Samsung just announced two new pocket recording devices: offering a pair of portable, pocketable packages for popping photos or videos. The ST80 is a smooth, curvy compact digital camera with built-in Wi-Fi, while the E10 is a smooth, curvy compact camcorder modeled after the current generation of Flip Mino.
The 14-megapixel ST80 features a 3X optical zoom, a 3-inch touchscreen, and a 720p h.264 movie mode, making it a fairly standard “fashion” compact. Its most distinguishing feature is its networking abilities. Not only does the ST80 feature built-in Wi-Fi for transferring photos to computers, it also incorporates DLNA compatibility with Samsung’s “Allshare” function. With DLNA, the camera can stream photos and videos from its memory to any networked DLNA-equipped device, like an HDTV or digital photo frame. The camera can also wirelessly upload photos and videos to Picasa, Photobucket, Facebook, Youtube, and other online media sharing services. The ST80 ships in September with a retail price of $250.
The HMX-E10 camcorder offers 1080/30p video recording in a small, Flip-sized package. It distinguishes itself from other pocket camcorders with a 270-degree swivel lens. While the lens is fixed-zoom like other pocket camcorders, it can turn in different directions for capturing video at various angles. Like the recently-announced Panasonic TA1, the HMX-E10 can capture 8-megapixel still images in addition to h.264 video footage. In addition to the standard built-in USB connection, the E10 also supports HDMI connectivity for displaying videos directly on HDTVs. The camcorder will be available in August for $200.