Kodak tweaks and upgrades their pocket HD camcorder

Back in September, Gadling had one of the first real reviews of the (then) new Kodak Zi6 pocket HD Camcorder. Of course, as we entered a new year, new technology suddenly becomes old technology, and companies work as hard as they can to introduce upgrades to otherwise perfectly usable tech.

The new Kodak Zx1 has the same basic specifications of the Zi6, but adds some features that make it worth taking a second look at. For starters, the camera will include an HDMI cable, as well as a set of pre-charged batteries.

The most important upgrade though, is in the enclosure, and allows you to take the camera on your next adventure. The Zx1 is weather resistant, and should be able to cope with a bit of dirt, dust and water without turning into an expensive but cute paper weight.

The Zx1 will be available in April for $149.95 and comes in black, red, blue, pink and yellow. Optional accessories include a remote control (cool!), memory cards, a handlebar/helmet mount, and of course a lineup of batteries and memory cards.

(Via: Engadget)

Daily deal – Canon HV20 Hi-def camcorder for $539.99 (refurbished)

My daily deal for today is for the highly rated Canon HV20 HD camcorder. This high definition recorder shoots video in true 1080 widescreen format, directly to regular (cheap) miniDV tapes.

The camera normally retails for around $720, but if you can deal with a refurbished version, it could be yours for just $539.99+$5 for shipping.

Refurbished products have been sent back to the manufacturer (for any number of reasons), and have been returned to their “as new” condition. One word of warning about refurbished products though – even though many credit cards offer additional warranty on purchases, this warranty usually does not apply when the product was refurbished. The HV20 comes with a limited 90 day warranty.

Included in this package is the camera itself, a battery pack, AC charger, remote control, HD video cable and of course the user manual.

The Canon HV20 HD camcorder is on sale through the Woot spinoff “Woot Sellout”. To get to the sales page, you will have to enter through shopping.yahoo.com, then right in the middle of the screen you will see the Canon HV20. By clicking on that, you will be taken to sellout.woot.com. You HAVE to go through the Yahoo page to get to the deal. As always with Woot! deals, once it is sold out, the deal is gone. At the moment, this camera is still in stock, but there is no telling how long that will last.