Despite the killing off of the FLIP there's still some movement left in the Pocket HD camcorder market. Samsung's latest release is a shock, water and dust-proof rugged unit capable of recording full high definition video and snap 5.5 megapixel stills. The bright lens and LCD screen are coated to help keep videos blur-free and the sensitivity is twice that of previous models thanks to the inclusion of backside-illumination technology.
Samsung's waterproofing of the HMX-W200 Pocket Cam to a depth of about 10 feet (3 meters) is not the only feature to help action lovers to best capture full 1080p high definition underwater scenes, the F2.2 lens features anti-fog coating to disperse steam and the 2.3-inch, 230,000 dot resolution LCD screen benefits from anti-droplet coating for wipe-free framing. There's also a special Aqua Mode setting which automatically adjusts the device's settings for optimum underwater video.
The 2.36 x 4.44 x 0.77-inch (60 x 113 x 19.7 mm) Pocket Cam is dustproof and shockproof, loow lighting noise and distortion is kept in check by the backside-illumination technology of the 5 megapixel CMOS sensor and, like the FLIP, the W200 gets its own pop-out USB arm for direct connection to a laptop or computer.
Other features of note include the ability to pause filming during shooting so that the captured video can be stored as one file, and fish-eye and vignetting filters to add some arty creative spice. The 1300 mAh battery is said to offer about 2 hours between charges and content is stored to micro SD/SDHC media.
The Samsung HMX-W200 Pocket Cam will be available from next month for US$159.
Rugged qualities aside, it will be interesting to see if there is indeed a post-FLIP Pocket Cam void for the W200 to fill given that many of the latest smartphones are already capable of shooting 1080p video and capturing multi-megapixel stills.
Why leave the rugged qualities aside? Are you going to risk attaching a top-of-the-line smartphone to your helmet to video your dirt bike practice . . .and where are you going to get such a smartphone for US$159 before discounting?