Cameras and Photo

Vizit photo frame connects directly to cell network, pulls photos down from secure website

1 Comment / Cameras and Photo, Gizmo of the Day / By /

isabella vizit photo frameNetwork-connected photo frames are nothing new, but this new one called the Vizit from Isabella has some cool new features. It hooks up directly to AT&T’s cellular network, and you can ‘send’ photos to it via e-mail, SMS text messages, Flickr, and Web browser.

What it does it pulls photos down from the VizitMe.com site where you set up an account ($5.99/mo) that gets tied to the frame you have. You can allow people to send photos to your account, where they are stored by Vizit. A useful application of this model is to give a frame to your non-tech-savvy family members and you can control their frame and what photos they see. Think: great for surprising them with the latest baby pictures.

The frame itself is a 10.4″ LCD-backlit touchscreen with a 800×600 resolution, and also has USB 2.0 and SD Card slots. It also comes in a variety of colors and finishes.

As much as I love the idea of hooking it up directly via a cellular network, I’d still like to see it come with an Ethernet jack.

Buy now!
More info from the manufacturer
Price: $279.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

PowerGenix Nickel-Zinc rechargeable batteries are non-toxic, recyclable

Audio/Video, Home Theater, Cameras and Photo, Gizmo of the Day, Miscellaneous / By /

powergenix rechargeable batteriesNeed more power? Sure you do; we all do. But on the other hand, you’d still like to be environmentally conscious and friendly. That means if you need batteries you should opt for rechargeables. PowerGenix has a line of rechargeable batteries that are made of Nickel-Zinc (NiZn) and run at 1.6 volts vs the usual 1.2V that other rechargeables put out.

PowerGenix claims that this is the 1st new battery chemistry in over 20 years, and that they discharge a greater portion of their stored power before reaching the device cutoff limit, so they in effect would have better performance than say a NiMH battery with a higher capacity.

PowerGenix’s batteries are 100% non-toxic and non-combustible and are nearly 100% recyclable.

For a limited time, if you purchase PowerGenix batteries, you can send in your receipt and UPC to get free C or D adapters.

Buy now!
More info from the manufacturer
Price: $23 for 4 AA batteries & charger; $13 for 4 AA cells
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Canon has 4 new cameras that auto-detects smiles and winks and takes photos

Cameras and Photo, Gizmo of the Day / By /

canon sd1300 isIn what can better help you take ‘spontaneous’ photos, Canon adds 4 new cameras to it’s PowerShot line that have a feature called SmartAuto which detects smiles and winks and releases the shutter.

The four models are:

Some models will be available in late March.

48GB and 64GB SDXC cards to start appearing this spring

Cameras and Photo, Computers, Gizmo of the Day, News / By /

sdxc cardAnother technology that will see its latest revision usher in dramatic increases in capacity is SD cards. The latest incarnation is called SDXC (Secure Digital eXtended Capacity) and has a maximum size of 2TB. Just imagine 2048GB in a card small enough to swallow.

What you need to know about SDXC
Don’t expect 2TB cards to appear just yet. 48 and 64GB cards from Panasonic and Toshiba should start appearing this Spring, with other vendors to follow closely.

You should also have some restraint; don’t rush out to buy SDXC cards without having devices that can read them. SDHC devices can read a small subset of SDXC cards only, and not at full speed.

The other major point that you should keep in mind is that only Windows 7 currently supports reading SDXC.

You can get more detailed information from the SD Card Association.

You may also want to read about USB 3.0, HDMI 1.4.

FOTOBOX Plus automagically creates slideshows from your digital photos

1 Comment / Cameras and Photo, Gizmo of the Day, Software / By /

fotobox plusPlug your SD memory card with digital photographs into Honestech’s FOTOBOX, plug the FOTOBOX in your PC and the FOTOBOX application runs you through a quick wizard and quickly creates a slideshow complete with effects.

You can transfer the finished product to DVD, YouTube, your iPod or save on your computer. That’s it!

Honestech makes the excellent VHS to DVD product (VHS to DVD Deluxe) that we reviewed previously.

Buy now!
More info from the manufacturer
Price: $52.25
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

BigShot Kit teaches kids to build a digital camera, how it works

1 Comment / Cameras and Photo, Gaming & Toys, Gizmo of the Day / By /

bigshot cameraRemember electronics and chemistry kits you had as kids? Well, there’s new technology coming out all the time and the folks at Columbia University’s Computer Vision Lab have developed an educational kit that is bit more specific  – a digital camera kit.

The BigShot camera comes in parts ready to be assembled. Sure, it’s geared for kids, but let’s face it – how many of us really know how a digicam works? Here’s hoping they can make the economics of this work and get it to the mass market.

via Wired

CES 2010: Eye-Fi Rolls Out 8GB Pro X2 SD Card

1 Comment / Cameras and Photo, CES, Gizmo of the Day / By /

eye-fi 8gb wifi 802.11n sdRemember Eye-Fi, the maker of those SD cards for your digital camera that WiFi-enabled your camera so you could instantly upload your photos somewhere without having to plug in your camera to your computer? (Sorry, that was a mouthful!) Well, they’re still around and cranking out products.

Our prediction that camera manufacturers would get clued in and just start including WiFi into their products didn’t pan out, even given 2+ years.

Eye-Fi has a new 8GB card with 802.11n support, as well as updated software and cloud storage services.

FreeLoader Portable Solar Charger – Power Your Electronic Gadgets via the Sun

Cameras and Photo, Gizmo of the Day, Phones, Portable / By /

We recently reviewed the iTech SolarCharger 906, and here’s another similar portable solar charger, the FreeLoader. Like the iTech, the FreeLoader can either be charged up via the Sun’s rays or from a more conventional power source.

It has a 1000mAh Li-ion battery to hold its charger and comes with 11 adapater tips to supply power to a variety of electronic devices. The FreeLoader is about the same price as the SolarCharger 906, but we like that the SolarCharger come with a protective case and a windshield car mount.

Buy now!
Price: $49.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

12 Gizmos for Christmas: #10 Digital SLR Cameras

Cameras and Photo, Holidays / By /

This year we felt digital cameras needed two entries, one for the less expensive small cameras that fit in your pocket and the DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) cameras. DSLRs are becoming more prevalent in households because they allow an accurate preview of framing close to the moment of exposure with a variety of interchangeable lenses to choose from.

Our top pick in the DSLR category is the Canon EOS Rebel T1i. With continous shooting speed of around 3.4 shots per second and the ability to use over 60 Canon EF/EF-S lenses, this DSLR will be a hot item this year. The next choice is the Nikon D3000 with Nikon EXPEED image processing allowing in-camera image editing and Active D-Lighting.

The last pick is by far the best selling DSLR on the market today… Canon Digital Rebel XSi. This is the entry level DSLR from Canon and a step down from the T1i mentioned as the first pick, with slightly less optical sensor resolution at 12.2 MP still shooting over 3 frames per second. No matter which DSLR you pick, you’ll love the quality of the shots and how many frames per second you can take rather than seconds per frame.

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