GeekSugar

Ellen DeGeneres's Awards Show Must Have: A Video Camera

GeekSugar — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:50:42 -0700

Last night at the Teen Choice Awards in LA, funnywoman Ellen DeGeneres made sure to capture every eventful moment with her pocket-size Flip Mino Camcorder. This isn't the first time we've seen her accept an award while filming the entire experience; back in 2006 at the 32nd Annual People's Choice Awards, she brought along her Sony Handycam. And just in case you were wondering, she won "Choice Twit" for being the favorite Twitterer! You can check out more pics of her with her black Flip below.

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Stars Who Aren't Camera Shy

GeekSugar — Wed, 13 May 2009 01:45:58 -0700

What happens when celebrities who are so used to having the lights and flashes pointed at them turn the cameras on themselves, their fans, or better yet - the paparazzi?! Not too long ago I showcased some celebs having fun with their Flip video cameras, and now it's time to display those with their old school video cameras and point and shoot cams as well. From Tom Brady to Janet Jackson, you'll see them all working their photography and video skills here!

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Enter the Sugar and Flip Video Design Contest to Win a Personalized Flip Mino!

Sponsor — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 10:25:10 -0800

Nothing shows your personality quite like home video - don't miss an opportunity to tell your story. Sugar has teamed up with Flip Video to give you a chance to win a new Flip Mino camcorder! All you have to do is design your own Flip Mino on TheFlip.com, send it our way, and let your artistic talent speak for itself!

Here's how:
1. Go to TheFlip.com to get started.

2. Browse the design gallery, upload your own photo, or use the pattern generator to make your Flip camcorder unique and personal.

3. Once you have completed your design, click on the envelope icon at the bottom of the tool and email your design to flipcontest@sugarinc.com. That's it!

The super-portable, super-simple Flip Mino makes it fun to capture and share high-quality video anywhere and everywhere. And thanks to its flip-out USB arm and intuitive built-in software, Flip Mino lets you view, edit, and upload your videos to popular video-sharing sites like YouTube instantly.

Mark your calendars - the contest runs from Dec. 12-26. The top 20 finalists will be showcased in a slideshow on geeksugar on Dec. 29, and then the five grand prize winners will be announced on Dec. 31!

Stay tuned - over the next couple of weeks we'll be showing you camcorders designed by all the Sugar girls to help you get a little inspiration! Now, time to get designing your very own custom Flip Mino! Good luck.

Official Rules.

Vintage Geek Explosion: Mad Men

GeekSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:00:08 -0700

You wouldn't think that geeksugar would have much to say about AMC's runaway hit Mad Men, set in the early 1960s - but you'd be totally, utterly wrong.

The retro-era show is actually rife with geekery - vintage geekery that is. Not only is it a rare look into how the times were for health, the sexes, minorities, and business, we also get to see the infiltration of technology into the home and the workplace.

Amazing tech quotes abound, like this over-the-top sexist zinger: "The manufacturer made it so easy a woman could use it." Of course, we'd love to say that sexism in regards to technology manufacturing has gone the way of the black and white TV, but we can't, necessarily.

Besides the women-friendly typewriter, there's the old-school video cameras, the wild concept of the copy machine, the out-of-placeness of a tube television in a single woman's apartment, and one of my favorites, the crazy (and crazy important) sight of the switchboard ladies, connecting the mad ad men with their clientele.

Photo courtesy of AMC

Gadgets For the Big Day

GeekSugar — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 03:25:48 -0700

Welcome back to Wedding Season on the Sugar Network. Now that I've given you inspiration for creating your own wedding website, provided you with registry tips and imparted my ideas for geeky bachelorette parties it's finally time to plan the big day. Assuming you've found the right videoographer and photographer, the only last minute techie issue you have to tackle is what gadgets you will need on the big day.

If you have hired a professional photo and video team, I suggest you still stock the tables in the reception hall with inexpensive digital cameras or even the new Kodak Disposable Camera, which has recently gotten a makeover and looks like a small digital camera. The Kodak Disposables are inexpensive (seriously, they are $9.99 and available at food and drug stores) so you can purchase a couple dozen without breaking the bank. If you do opt for real digital or film cameras consider making one of the bridal party members the official "camera keeper" and have them pass them out to the dependable, bored looking crowd members. While the professional photos will likely be the ones you'll keep on your mantel for the rest of your life, there's no telling what candid moments your cousin Betty might capture.

For additional ideas for wedding day gadgets, including tips for entertaining the under 21 guests, read more

If you are inviting a pack of kids to the wedding but don't have specific entertainment planned for them consider setting up a small room or tent with a TV and video game console. Your nephews might get bored of all the Etta James playing, but they'll never forget their cool aunt or uncle who let them play Dance Dance Revolution for three hours straight.

Finally, don't panic about keeping your wedding high tech. You hired a professional photographer for a reason. Just sit back and enjoy your day away from the computer and in the limelight.

Kodak Zi6 Pocket Camera to Challenge My Trusty Flip?

GeekSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:03:07 -0700

I'm obviously a big fan of the Flip Video camera because of its portability and simple video uploading functions. My YouTube page has never been easier to populate! And of course, since the Flip was first on the scene, there are bound to be challengers pop up with improved capabilities. Enter the Kodak Zi6 Pocket Video Camera.

Coming just in time for the holiday season on Oct. 1, the Zi6 boasts some pretty impressive specs: HD recording at 16:9 aspect ratio, flip-out USB connector, 2.4-inch screen, on board slow motion playback, tripod mountable body, and an expandable SD/SDHC card slot that can hold up to 32 GB, which equals hours of video fun. The Zi6 is priced at an affordable $180 in your choice of black or pink, and will come stocked with video editing software to let you personalize your flicks with text, music, and still-photo extraction for sharing. It's the newest evolution in on-the-go video cameras! I'm definitely adding this bad boy to my Christmas list this year!

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Fabulous Pure Flip Video Camera

GeekSugar — Thu, 03 May 2007 10:30:28 -0700

There's been a lot of talk across the blogosphere about Pure's new Flip Video Camera, but I wasn't sure about it until I got a chance to test it out. How do I feel now? I think it's called love.

I took the Flip Video to one of my sister's dance performances last week and even though I was sitting about 20 rows back, I managed to clearly capture both the dance and the music. After I figured out how to subtly turn the camera on while the crowd was clapping (it makes a tiny beep which seemed to really bother my uptight neighbor), I just pointed it at the stage, pressed the red record button and voilà! I am the next Sofia Coppola.

For additional photos and specs of the Flip Video, read more

The Pure Flip Video camera was designed with users like myself in mind. I want to have easy access to a light, portable and quality camcorder, but I'm not ready to commit to a $2,000 device. Because the camera has simple "power," "play," "delete," and "record" buttons, it's virtually fool proof. It has a 2X zoom and allows you to do instant playback like any other camcorder, but unlike any other camcorder, it has a built-in Flip Video Software Program that launches directly from the camcorder (see the flip out USB arm? It plugs right into your computer). Using the program you can view, organize, and locally archive your videos in a clip-based library system. You can also capture still photos from video clips and edit your videos to create fun montages and YouTube ready videos.

I've always been the woman that whips out her digital camera at every event to take pictures, but I had never actually used a camcorder because I hate the idea of all the post-shooting work. The Flip Cam kills the need for tapes, memory cards or batteries and packs all your video needs into a sleek, simple camera that will fit in your purse, diaper bag or palm. Even better, the fact that you can capture still photos means you don't have to carry your digital camera too.

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It comes in two models, one 30-minute version with a 512 MB flash memory, and one 60-minute version with 1 GB of memory. It has a 1.4 inch color screen for instant viewing and the flip-out USB 2.0 Arm connects to PC or Mac. You can also use the included cable to connect to your TV and plug in a microphone or speaker.

The 30-minute Flip Video is $102.99 on Amazon and available in electronic and drug stores around the country.

Is a Camera Finally Coming to the iPod Touch?

GeekSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:33:59 -0800

I know, I know, you've heard this one before, but now The Examiner is quoting an inside source at Apple who says a camera will be coming to the iPod touch this Spring. Rumors and theories have been circulating ever since the Nano was released with a video camera, and the iPod Touch was not. In September, Steve Jobs explained the reasoning behind the missing camera, that the iPod Touch is meant to be primarily a gaming device, and Apple's goal was to keep the price down as much as they could.

The article, later quoted in the New York Times says:

"We have heard from an inside source who claims the camera version of the iPod Touch 3G will be released this Spring. The source confirms to us that the iPod Touch 3G with camera had actually been planned for release this past September, but had problems passing quality control."

According to the source, the iPod Touch camera will be the same as the current Nano camera, which takes video but not still photos. There's no word on a possible release date, though I'm curious if Apple would release another iPod Touch upgrade so soon after the latest version's September debut.

Do You Snap Pics at Concerts Despite No Camera Rules?

GeekSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:44:30 -0800

It's safe to say that if you have a cell phone, you've probably snapped a few photos at a concert to post on Facebook or to send as an accompaniment to a tweet. And although the typical "no photos/camera" rule seems pretty archaic in these days of super-powerful and slim digital point-and-shoot cameras, some bands and venues don't allow cameras of any kind during their shows, while others only allow small, digital versions.

For me, if I'm taking pictures or video of an artist at a concert, it's for my own memory and nostalgia. But the fear for bands and venues is that if you have a camera, you might sell your photos for a profit. I know how small cameras can be now, so for a venue to intensively check each person for a camera (not to mention a camera phone) seems pretty impossible, especially when the sleek Sony Powershot is smaller than my BlackBerry. This got me wondering - do you snap pics during concerts, or do you follow the "no camera" rules?

Malia and Sasha Obama Go High Tech For the Kids Ball

GeekSugar — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 11:50:01 -0800

Wow, the adorable Obama girls are impressing me more and more each day. We already knew that Malia rocked a Kodak M893 digital camera during the inauguration festivities on Tuesday, well the other night, her little sis' Sasha was spotted with a Flip video camcorder at the We Are the Future Kids Ball. Considering Santa brought them a Wii this year for Christmas, I can't say I'm surprised by all their tech toys!

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