Video can be pretty great, but live video can be even better. You could stream from your cell phone, but the quality isn’t going to be the best. With Live Shell, you can stream directly from your camcorder of choice directly to the web, all without using a PC as an intermediary.

The wireless accessory looks like it can work with a number of different camcorders, getting the video feed through a standard HDMI connection. It takes three AA batteries and connects to the Internet via WiFi or Ethernet, streaming your feed directly to your Ustream channel. The batteries are said to last about three hours of straight shooting.

You can see the Cerevo Live Shell in action through the embedded video above. It’s all in Japanese, but the setup and use seem easy enough to follow. It’s “coming soon” for $299.

This is a sad day for soccer moms and casual videographers alike. I’ll admit that I was more than skeptical about the original Flip Video camcorder (by Pure Digital, at the time), since I said a regular digital camera could shoot video too. Then, the brand grew on me. The simplicity grew on me. And I got it. Now, it’s about to be put out to pasture.

It’s being reported that Cisco will be shutting down the Flip video camera part of its business, completely overhauling its “troubled consumer products business” because the company has “lost its way,” according to head honcho John Chambers; swaying too far away from its core business of routers, switches, and other network infrastructure.

Business hasn’t exactly been good for Cisco. The stock value has dropped from almost $40 in 2001 to a mere $17.50 today, including a loss of a third of the value over the past year. Also as part of the “restructuring” plan, they’ll combine the consumer-oriented Umi with the business-oriented TelePresence.

Cisco bought Pure Digital in 2009 for $590 million and now they’re gearing up to have the “consumer” division sold off to some other company. And here I am with two Flip MinoHDs on my desk, both of which have served me well. Does this mean that the Creative Vado can finally have its moment in the sun or are we back to my original skepticism and people are just going to use their digicams for video too?

[Flip]

There are a lot of these pocket camcorders flooding the market these days and they do fundamentally the same thing. Record reasonable-quality video in the simplest manner possible. The DV S11 is much the same, forgetting about manual settings and offering 10 shooting modes instead. That’s still a lot more than the Flip line and its relative complexity might be a ticket into some geekier hearts.

For example, this BenQ can shoot at 1080p whereas the current Flips still only do 720p. The DV S11 is also able to take still pictures with its 5MP CMOS sensor; the Flip only does video. You can also expand its capacity with SD/SDHC memory cards… and then there’s the pico projector.

I’d imagine that this projector isn’t the most powerful thing in the world, but it could come in handy in a pinch. BenQ claims that it’s capable of creating a 50-inch display. If you prefer, there’s HDMI and AV outputs on there too, but the pico is the darling of the feature set. Look for the DV S11 for about 300 bucks.

[Geeky Gadgets]

The Ordo HDV-350S pico-projector HD camcorder

Now you can project films directly from your camera using Ordo’s HDV-350S.  The device includes a Texas Instrument chip DPL that throws a WVGA (854×480) resolution image with a brightness of 15 lumens.  According to Ordro this allows for 60-inches of projection.

 The camcorder can capture 1080p video or pictures at 12 megapixels.  Other features of the HDV-350S include a 3” LCD touch screen, 10x optical zoom, an SD/SDHC card slot, and USB and HDMI connectivity options.  Although pico-projectors are already available in mobile phones, point-and-shoot cameras, and pocket camcorders, this is their first appearance in a conventional camcorder.

Sanyo Exacti VPC-CA102YL waterproof (to 10 feet) HD camcorder

Are you planning on visiting beautiful beaches and hitting up some waves? If so, it might be worthwhile to take a look at the new Sanyo Xacti VPC-CA102YL waterproof camcorder.

It’s not the first time that Sanyo has come forward with one of its water-friendly video recorders, but this one comes loaded with plenty of great specs. The latest addition to the Xacti line captures memories at a full HD (1920×1080), gets in close with 12x double-range zoom, and lets you view it all on the 2.7-inch LCD screen.

I wouldn’t recommend taking the Sanyo VPC-CA102YL with you when you scuba-diving, but the 10 feet of water submersion support makes it great for a snorkeling trip. And it comes in every color that you desire, so long as it’s yellow.

That’s the good news. The $350 price point is pretty good too. You do have to wait just a little while though, since the Sanyo VPC-CA102YL isn’t available right now. It’ll launch a little later this month.

[Gizmodo]

Flip Slide HD with large LCD

Remember when the first Flip Video hit the market and everyone thought it was such an amazing little toy? It made video recording so accessible to everyone, since all you had to do was point and click that big red button. The Flip line expanded again today with the Flip SlideHD camcorder.

Cisco Flip Slide HD Revealed

While all the other pocket camcorders in this line have offered the same basic form factor up until now, the Flip SlideHD is dramatically different. It’s not just a regular old candybar, because it actually slides up… sort of like an HTC Tilt smartphone.

The other vital difference is that Cisco has enlarged the display dramatically. Instead of that tiny little window that you got on the Flip UltraHD and Flip MinoHD, you get a big three-inch display. Underneath that is a capacitive touch navigation bar. All the regular buttons are now replaced by on-screen controls instead.

The rest of the specs are quite similar to existing models, shooting 720p videos and saving them onto the 16GB of internal memory. That should be enough space for about four hours of video. You still get HDMI output, but they’ve also added a headphone jack for private listening.

The Flip SlideHD is available now for $280.

Toshiba Camileo S20 HD Camcorder - Photo: Toshiba

Summer is just around the corner, so you’ll want to arm yourself with the most suitable equipment to capture those precious moments. Whether you’re at the beach or camping in the woods, the new Toshiba CAMILEO line of digital camcorders could be worth considering.

What I find somewhat fascinating is that, according to the press release, this is the first time that Toshiba America Information Systems has entered the US digital camcorder market. I could have sworn that I’ve seen Toshiba camcorders before!  The new line consists of three units. The smallest of the bunch is the CAMILEO S20. The pocket camcorder is just 2/3 of an inch thin and  offers 4x digital zoom to go with its 5-megapixel still pictures. List price is $180.

The CAMILEO H30 goes bigger with a 3-inch touchscreen LCD, 5x optical zoom, and 10MP stills for $250. The heftier $400 Toshiba CAMILEO X100 also gets a 3-inch touchscreen, but it gets you closer to the action with 10x optical zoom.

All three camcorders are set to go on sale on April 19th, but can be preordered now from ToshibaDirect.com. They all record 1080p full HD, with YouTube hotkeys, SD/SDHC memory card slots, and an included HDMI cable for instant viewing on your HDTV.

Toshiba Camileo line of Camcorders

The Sanyo VPC-GH2 takes on a conventional horizontal camcorder form factor, but it is still compact enough for easy travel. You get the ability to shoot your videos in full HD 1080 60i and take 14-megapixel stills.

It has a 4x optical zoom lens that can be bumped up to 12x with the double-range zoom, which combines both a wide-angle and telephoto zoom. The “Face Chaser” and “Target a Color” functions are quite unique too. Look for the VPC-GH2 to launch this March for $229.

Switching to the vertical form factor are the VPC-CG102 and the VPC-CG20. The Sanyo VPC-CG102 is the more expensive of the two at $229, featuring full HD videos, 38mm wide-angle lens, 2.7-inch TFT, stylish black color, and a mini-HDMI port.

The VPC-CG20 is $199 and it gets many of the same features, like the full HD video and 2.7-inch screen, but it only has a 10.7 megapixel CMOS sensor and 5x optical zoom. There is no 12x double-range zoom, but you save thirty bucks. It also launches in March.

On display during Digital Experience at the Consumer Electronics Show, this device looks like a semi-rugged version of the pocket camcorders that flood the market, but it comes with a few notable highlights. First is that ruggedness. The rubberized outer casing is supposed to protect it against minor damage.

While you probably won’t go deep sea diving with this thing, the Kodak PlaySport Camera will survive water as deep as three meters. That should be just fine for your Hawaiian snorkeling adventure. The video is in full HD and it can take five-megapixel stills too. Naturally, there’s no optical zoom unfortunately.

From what I can remember, it comes with up to 8GB of internal memory, as well as an SDHC card slot should you need more space. Look for the Kodak PlaySport Pocket Video Camera to launch a little later this year.

How do you share your photos, online or in person?   Some of us don’t know what to do with them; they simply turn the camera around and try to view the pictures on that tiny dark LCD.  Slice has designed a camera for those people in mind to improve the sharing experience with several features.

A simple point and shoot 14 megapixel camera with 2GB of internal memory that Kodak says will hold up to 5,000 photos, a more versatile 3.5-inch touchscreen display and an internal 5x zoom lens with stabilization.  It can record 720p HD-quality movies at 30fps, too.

Kodak has also enhanced in-camera tagging options with a search system that allows you sort by person, place, event, or date. Plus, the Share button has areas for tagging photos to automatically upload them to Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Kodak Gallery, and e-mail addresses when the Slice is attached to a computer.

The Slice has a solid feel in the hand and looks great. There’s also the 1080p Playsport camcorder, which is more or less a beefy Flip.  To demonstrate the waterproofing, the camera was plunked into a fish bowl, where it seemed completely undisturbed.

At $349, it’s on the more expensive side for a Kodak compact, but less than most of the touch-screen competition–and those don’t have 2GB of storage. Coming to us this April.

Source:  CNET