It appears that in the world of video cameras, small is the new big. I suppose we all want our cameras to be smaller, and this VholdR camera may be one of the smallest out there. (Although I’m pretty sure it is not the smallest.)

Still, its pretty tiny at 3.7 inches in length and 4.8 ounces in weight. It shoots 640 x 480 video footage at 30fps, and stores it all on microSD card.

All of this made possible by a fine line compression engine, as well as a 192 degree rotating lens. The lens itself has a twin laser alignment, and the whole thing is splashproof and shockproof in an aluminium enclosure. Not only is it durable, but there is some serious shake management action going on inside the software front to make certain your pictures are clean.
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I have reported on several digital cameras in the past, and I was always fascinated by “face recognition software”, which is somehow able to pluck faces out of any pictures and make them clearer. I don’t know how a computer could even recognize a face, much clear it up.

To make things even more complicated, Sony has developed a camera that has “smile recognition software”. Once again, I have no idea how a computer, especially one that can fit on a portable digital camera could possibly recognize what a smile could look like. However, the user of this camera has the option of using this feature. Once the camera sees the smile, the shutter clicks.
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We did a comparison on digital photo frames recently, here we have a new sort of frame especially for your wallet, the I Wallet.

If your the kid of person who travels a lot and has to leave behind family or friends, you may find you miss them. You could carry around a pile of photographs, but they may get damaged or lost. What you want is the I Wallet.

The I Wallet features a small digital viewing device that you can store your favorite photographs and recorded messages on, and be able to view them at any time. Just plug it in to your PC and upload the desired images. Then all you need to do is put it in your wallet and go.

So now you can see all those friendly faces when they’re not around, and you have a quality leather wallet for your cards and cash.

I must admit considering the overall size of it the screen looks a bit on the diddy side. The I Wallet will set you back £44.99 (~$90) from DS.

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Digital picture frames have really taken off this year. Here we compare some of the cheapest and best digital picture frames that are currently available with regards to both features and value for money. We’ll also provide an explanation of all the features that the various digital photo frames have to offer.

Check here for a full selection of digital picture frames for sale or continue down to read our reviews and comparisons.

	Pandigital	Kodak	eStarling	Phillips	Portable USA
Screen Size	8″	10″	7″	6.5″	10.4″
Resolution	800 x 600	800x 480	480 x 270	720 x 480	640 x 480
Aspect Ratio	4:3	16:9	16:9	4:3	16:9
Frame Style	Acrylic and black wood	Black Gloss	Black Piano Finish	Interchangeable	Cherry finish
Remote Control	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Wi-Fi	Not yet	Yes	Yes	No	No
Memory Cards	6 in 1 card Reader	MMC SD MS CF	MMC SD MS CF	USB	MMC SD MS CF
Internal Memory	128MB	128MB
Sound	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Plays Video	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes
Optional Batteries	Optional	N	N	N	N
Special Features	Built in clock, calendar and alarm	Print directly to any PictBridge enabled printers	turn-off automatically at night, email photos to the frame, text Messaging to Frame	Interchangable frames
Price	$179.99	$199.31	$149.99	$136.93	$175.95
Price

You can see an explanation of all comparison points here.

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Takara Tomy now targets ladies in their 20s with these colorful and chic 35mm plastic cameras better known as “Tolne”. I’m like a fish out of water when it comes to the Japanese language, but I do understand that “Tolne” is a play on the phrase “toru ne”, which means “I’m gonna take your picture, ok?”. Each $35 purchase comes with filter sets that enable you to throw in some special effects into the final picture. Some of these filters include “dramatic frame”, “deform”, and “cross light.” Great if you want to experiment with old school film cameras and its results.

Source: Tokyo Mango

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On September the 5th, Omron have released and demoed a new piece of software called OKAO vision. What it does is analyze an image, detect the faces in it, and check everyone’s smile. And, yes, give marks.

It sounds funny and wacky, but it really might become widely-used, because it has several practical uses, which I’ll list after the break.

It’s also interesting to see that not all new software is bloatware. This program is small, very fast, and will definitely be embedded in several new devices.

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The thing about cameras is that they’re pretty senstive pieces of equipment. You’ve got some high-tech electronics and precision mechanical engineering crammed into the smallest space possible, which tends to make for a fairly fragile package.

Now wouldn’t it be great if you had a camera that you could just chuck into your pocket and forget about? One you could drag out while snowboarding or snorkelling without having to wonder whether it would survive?

Camera manufacturers are obviously thinking the same thing - recently there have been a few “go anywhere” models released - follow the jump for a brief roundup.
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Looking more like a ray gun than a digital camcorder, the Sanyo Xacti DMX-HD1000 can claim the mantel of the world’s smallest 1080p HiDef camcorder. With its pistol grip and large 10x lens (which translates to focal length of 38 - 380mm), the HD1000 can shoot up to nearly an hour and a half on an 8GB high capacity SD card in full 1080p. This is thanks to the MPEG-4 AVC codec and it’s 1/2.5-inch CMOS sensor which translates to a total resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 dpi at 60 fps. Other modes include “HD-HR” 1,280×720 at 60fps, “HD-SHQ” 1,280×720 at 30fps, “TV-HR” 640×480 at 60fps, “TV-SHQ” 640×480 at 30fps and “Web-SHQ” 320×240 at 30fps.

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