Pentax K-m, Eye-Fi, Lensbaby, Seitz, Minox spy cameras, Hasselblad, Kodak and the rest round out Photokina

Photokina is nearly over, and as the dust settles over the big camera announcements, we took a look around the rest of the show's launches for the good, the bad and the ugly. Let's start with the ugly: the Pentax K-m is a perfectly acceptable entry-level dSLR, but someone dropped this version from the ugly tree, hitting every branch on the way down and apparently landing in a big bag of broken stained glass.

Yes, it's our old favourite: the Swarovski crystal-studded gadget. No trade show is complete without a bunch of cheap-looking diamante thingies glued over an otherwise perfectly serviceable piece of consumer electronics. Manufacturers put their heads together to work out why mostly boys buy gadgets, and when trying to think of ways to entice more ladies, they come up with making the thing pink. Then they move on to thinking of ways to both entice ladies and charge more.

At this point, the Swarovski sales rep is conjured in a puff of smoke from whatever corner of design hell they inhabit, probably wearing some kind of crystal-studded cape. "We'll add our crystals to your gadget," goes the sale pitch, "and all it will cost you is... your immortal souls!" Burbling about new demographics, going forward and cross-brand synergies, the manufacturers sign in blood, and are all mysteriously decapitated by freak accidents within three months.

At least, that's how we envision it happening. Business meetings would be so much more interesting if Crave had its way. Anyway, click through the links for more gadgets, bargains and outrageously expensive bits of kit, but absolutely no more crystals. -Rich Trenholm

Image: Pocket-lint

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