Panasonic 3D camcorder

HDC-SDT750

Panasonic has unveiled the world's first consumer 3D camcorder, the HDC-SDT750, at a press event in Japan.

The camcorder, when attached with a special 3D conversion lens, is capable of shooting amazing true-to-life 3D videos.

The 3D attachment uses two lenses to capture two images simultaneously - just like the human eyes - to form a 3D video.

The HDC-SDT750 records video in full 1080p resolution in AVCHD format with 5.1-channel audio.

The camcorder is also capable of taking still pictures and features Intelligent Auto mode, face detection and Hybrid OIS shake reduction system.

For editing the 3D videos, the camcorder comes with HD Writer AE 2.6T application which allows users to splice together videos and save them on a PC or burn them onto a Blu-ray or DVD disc.

Users can watch their 3D movies on a 3D capable TV such as the Panasonic Viera Full HD 3D TVs by hooking up the camcorder via a HDMI cable.

The camcorder uses a 3MOS system with improved noise reduction and manual ring for full control of the camcorder's zoom, focus and shutter speed.

It also has a large 3in touchscreen for easily accessing the camcorder's functions.

Panasonic expects to launch the HDC-SDT750 by the end of September.

The HDC-SDT750 camcorder with the 3D conversion lens is expected to retail for RM5,499.

HDC-SDX1

Compact camcorders

Panasonic also unveiled its new pocket-sized video camcorder, the HM-TA1 and HDC-SDX1.

The HM-TA1 records in HD video in full 1080p resolution and captures 8-megapixel still images.

Also, the HM-TA1 has built-in image stabilisation and a small LED flash for illuminating subjects.

The compact camcoder has an integrated USB port for transferring videos to a PC. It can also upload videos to Youtube and

Facebook directly with just a touch of a button.

Another cool feature is that the HM-TA1 can double up as a webcam for Skype calls when hooked up to a computer.

The camcorder supports higher capacity memory cards, namely SDHC and SDXC. Meanwhile, the HDC-SDX1 has 2.7in LCD touchscreen and a 35.8mm wide-angle lens with 23x optical zoom.

It records HD videos in 1080i resolution and captures 3-megapixel still images. Like the HM-TA1 it can function as a webcam for chatting on Skype.

The compact camcorder records in a variety of different formats that include AVCHD, MP4 and iFrame (for use with Apple iMovie video editing software).

The HM-TA1 (RM599) will be released in September and the HDC-SDX1 (RM1,699) by the end of August.

Alienware M11X: A netbook built for games

Gaming notebooks are generally bulky and weigh a ton but not so with the Alienware M11X.

ANNOUNCED earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Dell's Alienware M11X netbook is certainly an impressive piece of hardware packed in a small form factor.

Indeed the M11X is a small gaming netbook that packs a powerful punch when it comes down to performance, capable of running modern games while keeping things nice and light for easy transport.

On the outside, the M11X is a stylish netbook that feels very well built. Its compact form factor allows the netbook to easily slip into your travel bag when you need to hit the road.

Though it weighs more than your average netbook, it still feels light enough to be carried around.

It's hard not to notice the M11X's trademark Alienware design - it comes complete with glowing LED lights for the keyboard, alien head logo on the outside and external "vents" on the sides that you can customise to any colour of your choosing.

I have to say the backlit keyboard is a nice touch that comes in useful when typing in the dark; the lights weren't too bright that it draws your attention away from the screen either.

The honeycomb pattern trackpad feels nice to use and provides sufficient coverage to scroll from one screen to another. Disappointingly, the trackpad doesn't feature multi-touch capabilities, which is a severe handicap that makes the netbook less enjoyable to use without a mouse.

COOL: The M11X's keyboard is comfortable to type on and even features backlit keys for easy typing in the dark.

Take a closer look at the M11X and you'll see that it's quite well decked out with three USB ports, multi-card reader and an Ethernet port thrown in for good measure.

If the M11X's 11in screen isn't big enough, you can consider blowing your up your images using the VGA or HDMI-out on to a larger screen or projector.

We hooked the M11X up to a 1080p monitor and the netbook generally proved it could handle the higher resolution both in games and movies.

Considering this is a gaming-centric netbook, the lack of an optical drive serves as a hindrance if you want to install games or software from physical discs. Gamers however can still puchase and download games from online game distribution services like Steam, which comes pre-installed on the M11X.