minicamcorders

So, Sony got iFixit.com CEO Kyle Wiens to do a teardown of the new Bloggie 3D minicamcorder. Usually, I like a good teardown, but this one is sofa-king boring. Why? Because one of the best parts of iFixit.com's product teardowns is finding out the manufacturers of all the individual components. Of course, that doesn't happen here.

Instead, we just get an eyeful of all the bits and pieces that go into making this pocket 3D video camera. There's a brief look at Kyle stripping it down, but mostly it's just all the parts laid out and some close-up looks at them. Oh, and a healthy dose of sneaky marketing to let you know why the Bloggie 3D is so worth $250.… Read more

The PlaySport Zx5 is Kodak's update to 2010's PlaySport Zx3. The two look nearly identical, but the Zx5 ups the ante on durability. The Zx3 was merely waterproof and dustproof but now the Zx5 adds shockproofing. There are a couple of other feature differences, too, most for the better. Unfortunately, the battery is no longer removable.

The video quality from the Zx5 doesn't change much from the Zx3, but the few changes are mildly for the worse, which brought its rating down. On the other hand, the video is still very nice and the camera is a … Read more

The Cisco/Flip Video saga continues. After the April announcement that the FlipShare desktop and mobile software will continue to be functional and supported until December 31, 2013, comes word on the fate of all your videos stored on the company's FlipShare service.

As of May 12, 2011, any videos shared with "an individual, group, Flip Channel, or Twitter will only be available online for viewing and downloading for up to 30 days after being sent." Sent something before that date? Well, you've got 30, err, 29 days to get 'em before they're gone.

Clips … Read more

Back on April 19, I suggested that people hold off on buying a Flip minicamcorder after Cisco decided to close the business. Cisco's public relations gave me a wishy-washy answer about support for current and future users, saying it would have a transition plan "in the coming weeks" instead of, you know, immediately. Thankfully, weeks turned into days, and Cisco now has a plan in place for the future of Flip.

Sadly, there is still no plan to sell the business to another manufacturer. But, you're safe to buy up the models currently available with full … Read more

You might think that pocket video cameras are doomed because of smartphones and the iPhone, but there are some things those devices just can't do. The Samsung HMX-W200, for example, can survive a 6.5-foot drop, a swim down to 10 feet, and it's dustproof. It joins competitors from Kodak and Panasonic, among others, that are rugged, not just waterproof.

The W200 is essentially the same as the company's P100 pocket video camera, but rugged. It has a backside-illuminated 5-megapixel CMOS sensor for better low-light recording; records in full HD (1,920x1,080/30p) in MPEG-4 AVC/… Read more

Editors' note (April 26, 2011): Since this post, Cisco has announced it will continue to support Flip devices within the terms of the company's one-year warranty. Technical support for both the video cameras and the FlipShare software and sharing services will be available until December 31, 2013. Sharing services will also end on this date. As long as they're still available on the market, you may want to consider buying one and if not, here are some alternatives.

When Cisco closed its Flip business last week, I was treating it just like any other product that gets discontinued … Read more

Like most people who follow tech, I didn't see Cisco's killing of the Flip pocket video camera coming. Not right now, anyway. While smartphone and iPhone owners continue to say it was a dying category, that's simply not true. It might not be growing as rapidly as it was a couple years ago, but it's not declining.

However, Flip was the leader in the category, and for good reason; it never strayed far from the original idea of quickly and easily capturing high-quality video for sharing online straight from the device. Many of the early copycat … Read more

LAS VEGAS--It looks like Samsung is creating a nice little family of minicamcorders. The HMX-P300 and HMX-P100 are pretty much higher- and lower-end versions of the same model, but the P100 isn't so crippled that it's not worth checking out.

The P100 has a backside-illuminated 5-megapixel CMOS sensor for better low-light recording, a fixed focal length f2.2 lens, and a 2.3-inch LCD with an 80-degree viewing angle so you have more shooting and viewing flexibility.

The P300 gets a backside-illuminated 8-megapixel CMOS sensor, a 3x f2.8 zoom lens, and a 3-inch touch screen.

Both can … Read more

LAS VEGAS--There's only so much you can do with the design of a point-and-shoot camera, so Casio deserves credit for literally breaking out of the box with the Tryx.

At first glance, it looks like an ultracompact camera/minicamcorder with a bit of flair. Then you flip out the high-resolution 3-inch touch-screen LCD and, well, it's no longer your typical pocket camera. The display can pivot through its frame a full 360 degrees while the screen itself can rotate 270 degrees. And with its built-in orientation sensor you can hold the Tryx in your left or right hand … Read more