Verizon Wireless, besides announcing the Samsung Sway, also unveiled this week two new Motorola handsets and a Bluetooth headset. These new devices are the the Motorola Rapture VU30 and the MOTO VU204 as well as the MOTOPURE H15 Universal Bluetooth Headset. Pricing for these devices is around $130, $30 and $100, respectively.

The Rapture VU30 is the more advanced of the two new mobiles. It comes in a clamshell design Verizon says has a touch-sensitive external display. It does the usual Verizon music services and can also capture digital pictures, offering a dedicated shutter button for the 2.0 megapixel camera. Memory is expandable up to 8GB and you can get turn-by-turn audible driving directions.

Joining the VU30 is the VU204, another clamshell phone with is very run of the mill, though it does have a VGA camera with 4x digital zoom and a dedicated camera key. The H15 headset, meanwhile, sports a flip design and includes background-noise cancellation. All should be available this week.

Verizon

The H10 is Toshiba’s budget entry into the high definition camcorder market. The most remarkable thing about this camcorder is the fact that it’s a high definition camera (HD) for about £180. Not long ago this would have been much more expensive and out of the reach of most of us. Having been mildly impressed by the “handiness” of the SDR-S7 I was interested to see how the H10 would perform with its HD capability given that the two machines are virtually the same price.

The Toshiba Camileo H10

What's in the box?

• H10 video camera
• Li-ion rechargeable battery, 3.7v/1050mAh
• USB cable
• AV cable
• HDMI cable
• Mains charger
• Remote control
• Strap
• Quick start guide
• Software CD

General

The H10 is a clean and uncluttered design with an encouraging lack of buttons to tweak and render it useless. Physically, it’s a bit of a brick, albeit a compact one with some decent features. A brick because it’s too big to fit into my pocket, compact because it feels dense in the hand. The dense feel also helps it to feel well-built despite the low price.

The H10 has a 5x optical zoom and can record video in 720p HD MPEG-4 format video on SD or SDHC Cards at frame rates of up to 30fps – this is a decent specification for an entry level camcorder and genuinely useful.

The Toshiba Camileo H10 controls

Rear: Video record; 5-way multi-function keypad for selecting modes and menu items

Top: Zoom in/out; still camera shutter release

Underneath: Battery compartment; SDHC card slot; tripod socket

Left: Power switch; AV-out socket; HDMI socket; USB2.0 socket

Toshiba Camileo H10 Specification:

• Image Sensor: 10.48 Mega Pixel CCD Sensor
• Operation Modes: Movie Record, Picture Record
• Lens: F3.5 - 3.7 (f = 6.8 - 34 mm)
• Focus Range Macro: 1 cm ~30cm
• Normal: 30 cm ~ infinity
• Optical Zoom: 5X
• Shutter: Mechanical Shutter
• LCD monitor: 2.7” LCD
• Storage Media: Built-in 64 MB, SD/MMC Card Slot
• Image Resolution
• High: 4608 x 3456 (16M pixels)
• Standard: 3648 x 2736 (10M pixels)
• Low: 2592 x 1944 (5M pixels)
• Movie Resolution HD: 1280 x 720, 30 fps
• D1: 720 x 480, 30 fps
• VGA: 640 x 480, 30 fps
• QVGA: 320 x 240, 30 fps
• White Balance: Auto/Manual (Daylight, Fluorescent, Tungsten)
• Exposure: ± 1EV in 0.3 steps
• Self-Timer: Approx. 10 second delay
• Flash: (for still) Auto/ On/Off/Red Eye Reduction
• File Format Image: JPEG
• Movie: AVI (H.264)
• Image play: Single Image/Thumbnails/Slideshow
• PC Interface: Mini USB2.0
• TV out Digital:: HDMI
• Analogue: Composite Video (NTSC/PAL Selectable)
• Battery: NP60 Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery, 3.7v, 1050mAh
• Dimensions: 117mm x 65mm x 56 mm
• Weight: 314g (without battery), 340g(with battery)

Highlights:

• Simple
• Robust
• Uses SD cards
• Easy to use

Lowlights:

• A bit portly
• No conventional viewfinder
• Slow zoom
• Heat

Review

Although substantially smaller than many mini-DV cams, the first thing to strike me after using the compact SDR-S7 and Sanyo Xacti is just how chunky the Toshiba is. It certainly won’t fit in your trouser pocket. It could be used to as a weapon and it feels like it’s hewn from billet alloy. The upside is that the larger size does make the Tosh' somewhat easier and more comfortable to hold at eye level when compared to the Panasonic SDR-S7.

Fold the screen out and it switches on automatically to either present you with the video filming mode or the still camera mode depending where it left off last time. Switching between the two is merely a single key press away. Video recording is simply a case of pointing it at the subject and then pressing the record button on the rear of the camera body.
There is plenty of control over shooting modes via the menu system, which is easy to navigate by virtue of the fact it is very simple and clear.

The Tosh’ is capable of recording in HD resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels at 30 frames per second (fps). This is quite some going for a budget model when you consider that most DV cams work at 720 x 576 and 25fps. You should be aware though that editing such large images is fairly demanding for any pc and some well-known photo-editing applications still aren’t HD ready. There’s plenty of other resolutions available that take up far less storage space if your needs are less demanding, however, it seems to be pointless using them unless you upload to a video mangling service like YouTube.

Accessing the menu system is not obvious initially and there is no menu key per se. It’s done via the centre-select key on the 5-way navigator keypad. The menu system has sensibly been kept simple and logical, but alas it has one really annoying flaw. Once you have selected an option it closes down the menu subsystem entirely to return you back to the camera view. What if you want to change another option or undo the changes you’ve just made? You have to navigate all the way there again.

The 5x optical zoom is quite limited when compared to conventional DV-cam opposition. This is typical for a budget camera. Unfortunately, the zoom control is extremely tardy and the lens is both slow to zoom and focus. This renders the camera less than idea for sports footage or fast moving subjects. In normal general filming it would be less noticeable.

I was pleased to see that the charging is done via the USB2.0 mini-socket. This means it should also be possible to charge from your computer when connected. The battery itself is a 3.7v/1050mAh item which gives a life of around 50 minutes – this was slightly less than I expected but probably reasonable given the higher definition. During charging and normal use I noticed that the entire camera got very warm – this is a bit disconcerting. The same heat was also transferred to the SD card which, doesn’t bode well for longevity of the card – another reason why a man might not wish to put it in his trouser pocket!

There is no conventional lens cover – instead the lens is protected by a large hard plastic cover. This is all very well, but the cover doesn’t appear to be replaceable so, if it gets scratched then you compromise image.

Toshiba Camileo H10 lens

Movie quality was entirely acceptable although I really didn’t notice any improvement in quality rendered by HD over SD. The whole thing is quite subjective really and depends upon so many things such as the quality of monitor it is viewed on, the physical size of the CCD, compression etc. I daresay if you had a HD tv then you would notice the difference. As a stills camera it makes a passable job and there’s no reason why it couldn’t be your only stills camera although the normal caveat still applies - if you want a stills camera then buy one.

You can download a sample video - taken straight from the H10 memory card with this link.

Conclusion:

The H10 is a versatile camera that should satisfy most users needs unless they are serious filmers. It’s easy to use, feels well put together and it’s not expensive. Really, for £180 the buyer is getting a decent machine for not much money and I feel it offers better value than the Panasonic SDR-S7 for a similar price. Having previously said I would be happy with the Panasonic as an everyday device, I am now having to revise that in favour of the Tosh’. Just beware of its bulk.

Join me again soon for the next camera in the Camcorder Group Test or head over and look at Part 1 to see which cameras we are including or have a look at my Panasonic SDR-S7 review.

Review by: Nigel

Boost Mobile unveiled today it latest mobile phone from Motorola. It is the old school looking i776, which you’ll find pricing around $100.

The Motorola i776 is Boost’s smallest flip phone with a digital camera (VGA). It comes compatible with Boost’s walkie-talkie service and is also GPS enabled.

Other features of the i776 include Bluetooth, messaging capabilities, Web browsing, speaker phone with voice activated dialing and a 600 entry phonebook. This rather basic cellular phone is available now.

Boost Mobile

This device features 2 GB internal memory and provides 640 x 480 (resolution) VGA MPEG4 video format, able to store up to 2 hours of video recording.

Other impressive features are built-in USB connector which allows users to transfer video recordings to their PCs and Mac computers; rechargeable battery (lithium-ion based) which can last for more than two hours of video recording; A/V compatibility design which allows users to watch the recorded videos directly to the television; and a large LCD screen which measures 2 inches.

This product also features compact design, measuring only 5.5-cm wide, 1.6-cm diameter, and 10-cm tall. This camcorder also weighs approximately 84 grams. With this highly portable feature, Vado is ideal for constant travelers.

The camcorder also features user-friendly menu and can also be mounted on a tripod.

This camcorder comes at a low price of $99.99 (most camcorders are priced at a $150 range) and can be purchased from the company’s website and from other major retail online stores.

Boost Mobile today announced the launch of the Motorola i776 phone. As the smallest flip phone with a camera offered by Boost Mobile, the i776 handset also includes exclusive Boost Walkie-Talkie service, enabling customers to instantly communicate with millions and millions of Boost, Sprint and Nextel Direct Connect (or Walkie Talkie) customers nationwide.

Boost's smallest flip phone with a camera, the i776 handset also includes Boost Mobile's exclusive Boost Walkie-Talkie service(1), enabling customers to instantly communicate with millions and millions of Boost, Sprint and Nextel Direct Connect (or Walkie Talkie) customers nationwide.

Boost Walkie-Talkie costs only a dollar a day for unlimited nationwide usage and the fee is only charged on days when the service is actually used or a walkie talkie call is received. In addition, customers can use the phone to connect to Nextel International (NII) walkie-talkie users in other countries, including Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru all at the push of a button.

• Nationwide Boost Walkie-Talkie capabilities
• Bluetooth Wireless Technology
• VGA Camera
• GPS-enabled
• Text Message, Instant Message and Multi-Media Messaging capabilities
• Wireless Web capabilities, access to AOL, Yahoo! and MSN Instant Messaging
• Hands-Free Speakerphone with Voice-Activated Dialing
• 600 Entry Phonebook

Philips cell phones aren't exactly ground breaking other than the fact that many of their handsets tout superior battery life as the main selling point, which means features that aren't exactly up-to-date. As for the Philips E100 candybar handset, this phone has the bare basics, so don't expect even a VGA camera to come with it.

• GSM/GPRS connectivity
• 1.8" CSTN display
• MP3 playback
• Integrated FM radio
• 2MB internal memory
• microSD memory card slot

Add a comment | From: Philips E100 Targets New Users | Visit Ubergizmo | Good deals

Digital Foci is rolling out another new digital picture frame to the masses which is reportedly the highest pixel density frame on the market currently. It is called the Image Moments 6 and you’ll find it pricing around $150.

The Digital Foci Image Moments 6 sports a 5.7-inch VGA LCD screen with a pixel density of some 140 ppi. It is built into a two-tone chrome finish and can play photos, video and music files from multiple sources at the same time, though these sources are via internal memory and inserted memory cards.

Features of the Image Moments 6 include customizable slideshows, a folder view for organizing media content, 450MB of internal memory, support for CompactFlash, SD/HC card, MMC, Memory Stick, MS PRO, xD-Picture Card, and even MS Duo/MS PRO Duo and built-in speakers. It should be available shortly.

Digital Foci

The InFocus Work Big IN3106 is the only projector in the IN3100 series to feature WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution. It also features 3000 ANSI lumens and a 2000:1 contrast ratio. The main feature for the IN3106 is the DisplayLink Technology, which allows the projector to display images from and be controlled by a laptop or PC, via USB connection. Recently the writers at PC Pro got test the IN3106 projector. The first thing they highlighted was how much the DisplayLink Technology made setting up simple and quick. By connecting the USB cable, the projector automatically downloads the driver onto the computer. The writers also commented on the array of connections the IN3106 has. It comes with two VGA inputs as well as an HDMI, composite, s-video, and various audio connections. In addition the writers also noted that the dual 3 watt speakers were much louder than any laptop speaker system, and they produced a well-rounded, full sound. The writer’s final thought about the IN3106 was, “The only real complaint we have about the InFocus IN3106 is the price, but if that gets us 720p video running smoothly over USB, with flawless colors and the brightness for both well-lit offices and dark rooms, then we wouldn’t be averse to paying it. A superb projector.”

[via PC Pro]