort of camcorder; even with a $230 pricetag you still have to bring your own SD card, there’s no built-in storage, and most of the higher end functionalities like the external audio jack will be lost on the general populace. Still, if you’re looking for a pocket camcorder that is more than just a dumb pocket camcorder, Kodak seems to be continuing the niche it carved out for itself originally with the Zi8.

Gallery: Kodak PlayTouch preview

Kodak PlayTouch preview originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 03

Sony Bloggie Touch preview: an actually simple ‘simple camcorder’

Posted in: camcorder, impressions, preview, sony, Today's Chili, touchscreen, video

Maybe we’re a bunch of idiots, but while the Flip and its ultra-simple camcorder ilk have certainly made shooting video simpler and more accessible for the masses, we still find many of these cameras surprisingly unintuitive or just “blah” at doing what they do (Kodak’s otherwise excellent Zi8 and PlaySport cameras come to mind) when it comes to UI. After playing with the horrendous Flip Slide HD, we were almost sure touchscreens would act as another obstacle to using these things, but of all people, Sony has come to the rescue. We found the original Bloggie line very unimpressive, but this new Bloggie Touch crop is exactly as easy to use as you’d imagine a one button device would be.

That big record button on the front? You press it, and it records stuff. The responsive touchscreen UI takes care of secondary issues, like playing back that stuff you recorded, swapping resolution (it shoots at up to 1080p), setting a timer, and more detailed settings, with four well placed icons, while a touch slider operates the digital zoom. If you hold the camera like a still camera and tap the camera shutter button now naturally placed on the top you can take 12.8 megapixel stills (okay, we lied, there are two buttons, three if you count the on / off button). Despite the slim, sexy design of the camera, Sony still worked in a pop-out USB plug and a full sized HDMI jack. Even the $180 / $200 price (for 4GB or 8GB of storage) is surprisingly good. Just a reminder, in case you’d forgotten: the Bloggie Touch is built by Sony. We’ll be looking forward to its October launch.

Gallery: Sony Bloggie Touch preview

Sony Bloggie Touch preview: an actually simple ‘simple camcorder’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 02

Toshiba Camileo S30 and P20 pocket camcorders get touchscreens

Posted in: camcorder, Today's Chili, Toshiba

Toshiba’s launching some new Camileo pocket HD camcorders at IFA, and hey — just like everything else in the world, they’ve sprouted three-inch touchscreens. Both offer 1080p recording and 10x digital zooms with HDMI out and support for 64GB SD storage; the £139 ($214) S30 comes in a more standard form factor that’s 19mm (.7 inch) thick and features eight megapixel still photos, automatic exposure control and image stabilization, while the £119 ($183) P20 comes in a pistol grip package and takes five megapixel stills. The P20 will hit in October, while the S30 is set to arrive in January, so it makes perfect sense for Toshiba to announce it now, in September. PR after the break.

Continue reading Toshiba Camileo S30 and P20 pocket camcorders get touchscreens

Toshiba Camileo S30 and P20 pocket camcorders get touchscreens originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 02

Samsung’s HMX-T10 HD camcorder features a new perspective

Posted in: 1080p, camcorder, samsung, Today's Chili, touchscreen, video

Samsung’s oddly angled camcorders have gotten plenty of love around these parts for their design and specs, and the new HMX-T10 series is no different. Separating itself from last year’s HMX-R10 with a revised design and lens angled 20-degrees (instead of 25), these camcorders can still capture video at up to 1920×1080/60i and stills at up to 4.7 megapixels, while you frame the action on the 2.7-inch touchscreen LCD. Add in optical image stabilization, 10x zoom and the aforementioned full HD capture with a $299 pricetag and you have a healthy competitor to the alternative of the shakycam footage your cellphone probably spits out when these reach the shelves in September. Check the specs in the press release after the break, and shots from every angle of models in black and white paintjobs in the gallery.

Gallery: Samsung HMX-T10 camcorder

Continue reading Samsung’s HMX-T10 HD camcorder features a new perspective

Samsung’s HMX-T10 HD camcorder features a new perspective originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 01

XF105 and XF100: Canon’s smallest professional camcorders yet

Posted in: camcorder, Today's Chili

Be clear on this, Canon’s XF105 and XF100 camcorders are for professional videographers. Sure, they’re compact enough to temp any new father… just as long as he’s interested in recording his princess’ first steps to hot-swappable Compact Flash cards in either 1080/60i/30p/24p or 720/60p/30p/24p using Canon’s MPEG-2 4:2:2 50Mbps XF codec. Although crowned Canon’s smallest professional camcorders, both manage to feature infrared and stereoscopic 3-D shooting capabilities (using OIS Lens Shift to optically align a pair of XF105 or XF100 shooters), a DIGIC DV III Image Processor, and a Full HD CMOS sensor for native 1920 x 1080 HD video. The two models differ only in support for HD-SDI output: the XF105 has it, the XF100 doesn’t. Look for them at retail sometime in the first quarter of 2011.

Continue reading XF105 and XF100: Canon’s smallest professional camcorders yet

XF105 and XF100: Canon’s smallest professional camcorders yet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 25

I-O Data’s HDPN-U500/V portable hard drive pulls video from your camcorder, plays it on your TV

Posted in: camcorder, external hard drive, ExternalHardDrive, hard drive, HardDrive, Today's Chili, usb
Looking for a quick and easy way to bridge the gap between your camcorder and your TV? Then you might want to consider I-O Data‘s new 500GB HDPN-U500/V portable hard drive, which packs a USB port to pull video directly off a compatible Sanyo Xacti, JVC Everio, or Sony Handycam camcorder, and an HDMI port to let you play that video on your TV straight from the hard drive. Of course, it’ll also function just fine as a regular external hard drive for your computer, and it boasts a shock-resistant design that should let you toss it around a bit without too much worry. No word on a release over here just yet, but folks in Japan should be able to pick this one up next month for ¥15,330, or about $180.

I-O Data’s HDPN-U500/V portable hard drive pulls video from your camcorder, plays it on your TV originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 01:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 24

ViewSonic doing 3D like crazy at IFA, plans to debut 3D camera, camcorder, photo frame, and portable TV

Posted in: 720p, android tablet, AndroidTablet, camcorder, Today's Chili, viewsonic

You’re sitting alone, your house is quiet. You turn your phone off and reach for a novel — your favorite novel. You run your hand along the book’s well-worn spine, then crack open the yellowing pages to the spot you were at last. Suddenly you put the book down. Where are you? You stand up and take off your glasses, looking around frantically at your surroundings. Where are you?

Well, you’re not in Berlin, Germany between the dates of September 1st and 7th, attending IFA. ViewSonic just announced, no, threatened an onslaught of 3D product for the upcoming tradeshow, including a 720p 3D camcorder that will pack a built-in 3D display for a mere $300 (we’re sure it will be delightful). Details are scarce, but our guess would be that it’ll utilize a glasses-free 3D display akin to Nintendo’s 3DS or the Fujifilm Finepix Real 3D W3. Other 3D members of the brood will include a 3D handheld TV, 3D stills camera, and a 3D photo frame — all of which will undoubtedly scream quality. As if that wasn’t enough, ViewSonic will also be showing off a 7-inch Android tablet dubbed the ViewPad 7, along with a 10-inch tablet that can dual boot to Android and Windows. PR is after the break, we’ll let you get back to your book.

Update: Does that 3D camera (the two images on the left) look familiar? It should, it’s almost certainly a rebadge of the Aiptek i2. Poor Viewsonic, what happened to you?

Continue reading ViewSonic doing 3D like crazy at IFA, plans to debut 3D camera, camcorder, photo frame, and portable TV

ViewSonic doing 3D like crazy at IFA, plans to debut 3D camera, camcorder, photo frame, and portable TV originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 24

JVC intros Picsio GC-WP10 and GC-FM2 1080p pocket camcorders

Posted in: camcorder, reviewed, Today's Chili, waterproof

JVC’s been a mainstay in the handheld camcorder realm, but along with Sony, Kodak, Sanyo, Samsung and just about every other consumer electronics company in operation today, it’s recently decided to hop onboard the pocket camcorder bandwagon. Today, the firm is introducing a diminutive duo in the Picsio GC-WP10 and GC-FM2, both of which are capable of logging 1,920 x 1,080/30fps clips. There’s also inbuilt image stabilization, an HDMI output, a 3-inch rear touchscreen, compatibility with EyeFi’s WiFi-enabled SD cards and a time-lapse recording feature for speeding things up on the fly. The WP10 steps it up a notch by being encased in a waterproof enclosure, though the omission of an optical zoomer puts somewhat of a damper on things. The FM2 boasts a pop-out USB plug and the both of ’em tout an SD / SDHC / SDXC card slot; the WP10 also adds an MP3 audio recorder for good measure. Check the FM2 early next month for $179.95 and the WP10 in late September for $20 more, but be sure to visit that More Coverage link first for a translated review.

Continue reading JVC intros Picsio GC-WP10 and GC-FM2 1080p pocket camcorders

JVC intros Picsio GC-WP10 and GC-FM2 1080p pocket camcorders originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 05:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 22

Kodak’s Playtouch 1080p pocket camcorder and EasyShare M590 announced

Posted in: camcorder, camera, Today's Chili, usb

Kodak just kicked out a pair of devices with its Playtouch pocket camcorder and EasyShare M590 point and shoot. Kodak’s $229.95 Playtouch is capable of shooting image stabilized 1080p video with stereo audio to SDHC cards. A 3-inch capacitive touchscreen gives you plenty of room to edit your video (or extract a still) on camera before flipping out the USB arm for a quick PC transfer. Otherwise, an HDMI jack lets you pump that digital keepsake right to the living room television without the PC assist. Rounding things out are an external microphone jack and Share button that makes it easy to push those memories to YouTube or FaceBook, or send via email if that’s your preference. Kodak’s rather mundane $199.99 EasyShare M590 is being billed as the world’s slimmest digital camera with 5x optical zoom. Otherwise, things simmer down with a 2.7-inch LCD, some kind of image stabilization, face recognition, unspecified HD video capture, and microSD card support. And as you’d expect, the M590 also features a Share button that makes tagging and uploading photos and video to social media sites like Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube a snap. M590 image and press releases after the break. Expect both cameras to ship sometime in the fall.

Continue reading Kodak’s Playtouch 1080p pocket camcorder and EasyShare M590 announced

Kodak’s Playtouch 1080p pocket camcorder and EasyShare M590 announced originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 01:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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