Disposable Camcorder

shamowfski writes "CVS Corp on Monday began selling a disposable digital camcorder. The $29.99 pocket-sized camcorder was developed by Pure Digital Technologies Inc., a San Francisco-based start-up company. The camcorder weighs under 5 ounces and holds 20 minutes of digital video and sound. It features a 1.4 inch color playback screen and an ability to delete video, and it saves video on a memory chip instead of tapes. Can't wait till they hack this one."

Comments

Now we will get "video" images from battlefields

[geomon]

With something so cheap and disposable, it is just a matter of time before these start to become part of the soldier's standard kit.

Great idea for motorcyclists.

[demonic-halo]

I think it's a great idea for motorcylists. I like to go crusing alot. I can give one of these to my biker babe sitting in the back so she can film the rest of the posse without worrying about losing an expensive camcorder.

Re:Has the prior digicam hack...

[morcheeba]

I've gotten feedback from a couple of photography teachers who use it for teaching kids. I have no idea how much this has impacted sales, but I've seen articles in popsci and pc world, so it has gotten out to the public. Next to teaching, my personal favorite use has been the guys who launched one in a balloon to 52,000 feet (previously mentioned on slashdot)

Re:Now we will get "video" images from battlefield

[fiannaFailMan]

With something so cheap and disposable, it is just a matter of time before these start to become part of the soldier's standard kit.

Wasn't that sort of thing (soldiers with cameras and camera-phones) cracked down on after the Abu Gharib thing?

Re:Now we will get "video" images from battlefield

[Anonymous Coward]

You don't know how true that is. Actually (and yes, I'm in the military ... for another month XD)considering that U.S. Army personnel are spending a year at a time in remote places, they're amassing quite a savings, and miniature camcorders sell fast on remote tours (read desert).

So yes, I think these will sell VERY fast, especially with families sending them to the desert to their relatives, to have cheap video messages, to say the least.

Re:Whee!!

[fishbowl]

>It has to be taken to a place to be "developed"
>onto a DVD. People aren't going to do that.

You've never worked in a photo lab. Your assumptions about what people won't do, are wrong.

Re:Now we will get "video" images from battlefield

[geomon]

What else can I send over to the troops other than books and playing cards? I have a contact at work who arranges to have stuff shipped to Iraq on transports ferrying supplies.

I know that boredom killers are in high demand. I tried to get month-old magazines, but the local vendor said they get shipped back to the publisher for back issues. I've been looking for stuff that can be left behind and traded.

Any suggestions?

Re:Battery Life?

[ReverendLoki]

Probably not easily accessible (at least no more accessible than the memory), but even if it's not accessible, it should surely be replaceable. I'm starting to think that, when these get hacked, I might have to pick one up.

Hell, pick up several - I think this one could catch on more than the disposable digital stills. Attach one to your RC airplane and play CIA with it... even better if you can hook up a wireless feed! Or use a ziplock bag to make you're own underwater camera. I know there's a lot of things I would risk doing with this that I'd never use our expensive "real" camcorder for.

Perfect uses?

[timothy]

This looks great (as someone else has linked to in this thread) for aerial photography, whether by kite or rocket -- the sort of thing that you don't want to risk an expensive camera with.

What other things would you use this for? Underwater robots? Car-attached home-made action shots? Glued to back of pet turtle?

There have to be some cool applications for which a $30 video camera would be perfect ;)

timothy

I can see some markets

[ReidMaynard]

like wedding receptions, instead of disposable still cameras.