Category: Creative Type

Contrary to popular belief, plenty of high-quality camcorders -- even HD ones -- are available for less than $500. digg_url ='http://www.switched.com/2008/04/01/best-camcorders-under-500/'; We test drove a bunch of them, and discovered that we liked some better than others. You can check out our top picks in the video above, and our list of favorites includes a range of recording formats ...

Is it us, or has Apple truly cultivated a cozy, nice-guy image in the consumer's world of technology? That funny commercial with the uptight PC nerd versus the laid-back Apple innovator type aside, it seems as if Apple's trying to live up to the image. Get this: A model actually wrote her memoir in New York's SoHo Apple Store over a period of three months. Isobella Jade, a diminutive catwalker, ...

It's crisp. It's colorful. It's widescreen and it swivels. Plus, the Samsung Syncmaster 245T has HDMI inputs in addition to standard DVI and analog inputs. A 24", better-than-1080p TV, computer monitor and swivel head all for $800? Looks sweet to us. Related Links: Finally, a PC that can dress like a Mac Our BEST HDTV Pick: The Pioneer Kuro Elite 50" Plasma Four Cell Phones ...

Finally, a gift for the child who wants a puppy, a stereo and a robot for Christmas: The iDog Amp'd, quite possibly the strangest iPod accessory we've seen since the iCan't-keep-making-i-jokes-anymore. ...

Check this out: A new prototype dress may one day help dense men or women clue in on their partner's emotional condition. The Daily Mail reports that the Bubelle Dress, designed by scientists at the Dutch electronics company Philips, changes colors depending on the wearer's mood. The dress's development was prompted by a research venture dubbed the SKIN Probe Project, which imagines daily ...

A company that sells glow-in-the-dark-paint has invented another way to combat the forces of darkness. MPK Company, while not in league with Harry Potter or Luke Skywalker, has conjured up a new light source called Litroenergy. These self-luminous, tiny particles, called Litrospheres, have a remarkable half-life of about 12 years and are encased in a microsphere container. In addition, they ...

Verizon Wireless recently released the FlipShot by Samsung, a snazzy new 3-megapixel (MP) camera phone with swivel 'technology.' The crisp 240x320 pixel phone display swivels 180 degrees to allow for different viewing angles and easy sharing of multimedia with friends. To activate the camera, you just open the clamshell halfway and swivel the display 90-degrees towards you and begin shooting ...

Hype Check: Gibson Robot Guitar On December 7, guitar enthusiasts around the nation will be able to get their callused hands on the Gibson Robot Guitar, a first-of-its-kind, self-tuning instrument packed with a computer and motorized tuners. This special edition Les Paul will initially only be available in limited quantities -- 10 guitars for each of 400 retailers across the nation. What it ...

For those who need screen real-estate for High-Definition graphics manipulation (or maybe just some home video- or picture-editing), the new $1,700 Gateway XHD3000 LCD 30-inch monitor is perfect -- it's not only huge for a computer monitor, but it also up-converts video to 1600p, a startling four times higher than standard 720p high-definition video. With state-of-the-art connections, including ...

Now that Skype and Logitech have unveiled upgrades to their video calling software, it's time to start videocalling over the Internet in High-Definition. With the QuickCam Pro 9000 and its snazzy Carl Zeiss lens, travelers can finally make those 30--frames-per--second calls to their buddies (or significant others) and do lightning-fast karate moves with no frozen frames! It's small and compact, ...

Let's face it: The iPhone is amazing but it does have some limitations -- for one thing, its camera is lacking (no flash, no zoom) and you can't shoot or send video. By contrast, the $699 Nokia N95 boasts a Carl Zeiss lens with a 5-Megapixel (MP) camera (with flash), a built-in camcorder, up to 2-gigabytes (GB) of external memory, quad-band GSM, GPS location technology, and Wi-Fi connectivity. ...

Got a DJ in your life? Here's the perfect gift: The recently-upgraded Numark's iDJ2 improves upon the original by bringing some of its more advanced functions from CD DJ units to this iPod docking DJ station. With some fancy technical maneuvering, Numark has been able to allow DJs to play and mix two songs simultaneously from a single iPod via the central color LCD display. With a complete ...

Essentially a highly modifiable Roomba for the programming set, the iRobot Create (starts at $130) is a fully programmable (small, circular) robot. The Create's 10 built-in demos and 32 built-in sensors allow for experimentation with robotics; an open cargo bay and 25-pin expansion port allows you to add your own sensors, grippers, wireless connections, computers, or other hardware to fully ...

For the burgeoning digital photographer who needs serious control, it's tough to beat Nikon's D80. With access to the wide world of SLR lenses, the D40 is perfect for serious hobby photographers. It sports a 10.2 megapixel sensor along with what's called "3D Color Matric Metering II." In other words, the shutterbug in your life will not be disappointed. Street prices are around $700, which ...

Just when the photographer in your life is about to say they had everything they need, you can show up with the Gorillapod tripod, as we are pretty sure they have never seen this little thing. This cool spider-like gadget attaches to the tripod port on any camera on one end and can attach to virtually anything else on the other. Wrap it around a tree for an impromptu timer shot or affix it to a ...