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 I’ve been getting into camcorders ever since we reviewed the Canon VIXIA HF100 and when the chance to review the Sony DCR-DVD108 DVD HandyCam came along we thought that we may as well (enthusiastic, aren’t we?).

As always we like to start our reviews with negatives and the stuff that SONY don’t want you to know about the DCR-DVD108. For a camcorder noon, the HandyCam can be surprisingly hard to use. Getting your video onto a PC for further editing can be somewhat tricky.

The quality of still images on the Sony DCR-DVD108 DVD Handycam Camcorder is laughable. In today’s age of 5 mega-pixel cellphones and mobiles, a camcorder that cannot even muster up a 1 mega-pixel still image is a definite disappointment.

Motion capturing is also very poor and if you move much (read ‘at all’) during recording, the DCR-DVD108 HandyCam gives you a quickly deteriorating picture. Not good.

I know I said we would start with the negatives and move onto the positives in this review but in truth, the positives are few and far in-between. Admittedly on the plus side you have a cheaper than average camcorder so if your on a budget then this is a winner.

If you’re also not too fussed about getting your recordings onto a PC or Mac for editing and just want to shot and show either directly on the camcorder or via a television than you’re good to go also. The biggest plus point about the Sony DCR-DVD108 DVD Handycam Camcorder is the 40x zoom so you can get real up close and personal.

In all, the Sony DCR-DVD108 DVD HandyCam is decent but not great and for a camera with a more stable zoom and greater image quality you should check out the Kodak KZi6 for a more friendly camcorder.

When we decided to conduct this review and first clapped eyes on the Canon VIXIA HF100, our first though was - why so expensive? You can get the flip for about $400 cheaper if you look around. Then we checked out the hands-on reviews of this High Definition camcorder and although we found a few things to justify the price, we were not entirely happy as there were also plenty of negatives…

The Canon VIXIA HF100 is another offering on the HD Camcorder market and although the VIXIA HF100 has been around for a while, it still remains popular and beats virtually all other competitors except for the aforementioned Flip Video Mino camcorder.

The 12x optical zoom no doubt helps maintains it’s position in the top stop as does the video quality although in low light, images can get grainy and the color output on the Canon VIXIA HF100 can be somewhat over saturated (then again, most HD camcorders are…).

Battery life on the VIXIA HF100 is pretty poor (about an hour’s worth of recording time per charge) and when your thinking about converting between different video formats from AVCHD for example to standard DVD it can take well over two hours even for small files under a half-hour long.

GadgetHeat’s verdict on the Canon VIXIA HF100 camcorder? It’s OK but for the point and shoot crowd you may want to check out the upcoming Kodak Zi6 for more intuitive use.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a review but having a look around the TestFreaks site made it easy to write this one. TestFreaks is essentially a product review site but with a difference.

Not only do they review products (mainly electronics and gadgets), they also point you to reviews from a bunch of other review sites from around the web as well as user-videos, user-reviews and expert reviews. If you have a question about a particular product, you can even ask on their Q&A pages and be notified when an answer is available.

Gotta say, it’s pretty comprehensive when it comes to the amount of information they’ve collected on any particular product.

Browsing the site I can see categories ranging from televisions to consoles, GPS and pretty much anything that requires batteries. A site after GadgetHeat’s own heart…..

Comparison websites are ten-a-penny these days and I would usually gloss over them. The thing that stands out with TestFreaks is that along with the price-comparison, the in-depth information they have means that you would be hard pressed to find any additional information about a product TestFreaks features anywhere else.

The only things that would take away from the site is that it looks like all the user reviews and videos come from other sources. It would be more refreshing for TestFreaks members to post their own reviews to add to this. I assume this is down to the fact that it is a relativity new site and it takes a while to get you guys to stop lurking and actually contribute something (yes, you reading this, I’m talking to your non-participating ass…).

The Kodak Zi6 HD pocket video camera looks like it will be a YouTube addict and video pod-casters dream. This hand-held digital camcorder is cheap (as hand-held camcorders go) and cheerful but comes packed with a range of features. We have a quick look at it in this min-review od what is looking like one of the hottest gadgets of the year.

Powered by AA batteries and capable of having its memory capacity expanded by run-of-the-mill memory cards, the $179 asking price gets more attractive the more you find out about all the Kodak Zi6 HD pocket video camera’s features. It’s HD video capable, has built in USB connectors and is YouTube compatible, mini-hand-held digital camcorders don’t get much better.

The killer feature of the Kodak Zi6 HD pocket video camera is its ability to record in 720p HD at 60 frames per second. Okay, 1080i or 1080p HD would have been more future-proof but any mini-hand-held digital camcorder which can record directly into HD is pretty sweet, especially at this price.

You can get your hands on one of these right now and judging by the success of the Flip Video camera, GadgetHeat thinks that the Kodak Zi6 HD pocket video camera looks like a sure-fire hit.

Less is more in today’s world and Nikon have taken that mantra and ran with the release of the Coolpix s60 digital camera. This sleek point and shoot camera from Nikon looks like a holiday-snappers dream with a wide 3.5inch LCD touch-screen in keeping with the love of everything touch-screen in a post iPhone world.

The Nikon Coolpix s60 digital camera packs a hefty 10 mega-pixels, up to ISO 3200, 5x optical zoom and image stabilization. But, what really will make it sell, is the afore-mentioned 3.5inch touch-screen and the fact that it comes in about 100 colours meaning customization fans and teenagers everywhere will be able to pick up the Nikon s60 digital camera in the color mood that suits them.

Expect the Nikon s60 Coolpix digital camera to retail for about $350 when it goes on sale in a few months and for it to be a big hit come the Christmas present shopping list…Pictures and more after the jump.

Nikon CoolPix L18 Digital Camera

Nikon CoolPix L18 Digital Camera

Nikon Coolpix 2500 2.0 Megapixel

Nikon Coolpix P60 8.0 Megapixel Digital Camera + 1GB SD

AC ADAPTER FOR NIKON COOLPIX DIGITAL CAMERA 8700 5700

AC ADAPTER FOR NIKON COOLPIX DIGITAL CAMERA EH-53 EH53

FANTASTIC! NIKON COOLPIX S9 DIGITAL CAMERA

Nikon Coolpix L11 Digital 6 Megapixel Camera 1 Yr Warr

Nikon Coolpix S9 Digital Camera USA with 1yr Warranty

Nikon Coolpix S51 Blue WiFi 8MP Digital Camera Kit USA

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The SONY Ericsson W302 cell phone, for some unknown reason codenamed the ‘Feng‘, has finally been released. In essence the W302 is very similar to the recently released S302 but with a few added features.
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The SONY Ericsson W302 comes equipped with FM radio, a 2 mega-pixel camera (why just 2 when Nokia are rolling out 5 mega-pixel cell phone cameras like they’re going out of fashion?), TrackId (SONY Ericsson’s rather cool way of allowing you to identify almost any song you hear by recording a sample ten matching it against their massive music database) and 512MB Memory Stick Micro (M2).
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There is also a blogging function which for the GadgetHeat crew is about the only saving grace of the SONY Ericsson W302 apart from TrackID. Most of the features (and the stingy memory capacity) are nothing outstanding in today’s iPhone obsessed gadget landscape.
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If you’re a SONY Ericsson fan the W302 comes in Midnight Black and Sparkling White color and is expected to hit the shelves come the end of this year.

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The Logitech QuickCam Pro has been one of the best selling webcams for the past year and the notebook version looks just as good as its desktop cousin, so we decided to give it our critical review. The Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks comes with RightLight 2 and RightSound giving a pretty crisp and clear picture wherever you decided to have your web conversation.
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On the negative side we have just got to point out a few downsides. Although the Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks webcam is touted as being Skype compatible, out of the box it is NOT compatible with the latest version of Skype. Another problem is the sound quality and echo effect. The microphone does not give the crisp clear sound that you may hope for.

NEW Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 2MP Webcam w/ Mic Carl Z

Logitech QuickCam® Pro 9000 Personal Web Camera

Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 2.0MP Webcam-SEALED! RETAIL!


For notebooks or laptops with slim bezels mounting the Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks webcam may prove a little tricky and leave a portion of the screen covered up. Perhaps not a big issue for some but for others it will quickly become irritating having to constantly move their active window to avoid obstructions.
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All in all the Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks may be a great webcam in the current market but do not expect it to be flawless by a long shot.

NEW Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 2MP Webcam w/ Mic Carl Z

Logitech QuickCam® Pro 9000 Personal Web Camera

Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 2.0MP Webcam-SEALED! RETAIL!

NEW Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 2MP Webcam w/ Mic Carl Z

LOGITECH QUICKCAM PRO 9000 2 M CARL ZEISS USB RETAIL

Logitech QuickCam® Pro 9000 Personal Web Camera

Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 2.0MP Webcam-SEALED! RETAIL!

Logitech QuickCam Webcam Pro 5000 w/Mic,Skype Certified

Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 2.0MP Webcam-SEALED! RETAIL!

Logitech QuickCam® Vision Pro Webcam for Mac NEW in Box

It’s a hot summer so earmuffs probably aren’t on your shopping list but if state-of-the-art headphones are your thing, then the Sennheiser RS120 926 may be just up your street.

These wireless headphones will have you hearing through walls, floors and ceilings and the sound is pretty good too.
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On the downside the Sennheiser RS120 926 has no RCA to mini plug adapter included which is real bummer as you then have to go out and buy RCA jacks for the headphones which adds under $10 to the price tag.

Stylewise the RS120 926 comes with its own dock and looks pretty slick on your desktop although I wouldn’t make my iPod dock give up its patch for it.
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As far as wireless headphones go, Sennheiser are known for their quality headsets and the RS120 926 has to be one of their better ones. The only other issue is that the base system can be somewhat erratic as the auto-off feature is on the trigger-happy side if no signal is received for a few minutes but the RS120 926 is still a great unit.

Pictures Below.

A short while ago we reviewed the Samsung LN46A650, well today we check out it’s less colorful brother the Samsung LN46A550. Now whilst the LN46A650 may be getting all the attention and press shots due to its sparkling good looks, the LN46A650 is no less gifted but without the touch of color granted to its sibling.
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The Samsung LN46A550 comes with the prerequisite (in our books) 3 HDMI ports and is a full HD television meaning it outputs at up to 1080p. The LN46A550 also supports USB 2.0 making it available to plug in all your peripheral USB devices easily (although GadgetHeat still think that wireless connectivity would have been better and more sensible giving the way technology is moving).

Samsung LNT5271F 52-inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV $4000

SAMSUNG 32" FLAT PANEL LCD HDTV TELEVISION LN32A540

SAMSUNG LN40A530 40" 1080p WIDESCREEN LCD HDTV HDMI


In regards to the technical details, what most people do not realise is that given the nature of the human eye, several criteria have to be fulfilled before you can even notice the true differences between HD televisions. These include the size of the room the LN46A550 will be situated in and how far away you will be seated from it.
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When you read the technical specification and it mentions 5ms response time, reduced from 8ms last year, believe us when we say that you would have to be an absolute geek to have noticed the difference given the way HD televisions are used on a day to day basis (i.e. in the front room about 6 – 10 feet from the viewing position).
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Looks wise the Samsung LN46A550 is not as pretty as its LN46A650 brother but it is still pretty glossy and slick to look at and would be nice addition to any technophiles home. Pictures below.

Samsung LNT5271F 52-inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV $4000

SAMSUNG 32" FLAT PANEL LCD HDTV TELEVISION LN32A540

SAMSUNG LN40A530 40" 1080p WIDESCREEN LCD HDTV HDMI

Samsung LN32A540 32" LCD HDTV Television TV

Samsung LN32A540 32" LCD HDTV Television TV

SAMSUNG LN32A540 32" HDTV LCD TV TELEVISION NICE!

SAMSUNG LN32A540 32" HDTV LCD TV TELEVISION NICE!

SAMSUNG DIGITAL HDTV RECEIVER/DTB-H260F/NO RESERVE

Samsung 50" Ultra Slim 1080 HDTV

Samsung LN26A330 26" Series 3 330 LCD HDTV