Cheap Geek: $99 BlackBerry Storm, Kodak Digital Photo Frame, Flip Camcorder

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The weekend may be over, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop having fun. Check out these superb deals for Monday, Feb. 9:

1. The BlackBerry Storm 9530 is on sale, but with a few catches. The Storm has a list price of $499.99, but when you purchase it with a two-year contract with Verizon, you can get it for just $99.99 from Amazon. Deactivating the phone, canceling your service line, or reducing the service plan within the first 181 days will cost you a penalty of $250.

2. Woot’s deal today is the Kodak P720 7-inch Digital Picture Frame with Quick Touch Border. Normally $99.95, the frame is on sale for $39.99. Want to know what to look for in a digital photo frame? Take some advice from PCMag.com.

3. Get the Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder in white for $59.99 [corrected], down from $149.99. The camera holds 30 minutes of full VGA-quality video on 1GB of built-in memory, and requires no tapes or additional memory cards.

Panasonic’s HDC-HS300 HD camcorder reviewed, thoroughly enjoyed

Panasonic’s HDC-HS300 was unleashed amidst a flurry of other camcorders at CES this year, but according to Trusted Reviews, it won’t be hiding under the shadows of everyone else for long. Rather than bogging you down with details, we’ll just get right to the punch — critics didn’t hesitate to suggest that this “could well be the best [consumer] camcorder released all year.” The most important aspect (yes, we’re talking about image quality) was said to be “nothing short of stunning in virtually all conditions,” and low light performance was deemed “particularly amazing.” There were plenty of outputs, a swank touchscreen LCD and a very impressive cross-shaped array of microphones that could record 5.1 audio. Add all that up, and you’ve got a real winner; in fact, these guys suggested that even Canon’s stellar line of VIXIA camcorders should watch closely, ’cause the HS300 is stepping all up in that rarefied air.

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Panasonic’s HDC-HS300 HD camcorder reviewed, thoroughly enjoyed originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Feb 2009 05:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Engadget: Best flash / HDD-based camcorder under $400?

With CES over and done with, there’s really just one thing left to do: wait for all those wares that were announced to actually ship. To that end, we reckon this question is particularly timely being that a whole slew of camcorders were introduced in Vegas. Feel free to suggest an oldie-but-goodie, though.

“I am currently in the market for a new digital video camera. I currently have one of those ancient cameras that use tapes, and I haven’t decided between an HDD or flash-based one just yet. I’m looking for something small and compact with USB connectivity, and I’d like to stay under $400 if possible. Any help would be really appreciated.”

Thanks for the question, Patrik. We presume those little pocket camcorders are out of the question due to their awful low-light performance, yeah? Yeah. Oh, and if any other reader has a question they’d like hosted up, send it in to ask at engadget dawt com.

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Ask Engadget: Best flash / HDD-based camcorder under $400? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pure Digital Offering Free Flip Customization for Valentines Day

Looking for the perfect gift for your valentine? How about giving that special someone the means to videotape you while you sleep? Just in time for everyone’s favorite non-presidential February holiday, Pure Digital is offering up a sweet new deal: a personalized Flip Mino or Flip Mino HD.

You can customize the camcorders for no extra cost (they run $179 and $220, respectively). Both models and Flip gift certificates can be purchased via www.theflip.com.

Toshiba readies three 1080p Camileo camcorders for Europe

We can’t say with any level of certainty why Toshiba chose to announce its new Camileo after CES and before CeBIT, but whatever the reason, we’re sure it’s a good one. Introduced today over in Germany are three new camcorders, all of which boast simple controls for the technologically challenged and easy uploading to YouTube. The whole lot captures in gorgeous 1080p, and they all feature a handy HDMI output for showing off clips as soon as you snag them. The higher-end Camileo P30 arrives with 128MB of internal storage, an SD card slot, a 3-inch LCD monitor and a 5x optical zoom; the H20 steps down to a 2.5-inch display, while the S10 remains mostly mysterious. As for the bits that matter most, the S10 and P30 will be available early next month for €149 ($197) / €199 ($263), respectively, while the H20 can be snapped up now for €249 ($329).

[Via Stuff]

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Toshiba readies three 1080p Camileo camcorders for Europe originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cheap Geek, Todays Deals: 1/27/09

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It’s late in the day, but it’s never too late for some bargains (well, almost…). Check out Gearlog’s deals for Tuesday:

1. OK, I know this is short notice, but you have a little less than an hour to take advantage of this deal: Dell Home is offering the Inspiron 1420 and XPS M1330 laptops at their lowest prices ever. Apply coupon code DNDOJM1 to drop the price down to just $499 on the Inspiron 1420, or coupon code DYDOTM1 to purchase the XPS M1330 laptop for $799. The deal ends at 3 p.m. CST. [Via Bargainist.com]

2. Save 65 percent off of the Polaroid DVC-00725F High Definition Digital Camcorder from Buy.com. Originally $260, the camera is now $139. Features include 5MP still digital camera, 4x digital zoom, 5x optical zoom, 64MB built-in memory, SD/SDHC slot, HDMI output, USB connectivity, and a 2.7-inch LCD display. [Via Bargainist.com]

3. Embrace your inner child with the USB Missile Launcher. Get two Dream Cheeky USB Missile Launchers with 3 Foam Missiles for just $34.99 from Woot. The offer ends today, so ask your mom’s permission right away.

Hands-On with HDMI Consumer Electronic Control: Exclusive Video

The it’s mind-blowingly useful HDMI Consumer Electronic Control (aka HDMI-CEC) technology basically turns your HDTV’s remote control into a universal remote control, minus the headache of programming the universal remote control. If the HDMI port on your HDTV and the device plugged into it both support Consumer Electronic Control, the two devices can communicate and control each other, even if the products are two different brands.

This week in PCMag Labs, we just happen to have two such devices. Check out the video demonstration to see what happens once they are connected with an HDMI cable:

  • I turn on the Sony SR-11 High-Definition camcorder.
  • Automatically the Samsung HDTV turns on.
  • Automatically the Samsung HDTV selects the input the Sony camcorder is connected to.
  • Automatically the Samsung’s remote control navigates the Sony camcorder’s menu.
  • Automatically, turning off the Samsung HDTV turns off the Sony camcorder.

Look for HDMI-CEC in future devices. (If you want to see the video in HD, click here.)

Post by PJ Jacobowitz

Sony’s Webbie HD reviewed: cheap but not a bargain

Sony's Webbie HD reviewed, cheap but not a bargain

With everything going on at this year’s CES we didn’t get a chance to do more than take a few pictures of Sony’s unfortunately named Webbie HD (aka the MHS-CM1), a tiny little camcorder that shoots in high-def yet costs just $200. Michael at Diffusion had the opportunity to review one and, while he liked everything on the camera’s spec sheet, in practice found it to be a “low priced, low quality disposable HD camera.” It shoots 720p and not-quite-1080p video (maxing out at 1440 x 1080) as well as 5 megapixel stills through a 5x optical zoom lens. Overall image quality was found to be poor, thanks in large part to exposure settings that could never settle on the right values themselves yet couldn’t be manually tweaked. Given the price really there’s not much reason to complain, as it seems perfectly serviceable for those who worry about cost more than image quality, but if you were hoping for a prosumer cam at a plaything price, keep searching.

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Sony’s Webbie HD reviewed: cheap but not a bargain originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 09:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Sanyo’s collection of new “dual cameras” handled, critiqued

Video: Sanyo's collection of

Sanyo announced a plethora of “dual camera” models (camcorders with still capture aspirations) just yesterday, and Geek.com‘s Chris Gampat was lucky enough to get a little hands on time with the lot, choosing three favorites: the VPC-FH1, VPC-HD2000, and VPC-WH1. The first two are similar in terms of specs, both capturing 1080p video at 60fps and 8 megapixel stills at 12fps through a 10x optical zoom. They differ only in form factor, the VPC-FH1 offering a traditional style and the VPC-HD2000 coming with a pistol grip. Then there’s the more daring VPCP-WH1, waterproof down to 10 feet and coming in a “look at me, sailor” yellow, but only shooting 720p video at 30fps and 2 megapixel stills. However, its 30x optical zoom is perfect for spotting Piping Plovers, and the 3.5 hour battery life means this thing can probably survive longer underwater than you. Videos of these three are below, and surely one them fits your lifestyle, so make a little room this spring, won’t you?

Read – Hands-on: Sanyo VPC-FH1 and VPC-HD2000
Read – Hands-on: Sanyo VPC-WH1 waterproof camcorder

Continue reading Video: Sanyo’s collection of new “dual cameras” handled, critiqued

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Video: Sanyo’s collection of new “dual cameras” handled, critiqued originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cheap Geek, Todays Deals: 1/21/09

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It’s the first full day of Obama’s presidency, and things are already looking up. There are tons of bargains to take advantage today, so check out Gearlog’s deals for Wednesday:

1. Woot is offering a Polaroid DVC-00725F High Definition 720p Digital Camcorder for $129.99. The camera has a list price of $279.99, and the deal ends at the end of the day, or while supplies last.

2. Save up to 50 percent off of select video games at Dell.com. Get Rock Band 2 for Xbox 360 for just $29.99–50 percent off of the original price–with coupon code SHP47HTL88M9CC. The Disney Sing It with Logitech Mic is $19.99, down from $39.99 with coupon code ZHSFSX$LLVGJ40. And lastly, get Far Cry 2 for PS3 for 25 percent off of $59.99 with coupon code 7V3K15N2BP6RV9. The offers end on Jan. 29, so hurry. [Via Bargainist.com]

More deals after the jump.