Party Shot
Sony’s latest gizmo takes your party pictures for you. You set up your camera (currently only their new Cybershot’s TX1 and WX1) and you place it on a table or mount it to a tripod during your get together. The mount then tilts and zooms your camera automatically to see out a face with the camera’s face detection capabilities. It then waits for a smile and triggers the camera using the “smile shutter” feature.
As my husband said, it’s kinda creepy, but it could make for some nice shots without having to have a roving photographer. It can pan 360 degrees and tilt 24 degrees.
This device makes it easy to capture more natural expressions and fun, candid moments of you, your family and friends without having to hire a photographer.
I don’t know about you, but I only hire photographers for weddings, and I certainly wouldn’t trust this machine to capture the pics for that :). However, it would be fun to have at birthday parties and other shindigs where it is hard to get natural, candid pics.
More than a Tri - Pod
As digital cameras continue to evolve so too does the equipment that surrounds them (though often not quite as quickly).
Everyone’s seen a tripod but most people don’t own one. It’s not that they’re not useful, they are, they are really really useful. It’s simply that tripods are bulky and really travel friendly for the casual photographer. That’s where the Universal Pod comes in.
The Universal Pod claims to reduce the need for an all out tripod and fit safely in a knapsack or purse. The pod (that looks kind of like a mini flattened bean bag) attaches to the base of an average digital camera and then sticks firmly to a variety of surfaces. You can set a funny angle, steady a shot, or goof around. Sounds useful enough to me, though I wonder what sticking to “almost any” surface actually entails.
Building a Picture
Lego has partenered with Digital Blue to bring the world a new line of tech gadgets, all adorned with the lego touch. That’s right, MP3 players, walkie talkies, and cameras all built from lego bricks.
The gadgets supposedly come out this summer and are aimed at kids, but that doesn’t mean kids are gonna be the only ones buyin. Legos are always awesome.
Unfortunately these newest gadgets are just that, gadgets. Despite the sweetness of the design you can’t redesign anything yourself. The bricks don’t come apart, they just stick together forever and look cool.
All in the Wrist
Watches don’t just tell time anymore, often they don’t tell time at all. The fact is, they’re still portable, always have been, and that makes them a great base for any on the go gadget.
Thanko has released a video camera watch in a new MP4 version. It comes with a color screen and both photo and video camera capabilities. The quality of said video is pretty poor but what do you expect from a watch? It’s a little large, but someone out there should be able to pull it off. (And it still tells time too).
Also new on the market is the asteroid wrist watch. It’s exactly what it sounds like, a wrist watch that plays the old school asteroid game. You don’t even need buttons to slack off in class, you can play simply with a twist of your wrist. How convenient.
Not Just Time
Watches don’t just tell time anymore, often they don’t tell time at all. The fact is, they’re still portable, always have been, and that makes them a great base for any on the go gadget.
Thanko has released a video camera watch in a new MP4 version. It comes with a color screen and both photo and video camera capabilities. The quality of said video is pretty poor but what do you expect from a watch? It’s a little large, but someone out there should be able to pull it off. (And it still tells time too).
Also new on the market is the asteroid wrist watch. It’s exactly what it sounds like, a wrist watch that plays the old school asteroid game. You don’t even need buttons to slack off in class, you can play simply with a twist of your wrist. How convenient.
Photo Resurrection
So I’m not that old, but I must say that my earliest childhood moments are recorded on film, not online. I remember loading film, and to be honest, I liked it.
So now the USB Negative Scanner comes into play. Still have all those negatives hiding in drawers stored in envelopes from CVS? Well now it’s time to share the memories in our new digital age. It’s simple, load the 35 mm negative strips into the bottom of the scanner and suddenly you are the proud owner of a new wondrous library of digital pictures.
Give new life to old stories, upload an excellently embarrassing profile picture, the options are unlimited! Think of how much extra use you’ll get out of any new film photos you take today. I know kids taking a black and white photo class and as lovely as their final prints are it’s hard for those photos to translate appropriately to the computer through the lens of a digital camera. Add in the fact that this scanner is much more desk sized than a regular scanner and you see how college friendly it becomes. At $140 it’s not the cheapest gadget you’ll ever buy, but not the most expensive either. And memories are priceless, right?
Father’s Day Gift Guide
I know it is last-minute, but Father’s Day has really snuck up on me this year. I’m always looking for something clever and tech-y for my dad who is an original computer geek and software designer. This year I have found some very cool prospects I thought I would share. Of course you may have to pay extra shipping to get them by Sunday!
For the Stargazer-Meade Mysky $349
This “point-and-shoot” sky guide lets users point at an object in the night sky and get an instant 411. It easily locates nebula, planets, stars and more than 30,000 celestial objects. Has a full-color LCD screen and easy-to-use interface.
For the Adoring Grandpa-Digital Brag Book $120
This super-sleek aluminum case digital brag book holds 2000 images and features a 3.5″ LCD screen. Perfect for the dad or grandad who likes showing off his brood.
For the Scale-Model Afficianado-Lego Mindstorms NXT $250
Not your kids’ Lego set! These ultra-high tech robots, errrrr . . . models, are full of digital features. They contain built-in rotation sensors to align speed for precise control and can react to sound commands, patterns and tones. With more than 500 pieces, these are not for the faint-of-heart, but if you have your own programmable robot at the end of it, who cares?! (via WIRED)
For the Sports Fan-Ambient Wireless Baseball Scorecast $130
Great for the on-the-go sports fan. This hand-held or desktop device receives info from any MLB team via a free network. The 3×5 screen displays score, standing, and schedule information with the press of a button. Other models exist for additional sports.
For the Beer Lover-USB Beverage Chiller $40
OK, so it’s not just for beer lovers, but you can keep your cans, bottles and glasses a cool 45 degrees just by plugging in the USB cord to your computer.
For the Chef-Wireless Talking BBQ & Oven Thermometer $60
This thermometer will keep dear old dad from charring his favorite steaks or burning the burgers. The thermometer features five languages, eight entrée programs, four doneness levels, and four verbal and audio alert options—”almost ready,” “ready,” “overcooked” and “out-of-range.”
For the Boy Scout–Swiss Army Memory Tool $85
He’ll be at the ready with this super-cool Swiss Army knife and USB flash drive. The tool features a blade, a screwdriver, scissors, key ring, LCD light and ballpoint pen. It comes in a 1GB and 2GB model ($120).
