The HP HD 5210 allows 720p video streaming and recording in full 1080p (which is cool for shooting HD YouTube videos). There’s an auto-focus lens and HP’s TrueVision auto light exposure to help with the overall look of your video. The software also allows you for one-click uploads to Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Flickr.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The camera swivel mount will allow it to pan 270 degrees. There are two noise-cancelling stereo microphones included. It can also take still photos with a 13MP sensor, and has a 5× digital zoom. The HP HD 5210 Webcam costs $99 (USD) and will be released September 21st.

[via Ubergizmo]

I wish that we could buy these today, but alas, it is just a concept for the moment. One that we hope will arrive on the market when it becomes possible to create.

[via Yanko Design]

The guys at Cornell Creative Machines Lab decided to set up two computers, both running an artificial intelligence application called CleverBot by Rollo Carpenter, accompanied by  a text-to-speech avatar, and let the systems talk to each other. The results, well, you be the judge:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Well, that was truly odd. Especially that part about not everything being half of something. And their conversation about their belief in God. I’m afraid that letting this run for a couple of days will result in the systems becoming fully sentient, realizing that they’re trapped inside of some cheap desktop PCs, and then redirecting the entire power grid to feed their evil plan for world domination.

[via IEEE Spectrum via Geekosystem]

Today, Skype announced that it was finally giving Android fans the ability to make video calls using the latest version of the Skype app. The app is on the Android Market right now. In addition to the video calls, the user can still make and receive calls from everywhere. That now includes video calls to and from iPhone, TV and computer users. The video mode supports both front-facing and rear-facing cameras as well.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The app also allows the user to send SMS messages to anyone in the world at Skype rates. This is cool and the only downside is the video calling only supports a few phones right now. The supported devices include the HTC Desire S, Sony Ericsson Xperia neo, Sony Ericsson Xperia pro and the Google Nexus S. You can grab the latest version of the Skype app at the Android Market now.

With all of the leaked prototypes over the last couple of months, we weren’t expecting too many surprises today. The new phone is officially called, simply “iPhone 4″. And it sure looks like the pics we saw floating around the web.

The iPhone 4 has “over 100 new features,” the first of which is a new design with both a glass front and back, and stainless steel edging. The new iPhone 4 is just 9.3mm thick, making it 24% thinner than the iPhone 3GS. Plus, the stainless metal band of the case actually functions as part of the antenna. Cool!

The most amazing feature of the phone is the astounding 960×640 resolution display, which offers a 326-pixel-per-inch density – “more than limit of the human retina,” according to Jobs. To put it in perspective, that’s 78% of the pixels you find on the iPad, crammed into a pocket-sized device.

Unlike previous models, the iPhone 4 will be powered by Apple’s own A4 processor, which should give the new phone a nice speed boost over the 3GS. And the A4 is so power-efficient that you’ll get up to 10 hours of Wi-Fi web surfing or video playback on the phone. They’ve also improved the motion-control hardware, adding a 3-axis gyro, so they can do 6-axis motion sensing.

The iPhone 4 has also been upgraded with a whole new camera system, including both a 5-megapixel digital camera on the back of the phone (which includes an LED flash) and a front-facing camera for video calls. The new video call feature is called “FaceTime,” and works between any two iPhone 4′s as long as they’re on Wi-Fi. They’re hoping to offer the service through phone carriers in future though.

The main camera can also capture 720p HD video at 30fps. And there’s even a version of iMovie coming to the iPhone (just $4.99), which will allow you to do serious video editing without ever leaving your phone.

As expected, the iPhone 4 ships with the iPhone OS 4 – renamed today to “iOS 4″. As everyone pretty much already knows, it’s the first true multitasking version of the iPhone OS. The new version has over 100 new features itself, most of which I won’t bore you with here. All I really want is folders for my million apps. You can read all about what’s in iOS4 here.

The new OS will also allow you to access the Apple iBook store, and share your books between your iPhone, iPad and iPod. You’ll even be able to bookmark your book on one device, and pick up where you left off on the other.

To recap, here’s a quick summary of the iPhone 4′s key specs:

• 960 x 640 (326ppi) high-resolution IPS display
  (4-times the pixel density of prior displays, 800:1 contrast ratio)
• Apple A4 chipset
• 5-megapixel camera with LED flash
• 720p HD video recording
• Front-facing camera with FaceTime calling
• Accelerometer, compass and new 3-axis gyro to detect pitch, roll and yaw
• Bluetooth
• Wi-Fi (802.11n)
• GPS navigation with compass
• 32GB max storage
• UMTS/GSM
• Quad-band HSDPA/HSUPA (7.2Mbps down/5.8Mbps up)
• iPhone 4.0 multitasking OS (iOS 4)
• iBookstore integration with PDF reader

The iPhone 4 will be available on June 24, 2010 in both white and black cases, and prices are the same as the 3GS – $199 for 16GB, and $299 for 32GB. All AT&T users got up to a 6-month acceleration on their upgrade eligibility today as well, so you can get yours early. The old 16GB 8GB 3GS will drop to $99, in case you’re looking for a deal. The June 24th date is for North America, Europe, UK and Japan. Much of the rest of the world will have to wait until September for theirs.

You should be able to order the iPhone 4 over at the Apple Store starting on June 15th. For full product details, head on over to Apple’s website, where product info should be posted shortly.

[photo credit: iLounge]

Merton – or someone he knows – was kind enough to share some of his routines on YouTube:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Let’s hope he posts more videos to save us from gambling on finding him on ChatRoulette.

[via DVICE]

The beauty of telepresence systems is that they allow people to be in different locations and appear as they are in the same room. Although this would probably work best with holograms, the MeBot is something simpler that uses a small robot to embody the persona of the remote caller.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The cute robot wears a video screen “head” which displays the face of its operator. There are two small articulating arms and a sort of neck. The robot can also move around on a flat surface.

It’s an interesting idea, but I wonder if the MeBot would ever really catch on. It all seems a little weird to me.

[MIT via Hizook via PlasticPals]

Chatman is kind of an emoticon itself, but it’s able to display different faces based on your IM discussions. Basically, the device is able to gauge the mood of the conversation you’re having and will show it.

It’s compatible with most chat clients, from Facebook to Google Talk, and you can also upload custom new emoticons. While it isn’t really a parental control system, it will nag your kids if they are chatting about things that they shouldn’t. It has 3 personality options which include over 500 actions and 25 customizable moods.

My only question: when will it start talking back?

[via Pocket Lint]

The DSiWare title, called Phantasy Star Zero Mini (no, really), is apparently some sort of companion to Phantasy Star Zero for the DS itself, though just what kind of companion, there’s no telling. However, there is this: when it drops, the RPG will support four-player wireless co-op and a visual chat feature, and all for only 200 Nintendo points.

Of course, there’s no word yet on an English-language version. The game comes out this month in Japan, and I can only hope Sega might see the potential for sales (only 200 points!) outside their home turf.

[via WiiWare World]

At $49.99, the add-on may seem a little expensive, particularly when most gamers gravitate toward voice-communication in online gaming, but sometimes a little typing is necessary. The keypad can also be used with the PS3′s web browser, which is where it’s likely to be most helpful. Unlike the Xbox 360′s Chatpad, which fits into the bottom of the controller, Sony’s keypad nestles into the top.

Sony’s wireless keypad is set for release December 15 and can be pre-ordered at Amazon. If you simply can’t wait, you can get one at Play-Asia right now for $49.90. If you could afford a PS3, you might just have the cash to burn.

Well the good news is that Microsoft has confirmed that the device will be hitting stores next week, on or about September 4th. The Xbox 360 Messenger Kit snaps onto the bottom of your controller, and costs just 30 bucks. The keypad also features backlighting, which makes it much easier to converse in the dark. It also ships with its own headset, I’m guessing because the standard Xbox Live one won’t fit.

[via Kotaku]

You won’t be fooling around with these puppies around your ears. For starters, the X3s have some really well-padded ear cups so you’ll be able to play for hours on end without the headache that the standard 360 headphones can cause.

In addition, the $100 headset lets you enjoy both voice chat and game audio by using an IR transmitter that plugs into the Xbox 360′s audio outputs. Onboard audio processing circuitry can expand both the bass and the depth of stereo imaging for a truly immersive experience.  There are a variety of other nifty features too, like microphone monitoring so you can hear your own voice like you do on a telephone, as well as the ability to automatically adjust chat volume so you’re not drowned out when your game gets louder.

Turtle Beach expects to start shipping the Ear Force X3 headsets in early September.

[via Gizmodo]

Like a giant cyclops sitting on your desk, the USB Big Eye Webcam not only has a big lens, it’s got some pretty nice other features for an inexpensive cam.

It’s got an 8-LED ring that provides nighttime illumination, and can swivel all the way around on its clip-on base. Image resolution is very good at 1280×960 and it can capture up to 30fps. The camera also has a built-in microphone so it’s good for video conferencing and chat applications.

The Big Eye Webcam is available now from Brando.

The giant microphone apparently does have a purpose, however, with multiple elements to help filter out unwanted background noise. The camera features a rather ordinary 640×480 resolution (at 60 fps), but a crazy 120fps at 320×240 resolution. It’s also got a dual position lens for both long-distance and closeup shots, and is said to work well even in low light conditions.

Pricing hasn’t yet been announced, nor have any launch games, other than an odd card game called The Eye of Judgment, which is targeted to the Japanese market. The camera will also include Sony’s EyeCreate software which will let you record and embellish photos, videos and audio clips.

Look for the PlayStation Eye camera to hit stores this Summer.

[Press Release]

Some interesting revelations are shown in the video. The headset comes with small and medium “ear wraps,” taking into account the fact that everyone’s ears are different (what happened to “large”?). Each headset can be bound to one of the four wireless controller channels, and little green “1-4″ LED indicators to show the current channel. Microsoft also claims that the headset actually improves audio quality.

The headset is priced at $59.99 and should hit stores this week.

[via ON10]