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camcorders

Get a Creative Vado HD pocket camcorder for $50

I suspect this is mere moments from selling out (and my apologies in advance if it does), but here goes: Dell has the Creative Vado HD 2nd-gen pocket camcorder for $49.99 shipped.

As you may recall from previous posts, the Vado HD shoots 720p video and stores it in 4GB of onboard memory--enough for about an hour of footage, or more if you lower the quality setting.

The camera sports a nice 2-inch LCD for previewing and reviewing your movies, but there's also an HDMI output for piping the video to your HDTV. (Alas, HDMI cable not included--but … Read more

Triple-deal Tuesday: a 2TB hard drive, an HD pocket cam, and a horror-themed PC game

Some days, I can't decide on just one deal. Others, I don't find anything that's a real standout. Today is a little bit of both. Thus, I hereby inaugurate Triple-Deal Tuesday (not to be confused with Five-Deal Friday) with the following three-fer:

1. Remember my shock and awe last month upon seeing a 2TB external drive for under $100? Color me more shocked, more awed: Newegg has a 2TB Iomega Select USB hard drive for $89.99 shipped. That's after applying coupon code EMCZZYX42 (which is good only for newsletter subscribers). Man, oh, man, that is … Read more

Quick Take: Sony Handycam DCR-SX63

CNET did not review the Sony Handycam DCR-SX63, but we did review the DCR-SR68, which is very similar.

The main differences between the SX63 and SR68 are storage capacity and type. The SX63 stores video to 16GB of internal flash memory as well as Memory Stick Pro Duo and SD/SDHC/SDXC cards. The SR68 records to an 80GB hard drive, but can store to Memory Stick Pro Duo and SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, too.

The SR68 is slightly bigger and heavier than the SX63, but there are otherwise no differences between the two models. They have the same lens, … Read more

Quick Take: Sony Handycam DCR-SX44

CNET did not review the Sony Handycam DCR-SX44, but we did review the DCR-SR68, which is very similar.

The main differences between the SX44 and SR68 are storage capacity and type. The SX44 stores video to 4GB of internal flash memory as well as Memory Stick Pro Duo and SD/SDHC/SDXC cards. The SR68 records to an 80GB hard drive, but can store to Memory Stick Pro Duo and SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, too.

The SR68 is slightly bigger and heavier than the SX44, but there are otherwise no differences between the two models. They have the same lens, … Read more

Eye-Fi makes photo sharing more cloudy

If you've never used an Eye-Fi SD card, it's a pretty great solution for using wireless networks to get photos and video you've just shot out of your camera and stored on your computer and/or uploaded to a favorite sharing site. Getting full access to that content from a computer other than your own, however, wasn't easy until today's launch of Eye-Fi View. The service lets you shoot and store to the company's cloud storage so you can view and share from just about any Web-connected computer and mobile device.

One of the … Read more

CamBall rolls over to U.S., looks adorable

We've talked before about the CamBall, a tiny spherical camcorder from Korea, but now we have news: it's coming to America today.

About the size of a golf ball, the CamBall shoots sub-VGA quality video to an SD card, but we're not sure how it looks as we haven't received one yet. That said, it likely uses the same type of camera as a cell phone, so we're expecting the video to look pretty similar. It has USB and VGA-out, so you can view the videos you take on a computer or a TV.

Besides … Read more

Flip refreshes UltraHD and MinoHD video cams

After the disappointing SlideHD came out in April, we were hoping Cisco Systems' Flip Video would refresh our favorite model, the UltraHD. It did, creating two different versions of it. And while Flip was busy refreshing those, it updated its MinoHD model as well.

First, the UltraHDs. There are now one- and two-hour versions with 4GB and 8GB of storage, respectively. These are separated by more than the storage capacity, though. The one-hour shoots video at a resolution of 720p at 30 frames per second, while the two-hour captures 720p at 60fps, which gets you much smoother results. The two-hour also gets you electronic image stabilization, a rechargeable battery pack, and a slimmer body. Read the full review of the 2010 Flip UltraHD 2 Hour.

With the MinoHD, the advantages are size and style. The newest MinoHDs look like the old ones, but they, too, shoot 720p video at 60fps with always-on electronic image stabilization. Other than recording capacity, the only difference between the two MinoHDs is color: the one hour comes in silver, and the two-hour comes in black. Both can be personalized as well.

For those holding out for a Flip with a mic jack or removable memory, this isn't the year. Instead, Flip developed a proprietary port called a FlipPort. The port will allow you to outfit your Flip with Designed for Flip products such as a wireless microphone, battery extender, or external storage. There's also a mobile pico projector in the works. Of these new models, the UltraHD 2 Hour is the only one with the FlipPort. And since it also has 720p/60fps video with image stabilization, 8GB of storage, has a removable rechargeable battery and takes AAAs, and sells for $199.99, it's the best of the four.

If style matters to you, all of the new models can be personalized through Flip's Web site with "thousands of designs from artists, celebrities, and iconic brands" or you can upload your own image.

Here's how all of the models stack up with pricing:

UltraHD 1 Hour

4GB (1 hour of video) 1,280x720 (30fps) Video format: H.264 (.MP4) 2-inch LCD (320x240 resolution) 2x digital zoom AA-size batteries Mini-HDMI out 2.2x4.3x1.2 (WHD); 5.7 ounces White, magenta, blue, or personalized $149.99… Read more