I never thought that I would want a camera like that, but after this weekend, I’m very tempted to spend the $200 that I don’t have! We didn’t use the camera to record any tricks or anything outside of the moguls, trees, big bumps, and normal rides, but I think that it will be really fun to look back and see some of our rides. Plus, we goof off a little bit while we ski.

The GoPro camera is a full HD 1080p camera designed to be used during sports. You can also take 5 megapixel still photos out of this camera’s super wide 170 degree wide-angle lens. All you have to do is make sure that it’s on!

This camera can be used by anyone – motorcyclists, snowmobilers, and more. It comes with plenty of accessories that allow you to customize your use. For example, there are cases that allow the camera to be waterproof up to 180 feet, but there is also a backing that allows for better sound recording except the back has a hole in it so it is semi-waterproof .

There is so much that you can do with this camera; you just have to buy the applicable accessories and do the actual sport! The battery lasts about 2 hours if you are recording continuously, and the battery actually powers a battery warmer pack that will help keep your camera up and running.

The camera has a shock proof design and is SD compatible. The only complaint that my friend has so far (which is not an uncommon complaint on the forums) is that if you place the SD card directly into your computer, the card often thinks that it is corrupt. My friend solves this problem by using a cord between the computer and the camera, and then formatting the card after getting the information off of it.

I’m extremely tempted to get one, even if I do look silly not recording jumps.

With the LOREXvue Video Sunglasses you can wear, share, and record what you see with the click of a button. Looking at them, it’s pretty easy to spot that they are something more than just sunglasses, but my first guess would be MP3 player and not camera/video recorder. You actually can listen to music via these sunglasses as well, so maybe you really can feel like a spy and trick people into thinking that all you have are music playing sunglasses. Hey, I’ve heard of stranger things.

The recorder itself is a 1.3 megapixel pinhole video camera—so the quality isn’t great but comparable to what an iPad does. It also comes with 2GB of flash memory so you can get your stalking on for more than an hour. If you want to get even more on film, the possibility to expand your memory is available via a microSD card. Okay, maybe I am not giving these sunglasses enough credit. They are actually a solid alternative to attaching a camera to your head as you cruise through the moguls on a ski terrain or as you are mountain biking through the forest; that is, if they stay on your head. I could definitely see some fun films deriving from uses such as that, but most people who do that look for better quality footage anyway. The 1.3 megapixel pinhole camera gets you a resolution of 640 x 480. Perhaps the most helpful feature is that its 500AM polymer lithium  battery can be charged via USB. The battery allows for 2.5 hours of running time.

The sunglasses also make it easy to connect with your online world. The videos are easily shared on YouTube, Facebook, Flickr, and MySpace. That being said, they are fully compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems. We’ll just hope there’s an upgrade for Apple’s new Lion OS.

As sunglasses, their design is unisex, they have polarized anti-glare lenses, and even come with a case. The size is one size fits all. How good or comfortable are they? That you will just have to see for yourself.

Oh and don’t worry, the video isn’t tinted like the glasses are. You will be able to see your footage in full color (if it’s not too grainy).

Now Sony is bringing the ability to make 3D films to everyone with their new HD-3D video camera. Awesome, I know. The camera works by actually having two cameras in one. As you go around filming both of the cameras film and because they are slightly offset in the frame it creates the illusion of 3D when viewed.

So with the camera you can film 3D in Double Full HD. Within the camera’s housing there is 3D viewing on a 3.5″ LCD – so you do not need 3D glasses. If the user does not want to view in 3D then full HD 2D playback from 3D recordings can also be done. The remarkable thing is everything is 1920×1080 Full HD 60p/24p recording.

Quick note, these are pretty impressive specs for a camera. When a camera offers 60p/24p it means that the camera can take 60 or 24 frames per second (fps) in progressive mode, there are two modes progressive or interlaced. In interlaced mode the camera actually takes two pictures and stitches them together to create one frame. What all this means is that this 3D camera can actually take 60, very high resolutions, images per second… actually since there are two cameras in one it would be 120 fps, which from a technical perspective is quite impressive.

Back to the camera, the dimensions are approximately 2 1/4inch x 2 5/ 8inch x 5 1/8inch and 840g with built-in internal flash memory. Also, you do not have to worry about being able to share videos. For your friends and family who don’t yet own a 3D-compatible TV or PC you can use a 2D playback mode from the 3D recordings. So there are no problems with filming everything in 3D.

For the size, quality, and features of this camera it is one of, if not, the best available on the market. The only downside to this camera is its high cost, currently at $1499.99. To be honest, it is a pretty good price considering what can be done on this camera. But, sorry to Sony, it is pretty difficult to spend $1499 on this video camera. If you are one of the people who always have to be the first to have the latest technology then go for it, otherwise wait a couple years and the price will surely drop.

Bedbugs, for those of you who don’t know (and I would be one of them), are small parasitic inspects that love to feast on human blood, according to Jimmy Wales and staff at Wikipedia. They can appear on hotel beds and they present some trouble to humans’ health conditions. Bedbugs cause people to have health effects such as skin rashes, psychological effects and allergic symptoms. Bedbugs were largely eradicated in 1940s but came back to relevance in 1995. As the resurgence of bed bug and its bites, the Bed Bug Camera can help to prevent many people from suffering the ill effects of bedbug bites.

The Bedbug Camera was developed by Brickhouse Security, which is the maker that brought you Secret Agent Camcorder Watch and Mega Mini Spycam. The camera has a 10x magnification lens and can even zoom in as much of 300x to try to inspect the bugs that are hiding within the sheets. The Bedbug Camera also has a built-in LED light that can help you see everything within the hotel room up-close and personal. Heck, you probably can see the bug in high definition. Ehhh, that’s probably not a good idea. Additionally, the camera can even connect to the web which enables this USB microscope camera to take picture and share on the web about what you will find in your sub-par hotel.

The camera can also be used for identifying any other particles within the sheets or anything in your hotel room. The Bedbug Camera is a must buy if you are obsessed with having a really clean bed, but cookie crumbs left on the bed are up to you.

1. Laser Trip Wire This gadget is, in my opinion, a basic.  It is like those seen in the movies and on Claymore Mines in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. When someone walks through it, they set off an alarm loud enough to wake any sleeper.  Best of all, it is less than $30 in the U.S.
2. USB Tank Missile Launcher This would be fun for office wars and such.  It is a small tank with four foam missiles.  The tank is controlled from a computer via a USB attachment.  The missiles fire twelve feet, and the USB attachment has a range of twenty-five feet.  This device will bring nerd wars to a new level.
3. Rovio What if I told you that you could have your very only military recon robot?  Well, that’s what Rovio is.  According to the manufacturer, Rovio is a “the groundbreaking new Wi-Fi enabled mobile webcam that lets you view and interact with its environment through streaming video and audio, wherever you are!”  Use your PC, your iPhone, or your PS3 to control Rovio.  The robot even comes with a charging dock!
4. EyeClops Night Vision 2.0 Binoculars One of the other current military devices that would be cool to have is night vision.  Now you can buy these, too.  EyeClops Night Vision 2.0 Binoculars are the coolest civilian night vision devices.  With them you can see up to fifty feet in complete darkness.  They fit over your head and are just fun.  Imagine something like midnight airsoft sessions with them!
5. Assorted Spying Devices Now, these actually scare me a little.  You can buy spy cam pens, glasses, lighters, key fobs, and more.  Although this is cool, it is a little scary to think anyone could be watching me at anytime without me knowing.  Oh well, the government can do that anyway.

Well, that is my compilation of spy gadgets for civilians.  Have fun using some of them!

First, the world of computers.  Everything these days has a hard drive.  Video cameras, digital cameras, MP3 players and even gaming systems.  All of this data costs a lot of money to replace, and many pictures are priceless to the parent of a newborn or the newlywed couple.  The trend is going to drive toward home servers to back-up all this data for the savvy and off site back-ups for the average Joe.  Those with the knowledge and marketing skills could make a killing.

Next, the touchscreen.  This type of technology is in cell phones and supermarkets.  People of all ages love it, and it is much easier to figure out than 20-button controllers.  Begin to look for this in television remote controls.  Now that we are using one remote to control a TV, sound system, DVR, etc., there is an increasing need to simplify the process.  Touchscreen remotes are currently very pricy, but once makers come to their senses everyone will need one.

Back to computers.  With the home server or off-site server coming to age, there is going to be much less of a need for the DVR and sound systems mentioned above.  We can do everything through a computer, and TVs are basically hopped-up computer monitors.  Having a centrally based data center will allow for the elimination of thousands of dollars worth of equipment.

The last will be the completion of a current movement…wireless.  Wireless mice and keyboards finally are getting to a good point where they are reliable.  Bluetooth is proving its worth in the headphone and earpiece world.  Soon enough, all speakers will be wireless, and freedom from wires will be granted except for the pesky power cords.

All of these are not far-fetched ideas, and the trends are moving that way.  Get ready to live more easily.

Well, Nikon has made this wishful thinking into reality. That is correct, they have built a small projector into one of their cameras. I never would have thought to do this, but I think that the design is a good idea.

Called the COOLPIX-S1000pj, this little gadget is the first camera with an ultra-small built-in projector (as of July 2009). The VGA projector is able to project about 40-inches onto a wall up to two meters away. The camera also comes with a remote control and a stand for your personal viewing convenience.

Not only does this camera come with a projector, but it is a good camera as well. I was surprised to see that Nikon did not sacrifice anything too drastic, except perhaps thickness, to create this camera and instead they added on all of the nifty features that you usually do not need but are cool to have. For instance, their Smart Portrait System now includes a Skin Softening feature as well as In-Camera Red-Eye Fix, Smile Timer, Blink Proof and Blink Warning. It also has a neat auto-scene selector that automatically recognizes the scene in your picture and adjusts camera setting.

More importantly, it has a 5 wide angle zoom and shoots up to 12.1 Megapixels. It has a 5-way VR Image Stabilization System that will aid in preventing blurry pictures, and it has a Bright 2.7-inch High Resolution LCD.

Here are the approximate dimensions:

Height: 2.5 in. (62.5mm)
Width: 4 in. (99.5mm)
Depth: 0.9 in. (23mm)

And here is the approximate price: $430…. yikes.

I know most people don’t think the topic of baby monitors is an interesting one, but this monitor is very cool and actually could be used for many different applications.  However, my favorite is the intended purpose…watching my little girl when she thinks I am gone.

The baby monitor comes with a handheld video monitor with a  2.5″ color video screen.  Although, the kit only comes with one camera, up to five can be added.  The monitor also allows you to hear the noises baby makes along with a sound sensitivity bar in case you want to mute the volume.  Lastly, the best feature of this monitor is a remote control pan of the camera with zoom.

You read it right, the camera is adjustable by remote control.  The camera can be tilted up and down and rotates roughly 270 degrees.  This mobility lets you see almost every area of a room.  I am very pleased with the motion and angles you can achieve with ease.  The zoom is not controllable other than zoom in and zoom out.

When there is ample light, the monitor provides a color view and the night vision feature displays in black and white.  Automatically, the night vision kicks on when the light disappears.  Honestly, there is nothing you need to do except point the camera where you want to watch and enjoy.

My only objection to the system is the mount.  If you are placing it on a flat surface like a table, there is nothing to worry about.  However, if you are mounting it to the wall there can be some challenges.  The camera has all the weight and extends outwards, so if you are not into the stud it will pull the screw right out of the wall.  Forty pound drywall anchors worked for me.

The major types are DVD, mini DVD, and hard drive, and all are available in high definition, if desired.  All have numerous pros and cons favoring one over the other.  I have narrowed out the desire to buy one that requires a DVD.  I remember the old video cassette camcorders, which always seemed to run out of tape once you got to the action.  Having a limited recording time is not a restriction I choose to worry about.

For this reason, I am getting a hard drive or HDD camcorder to film all of life’s precious moments.  A 60 GB HDD camcorder will allow roughly 70 hours of recording time.  I pray I am never involved in a dance recital that lasts up to 70 hours.  Then I can go home, load the footage onto my computer and edit out all of the pointless stuff.  From there I can create a DVD with only the footage I choose.

Afterward, I can delete the old footage and start fresh.  The next issue is whether or not to go high definition.  Obviously, the quality of the picture is outstanding, but the price is one major deterrent.  However, if the 1920 X 1080 pixel capture is worth the extra cash, HD is the way to go.  For those of us who can stomach the mere 340 X 340, then HD is not a necessity.

The camera I have been able to narrow my choice down to is the JVC Everio.  It is a digital camcorder with a 60 GB hard drive.  All of the reviews have been positive, and there have been very few criticisms brought up in all of the online reviews that I have read.  People seem to like the JVC better than many others because it is easy to use and the quality is a great bang for the buck.

Any other thoughts?

Prank stores used to exist everywhere, and they had tons of ways to play a silly game on friends. Pens that would explode in a flash of confetti, ink that wouldn’t show up unless on the correct paper, and even crazy ways to shock your friends.

Speaking of shocking your friends, a brand new prank toy exists that will shock friends while they attempt to snap your photo. The toy looks almost exactly like a brand new digital camera and has no branding, as if it were generic. The body is slim and adorned with a shutter button and many other buttons that give it the perfect digital camera look. The only difference is that when a user goes to press down the shutter button, they get a nice little shock much to the entertainment of those posing.

It also helps as a great way to pass some time or pose as a conversation piece after shocking some unknown stranger. The fake camera itself will help play an important role in shocking gullible folks with some old school pranks.

So, if you’re still one of those old school prank folks who loves to surprise others, this hilariously rigged new camera will provide some fun. No one will ever notice since its designed with some new school taste. Oh, and did I mention you can pick it up for only $3.35?