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Sony Debuts World's Smallest HD Camcorder


The HDTV, a novelty item just a few years ago, has quickly become a near necessity for any lover of television or gaming. So why, then, are so many camcorders still shooting in clunky, grainy, standard definition? Partly it's due to cost, with HD cams still costing considerably more than their SD brethren. It's also due to size, with high def internals generally requiring larger camcorders. That latter part is changing, though, as shown by Sony's latest, the HDR-TG1, which the company says is the world's smallest HD camcorder.

Sony's offering is a little over an inch thick and about five inches long -- small enough to easily fit in a bag or maybe even a pocket (if you're still into cargo pants). Despite the diminutive size, it records video in 1080i format, saving it to Sony's Memory Stick PRO Duo cards. It also boasts a 10x Carl Zeiss lens and records in 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound, so that you can hear the mumblings of Dad the camera man in the rear speakers rather than the front.

However, there's still the matter of that "world's smallest" claim. Last August we reported on Panasonic's HDC-SD7, which the company was, at the time, touting as the "world's smallest." On first glance Panasonic's offering looks even smaller, and is nearly an inch shorter. However, it's also nearly twice as thick. If you do the math, you'll see that Sony's offering comes out to be less than half the total size.

Sony's new camera is also $200 cheaper, launching for $900 and including a four-gigabyte memory card, which, while far from cheap, isn't a terrible deal for a "world's" anything.


From Engadget

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'Freaky Geeky' Gadgets for Valentine's Day



On this most romantic day of the year, the best place to be is with the one you love, probably out at some expensive restaurant packed shoulder to shoulder with every other lucky bum and the one they love. But, if you're not so lucky, you might be apart, stuck on a trip of some sort that has you states or countries away from your better half. What to do? PCMag.com's "Freaky Geeky" Features Editor Dan Evans has some saucy tech to bring you a little closer -- virtually at least, and a gadget to help you capture the time you have together.

Up first on his Barry White-inspired tech roundup is the Canon HV20, a high-definition camcorder that comes with a low-light mode that's perfect for capturing your most intimate moments in the dark -- especially if you're a young heiress looking to make a name for yourself. If you're unlucky and far away from the one you love, Evans recommends the Logitech Quickcam Orbit AF webcam for making a digital video connection online. It has a motorized base that allows it to track you wherever you might go around the (bed)room. Finally, there's the Plantronics 510 Bluetooth headset, a wireless headset that lets you chat with the one you love up to 40-feet away from your phone all while keeping your hands free for -- other things.

Yes, it's a very tech-filled Valentine's day, and while you might be in a place where no amount of technology could get you to your lover in time, at least with some of these things you can say hello.

From PCMag.com

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Canon's New 'Vixia' Camcorders: A Quick Look

Canon VIXIA HF10


Canon this week introduced a lineup of new consumer camcorders with the moniker "VIXIA". This line includes a dual solid state (no hard drives or moving parts) unit that on the face of it is quite impressive.

The HF10 Dual Flash Memory camcorder uses both a 16 gigabyte internal flash drive and a removable SDHC memory card to store your captured video and still images. Flash memory is good because unlike a hard drive, optical disc, or video tape, there are no moving parts in that part of the camcorder mechanism, so it requires less energy and has less chance of failure (with normal use). The internal memory can capture up to six hours of high definition video.

The HF10 and another unit, the HF100 (which only has the SDHC card slot), both feature 24p cinema mode for capturing movie-like images and a 30p progressive mode, which is good for capturing fast-motion action like sports.

The HV30 HD camcorder introduced here seems almost quaint in that it uses MiniDV cassette tapes, although its predecessor, the HV20, did a nice job with high definition video capture.

The HF10 Dual Flash Memory will be available in April for $1,099. The HF100 is also coming in April and will carry an $899 price tag. Finally, the HV30 is coming out in February and will set you back $999.

We'll let you know what we think once we get our hands on the set for testing.

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New High Speed, High Capacity Memory Cards On The Way

Let the memory wars begin anew. SanDisk and Panasonic unveiled some impressive advancements in memory cards at the kickoff of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Memory card maker SanDisk has attempted to make it easier for users with High Definition camcorders to choose the memory card for their needs by listing the actual recording time capabilities of each different size Video HD card. The largest, and thus most sought, is the 120 minute or 8 GB Video HD card that comes with the class 4 rating which translates into super-fast transfer speeds for those data intense HD recordings.

Panasonic decided to bypass the HD branding of its card and, instead, produced a world's first 32 GB SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) card. Also ideal for HD camcorders the card can be used with any other SDHC designated devices and features a class 6 label which puts its data transfer speed at the enviable 20MB/sec mark.

The SanDisk 8 GB Video HD card will be available this March at the MSRP of $139.99 whereas the Panasonic 32 GB SDHC card does not have a pricing or release date yet.


From Panasonic and SanDisk.

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World's Smallest HD Camcorder from Panasonic

Panasonic Makes World's Smallest HD Camcorder
"World's smallest" is a pretty coveted title in the technology world. Every tech company on Earth is in a constant race to make the "world's smallest" something or other, and this week Panasonic gets to take the title for world's smallest hi-definition camcorder.

The diminutive HDC-SD7 is small and light enough to be held in the palm of your hand. This miniaturization comes at a price, though. The Panasonic has fewer image capture sensors than larger HD cams, minimal optical zoom, and questionable stability since lighter cameras are hard to hold without shaking.

The HDC-SD7 will be available on September 8th, in Japan only, for ¥140,000 (or about $1,188).

From Engadget

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