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Panasonic pops five minicamcorders into U.S.

Last year Panasonic started up a mini-camcorder line with one device, the HM-TA1. It wasn't very good, but Panasonic decided to press on, announcing three dual-camera pistol-grip models (HX-WA10, HX-DC10 and HX-DC1) and HM-TA20 and HM-TA2 candy-bar-style models.

For the HX-series models, they look like the continuation of Sanyo's dual-camera Xacti line (Panasonic announced total acquisition of Sanyo in December 2010). The WA10 is the highest-end dual-camera model (they have separate video and photo capture buttons) and features waterproofing good down to 10 feet for up to an hour; a backside-illuminated CMOS sensor; 16-megapixel photo capture and full … Read more

When ER doc consults iPad, don't panic

Nobody likes a conversation interrupted by the mobile-device grab, that increasingly familiar maneuver by which someone betrays a total lack of interest in said conversation and searches for whatever else might be going on in the world instead.

But when your physician gets device-happy in the middle of your next doctor's visit, even in the ER, chances are it's for a good cause, such as looking up the latest on your condition in a reference guide.

Rosen and Barkin's best-selling 5-Minute Emergency Medicine Consult has, for years, been a six-pound, 1,300-page clinical reference tome designed to support urgent care providers. Now, Unbound Medicine is releasing the new-and-improved fourth edition for mobile devices (including iOS, Android, BlackBerry, etc.) in a "proven, rapid-access format."

At $99.95, the price tag is heftier than it is for the paper product (at the time of this posting the hardcover is $81.64 on Amazon), but it features not only the guide's 600-plus urgent care topics and updated protocols and treatment guideline, but also personalized "favorites" (perhaps not the best word) for symptoms and conditions a user might encounter more frequently.… Read more

Sony: E-readers 'selling out around the world'

A little while back, Barnes & Noble Chairman Len Riggio said his company was straining to meet demand for its Nook Color for the holiday season. Then it was Amazon's turn to let it be known that it was selling millions of Kindles this holiday season. Now Sony, not wanting to be left out of the rosy e-reader numbers game, says that it's "expecting both the Reader Touch and Daily Editions will sell out around the world before the holidays," which we assume means Christmas.

A Sony rep e-mailed to say that Sony, too, had sold … Read more

Half-scale classic cars for half-pints

So maybe you can't actually buy the pint-sized Volkswagen Gol concept featured last week (and with a top speed of 17 mph, who'd want to?) but what would you say to a half-scale Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, Porsche Speedster, or Jaguar E-Type?

These tiny Pocket Classics roadsters feature working lights, turn signals, horn, and, most importantly, a 110cc gasoline engine with a three-speed automatic transmission. On models that don't come with the optional speed limiter, top speed is 46 mph. Of course, there's no word on how long it would take to reach that speed or how … Read more

How to solve iPhone volume problems by cleaning your headphone jack

One frustration many iPhone (or any Apple device with headphones) owners will undoubtedly experience is a situation where their handset remains in headphones mode, despite no headphones being plugged in.

The solution to this problem can be quite easy, though a steady hand is recommended.

Symptoms If this situation occurs, you'll most likely figure it out pretty quickly:

You slide to unlock your iPhone and the "click" sound is not heard. You press the volume buttons to increase or decrease the ringer and the headphones volume setting appears instead. You launch applications, games, or videos that normally … Read more

Sony's PRS-350 e-reader just misses greatness

In 2009, Sony was one of the few digital reader manufacturers to release a model with a 5-inch screen--an inch smaller than the standard 6-incher found on the Nook and Kindle. Now the same model--the Pocket Edition--is back in a sleeker, more compact package, and with more internal memory (2GB). Just as importantly, it now sports a touch-screen interface along with the new higher-contrast E Ink Pearl display found in the latest Amazon Kindle and Kindle DX.

That the PRS-350 Pocket Edition Reader, which weighs a mere 5.64 ounces and measures a very compact 5.71 inches tall by … Read more

Get a Polaroid PoGo pocket printer for $19.99

One of my all-time favorite gadgets is the Polaroid PoGo, a tiny ink-free printer that churns out cute 2x3-inch photos on peel-and-stick paper. It's not terribly practical, but it is lots of fun.

Today only, JustDeals has the refurbished Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer for $19.99, plus $5 for shipping.

As you may recall, this is one of those zero-ink (aka Zink) printers. That means it uses, duh, zero ink, instead heating the crystals embedded in special photo paper (you get 10 sheets to start with; here's a 30-pack for $8.99).

Consequently, the printer itself is … Read more

Flip refreshes UltraHD and MinoHD video cams

After the disappointing SlideHD came out in April, we were hoping Cisco Systems' Flip Video would refresh our favorite model, the UltraHD. It did, creating two different versions of it. And while Flip was busy refreshing those, it updated its MinoHD model as well.

First, the UltraHDs. There are now one- and two-hour versions with 4GB and 8GB of storage, respectively. These are separated by more than the storage capacity, though. The one-hour shoots video at a resolution of 720p at 30 frames per second, while the two-hour captures 720p at 60fps, which gets you much smoother results. The two-hour also gets you electronic image stabilization, a rechargeable battery pack, and a slimmer body. Read the full review of the 2010 Flip UltraHD 2 Hour.

With the MinoHD, the advantages are size and style. The newest MinoHDs look like the old ones, but they, too, shoot 720p video at 60fps with always-on electronic image stabilization. Other than recording capacity, the only difference between the two MinoHDs is color: the one hour comes in silver, and the two-hour comes in black. Both can be personalized as well.

For those holding out for a Flip with a mic jack or removable memory, this isn't the year. Instead, Flip developed a proprietary port called a FlipPort. The port will allow you to outfit your Flip with Designed for Flip products such as a wireless microphone, battery extender, or external storage. There's also a mobile pico projector in the works. Of these new models, the UltraHD 2 Hour is the only one with the FlipPort. And since it also has 720p/60fps video with image stabilization, 8GB of storage, has a removable rechargeable battery and takes AAAs, and sells for $199.99, it's the best of the four.

If style matters to you, all of the new models can be personalized through Flip's Web site with "thousands of designs from artists, celebrities, and iconic brands" or you can upload your own image.

Here's how all of the models stack up with pricing:

UltraHD 1 Hour

4GB (1 hour of video) 1,280x720 (30fps) Video format: H.264 (.MP4) 2-inch LCD (320x240 resolution) 2x digital zoom AA-size batteries Mini-HDMI out 2.2x4.3x1.2 (WHD); 5.7 ounces White, magenta, blue, or personalized $149.99… Read more

Sanyo Xacti GH4 another cheapie HD 'sharing' camcorder

The Sanyo Xacti VPC-GH4 is nearly identical to its predecessor, the GH2. In fact, the only differences seem to be that the sensor resolution has been lowered from 14 megapixels to 10 and that there is sharing software embedded in the camcorder now for easier uploading to the likes of Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

Key features:

Records video in MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 at up to 1080/60i (1,920x1,080 pixels)Captures 10-megapixel photos2.7-inch LCD5x optical zoomDigital image stabilization (photo and video)Compatible with SD, SDHC, or SDXC memory cardsMini-HDMI portRechargeable lithium-ion batterySize: 1.5x4.3x2.2 inches (… Read more