Camcorder round-up: Hi-def gets smaller and smaller

All those announcements about things being "the smallest" were trumped in the teeny-tiny stakes by the Sony NSC-GC1, aka the "Net-sharing cam".

Squaring up at a tiny 30mm by 105mm by 57mm, the NSC-GC1 is designed for uploading and sharing videos on YouTube and the like. Like the recently announced YouTube cameras, you can set the software to post to sharing Web sites or your own site, if you really must.

Inside there's a 1/2.5-inch CMOS sensor -- not bad at all for a camcorder this size -- 4x digital zoom, and a battery that will last you a paltry 90 minutes. That's The Simpsons Movie in the bag, piracy fans, but not Transformers. The NSC-GC1 uses Memory Stick Pro Duo cards and saves footage from QVGA resolutions at 15fps to VGA at 30fps.

Outside, there's a flash for taking 5-megapixel stills (er... thanks?) and a 60mm (2.4-inch) LCD screen.

The Sony Net-sharing NSC-GC1 will be in the US in September for a trifling $199.99 (£99). Expect a glut of Mentos vs Panda Cola showdowns to follow shortly after. -Rich Trenholm