Devices like this only used to be see in movies such as Mission Impossible. Well, not anymore.

As people get more and more enamored with ultra-small and ultra-portable shiny electronic gadgets, the smaller these consumer products will become. Japanese company Digital Cowboy has a lighter-sized video camera called DVR-SP. The device will record video on a microSD card of up to 2GB in 176x144. The DVR-SRP is almost negligible, weighing a mere 13 grams. And yes, it could easily be lost what with its dimensions of 73x20x11mm. Not the best camcorder in the world, but certainly noteworthy. The only concern is that it can easily be misplaced which makes it an ill fit for the naturally scatter-brained individual. The DVR-SP is available in Japan via the Digital Cowboy web site for USD$137.

Check out the thinnest 8-megapixel digital camera.

BenQ’s new DSC X800 claims to be the world’s thinnest 8-megapixel digital camera (and I certainly haven’t seen any others this thin). At 100 x 63.7 x 14 mm (or 9.8mm on it’s slimmest side), it’s a touch too large to fit into an Altoids tin as the Pentax Optio S famously did, but it’s so thin you could stack two and not be much thicker than an Altoids tin. And as Jobs proves, large is just fine as long as you’re thin.




Despite the super-slim profile of the DSC X800, the camera includes a 3x optical zoom lens (38-114mm, f/3.5-4.5) which, like many other (non-Canon) ultracompact cameras, operates internally using a prism mechanism. BenQ isn’t known for great optics or anything (okay, so that’s an understatement), but it’s pulled out all the stops to improve your chances of getting a good shot by including image stabilization (they call it SSF, or Super Shake Free), face-tracking autofocus for up to nine faces, and high sensitivity up to ISO 4000, among other features. Other perks include a 3-inch LTPS LCD and a portable media player function that lets you watch video and listen to MP3s, though there’s only 12MB of internal memory, so you’ll have to pack some extra SD cards if you want to use it that way. Available in Q1 2008, the camera will come in black or red steel and pricing is yet to be set. Fashion accessory more than serious camera for sure, but hey, thin is in these days.