VCamNow Digital Video Camera 2.0
© 2006 Tiger Electronics (Hasbro)
Updated from last year (but not by much) this is an affordable digital camcorder that works with kids. The camera has a built-in preview screen and speaker, for instant gratification. It is small, and easy enough to use so that a busy parent can figure out how to use it. It also can last a few days on two standard AA batteries, and it plugs into any TV or computer, letting a child show off his or her work. There's also a crude zoom, an LED "record" light, editing software, and a self-timer feature as a bonus. As you might expect, sound and video quality is limited to just better than the typical webcam, and the one-channel sound is fair at best. In addition, there's not much out-of-the-box capacity — the camera comes with 32MB of RAM that equals just seven minutes of AVI video. This can be easily expanded, however, with a handy SD memory card port. Our tester was able to import the video into a Windows computer with no extra software — thanks to the fact that our XP computer automatically recognized and played the AVI clips. Note that this camera does not do well in low light. It might look like a toy, but this camera successfully combines ease-of-use with the basic features that keep kids smiling on both sides of the viewfinder. If you already have last year's model, don't bother upgrading, as there is very little difference.
$80, Smart Toy
Teaches: creativity, digital video
CTR Rating: 90%