cameras

'Clip Cam' is a clothespin for flat monitors

It's can't compare with the "Happy Kids" Webcam in our opinion, but Brando's "USB Crystal Clip Cam" definitely seems versatile with its 180-degree rotation. Plus, the wide clip would make it pretty easy to position along the edges of any LCD monitor or laptop screen, and the camera has built-in LEDs to illuminate your night-vision chatting, though that's still more than we want to know. It won't be winning any awards for aesthetics, nor will its specs produce the best-quality photography, but at $18.50, it's hard to complain.

News roundup: StumbleUpon, Last.fm, Xbox 360 chat

StumbleUpon/eBay talks heat up. The Wall Street Journal is reporting (registration required) that a deal between eBay and StumbleUpon to acquire the social networking and content recommendation service is getting closer. No agreement has been made on price, but the rumored amount brings it somewhere near $75 million dollars. If acquired, StumbleUpon's content preference algorithms could be employed on eBay's auction listings to give eBay users a new way to get recommendations on things they might want to buy. ( CNET News.com Blog)

Last.fm launching video service. As reported by the Register in March, Last.fm … Read more

Two new PowerShots sport stabilization

update 5/8/07: Here's a lesson for all of us: Don't try to blog at 1am after doing a 7-hour shift of cat adoptions.

Okay, maybe that's just a lesson for me.

It turns out I made a couple of mistakes in this blog entry. At least my errors were pointed out by polite readers, not the ones who feel compelled to verbally abuse you for the occasional slipup. You know who you are.

In any case, I've updated the text to reflect islandgirl45CV's comments, as well as an email from a reader about … Read more

Lights, cameras, cell phones!

What do a creepy old lady and a six-foot lobster have in common? Both were subjects of prize-winning films at the second annual Cellflix Film Festival at Ithaca College, a nationwide competition of 30-second films shot with cell phones.

Zack Wilson won the $5,000 grand prize for his piece, "Assisted Living," about a wise old lady whose sense of humor shows a young nurse the importance of enjoying life. Wilson reportedly spent about 90 minutes shooting and 10 hours editing.

The video is sweet and funny, but I don't think it should have won the grand … Read more

This head-cam will survive even if you don't

It's no secret that Crave is fond of things to put on your head, but many of the items we've come across are fragile in nature. (Tin-foil hats can be so finicky sometimes.) So the survivalist in us appreciates any attempts to create headgear for extreme conditions.

The "Veecam" from U.K.-based Persides fits that bill, a battle-ready digital video camera designed for use in sports or even military applications. How ready, you say? It's waterproof up to 50 meters (164 feet) and can withstand temperatures from minus-4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, while being … Read more

Putting WiFi into camera memory cards

Chip start-up Eye-Fi believes it's easier to put Wi-Fi into memory cards than into cameras.

The company has created a memory card that includes a Wi-Fi chip. When a picture is taken, the photo is automatically sent to a photo site, according to Ken Elefant, a partner at Opus Capital, which has invested in the company. (Ken told us about the product during a meeting in the middle of April. We then contacted the company, but they declined to comment.) The card fits the standard SD format because the memory chips are stacked.

One element that Eye-Fi is trying … Read more

Karaoke with video cam: bad concept

Some would say that everyone needs a little karaoke in their lives, even in the shower. And if you're really serious about it, you might even want to record your performances on your way to American Idol.

And GPX wants to help you avoid the fate of Sanjaya Malakar with its "CD+G Karaoke System." In addition to its 5.5-inch LCD, dual speakers and "professional" microphone, the machine has a built-in digital video camera so you can record yourself belting out "Stairway to Heaven" for later viewing. (Warning: Results may vary after … Read more

A camera right out of Dickens

If you really want to go retro, you might as well go all the way--not just to the funkadelic '70s. That's apparently was the thinking behind the "Kodak 1881" digital camera, which is reminiscent of a Victorian-era heirloom locket. "Inspired by the emotional connection and careful framing of locket photos, 1881 strives to create a more precious medium through which to share your memories, whether at home or on the street," designer Lindsey Pickett says. Specs and other details are scant, but GeekSugar says the locket-cam can be opened to reveal an LCD screen. We … Read more

A camera designed to sell you home (or not)

Only a few years ago, Crave spent more than $1,000 for a 1-megapixel camera that weighed more than a brick. Today, we'd probably be lucky to get $25 for it on Craigslist.

With the price of digital cameras dropping like broadcast celebrities, it makes sense that manufacturers try whatever they can to separate themselves from the pack, catering to specific types of consumers. But real-estate agents?

"RealPIX" is a camera designed specifically for agents and homeowners in need of a quick snapshot that captures as much house as possible in a single frame. It accomplishes this … Read more