Technofile: A while ago I wrote about using a handheld video camera which recorded video straight to a secure digital (SD) memory card. The picture and sound quality left a lot to be desired but, as a simple way of recording short video clips, this sort of camera is hard to beat, with no video tape to fast forward through and easy-to-manipulate files.
Now mid-tier consumer electronics firm Mustek has brought out a digital video camera for under €120. The DV5300SE camera captures digital stills via a three-megapixel CCD sensor. The maximum resolution goes up to five megapixels, which can be displayed on a 1.5 inch TFT-LCD swing display screen. Video is captured in the industry standard MPEG-four format, and the camera features simple automatic settings for exposure under various light conditions.
Cannily, Mustek realised that once you have a device that can capture and hold audio, it's also possible to shoehorn in an MP3 player, voice recorder and all-round USB card reader. It comes with 32MB of memory but you would be advised to extend it with SD or multimedia card (MMC) memory via the USB slot. Add an integrated flash, AV output, headphone jack, and power from three AAA batteries, and you have a real little workhorse which will outclass your camera phone.
Nike and Apple have teamed up to create the Nike+iPod Sport Kit. As you jog, a wireless sensor inside Nike+ runners communicates with your iPod. This collates information on time, distance, calories burned and pace.
The iPod stores, displays and even reads back the information to you. After your run, you can sync the information with your PC or Mac and find out how your workout went. It will be the first footwear to work with the iPod (I bet you never thought you'd read that!), and the system costs $29 (€23) in the US, but it has yet to be launched in Europe.
The head of Sony Computer Entertainment's UK operations, Ray Maguire, has confirmed in a games industry magazine that only the 60GB PlayStation 3 is likely to hit Europe. The reason? The lower-end 20GB version has no wireless internet access and no output to play High Definition DVDs. Given that the PS3 experience is aimed mostly at "early adopters" prepared to pay about €625, we may not see the cheaper version after all. Xbox 360, anyone?
BenQ Siemens is launching its EF71 clamshell music phone in Europe right now. Featuring a so-called "Q-Fi" music system, it has a 10-band equaliser linked to a pair of 3D surround-sound speakers. Not bad for a mobile phone. The brushed aluminium casing holds a 2.2-inch screen inside, an Oled screen outside and a two-megapixel camera which can also be used as a webcam. The Bluetooth-enabled tri-band GSM/GPRS phone plays MP3, AAC or WMA music files, but it needs the 256MB MicroSD card that comes with it to be a decent MP3 player.
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