Camcorders

Tech gifts for children

Choosing a Christmas present for a young child is daunting -- even seasoned shoppers will get cold sweats at the prospect of trawling the baffling maze of toys in the vain hope of getting it right. And if you'd like to buy something with a techie spin, the chances narrow considerably.

Hopefully, by checking out this round-up of top tech gifts this Christmas, you'll avoid the soul-destroying sight of the kids playing with the box more than the toy. Continue reading...

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GoPro Hero 3 black is a 4K sports camera, costs £359

Mountain bikers, surfers and skateboarders assemble -- GoPro has crafted a brand-new toy to strap to your extreme sports apparatus, and one of them captures footage in sense-defying 4K.

The HD Hero 3 camera line-up includes the high-end black edition camcorder, which films in glorious 4K or 2.7K resolution, all while being tiny enough to bolt to the top of a cycling helmet. Continue reading...

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Super Hi-Vision camera shoots 4 billion pixels every second

We're suckers for giant cameras -- and it doesn't get much more giant than a camera that shoots 16 times the detail of high definition. This broadcasting behemoth is a new Super Hi-Vision camera that records a stunning 33 megapixels, at an eye-watering 120 frames per second.

Super Hi-Vision is a form of Ultra High Definition Television, telly so detailed you'll practically be able to climb into any wrinkle in Tom Jones' leathery visage. With a resolution of 7,580x4,320 pixels filming at 120fps, this camera is capturing 4 billion pixels every second -- roughly the level of detail on an IMAX cinema screen, only on a telly. Continue reading...

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Best action sports holiday gadgets

Planning on taking yourself off on a sports holiday this year? Whether you're strapping a snowboard to your feet, clambering onto a mountain bike or hitting the waves on your surfboard, you're going to need at least a few key pieces of tech to get the most out of your active trip.

I headed out to the Italian Alps, armed with my snowboard and six shiny new gadgets, each one bringing a splash of tech luxury to the slopes in its own special way. Continue reading...

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Sony HDR-TD20 3D camcorder in hands-on video

3D! 3D! Excited yet? 3D! The Sony HDR-TD20 is Sony's latest camcorder to shoot in three dimensions, and we've had a quick shufti. Hit play to see the new model.

The TD20 is a lot smaller than the previous model, the HDR-TD10. As well as being lighter, the smaller size moves the lenses closer together and makes it easier to shot 3D video closer up. Continue reading...

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Sony PJ200 and PJ260 projector camcorders in hands-on video

Draw the curtains, would you? We've got our hands on the PJ200 and PJ260, the latest camcorders from Sony to light up our lives -- thanks to their built-in projectors.

Fill the PJ200 and PJ260 with high-definition video of your friends and family frolicking, and there's no messing about with memory cards or uploading to YouTube: simply press the projector button and beam your video on to the nearest wall, table, tree or person. Continue reading...

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Kodak Playfull coming to the UK 1 November

Now the Flip is dead, you might've thought other pocket camcorders would go the same way. But you'd be wrong, as Kodak has just proved by announcing that its latest Playfull camcorder is coming to the UK on 1 November.

It's a water- and drop-proof device capable of taking a knock or two, and it looks like it should be your first choice if you're going away and don't want to risk breaking your phone when capturing video. Continue reading...

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CNET How To

Need to know how to do something? You've come to the right place. This page contains a collection of all the walk-through how-to articles we've written to help you get more out of the technology you own. Bookmark it and come back regularly to see what's new.

IFA 2011

Europe's biggest show dedicated to consumer technology kicks off in Berlin this week. From the latest tablets and mobiles from HTC and Samsung to the most sumptuous TVs made by the likes of Sony and LG, we'll be on the ground getting our hands-on the gadgets companies hope you'll spend your hard-earned cash on this Christmas. Bookmark this page and return to see what's new every day.

Flip is dead, so here's some alternative cameras, camcorders and phones

Flip Video is dead. The company that led the craze for affordable, one-button pocket camcorders with the Flip Ultra and Flip Mino is being wound up by owners Cisco in the face of competition from big-name rivals, video-shooting compact cameras and camera phones.

Cisco bought Flip two years ago for £360m, and although Flip camcorders are still popular they clearly don't pay their way. Cisco is pulling the plug on more than 550 workers. With a gaping Flip-shaped hole in our lives, let's take a look at the rivals that saw Flip off, and see what unique features could help them swim where Flip sank. Continue reading...

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Panasonic HM-TA20, HM-WA10 rugged camcorders are, like, totally extreme

Panasonic has launched some compact camcorders designed for young tearaways who want to make totally gnarly outdoors videos. We recently got our hands the ruggedised HM-TA20 and HM-WA10 and have the photos to prove it. We also got our mitts on the non-rugged HX-DC1.

The TA20 has the same form factor as Flip Video's mini-camcorders, so it will slip into your pocket without any bother. Similarly, it has a built-in USB connector -- so you can easily plug it into a computer -- as well a distinct lack of buttons, since it's operated primarily via its touchscreen. It's also possible to use the TA20 as a USB webcam too, which is quite handy. Continue reading...

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JVC GS-TD1, Sony HDR-TD10 lead 3D camcorder charge for 2011

The general public's overwhelming indifference to the Great 3D TV Offensive of 2010 has not discouraged tech manufacturers. No siree, at this year's CES tech fest, they redoubled their efforts to ram 3D content into your eyeballs, unveiling a plethora of three-dimensional camcorders. Here we round them up in a handy photo gallery. You will buy 3D products, dagnabbit. Continue reading...

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Sony Bloggie 3D hands-on review: We test Sony's pocket 3D camcorder

It's no good guys, you're going to have to shuffle out from under that rock -- 3D is officially here to stay, having infiltrated affordable, pocketable devices like Sony's nifty Bloggie range.

We had a chance to play with the Bloggie 3D at CES 2011, view its lenticular screen -- which lets you watch back your footage without the need for glasses -- and saw a demo of footage shot with the device. Click through the photos above to check out this futuristic gadget, and read on to hear our first impressions. Continue reading...

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JVC demonstrates 4K camcorder, transports us from Vegas to New York

We've always known that 'Full HD' 1080p video is just another stop on the road to ultra-high-definition TV. At JVC's stand at the CES 2011 trade show, the company demonstrated a 4K prototype camcorder that suggests we'll be reaching UltraHDville sooner than we might think.

The camera, which offers an image resolution of 3,840x2,160 pixels, shoots 8.3-megapixel frames at a rate of 60 frames per second. This is only possible because JVC has developed new processors that are more than twice as fast as previous models. As a bonus, these new chips use less power and are cheaper to make than the processors in current JVC camcorders.  Continue reading...

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Sony Handycam HDR-TD10E is first full HD, 3D camcorder

Here in sunny Las Vegas, Sony is showing off the world's first full HD, 3D camcorder with a built-in, glasses-free, 3D screen. Meet the Handycam HDR-TD10E.

The £800 camera has dual lenses and two recording sensors as well as that fold-out, 3.5-inch 3D screen. The two-lens, two-sensor approach is what enables Sony to claim the 'world's first full HD 3D camera' badge, even though there are other 3D, HD camcorders on the market. Continue reading...

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Casio EX-TR100 Tryx turns tricks in Las Vegas

We like a dash of eccentricity in our gadgets, and the Casio Exilim EX-TR100 Tryx certainly has that. It's not as barking as Lady Gaga camerashades, but it does come in a quirky twisty-turny frame that's unlike any camera we've ever seen before.

The Tryx takes the twisty-screen styling of mini-camcorders such as the Samsung HMX-E10 and runs with it. The camera is hinged in two places: the screen is connected to the lens bit, and swivels 270 degrees, while the surrounding frame is also attached to the lens bit and spins 360 degrees. Continue reading...

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Sony Bloggie 3D mini-camcorder makes 3D easy, pocketable

You know 3D has reached the point of parody when even tiny little mini-camcorders like Sony's cute Bloggies can record in all three dimensions. "What is the deal with that?! What's next, 3D microwaves?!" as Jerry Seinfeld might say, were he trapped in the Orwellian nightmare that is CES.

The Bloggie 3D MHS-FS3 (pictured above, middle) is a "world's first", Sony trumpets, adding the tiny qualification that it's referring to "MP4-based consumer digital cameras capable of recording vertical resolution of 1080 as of 5 January 2011". It is an impressive little blighter, however, with two lenses, two sensors, an LED light, 8GB of internal memory and a stereo mic. Continue reading...

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CES 2011

CES 2011 is the most exciting consumer electronics show of the year. It's the first time we get to see the cool new products manufacturers are hoping we'll buy. We'll be on the spot reporting on the latest tablets, connected TVs and anything else the industry has to show off. The show officially kicks off on January 6, so bookmark this page and return to see all our stories from CES 2011 in one place.

Kodak PlayFull and PlaySport mini-camcorders swing into Vegas

Kodak's new mini-camcorders have rocked into Vegas for CES 2011 Swingers-style: one elegant and playful, one chunky and a bit uptight. The young Vince Vaughn of the pair is the PlayFull (pictured left and middle), a compact full HD 1080p shooter that can chop 5-megapixel still pics from your footage.

The homelier Jon Favreau of the duo is the new PlaySport (right), a refreshed version of last year's model. Still water- and dustproof, the PlaySport is shockproof too. It can also handle 1080p video, and has a 2-inch LCD. Continue reading...

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Samsung HMX-Q10 takes the iPhone approach to buttons, handy for lefties

Happy new year, Craveaholics! Like a Chilean miner emerging from subterranean exile, Crave has left the Christmas holiday cocoon, donned trousers for the first time in a week, and set to work bringing you the hottest gadgets from Las Vegas techstravaganza CES -- starting with the wallet and southpaw-friendly Samsung HMX-Q10 camcorder.

The sleek Q10 shoots 1080i or 720p high-definition video with a backside-illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensor. It snaps 4.9-megapixel still photos. Optical image stabilisation (OIS) keeps the 10x f1.8 zoom free of blur from shaky hands. Continue reading...

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