This is Samsung’s HMX-Q10 camcorder, a compact HD-capable camcorder that features a 5MP back-illuminated CMOS sensor for low-light shooting. Looks great and all, but the design is what separates it from the rest of the pack. See, this cam isn’t your regular hold-it-with-your-right-hand cam. You can flip the slim barrel-shaped body over and around, strap it to your left hand, and be comfy with it if you’re left-handed (or if you’re just tired from holding it in your right hand the way nature intended it to be). A magnetometer in the cam senses which side is up and rotates the preview screen accordingly, which is a pretty simple idea, but a big boon to millions of left-handed tourists around the world.
Looking to get record videos without needing to hold it up? Good idea if you’re into activities where both hands are totally necessary, like mountain biking or skiing. Anyway, uCorder has your back. They’ve just introduced the Pockito IRDC260, a tiny pocket camcorder that measures 2.5 inches long and only half-an-inch thick, and comes with an accessory pack that’ll let you attach it to your arm or a helmet for sport-type activities.
Wearable cams aren’t that rare, although previous cams usually came with a clip to hold it up. The Looxcie is built to be light enough to be worn looped behind your ear, just like you would a particularly bulky Bluetooth mobile headset (which, by the way, it also doubles as). As for the “always on” part, that’s what makes the cam unique. Since you won’t always know when to hit the record button to capture the awesome (or outrageously funny), the cam doesn’t come with a record button. It’s always recording as soon as you hit the power button, like a security cam strapped to the side of your head , and it comes with 4GBs of storage and enough juice to store up to 5 hours of continuous videos and stored clips.
Sony just updated their Bloggie pocket camcorder line with the Bloggie Touch. What’s new? A more advanced CMOS sensor that can handle full HD recording and—just like everyone and everything else, it seems—a 3-inch touchscreen to replace most of the controls save for one button.
You somehow knew it was inevitable that someone would the relatively small pocket camcorder niche would soon replace those tiny screens and basic buttons with full touchscreens. Kodak did it a couple of days ago with the Playtouch, and now JVC drops a couple into the mix with the Picsio GC-FM2 and GC-WP10. While both feature 1080p recording and a relatively large 3-inch screen that takes up the whole area at the back, the WP10 offers a different twist with a waterproof case.
