cameras

Tilting security cams for the paranoid

One of the most vexing things about being chronically paranoid is the limitations of our equipment (technologically speaking). No matter how many security cameras you've installed, for example, there will always be blind spots--and we know that's exactly where our enemies are sure to be lying in wait.

We may be getting some much-needed help, however, from a new remote-controlled tilting camera on the market. This neat little device can pan the landscape at will, controlled from up to 330 feet away with a handheld monitor that includes at 2.5-inch LCD screen to watch your target's … Read more

Smile for the stick

Thank goodness Princess Di is resting in peace, because this latest camera innovation would have surely made her life a living hell.

The ultimate paparazzi tool, the "Giraffe Pole Camera" developed by Macroswiss is basically a 21st century version of the World War I trench periscope but with greater capability, according to Gizmag. Think of it as something like a military version of the "Quick Pod."

The Giraffe is mounted on an aluminum telescopic pole that can extend up to 18 feet, allowing it to record images "from locations that are too difficult or too … Read more

Another way to remember your photos

Everytime we curse technology for one reason or another, something comes along to make us thankful for it. And as we get older, it usually involves something that helps compensate for the ravages of age on mind and body.

The latest example is one that facilitates our addled memory, called the "Photo GPS" from Jobo--a device that Gadget Review says will record "time, data, longitude, latitude, street name, country, zip code, and nearest point of interest every time you snap a photo."

We mentioned a similar technology developed for Sony cameras a few days ago, but … Read more

Security cams for the paranoid on a budget

We're not so paranoid that we need technologies that can tell who's spying on us, honest. All we want to do is conduct constant surveillance around our perimeter at all times, so we can dispatch the guard dogs as necessary. (Until we finish filling the moat, anyway.)

The problem, however, is that we're cheap--and surveillance equipment often isn't. But something like the "Mini-Air Watch4" system might just work. For a relatively reasonable $275, Gadgetizer says the system comes with four wireless color security cameras and a video receiver that can work from 100 to … Read more

Westinghouse set to release new digital photo frames

Back in January, Westinghouse announced at the Consumer Electronics Show that it would be putting out a new line of digital photo frames in early 2007. Now the company is getting ready to make good on its promise.

I got a quick look at the final production samples, and they do appear to be significantly better than last year's frames, which were fairly lackluster. As the LCD factories in the Far East rev next-gen panels, the themes this year for digital photo frames are higher resolutions, better interfaces, and just plain big. In a few weeks, Westinghouse will begin … Read more

GPS remembers photos when you don't

We can't remember the number of times we've come across an old photo and couldn't remember where it was taken. (Sometimes a new photo, even.) That's why we, and our deteriorating brain cells, appreciate Sony's development of a GPS unit for the camera.

The elegantly named GPS-CS1KA saves the location, time and date of photos taken in all areas that have satellite coverage, according to Tech Digest. The device stores about a month's worth of tracking data for the photos, which can be tagged on a Google map as well.

The unit weighs under … Read more

Sigma's compact DP1 gets some exposure

Japanese camera and lens maker Sigma began showing off its DP1 digital camera, a compact model using the unusual Foveon image sensor.

Each pixel in a Foveon sensor can detect red, green and blue light, a different approach compared to most "Bayer pattern" sensors that have a checkerboard of pixels that only capture a single color. The Foveon sensors have been used earlier in Sigma's SLR cameras.

The camera image has a resolution of 4.7 megapixels, but each pixel has all three colors; most cameras have only one color and extrapolate values for the others.

The … Read more

Every dog has its digital camera

TokyoMango points to Wonderful Shot, a digital camera that's designed to hang from a pet collar so you can see life through your dog's eyes. The toy has two settings: it will either take a real-time photo by pressing a button on the camera's remote control, or you can set the device to automatically take photos at regular intervals so you can figure out what your mutt's been up to while you were away. The company has also set up a community for sharing your dog's photos, but you're still on the hook for … Read more

A different approach to GPS-enabled cameras

Photography's essential use of GPS differs from the typical GPS application in one significant way: You don't need it to tell you where you are, only where you've been. Why does this distinction matter? Because the former requires far more real-time horsepower and precision than the latter does. For digital photography, that translates into the difference between bulky, expensive power-draining solutions or small-footprint, cheap, energy-efficient ones.

At least, that's the thinking behind NXP Software's swGPS technology, and I think it has a lot of merit. With the swGPS software embedded in a camera along with … Read more