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(Credit: Olympus)

In case you haven't been paying attention, the gotta-have-it trend in compact cameras is a wide-angle, longzoom lens, such as the one in the 1-inch-thick Olympus Stylus-7010. Available in August in a choice of dark gray, silver, or pink, the 7010 has just about every feature I look for in a pocket camera in its class:

• 12 megapixels
• 7x f3-5.9 28-196mm-equivalent lens
• 2.7-inch LCD
• Dual image stabilization
• xD memory cards (microSD with adapter)
• VGA movie capture
• 3.8 inches by 2.2 inches by 1 inches (WHD)

The lack of HD movie capture and its dependence on xD cards are really the only letdowns. Beyond those enticing specs though, the Stylus-7010 differentiates itself with AF tracking so the camera keeps a moving subject in focus; digital filters--Pop Art, Pin Hole, and Fish-Eye--for creating some custom looks in the camera; contrast compensation for pulling out shadow detail; and an in-camera panorama mode. The camera also has a new Olympus Recommended button (OR) that's used for activating these and other features fast.

It's certainly a feature-filled little camera for the reasonable street price of $199.99. Even if its photo quality is merely decent, the Olympus Stylus-7010 may be a standout in a now crowded field of wide-angle, longzoom pocket cameras.

Specifically marketed with kids in mind, PeeWee PC is a site that offers not only kid-friendly PCs, but also laptops customized for your ever-growing child.

On Wednesday, PeeWee PC is rolling out the Atom-powered PeeWee Pivot Tablet Laptop. The 3-pound PeeWee Pivot Tablet Laptop--which is more of a tablet Netbook than a laptop--sports a rotating screen that converts between a normal notebook orientation and a touch tablet.

(Credit: PeeWee PC)

Kids can use either a keyboard or an included stylus to interact with their favorite programs or games. The unit features a rugged, spill-resistant case that's designed to endure the bumps and knocks the younger generation has to offer. So, parents, when your child goes into a temper tantrum and flings the machine around, you might be knocked on your a**, but know that your investment has sustained the fall from your head to the floor.

Kidding aside, the PeeWee Pivot Tablet Laptop runs Windows XP on a 10-inch screen, 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM (upgradeable to 2GB) and a 60GB hard drive. In addition, the tablet has two USB 2.0 ports, an SD/MMC media card reader, a VGA port, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and a 1.3-megapixel Webcam. Reminiscent of Intel's Classmate PC in 2007, the Pivot Tablet has a carrying handle that's removed by taking out the battery and then removing the four screws that affix the handle.

The PeeWee Tablet Laptop ships with game titles for pre-K, early elementary, or upper elementary students, plus a free Walt Disney Windows XP theme, and a proprietary security suite so parents have complete control of how and when kids use the notebook--parents can also view browsing histories, block sites, take screenshots, and control the system remotely.

The $19.99 Pogo has an ultralight aluminum body with an anodized finish and laser graphics.

(Credit: Ten One Design)

Most people use their fingers to operate their iPhones and iPod Touches because Steve Jobs made sure the touch-screens of those devices were finger-friendly. But that hasn't stopped Ten One Design from making a special stylus, the Pogo ($19.99), for those of you who just don't think your fingers cut it when it comes to operating your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Ten One Design's marketing materials sum up the new stylus this way:

The sleek design of the Pogo Stylus features an ultralight aluminum body with an anodized finish and laser graphics. The soft tip glides easily over the surface of the display, making it fun and easy to sketch, draw characters, or just slide to unlock. Sized for accuracy, it does away with the awkward typos and misfires common to fingertip-only use.

Eliminating fingers has the added benefit of keeping the screen free of smudges and grease. Designed to firmly hug the contours of the iPhone 3G, the Pogo Stylus travel clip will keep your stylus close at hand. A second clip is included for the original iPhone and iPod touch.

What do you guys think? Are you not satisfied with your fingers when using your iPhone or Touch? Would this help with banging out e-mails faster with the virtual keyboard?

I personally would probably lose the thing within a month--even with that clip-on holder, which impinges on the sleek design of both products. But that's just me.

HP released two new portables and one desktop printer today, all within the Photosmart line of photo-ready printers. With summer in full swing, HP lets you grab your digicam and a camera to print on the run. Let's take a closer look at these new offerings:

• Photosmart A530: $99, A refresh from last year's Photosmart A526. This time around, it features a bright 2.4-inch color display, 27-seconds-per-photo reported print speed, and the option to print wireless with their Bluetooth adapter.
• Photosmart A630: $149, 4.8 inch touchscreen, 5x7 inch max print size, touch-screen keyboard and stylus for creative elements that include colorful borders, frames, clip art, captions, and drawings.
• Photosmart D5460: $100, five-ink cartridge bay, 1.5 inch color display, 31 color pages per minute, up to 9,600 x 2,400 dpi color on HP's Premium Photo Paper



Both portable printers have a pop-up handle and a paper input tray that folds up for easy travel. We're happy to see that they've improved on the Photosmart A526 by adding on screen editing and a ton of options for individual picture customization. The Photosmart A560 and A630 will be available in August; the Photosmart D5460 is available now.

(Credit: OhGizmo)

It's already two days into July, and shockingly we haven't provided a single public service alert about date-repelling products this month. But this one should make up for the lost time.

The Lightsaber has always held a special place in this category, and a new product is paying homage to this totem once again in the form of a stylus for the Nintendo DS. (Make that styli, actually, because they're being sold in packs of two or three at a time.)

For those not in the know, according to OhGizmo, the trio-pack includes the Luke, Vader, and Obi-Wan sabers. And yes, they do light up, but don't expect them to retract. Remember, that's not real.

(Credit: Epson)

We're excited about Epson's newest multifunction printer, the Stylus NX400. The all-in-one printer, copier, and scanner is outfitted in a glossy black finish and uses Epson's DURABrite Ultra ink to produce photos that can reportedly last up to six times longer than the average printer using plain paper.

Under the hood, you'll find Epson's MicroPiezo DX3 print nozzle head that uses variable ink droplet sizes from 4 picoliters and up, which translates to finer detail in the quality of your photos. The printer also has a 2.5 inch tilt LCD screen, memory card slots, and a PictBridge port for direct camera connectivity. Priced at $100 square, we're anxious to see how it stacks up to other entry level multifunction printers. We're going to give it a full review, including speed and quality tests, in the near future.

(Credit: Crave UK)

This is not a sex toy. This is the TAD, a mobile phone accessory for the long-nailed or keypad-confounded. It's pretty simple really: You insert the pointy bit and then slip the ring over your thumb--hey presto, you've got a pointy thumb.

It might look a bit gimmicky, but if you've got very long nails you'll know how difficult it can be to tap buttons--the TAD could be the answer. It comes with three swappable pointers for different size keys--the pointed one you can see in the picture is for touch screens. It's not perfect, but after a little adjusting it does work OK, although it'll take some getting used to.

According to its creator, the TAD also doubles up as a ring protector, which is useful if you're going to play sports or just want to make sure it doesn't get scuffed on a night out--or you could just wear it as a ring itself. It comes in black, white, red, pink, blue, and green. If you're keen on trying it out, it'll only set you back a few bucks from the TAD's online shop.

(Source: Crave UK)

(Credit: Brando)

Hong Kong-based Brando's obsession with combining gadgetry has been long documented in this space, from its mouse massagers to aromatherapy speakers. And every once in awhile one of its lab rats actually turns out to be something useful. Not this time.

The "Stylus Hanging Bluetooth Headset" is as baffling as its name suggests. The headset hangs from your neck but must still be connected to some kind of headphones, while touting its weak multi-tasking role as a stylus. Which would make it the largest and most cumbersome stylus in the history of technology. They would have been better off making it into an LED or pen. Or something.

(Credit: DayDeal)

Whether they have an aversion to fingerprint smudges or touch screens in general, apparently some people want a stylus for their iPhone. But heaven forbid it should be one of those crude pointy plastic things, poking the royal handset in undignified ways.

That's why the "Soft-Touch Stylus" was created, to be practical but also properly respectful. It's made of an aluminum body with a rubber tip and promises not to scratch or otherwise damage the iPhone, iPod Touch, or presumably any other screen as long as it's not abused, according to Pocket-lint. And it comes with a built-in shirt clip, so you can maintain that all-important uber-geek image.