A pre-holiday quickie 'cast on time-lapsing judgment, no news is no news, and a cacophony of contest cuteness.
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EPISODE 69
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The third-generation Vado HD comes in black or white.
(Credit: Creative)With Kodak and Flip Video releasing new pocket camcorders this fall, Creative will launch the next version of its Vado HD in December. Simply dubbed "third-generation" Vado HD, the new model comes in black or white and will retail for $179.99. It has 4GB of built-in memory, captures 720p HD video, and offers several improvements over previous versions.
They include:
- Improved quality of video in low light or brightly lit conditions with manual exposure adjustments
- External stereo microphone support for better audio recording
- Headphone output for private listening
- Motion Detection mode will enable users to program the camera to begin recording as soon as motion is detected
- Out-of-the box Mac and PC compatibility
- Still Photo Capture Mode
- New Vado Central 3.0 software with more instant Web-uploading capabilities (Facebook, YouTube, Kinkast) and integrated editing options
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The 720p-shooting Kodak Zi6 is on sale for just $99.
(Credit: CNET)The deals are coming fast and furious this week, to the point where I couldn't pick just one for today. Instead I've rounded up a little cheapskate trifecta. (Note: All have a high sellout risk!) Take a look:
1) CompUSA has a 24-inch Synaps LCD monitor for $159.99 shipped. It's a 1080p display with VGA and DVI inputs (no HDMI, alas), built-in speakers, and a 5ms response time. User reviews are overwhelmingly positive. And this is almost an all-time low for a 24-inch monitor.
2) Amazon is offering the Kodak Zi6 HD pocket camcorder for $99 shipped. It can record 720p video on inexpensive SD/SDHC cards (here's an 8GB card for just $15.45). CNET liked its "solid video quality" (read the full review here), and Amazon customers collectively rated it 4 stars out of 5.
3) At US Appliance you can score a new LG BD270 Blu-ray player for $94, plus $5.99 for shipping. (Use coupon code welcome10 to get that price.) That's not the best Blu-ray deal I've seen, as this model doesn't do BD-Live or Netflix, but it's definitely rare to see an LG for under $100. CNET hasn't reviewed it, but user reviews on Amazon are very high.
Anything strike your fancy? If not, be sure to check out Five Black Friday deals you shouldn't miss (if you haven't already). And if you spot anything awesome that I've missed, by all means post it in the comments or shoot me an e-mail. Happy shopping!
On Sale Now: $79.99 - $129.99
View the latest prices for LG BD270
On Sale Now: $99.00 - $169.99
View the latest prices for Kodak Zi6 (black)
On Sale Now: $89.00 - $164.99
View the latest prices for Kodak Zi6 (pink)
On Sale Now: $139.95 - $159.99
View the latest prices for Kodak Zi6 (red)
Flip MinoHD
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)According to Pocket-Lint, an unspecified Flip camcorder slated to ship in the first half of 2010 will incorporate Wi-Fi connectivity. That's unsurprising, given the recent acquisition of Flip's parent, Pure Digital, by networking giant Cisco. The site also says a Cisco spokesperson confirmed that "the new model will feature 'a large screen that slides to reveal the record and menu buttons underneath' allowing users to see what is going on when they are recording video."
How much you wanna bet this will be announced at CES (or just before) in January? I'm also curious how much Wi-Fi will add to the price; one of the main attractions of these models is their cheapness relative to more full-featured products. Plus, adding Wi-Fi generally means a partnership with a hot-spot provider for free uploads. Just wondering...
Calibration on the cheap, fun with focal length and back-to-back black contest photos.
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EPISODE 68
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The Zoom Q3 camcorder brings quality audio to the solid-state video camera market.
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)Update: CNET's full review of the Zoom Q3 is now available.
As the audiophile's answer to the Flip camcorder craze, the Zoom Q3 ($249) takes a basic pocket video camera and bestows it with a high-quality stereo microphone and advanced audio-recording options. After a weekend playing with the Q3 and testing its audio and video capabilities against the Flip Ultra HD, I have a few initial observations to share.
... Read moreOn Sale Now: $233.56 - $249.00
View the latest prices for Zoom Q3
Honing your sharpening skills, how you left your ruts in the mud, and your fall foliage photos for all.
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EPISODE 67
... Read moreFlummoxed by film scanning, finding white balance where there is none, and they only come out at night (to shoot).
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EPISODE 66
... Read moreYou think your job is hard? I had to narrow down three potential deals for today. Three!
Woot.com's refurbished 10.1-inch Acer netbook for $229.99 (plus $5 shipping) was a strong contender, but I know lots of you visit Woot already--and many more of you are sick of Netbooks. (Awesome, awesome deal, though.)
Then I considered the refurbished 2GB Sansa Clip MP3 player: $19.99 shipped at Buy.com. Mighty sweet.
Ultimately, I settled on the Creative Labs Vado pocket camcorder, which Dell has for $39.99 shipped.
Although this isn't the newer HD model, it's perfectly good for shooting YouTube-ready, VGA-quality video. And it can hold up to 60 minutes of it at the high-quality setting or 2 hours at "SP."
I love these little camcorders, which are easy to toss in a pocket, glove box, or wherever for capturing life's little moments.
CNET had mostly good things to say about the Vado, which is noteworthy for its built-in USB connector, onboard software, and one-touch uploading to YouTube.
This is a new unit, not a refurb, so it comes with a full one-year warranty. It regularly sells for at least $85, so $40 shipped is hard to beat. Great gift item!
Dell deals often expire or sell out without warning, so if this sounds good to you, act fast. (And if it does sell out, well, you've got the aforementioned runners-up. See? I'm always thinking ahead. Well, starting now, I am.)
For those waiting to see what Flip Video will have for the holiday season, the company is about to ship an upgraded, "premium" version of its MinoHD pocket camcorder for $229.99.
In a nod to Apple, the new model is called the MinoHD, second-generation, and features a brushed metal body, double the internal memory (8GB vs. 4GB), a larger, 2-inch LCD, and an HDMI connection, though no cable is included.
Flip's designers have also rounded off the corners of the unit (it does look sleeker) and tweaked the FlipShare software package to include direct uploads to Facebook (MySpace and YouTube links were already available) and a new Movie Magic mode that takes your clips and automatically arranges them into a "movie."
Other than that, nothing else has changed. Like its older sibling, this model offers 720p video capture and two hours of battery life from its integrated lithium-ion battery. Flip Video has yet to add the electronic image stabilization or macro mode found on Kodak's Zi8, which also features 1080p capture.
The new MinoHD is available in silver or you can get a custom finish at no extra charge if you order the unit from the Flip website. Meanwhile, the original MinoHD ($199.99) remains on sale along with the standard-def Mino ($149.99).
We've been playing around with the new model for a couple of days and it's definitely nicer, though we can't say it's a huge upgrade. If the difference in price was really only $30, we'd say go for this guy, but we're seeing the original MinoHD discounted to around $170 online, which may create a buying dilemma.
Read the CNET review of the Flip MinoHD (second generation).
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