Big shot
Sanyo has announced a high storage capacity digital camera that doubles as a basic camcorder. Due next month, the IDC-1000Z uses Sanyo's new 730MB ID Photo Magneto optical disc system to house up 11,000 stills or two hours of video files. It can also be used to archive up to 24 hours of voice dictation. Another key facility is the camera's Sequential Shot Function, which can take up to 30 shots in one second. The IDC-1000Z, which has a resolution of 1.5 megapixels, is due to retail for around £700. Sanyo has also become the latest Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer to offer its take on the MP3 format with its just launched personal-sized player, the £250 SSP-PD7. In addition to playing MP3, the unit is also compatible with AAC (Advanced Acoustic Coding) files. If AAC is used, the player can store up to an hour of music on its removable 32MB MultiMedia card, whereas MP3 compression stores around half an hour. AAC download times are also twice as fast MP3 ones. The player comes with rechargeable batteries, which deliver around five hours of playback. Sanyo is also joining Philips, Bush and Goodmans in offering a personal CD player that will read MP3 files burned on to CD-ROMs. The CDP-M300, which also boasts a 45-second anti-shock system, goes on sale in July. No news on prices yet.
Snap and sing
Kodak has joined Samsung and Fuji in offering a digital camera with a built-in MP3 player. Scheduled for a March launch, the £200 MC3 is also one of the cheapest digital cameras to offer both video capture and an LCD screen. The camera comes with a 16MB CompactFlash card, which will store up to 110 digital images or 20 minutes of video, but a paltry 15 minutes of standard-quality MP3 music. Larger-capacity CompactFlash cards are available, although adding a 64MB card, which archives more than an hour of music, ramps up the cost by a further £140. The camera's other audio facilities include a built-in speaker, a headphones socket and an output for connection to a home or car stereo. Snappers are offered a self-timer, auto white balance and exposure and an image resolution of 640 by 480 pixels. (AN)
Boxing clever
Yorkshire-based Pace Micro Technology has unveiled a television set-top box that incorporates a Sega Dreamcast games console. The system includes a 40 gigabyte hard drive to store up to 60 games, which can be downloaded and updated via a cable or modem or data broadcasting connection. The drive can also be used to record TV programmes, like TiVo's digital VCR, and in the next five to 10 years, Pace thinks it could develop into a "home gateway" to connect up other devices. Andrew Wallace,Pace's marketing director, says: "Fundamentally, what we are offering is cost-effective access to a new market of casual gamers. We don't expect keen gamers to buy this product."
In fact, neither type of gamer will be able to buy the product. Pace is offering the system to cable and satellite TV operators, who will charge their subscribers a higher monthly fee - perhaps $20 - to rent the system. The deal is non-exclusive on both sides. Pace remains free to integrate rival games systems in similar set-top boxes, while Sega is talking to other device manufacturers about using its games technology. (JS)
