Sanyo’s New Waterproof Xacti E1 Camcorder: Xactly What You Need For Your Summer Getaway?

by Willy Volk on

Capable of capturing digital video and beautiful 6MP photos on land AND underwater, Sanyo’s new Xacti E1 is small on looks but big on versatility.

Featuring a 5x optical zoom and a 2.5-Inch LCD display, the handheld device is capable of recording full motion video 5 feet underwater for up to 30 minutes.

Five feet isn’t going to appeal to any divers… but it may appeal to snorkelers, kayakers, skiers, hikers, bikers, beach-goers, amateur pr0n-makers — or anyone who gets caught in the rain but still wants to photo-document their adventures.

The unit will be available starting June 15, for around $499. I’d like to see some of the images the camera produces before endorsing it, but it seems cool.

Make Your Own String Tripod

by Justin Glow on

Most of us travel with a camera of some sort, but very few are willing to lug a tripod around to insure our night shot of the Eiffel Tower comes out just right.

Instructables.com has a great tutorial on making your very own string tripod, which is a simple, light-weight alternative to the three-legged travel foe. It’s cheap, easy to make, fits in your pocket, and goes where other tripods aren’t allowed, like ancient temples or museums. All the supplies — an eye hook, nut, and piece of nylon rope — can be found at your local hardware store, and cost under five bucks.

While the string tripod might not produce professional results (though I think you’ll be surprised), it’s better than no tripod at all. Plus you’ll look really cool tied to a tree, tangled up in nylon rope.

[Via Lifehacker]

Picture Postcardanator

by Erik Olsen on

Check this out.

I have no idea how many
postcards I’ve sent in my lifetime to family, friends, celebrities I’m stalking (jk!). And I always make a pretty
concerted effort to find cool postcards, you know. I mean, it’s lame to send people you love the basic, popular ones
that everyone else sends. And it got to the point if and when I ever traveled with my laptop that I would make little
postcards out of my photos. That never failed to impress. But now, some
dude in Australia has come up with a very clever little way to send those personal postcards.

Aussie entrepreneur
Stuart Calvey, a 22-year-old industrial design student at the University of NSW has invented the personal picture
postcardanator (OK, I made that up…he calls it the Snap Send Postcard), a disposable digital camera that is light and
inexpensive enough it can be sent in the mail. You just snap your photos, affix a stamp, and voila, send that baby off
to loved ones. Of course, a regular postcard would only set you back about $1…at most. Calvey says his postcard
camera, housed in a cardboard shell with a two-megapixel lens, digital memory and an internal battery, would cost about
$25. So they’d REALLY have to be loved ones. But you have to dig the idea.