Gadgets and Gizmos

Sanyo Xacti HD700 camcorder

Sanyo digital camera manufacturer, debuts the Xacti HD700, a pocket-sized, 720p high-definition digital camcorder. HD700 is a high-performance camcorder capable of recording both high-definition video and 7.1-megapixel photos easily to an SD or SDHC memory card. Featuring an ultra-compact, ergonomic shape, the HD700 is specifically designed for publishing high quality video and high resolution still photos in formats ideally suited for Web-use or sharing.

Fun and easy to use anytime inspiration strikes, the HD700 is truly an advanced communication tool for the emerging information age. The Sanyo Xacti HD700 is 16% smaller and 10% lighter than the company’s HD2 camcorder and is capable of recording both high-definition video and 7.1 megapixel photos onto an SD or SDHC memory card.

The Sanyo Xacti HD1000 is, the company claims, the world’s smallest and lightest full HD digital camcorder and comes with a 4 megapixel still camera. Both models will feature a 2.7-inch LCD screen that can rotate up to 285 degrees, while the docking station sports a HDMI cable. (more…)

Motorola unveils it new Mobile phone Moto Z10

By launching the MOTO Z10 Motorola had made it easy to capture, edit and share videos and images directly from the mobile device. The new MOTO Z10 is a complete, pocket-sized, mobile film studio. This stylish kick slider makes it easy to capture high-quality video, edit clips, create transitions between scenes and add title slides and a soundtrack.

Then, budding filmmakers can upload their creation to share with friends and family through any number of Web sites such as YouTube, Google, Yahoo! and ShoZu. The company also unveils the ROKR 8, an MP3 player/mobile phone solution that features haptics technology for touch sensitive response, a Fast Scroll Nav wheel for scrolling through your play lists on the phone, Crystal Talk technology that the company says offers clear audio even when it is noisy, and Windows Media Player 11 compatibility for transferring music on your PC to the phone.

MOTO Z10 features a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and a burst mode that lets you capture up to three images a second, so consumers will never miss a frame of the action. An intelligent auto-save automatically names and saves images directly to the on-board media gallery or favorite media-sharing Web sites. (more…)

Panasonic unveils HDC-SD9 First Impressions Camcorder

The HDC-SD9 is Panasonic’s third generation of memory card-based AVCHD camcorders. Panasonic has made some improvements and some deletions. In addition to “full HD” status, the HDC-SD9 can shoot in 24P mode. It also has a new face detection system and an “Intelligent Shooting Guide” that points out problematic shots. And it’s very small.

Unfortunately, it lost the mic and headphone jack that kept the HDC-SD1 and SD5 off of our “naughty” list. Panasonic has stated that its top priority this year is manufacturing the smallest camcorders on the market. Judging this year’s releases so far, the company is well-secured in its goal.

Finally, there are four more new models; the SDR-H60 (60GB) and SDR-H40 (40GB) are hybrid SD / HDD units, the VDR-D50 is straight to DVD and the PV-GS90 records to miniDV tapes. All four have optical image stabilization, and the SDR-H60 has an ultra-powerful 50x optical zoom, with all other models packing a non too shabby 42x (pictured above right).

The Panasonic HDC-SD9 and HDC-HS9 offer full-High Definition, 1920 x 1080 progressive recording (24 frames per second) and use the AVCHD video format. In addition, the new models feature Panasonic’s original 3CCD system, Advanced MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer), and a Leica Dicomar lens – three components that also contribute to the high-quality video output. (more…)

Panasonic unveils the world’s longest-lasting AA battery

Panasonic the Japan based company is introducing a double-A household battery that will keep gadgets running 20 percent longer than others do. The battery’s name is a combination of ‘Evolution’ and ‘Voltage’.

EVOLTA AA batteries are the first such batteries to be recognized by Guinness World Records, based on data obtained from discharge tests Panasonic conducted in accordance with the guidelines set by the International Electro technical Commission (IEC) and measured against ANSI, IEC and JIS standards.

EVOLTAs have a 10-year shelf-life which is nearly double the duration of other products on the market. Panasonic’s EVOLTA batteries will also keep gadgets running up to 20% longer than offerings from Duracell and Energizer as well as their own Oxyride brand.

The battery also has a 10 year shelf life, making it suitable to store in preparation for disasters. Other batteries have about five to seven years of shelf life, according to Panasonic officials. (more…)

SanDisk unveils 12-gigabyte microSDHC card

SanDisk has announced it 12-gigabyte (GB) microSDHC flash memory cards to major phone manufacturers for testing and evaluation. The 12GB card represent a 50 percent boost in card capacity from SanDisk’s industry-leading 8GB microSDHC cards, which are currently available worldwide, and highlights the growing popularity of mobile phones with storage-intensive features that include music players, digital cameras, video recording and playback and GPS capabilities.

This marks the largest microSDHC card yet designed, a substantial increase from the 8 GB cards currently available, and not far behind the 16 GB capacity of full-size SDHC cards.

According to SanDisk, a 12GB microSD card will be able to store a combination of 1,500 songs (128kbps), 3,600 photos (2 megapixel) and 24.5 hours of video (Approximation for MPEG-4 video at 384 kbp). These cards adhere to the SD Speed Class 4 Rating.