Panasonic is presenting two new cameras that, thanks to dust, water and shock protection, can work in the toughest situations. They can both be used for taking still images and HD video (1,920 X 1,080 pixels). The smaller model, the HM-TA20 has a 3-inch touchscreen and costs 199 euros (289 dollars). Its photo sensor has an 8-pixel resolution. If you want double that, check out the HX-WA10, which costs 329 euros and has 2.7-inch display that can swing free and be turned. Both are expected to hit shelves this month.
New mini-PC Eeebox has Blu-ray player
Asus has begun selling its mini-PC Eeebox with a Blu-ray player. Also knows as the EB1501P, it comes with Windows pre-installed and is also configured to be a multimedia centre. Along with the Blu-ray player in the housing is a 250 gigabyte hard drive, wi-fi capability and Intel’s Atom dual-core processor (1.8 gigahertz). Other devices can be connected to its six USB ports. The device costs 499 euros (725 dollars) and includes a remote control.
Sat-nav tail light protects from bike theft
The British firm Integrated Trackers has come up with a well-camouflaged GPS theft protection system for bicycles. The Spylamp looks like a normal LED tail light, but includes a satellite-navigation receiver along with the lamps, as well as a GSM mobile broadcast module. Should the theft protection become activated, the lamp sends text messages with its coordinates as soon as the bicycle is moved. The whereabouts can then be discerned on an internet map. The Spylamp can be ordered directly at www.integratedtrackers.com and costs about 130 pounds (213 dollars), which includes shipping.
New external terabyte hard drive comes in silicon housing
Transcend has released a robust external 2.5-inch hard drive with triple-layered silicon housing as a protection against falls. The Storejet 25H3P includes hard drive suspension insulation and a reinforced hard drive frame that should distribute blows evenly. It includes a gigabyte of storage capacity and its USB 3.0 connection promises data transfer rates of up to 90 megabytes a second. Weighing in at 256 grams, it is available for 119 euros (173 dollars).
