Contour

App unlocks Bluetooth viewfinder on ContourGPS

LAS VEGAS--When Contour announced its ContourGPS location-aware HD sports camera last year, it held back a bit of information: there's a Bluetooth chip inside the device that has been sitting unused. However, a pair of new smartphone apps for Android and iPhone devices aims to put that wireless connection to good use.

After downloading a software patch (not yet available) and updating the ContourGPS' firmware to unlock the Bluetooth connection, users will be able to grab the Contour Mobile app from the Android Market or the iTunes App Store, and connect their smartphone to the camera. Users will then … Read more

MetroPCS plucks the apple-red Samsung Contour

MetroPCS has plucked the simple Samsung Contour (SCH-r250) for its lineup.

The candy-apple-red flip phone has a VGA camera, and both internal and external displays. The Contour is a very simple phone for making calls. Features-wise, it supports Bluetooth, multimedia messaging, and voice commands.

There's also a slew of MetroPCS apps, including MetroWeb for the Internet, e-mail with mail@metro, Metro 411 Directory Assistance, and MetroBackup.

The Contour is available now with MetroPCS for $49 without a contract.

Helmet-cams get location-aware with ContourGPS

We're fans of the ContourHD wearable camcorder. It's easy to use, captures great looking high-def video, and is rugged enough to survive the occasional knock and bump--in fact, we use the 1080p model every week to capture on-the-road footage for Car Tech Live. Today, Contour announces that the latest feature to come to its line of HD helmet-cams: location awareness in the new ContourGPS.

The ContourGPS sports a similar industrial design as the previous ContourHD cameras but the devil's in the details. The most obvious change is the new hump on the record slider. This hump houses … Read more

VholdR boosts ContourHD resolution to 1080p

It figures that the day after we decide to give the VholdR ContourHD wearable camcorder our coveted Editors' Choice award, that VholdR would go and announce something better. This, dear readers, is what we like to call a "good problem."

The cleverly named ContourHD1080p takes the standard ContourHD's 720p HD resolution and bumps it up to--you guessed it--1080p. All of the features that we loved in the original will still be there in the new unit, including the rotating wide-angle lens assembly, the rechargeable lithium ion battery, and the dual frickin' laser beams.

What's new is a plethora of additional recording modes. In addition to the original 720p/30 frames per second HD and 480p/60fps SD modes, the ContourHD1080p adds:

Full HD - 1080p (1,920x1,080 pixels) at 30fps Tall HD - 960p (1,280x960 pixels) at 30fps Action HD - 720p (1,280x720 pixels) at 60fps

Additionally, with the use of the included Easy Edit software, you can set the contrast (high, medium, or low), metering (center, average, or spot), and exposure (-4 to +4). Its microphone sensitivity can be adjusted as well, which should help to reduce some of the wind noise that we found when testing the standard ContourHD.

So, should you wait for this new model instead of picking up the current ContourHD?

Well, that depends. According to VholdR, the ContourHD1080p is aimed professional videographers, while the standard HD is for enthusiasts. Yet, the ContourHD1080p weighs in at an MSRP of $329.99, only $40 more than the 720p model. However, introducing more options for exposure and metering could confuse casual users and take away from the simple point and shoot nature that so endeared us to the standard ContourHD. We'll wait and see how the controls pan out before making final judgment.

In the meantime, check out a video of the ContourHD1080p in action after the jump.… Read more

ContourHD wearable camcorder delivers 720p video, shoots lasers

The ContourHD by VholdR is a tube-style camcorder designed to be worn as a helmet camera for recording extreme activities. But this is Car Tech and I'm a car guy, so I mostly tested the camera using the optional suction cup windshield mount. After reviewing the footage, I'm rather impressed.

The ContourHD features an attractive design, but a limited feature set. Unlike its competition from GoPro and Oregon Scientific, the ContourHD isn't submersible and doesn't feature a still-photography mode or a viewfinder, optical or digital.

But what the ContourHD lacks in bullet-pointed features, it makes up … Read more

ContourHD: Extreme version of Flip MinoHD

Yes, you could, in theory, strap the Flip MinoHD to your ski helmet, hit record, and see what happens. But a couple of companies are making extreme YouTube-friendly camcorders, and VHoldR's second-generation model is billed as "the first HD wearable camcorder."

VHoldR says it maintained the simplicity from its earlier standard-definition camcorder, but "seriously improved" the video quality, field of view, memory capacity, and the audio experience in the ContourHD. The camcorder is powered by a removable, rechargeable, lithium ion battery. It has a slot for a microSD card (it accepts cards up to 16GB … Read more

Flash Memory Store.com has the SanDisk Cruzer Contour 16GB for $68.95, after $31.04 savings.

Save $31.04 on the SanDisk Cruzer Contour 16GB from Flash Memory Store.com >> Regular price is $99.99 >> Sale price is $68.95 >> Savings $31.04 (31.04%) >> Click here for deal

The science of hearing

The graphic on this page, taken from a Wikipedia entry, shows the current ISO standard for something called equal loudness contours.

If you've studied audio production or audio equipment, you might have seen this or similar charts. (The earliest version, created in 1933, was known as the Fletcher-Munson curve, and recent studies have proven it was quite accurate.) But what does it mean?

The horizontal x-axis represents pitch, measured in Hertz (Hz), or vibrations per second. The lowest threshold of human hearing is around 20 Hz--that would be a very low bass note on a church organ. Human voices … Read more