More than a year since its announcement, Sigma has released an official update on the progress of their DP1 anomaly. According to Sigma, the delay is the result of poor image quality delivered during testing necessitating a “change to the entire image processing pipeline.” Alpha tests of the redesign began in early November with no date given for production. Remember, this is slated to be the first compact to feature an APS-C sized image sensor found in DSLRs — no easy task. In this case, we’re talking the 14 megapixel FOVEON X3 found in their SD14. At least that was the plan. Sigma now says that the specs will change from what was originally announced. Bottom line: Sigma will be rolling out a redesigned compact with unknown specs on an unspecified date. Clear?

Fancy yourself a bird watcher do you? Good — be they the hollow-boned or British-beach going variety, this is the cam to catch ‘em. The Kenko Field Catch image spotting digital camera features a 14x, 70-mm optical zoom lens, 3.1 megapixel CMOS, SD slot, and optional power from a pair of AAs. In addition to a viewfinder, a high / low throw-switch on top allows for a quick 24x or 7x zoom on the 2.0-inch LCD. Thing is, this is the same VistaPix IS70 announced for star gazing back in January by Celestron — a company which recently disappeared from the interwebs. It’s expected to fetch ¥64,800 (about $589) and possible hefty fine depending upon use when launched mid December in Japan.

Update: Celestron seemed to be having a case of server blues this morning — they’re back.

[Via Impress]

Apart from format support and blatant KIRFage, there’s usually not much to distinguish one Chinese “MP4” player from another, so Newman’s L1200 PMP is quite the standout with its 12 megapixel camera. Mounted cell-style on the edge of the device alongside a flash, the cam swivels 180 degrees to take regular shots or 30fps video of your smiling face. Other features include a 3-inch QVGA touchscreen, SD expansion, non-specific AVI video support, and a variety of shooting modes and setting for that cam. Not much else is known, but at just $132, it’s worth a splurge if you ever see it outside of China.

[Via PMP Today]

IPEVO, better known for its Skype-related offerings, is gearing up to unveil its PoV handheld webcam at the Taipei Computer Show, but thankfully, it went ahead and uploaded most all of the nitty gritty onto its website for us to pore over. Apparently, the device is designed to enable users to easily show others “what they see,” and it features a VGA (640 x 480) resolution, adjustable focus, automatic white balance, a built-in microphone and USB 2.0 connectivity. You can also perch this bugger on your desk or desktop monitor, but c’mon, where’s the fun in that? No word on a price or release date just yet, but those tidbits should be readily available next month.

[Thanks, Roy C.]

While things are still far from official, rumors are starting to pick up that Pentax is set to update not one, but two of its DSLR cameras early next year, in advance of the big PMA show. More specifically, according to Photography Bay, Pentax’s K10D and K100D will be getting replaced by the K20D and K200D, respectively, with each bringing with them a number of fairly significant upgrades. If the rumors pan out, the K20D will boast a hefty 14 megapixels, along with a 14 bit RAW A/D Processor, a slightly larger 3-inch “live view” LCD, and improved “in-body shake reduction,” among other features. For its part, the K200D is said to pack a 10-megapixel CMOS sensor from Sony, plus a PRIME 12-bit Image Processor, a 3 FPS shooting mode, and a larger LCD that may or may not be a 3-incher as well. Of course, that’s all still up in the air for the time being, but things should be settled one way or the other by January 24th, which is when Pentax is supposedly set to get official with the cameras.

Remember those plastic scramble puzzles you used to get in cereal boxes or from the toy vending machines at the grocery store?

Now you can create a puzzle with your own photo (without pushing around hard plastic chicklets with your fingernails) with Befuddlr.

Upload your photo to the Photojojo Flickr group, go to Befuddlr and click “photojojo”, select your photo, and scramble it into an online puzzle game!

The site will even time your unscrambling attempts, making for a perfect mid-day office-wide showdown.

We did this one in 21.4 seconds. Can you beat us?

Befuddlr: Make Online Photo Scramble Puzzles from Your Photos

Photo by jessi

p.s. Our pal Amy, one of the site’s founders, tells us they’ve got lots more on the way, including user accounts and a way to challenge your friends directly!

The Eye-Fi Wireless Memory Card This season’s hit! In stock and available with CompactFlash adapter! ($99 and $129) read more →

The Gorillapod Bendable and flexible mini-tripod wraps around just about anything to hold your point & shoot. $20 — TODAY ONLY!read more →

Magnetic Photo Rope 8 neodymium magnets hold your photos to a thin cable you can hang just about anywhere. EXTENDED! — $10 for 1 more day. (+ discounts on 2, 3, 6, 12, and 24-packs!)read more →

The Monsterpod Gravity-defying tripod belongs in sci-fi. Sticks to anything: glass, trees, walls… even upside down! EXTENDED! — $30 for 1 more day.read more →

The Circle Cutter Circle-ize your photos, then use the included Fotoclips to create fun photo arrangements! $12 — TODAY ONLY! read more →

Link to this | Filed under Websites.

Ok everybody, here goes round two. This time we’re got one of Microsoft’s new LifeCam VX-7000s. Ready? Here’s how this thing works.

We’ll put up a gadget on the site, and you can only enter it until the next gadget lands (usually within a couple of hours). If you miss your shot, sorry, we’re moving on to the next gadget. Good luck! Oh, and don’t forget the rules. (Yeah, there are always rules.)

• Leave a comment below. That’s it! Who loves you, baby.
• You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you’ll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) You can enter different giveaways in today’s Black Friday giveaways, but you can only enter this one once.
• If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you’ll be fine.
  
• Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers or US contest laws if you have to be mad.
• Winners will be chosen randomly.
• Entries can be submitted until the next contest goes up. After that we’re all done. Good luck!
• Full rules can be found here.

Last round’s winner: Nate! (Remember, winners are selected at random.)

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