With the death of the Flip camera, many companies are eager to assume the throne of the single-use-device camcorder market. Toshiba’s Camileo S30 could have been a contender … had we been able to make it shoot decent-quality videos.

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DALLAS — No doubt you’ve seen people all over the country who camped out for hours to get the hot new iPhone. So how did one local guy get the gadget AND eight crisp 0 bills to boot? FOX 4′s Steve Noviello watched the money unfold.
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A new lineup of basic consumer LCD monitors has been announced by HP, and they look fine. Juuuuust fine. Nothing flashy here, but the specs look solid (except for the cheapest one) and the styling is very “Apple Cinema Display” – but less chromey. That’s a good thing, in my opinion.

Basically you’ve got four models, at 20″, 21.5″, 23″, and 27″. The 2010i is kind of low resolution, and has a slow response time and (relatively) low contrast as well, so we’ll just strike that one from the running.

The 2210m and 2310m (pictured above) are nearly the same, except of course for the slight size difference and a ever-so-slightly slower grey-to-grey time on the 2310m. 1000:1 contrast ratio (and the usual vastly exaggerated 40,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio), 2.5ms response time, 1920×1080 resolution, and a couple integrated 2W speakers. The 2210m costs $220 and the 2310m costs $260.

The 2710m (above; also, that link is kind of janky) has virtually the same specs (and, disappointingly, the same resolution) as its smaller brethren, but costs significantly more at $456 (or at least, that’s what is listed at Amazon (you can get it for $366 though)). With a rather larger pixel pitch, this one won’t give you as crisp an image as the others. My pick for value out of this bunch is the 2210m; it could make an excellent second monitor if you already have a large, high-quality one for your primary.

By Evan Ackerman

This toaster is not nearly as cool as the transparent toaster that we posted about, um, two and a half years ago, but this is one that you can (reportedly) actually buy. From a company called Magimix comes “Le Toaster Vision,” a toaster with insulated glass walls that let you see just exactly how burnt to a crisp your toast is getting.

Despite its toaster moniker, Le Toaster Vision is really more of a vertical toaster oven, using two toaster elements per side that are positioned above and below the slices of bread. Reflectors behind the elements make sure that the bread gets toasted evenly while keeping the windowed sides (mostly) clear to see through. Transparent, yes, sort of… But it’s nowhere near as sexy as it could be without all of that other metal in the way.

I can’t find a way to order one of these, but it’s a real product from a real company so sooner or later it will probably show up somewhere. We hope.

[ Magimix ] VIA [ Moco Loco ]

Short Version: The PJD2121 is a portable projector mainly intended for the business user. The display is bright, the colors crisp, and the contrast is high enough that you don’t need to be in a room with blackout curtains to use it. The price is pretty reasonable, too.

Features:

• Off-to-Go tech allows you to shut it down and go
• Short throw gives you a 60 inch screen from 4 feet
• Only weighs 1.4 pounds
• Supports HD inputs
• MSRP: $415

Pros:

• Vibrant, crisp display; works well in low light
• Small and portable
• Short throw makes is easy to find a place to put it

Cons:

• No speakers
• Fan noise can be distracting
• Price of replacement lamps can be high

Review: While Viewsonic is mainly known for their LCD monitors and displays, they’ve actually been in the projector business for quite some time. The PJD2121 is one of their most recent entries into the portable projector market. I’m very impressed with it: it’s bright, colorful, and works great at short distances. I tried it for PC and console gaming and had no issues with it. It worked best with my Xbox360, and playing Dirt 2 on a 60-inch display was almost a religious experience.

I can definitely see this as an excellent product for a business traveler as well. The display is sharp, clear, and the 1800:1 contrast makes it work well even in a fairly bright environment. Text and graphics all display in vibrant color, and the contrast between text and the background is crisp and easy to read. I was slightly disappointed by the fact that the PJD2121 doesn’t have integrated speakers, but realistically it’s more intended for a business setting then for a gamer like myself.

Be aware that the connections are limited to SVGA 15-pin and component. No HDMI or composite devices need apply. This makes it a great projector for gaming and plugging into your laptop for a sales meeting, but not so great for a home theater setup.

Specs:

• Native Resolution: SVGA (800×600)
• Projection System: DLP
• Brightness: 400 ANSI Lumens
• Contrast Ratio: 1800:1
• Weight: 1.4 lbs
• Aspect Ratio: 4:3 native, 16:9 Selectable
• Image Size: 35 to 150 inch
• Throw Ratio: 1.0:1
• Connectivity: 15-pin HD D-sub and RCA Component

The Viewsonic PJD2121 is a great little projector for $419. The bright colors make it great for watching movies, playing games, or showing that spreadsheet to a client. The projector itself is warrantied for a period of three years, but you should expect to replace the lamp after roughly 2000 hours. A replacement lamp has an MSRP of $456, however a quick search shows that you’ll be able to pick one up for about $150.

Product page: Viewsonic PJD2121

The GoPro HD Hero captures crisp HD video and offers users a great deal of flexibility of resolution and mounting options. However, some users may find it to be too complex for its two-button interface and tiny screen.

Originally posted at The Car Tech blog