When last we saw a Tachyon XC helmet cam it was clinging futilely onto the side of another, stuck together so that the footage coming from the two could be combined to create 3D — something GoPro is now trying to do much more expensively. We weren’t particularly convinced at the time, largely in part because the resolution of each of those XC cameras was only VGA. Now there’s an HD model we’ve been given to try, and while we’ve happily ditched the Siamese action to go solo this time, some issues remain here that keep us from giving the new, 9.99 Tachyon XC HD our universal recommendation.

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Tachyon XC HD helmet camera review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 12:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TiVo has finally dropped the price on the HD and HD XL DVRs. These models have been rocking their initial MSRP for years now, but now they can be had for a little bit less. The 160GB HD model is now $249 and the 1TB model, $499 down from $599. Of course you still have to pay a monthly fee to use these DVRs, but I’m not one to snub a modest price drop.

I wonder if this was a reaction to the Moxi price drop from last week. Probably not because these things are usually planned months out, but you never know. Maybe TiVo is starting to feel a little heat from their closest competitors, who now have a 3-tuner DVR by the way…

Ah, patent trolling: the last refuge of a dying company. Don’t get me wrong. I love my TiVo. It’s like a friend and a lover. We still have the old DVD-burning Humax model – I didn’t even upgrade to the wonky cable-card HD model – and the fact that I, a fairly plugged in tech nerd didn’t bother to upgrade is a testament to the company’s slow descent. I know there are better things out there and better things coming down the pike and so the current my TiVo is just fine by me.

That leads us to TiVo’s lawsuit against AT&T and Verizon for time-shifting patents. Here is the basic info:

ALVISO, Calif., Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO) today filed complaints in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas against AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications, Inc. for infringement of the following three TiVo patents U.S. Patent Nos. 6,233,389 B1 (”Multimedia Time Warping System”), 7,529,465 B2 (”System for Time Shifting Multimedia Content Streams”), and 7,493,015 B1 (”Automatic Playback Overshoot Correction System”). The complaints seek damages for past infringement and a permanent injunction, similar to that issued by the United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas against DISH/EchoStar.

The DISH lawsuit lasted for five years and involved, in short, the company presumably infringing on TiVo’s “concept” of stream time-shifting. Essentially they’re saying that only they can build a time shifting DVR.

Essentially TiVo is going after DVRs, straight up. TiVo’s patent is for a device that can allow you to watch one program while recording another. In a world where standalone TiVo boxes are going the way of the Dodo, this patent could be a goldmine for the failing company, resulting in a series of nutritious lawsuits until the company ends up like SCO – a lawsuit slinging shell of its former self.

The Canon PowerShot S90 is the little camera made for pros

(Credit: Joshua Goldman/CNET)

Yes, there was great disappointment that no new digital SLRs were announced by Canon on Wednesday–only PowerShots. However, I was not one of the disappointed as I love point-and-shoot cameras of all shapes, sizes, and capabilities. And Canon delivered exactly that.

Though the SX20 IS and SX120 IS are only minor upgrades to their predecessors, the G11, SD980 IS, and SD940 IS all have major tweaks separating them from their previous iterations.

What was probably supposed to be the big “oh wow” camera, however, was the reintroduction of the PowerShot S series in the form of the S90. Based off of the high-end functionality of the PowerShot G-series cameras, it has several cool features including a 28mm-equivalent wide-angle f/2.0 lens with a 3.8x optical zoom, a customizable control ring around the lens for easy access and operation of manual or other shooting settings, and RAW+JPEG capture–all in a body that can fit right in your pocket.

Read more about the cameras and check out some hands-on photos in the slide shows below.

Lastly, in case you’re more into camcorders than cameras, Canon announced one new HD model, the HF S11.

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(Credit: Insignia)

The price of HD Radio technology has been dwindling over the past few years, with digital-capable car stereos and clock radios priced south of $100. But Insignia’s new NS-HD01 adds two new wrinkles to the HD Radio equation. The iPod-size unit is the first truly portable (battery powered) HD Radio, and its $50 price tag makes it the most affordable HD model to date. The NS-HD01 is scheduled to hit shelves at Best Buy on June 12, but we got an early look at the unit.

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Panasonic launched the VIERA R Series today in Japan [JP], consisting of a total of seven new plasma and LCD TVs. The first TVs of the series will be available over here starting July 1, with Panasonic not yet saying anything about sales in overseas markets.

The R series includes three plasma TVs, which are all full HD and sized at 42 ($2,900), 46 ($3,500) and 50 ($4,200) inches. They feature a contrast ratio of 4,000:1, a built-in 500GB HDD, two 16×4cm speakers and three HDMI ports.

The other four VIERA TVs of the new R series are LCDs sized at 17 ($1,300), 20 ($1,400), 32 ($1,900) and 37 ($2,500) inches. The only full HD model is the 37-incher, which also features an IPSα panel (120Hz speed). The 32-inch TV also has this panel but only achieves a resolution of 1,366×768 (just like the 17- and 20-inchers). All four LCDs come with a 250GB HDD.