RCA is refreshing and expanding its line of Small Wonder mini camcorders, positioned to compete with the wildly popular Flip Ultra. The new cams feature upgraded video quality, storage and skins, though unfortunately no rechargeable battery. The Pocket and MyLife models don’t offer anything too revolutionary, but keep the same fold-out screen of the original, while the more rugged Traveler claims water resistance and shock-proof battery contacts, though the screen is built in to the body.
newVideoPlayer("justifycarlcd_gizmodo.flv", 475, 376,""); RCA was nice enough to sit down with us and justify one of the most pointless car modifications we’ve ever seen: an LCD screen on the lower trim/bumper of a car. I mean, seriously?
Shooting/Editing by Eric Sheline.
The Pitch: RCA is releasing four new models its super-simple Small Wonder video cameras, including one that shoots in 720p HD. Other models include smaller and more rugged versions designed for YouTube uploaders on the go, all for pretty reasonably prices. The Catch: Just because a camera can shoot HD resolution doesn’t mean it’ll look all that great, and this line of cameras is know for its small size and price rather than its quality. Hit the jump for the full pressers.
We kinda forgot all about this little box for old folks with old TVs that was announced way back at CES and promised by the end of this year. It’s got a fresh paint job and later street date (January), presumably because analogue support’s been somewhat extended through 2012, with cable operators performing the conversion voodoo themselves or giving you a free box. If you’re not getting the freebie, or rolling down to Best Buy, you can knock $40 off the DTA800 and keep on trucking with your grandma TV. More pictures:
Wired magazine just wrapped up its Greatest Gadget of All Time contest where readers voted for their favorite gadgets in a bracket-style elimination tournament, and the winner was the RCA CT-100 color television from 1954. Runner-up was the John Bird Sextant from 1757, a navigation device responsible for helping many of our ancestors find their way across the Atlantic Ocean. These two classic gadgets beat out the iPod, the iPhone, lots of different computers and everything else. But when you think about it, that RCA color TV was a truly revolutionary gadget.
