Dressed up Camcorders

I’m taking a wild guess that these camcorders are not for the average CrunchGear reader. Right? But maybe our reader’s wifes/gfs/moms would appreciate them more. The DXG Luxe Collection is basically your average DXG HD camcorder styled after some designer handbag. I mean, they aren’t bad cameras as they can record up to 8 hours of 720p video on a 16GB card, and snap 8 MP photos. Plus, these models will only cost $149 when they come out in early August. Maybe it’s just that we don’t appreciate the designer digs as most of us think our camcorder’s silver casing looks classy enough.

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Toshiba's new Digital Media Frames

Toshiba gets in the right frame of mind by releasing a bunch of new Digital Media Frames in order to take photo sharing to unprecedented heights, as these devices are able to deliver real-time information through its partnership with FrameChannel. Among such real-time information available at the user’s fingertips include personalized weather, traffic and sports scores alongside the capability of accessing both music and video to any room within the connected home. This trend-setting product category makes the standard digital photo frame all the more interactive, since you can now share priceless memories with friends and family regardless of where they are automatically courtesy of FrameChannel. It can link favorite content from other social sites including Flickr, Photobucket and Facebook.

You will be able to access the feature-packed channels via Toshiba’s FrameChannel partnership, customizing the categories according to information that only you want. There are more than 1,000 free channels available at this moment, spread across 19 categories with selections like People.com, Men’s Tennis, 3-Day Forecast, Stock Quotes and Facebook, among others. Users who decide to subscribe to their favorite channels will see the Toshiba Digital Media Frame automatically update with real-time information, keeping you in the loop at all times without making you feel left out whenever your mates start discussing last night’s game scores at the water cooler.

Toshiba makes sure their Digital Media Frames won’t disappoint in terms of design, coming in a high gloss exterior (ala fingerprint magnet) alongside a high resolution display, a tilt sensor that adjusts the image automatically in its respective formats, easy navigation, touch sensitive controls that light up whenever pressed and a fully customizable interface to suit your personality. You will be able to choose from 8″ models that will come in in black (DMF82XKU) or white (DMF82XWU) with an acrylic front finish and eye-catching reflective trim, while the black 10″ model (DMF102XKU) comes with a striking faceplate design and a slim profile. The 8″ and 10″ models will retail for $179.99 and $229,99, respectively, when they hit the market later this August.

Technology Update: Daily Updates on newly launched Gadgets, Gizmos, Mobiles, PC's & Laptops, Hacking, Gaming & Emerging Technological Trends.

Sony VRD-MC6 DVDirect DVD recorder

Sony’s back with a new DVD recorder in the form of the VRD-MC6 - the next generation multi-function DVDirect DVD recorder which is touted to transfer both high-definition and standard-definition home videos and digital photos to DVD discs without the need for a computer acting as a middleman. What makes the new VRD-MC6 model so special? While we’re going to look at it in further detail right after the jump, let me share with you an open secret - the device comes with a 2.7″ color LCD display that is handy for previewing video files, and you can also use it to check out up to half a dozen digital photos simultaneously. In addition, the wonders of modern technology and miniaturization has made it nearly 60% smaller compared to its predecessor.

According to Shige Nakayama, manager of the DVDirect business at Sony, “Many customers still have their old home movies on tapes and are looking for an easy solution to archive their personal digital imaging content on DVD discs. With the larger built-in LCD color screen in a smaller body, the new DVDirect model makes it easier for customers to transfer the content to DVD discs for archiving, enjoying and sharing with family and friends.” The VRD-MC6 is able to transfer AVCHD quality videos to DVD discs in their native 1080i HD resolution when hooked directly to a Sony hard drive or Memory Stick media-based Handycam camcorder - surely you didn’t expect anything less than that from Sony! AVCHD quality DVDs can also be played back on compatible Blu-ray Disc devices, and these will include other players, computer optical drives and PS3 consoles.

Other features include the ability to transfer standard-definition home videos to DVD discs, Digital Video (i.LINK/FireWire/IEEE-1394) connectivity, Composite Video inputs, and USB support. DVDs recorded this way can be played in most consumer DVD players without any problem. Alternatively, you can use the VRD-MC6 to record digital photos to a DVD as a slideshow directly , as it supports Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick Pro Duo media, SD/SDHC and xD-picture card media formats. Expect to pick up the DVDirect VRD-MC6 for approximately $229 this September.

Press Release

Technology Update: Daily Updates on newly launched Gadgets, Gizmos, Mobiles, PC's & Laptops, Hacking, Gaming & Emerging Technological Trends.