Looxcie LX1 Wearable Bluetooth Camcorder System

Saw an ad on my Google Reader feed for Boing Boing mentioning the Looxcie (look-see) LX1 Wearable Bluetooth Camcorder System. ( linked while it lasts.)

I've seen this camera being advertised and reviewed some time ago and didn't think it was that great. But when I saw this ad for deal on it (now for $70 whereas it was much more before), I thought it might be something to consider. However, I was quickly dissuaded from purchasing after clicking on the link to a video from the Manufacturer and then view other videos on YouTube under the Looxcie member name.

The initial video was informative, instructional, and did a decent job at presenting and selling the product. But...the other videos have me wondering about the actual quality of the video produced from the camera itself.

Click to view the various videos of mountain climbing, paintballing, cycling and others. If you aren't below the IQ of Forrest Gump, you'll notice the same thing I did. The video advertisements show very little actual footage from the camera! There is a 2-5 second clip here and there but most of the video is of the climbers/paintballers/cyclers from an angle not shot from the Looxcie camera on the persons head especially not the the LX1. Out of a 30-second ad, maybe a total of 3-5 very random seconds of video feed from the actual Looxcie camera is shown.

So, what are they selling? The person on the cyclist, the bike, the woods, the paintballer, paintball gun, the paintball course, the mountain, the climber, the camera each of these was actually shot with or the LX1? I don't think they sell the camera as much as they sold the environment it was used in. Beside the Looxcie camera was an helmet mounted one and not the over-the-ear LX1—from what I can tell in the video anyway.

I'll stick with my 2011 Tachyon XC HD Helmet Cam or my anticipated future purchase of the GoPro HD Hero 2. They are just more versatile.

Test driving the 2011 Tachyon XC HD Helmet Cam

About a week ago, I received my 2011 Tachyon XC HD Helmet Cam that I posted about here. Basic shipping was fairly quick. It delivered within 5 days and that was just fine for me as I had no immediate plans/ideas on what to do with it. I think I mentioned it was a WAY spontaneous purchase.

It delivered in a pretty standard smallish corrugated box. It had the ballooned plastic bag packaging that secured another smaller box which was the actual camera box. So, they were already leaps and bounds ahead of how Walmart ships computer/electronic products.

I opened the box to reveal the camera, two mounts (one for everything/anything or the top of a helmet and one for the side of a helmet), a 12" strip of velcro tape, USB cable, HDMI cable, remote control, and 2 lens covers for paintballing protection. I think that was about it. Oh yeah, there is a glossy 3x5 paper that says something like, "To save the universe, we have put the manual online and is available at blah blah blah." Not that I'm knocking their attempt at saving trees but a quick-start 3x5 paper could have sufficed versus what they decided to do.

Anyhow...I was eager to jump in and just shoot some quick video to see how it worked/looked. I borrowed the 8GB SD Class 6 card from my Canon point-and-shoot camera for saving. I put in some AA batteries that I know are newish—they were bought about two weeks ago but haven't been used and have been kept in a dry room-temperature cabinet. I turned the camera on and hit the START/STOP button. I recorded about 10 seconds of my desk area and the camera battery status bar showed very low. I was like, "WTF?" because I just put the "new" batteries in. I thought maybe I got a bad two or had some older batteries than I thought. So I picked two more and it did the same thing.

Now I have to confess that these batteries were the Sunbeam brand from the 99-Cent store...come on, I can get 4 for $1 and sometimes 8 for $1. After reading a bit in the manual, I find that it recommends some of the most expensive fucking batteries known to man. The manual suggests Energizer Ultimate Lithium suggesting it will last 6-8 hours of recording. It also recommended some high-end Duracel batteries but I don't recall the exact name and it only expected 4-6 hours of battery juice.

I finally got some of the Energizer Ultimate Lithiums. Damn things are like $8.99 for four at Fry's but I've seen some for $10-$12 at other places like Kroger. These damn things better provide much better and longer juice than the Sunbeam bitches!

Turns out they do. Now I don't know if they get the 6-8 hours the Tachyon manual suggested but I have gotten about 2- 2 1/2 hours...so far.

Here is a slightly over two minute video of my driving and testing the Tachyon XC HD camera. I upped the speed to 2x for the video and added Alphaville's Forever Young because there is absolutely no sound or any good sounds picked up by this camera. I can tell you four kids were in the vehicle talking, yelling, singing and the radio was up pretty high but yet the camera plays it back like they were whispering. I knew this going in so it's not an issue for me as I'm not exactly wanting to use this to record my kids' activities.

Without further ado...



The video is pretty damn clear. Amazingly so. It also didn't pick up the jitter or bounce of the camera. I think it may have image stabilization but I'm not sure. There were times when the car vibrated due to rough pavement and you could hear the camera rattle because I only taped down one side of the mount. It was a test run so I wasn't making a more secure fixture as I just needed quick and temporary.

I still have another 58 minutes of driving but it's not much different than this 2 minutes. I like it because it is cool for me to see all the different places I drive and may or may not see because of having to pay attention to driving. Also, it would be cool for historical purposes (personally) to see how the highways, streets and structures have/will change.

So, stay tuned for hopefully some more video sharing.

Tachyon XC HD and/or GoPro Hero HD

I guess there is some CES show going on because I'm seeing a lot of random posts on Gizmodo, BoingBoing and other "geeky" websites/blogs about upcoming products and such. It's getting kind of annoying.

However, I did see one article that is of interest, mainly because I just have been looking at this product along with another for comparison. I probably really don't need either product but I can't help but want it and see what I will do with it.

So the article title is GoPro Sports Camera goes 3-D.

I've been looking at the GoPro Hero HD (now at Best Buy for $299.99) and the Tachyon XC (now with HD for $179.99).

Again, I don't know how much I'd actually use this for action sports or whatever but I think I could find something to do with either of them...maybe both...especially if I purchase one (which I did) or both.

Yep, I took the plunge for the cheaper one (Tachyon at $179) yesterday to see what I can do with this little guy. I figured the cheaper one was a better investment for me in case I decide to eBay it or something after I find that I don't REALLY need it.

I've look at many videos from both cameras and they are both pretty cool on YouTube or wherever. It's tough to decide. I mean I like the extra effort put into make the Tachyon's housing waterproof instead of the GoPro's separate housing. The quality and options in mounts are pretty equal for both. After looking at the two again today, I have noticed a main difference in video recording. The Tachyon is 720p at 30fps while the GoPro is 1080p/960p/720p at 30 or 60fps. That's a big difference in my opinion but I'm no videophile so I don't know what actual difference in video quality it is for 30fps versus 60fps or 720p versus 1080/960p. I'm sure both are pretty good but in my uneducated opinion, the 1080p @ 60fps would have to be better than 720p @ 30fps. I would assume this is the reason for the slightly over $100 difference in price. Again, I'm not a video expert but this is obviously not apples to apples comparison but apples to apples+oranges+grapefruits.

I'm excited to get the Tachyon and see what it does for me. If I like it, I might actually jump in for a GoPro for the extra HD resolutions. Again, I'd have to research more and see a product on MY computer versus on web.

Once, I get the Tachyon XC HD and get to tinker and play around with it I'll try to remember to do a follow-up post to give my personal review to add to the many already out there. Maybe this will be the one product that I type about getting, got and used but never returned to post my opinion.

I wouldn't hold your breath.

eBay bidders are stupid

As a 'veteran' eBay customer, I am appalled at the stupidity of other bidders. If we'd all just band together to SNIPE instead of BID, someone (maybe you, maybe me) would come away with a very good deal on an eBay item, as long as there wasn't a RESERVE PRICE.

For example, I'm looking into getting the Sony Cybershot T100. I've been watching a few auctions on eBay selling this product. The starting price is like $9.99 and the auction is for 5 days. On the first or second day, some moron bids and then another, showing the current bid price to be, say, $75.00. On day three, someone bids again and now the price is $125.00. It continues to "ending today" status and the bid is up to $275.00. Finally, the auction ends and the moronic bidders have pushed the winning price to $400+ not including shipping and handling of around $20.

The lowest RETAIL price listed on Amazon is $349 + s/h of about $11 + taxes of 8.75% (TX) for a total of about $388. Circuit City down the street had it for about $399 and on sale once for $349.

So, the point of buying on eBay (to get things at a much cheaper price than you would at a local retailer) is lost with the winning bid at $400+. Why in the HELL would you pay more for an item on eBay and have to wait for the product when you can go down the street and get the item for less and play with it TODAY??

The other eBayers do it because they are dumb, stupid, ignorant, retarded...I could go on and on!

So, fellow eBayers, use that little brain you were given and wait...wait...wait...and wait more until the final minute of an auction's ending to bid. Granted it makes it more interesting to bid this way but it also will help you get an item WAY cheaper!

If I can't get something on eBay for at least 25%-50% off, then I'll just get it at the local store.

My new camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (350D)

I got a new camera...It's a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT 350D. I spent some decent money on this one and hopefully I'll become better at taking pictures with it to make some money on the side like for weddings or parties and such. We'll see. The following are a few pictures I took just playing around with the camera on various settings and with two different lenses: the kit lens of 28mm-70mm and an extra one of 70mm-300mm. I also have a Pro wide-angle lens but haven't had a chance to play with it. I just got the camera yesterday. Give me time. I will dazzly with useless and/or random photos out the whazzoo!

My dead Speedstream DSL modem...on top is a new one I bought from Best Buy but I'll be returning since my sister had a spare Speedstream modem.

Black and white of...well, it's pretty obvious what it is.

Partial of some fOakleys - fake Oakleys - that my friend picked up in Mexico for $5.

New camera purchase - Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT 350D

I broke down and nervously purchased a new digital camera. As the title says, I bought a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT 350D with accessories. I was nervous because this is an inexpensive expensive digital SLR. Expensive for me but inexpensive for others, I guess. The camera with kit lens is like $799 at most places online or like $100 more at Best Buy or other local camera sellers. It does come with a $100 MIR so it now becomes $699. If you want accessories, that brings the price back up.

I've been wanting a digital SLR for a while. I want to get into photography personally but if it turns some profits professionally as well, I'm not against that. I have two digital cameras already but they wouldn't allow me to do things I want to do because of limited zooming, no manual focus and the such. They are nice cameras. One was top of the line HP 2.1 megapixel like eight years ago and the other is a Canon SD500 (or like that) which is a 5 megapixel with a few more features than the HP. Both great cameras for the everyday snapshot. I wanted more.

So, I came into some financial aid money that I could possibly use for this purchase instead of PAYING OFF or DOWN some credit card bills like I originally planned. I also wanted a rocking laptop. I was looking for a desktop replacement laptop but I would still keep my desktops. As mentioned, I just wanted a rocking laptop.

I pondered and pondered, waited and waited, for a sign that told me I should purchase this laptop. The first sign was when I got my financial aid money but I wasn't totally sold on the purchase. It would have wiped out 2/3 of the money and there was no real dent to make in my credit card debt with the remaining 1/3.

I waited some more and a new sign arose but not for the laptop. I saw an entry on the Fresh Deals blog that had the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT at Amazon for like $759 - $100 Canon MIR and free shipping making it a pretty worthy deal to check out.

I was at work when I received this "sign" and it just happened that a coworker of mine that I helped purchase a digital camera came in my office and said she needed me to do some research to find her another digital camera and she wanted one where you could interchange the lenses. What luck for her, huh?

She purchases the camera from Amazon buys some additional accessories like a 2GB Compact Flash Card, a 75mm-200mm extra lens and some lens filters. Anyway, she was anxious to get her new toy and so was I since I wanted to see how it was before I purchased it.

Well, she had a death in the family and it was like a week and a half later before I got to see and play with her camera. I don't play with it strictly for my fun. I have to figure it out for her and explain the basics to her so she'll understand because she can't learn herself from the instruction manual. Funny, huh?

Anyway, during this week and a half, I couldn't wait. Temptation drew me in and the urge to spend the extra dough in my pocket was too great. I had to buy this camera. I decided I concede to getting one on eBay - new or slightly used. I figured if I didn't like it I could always re-eBay it and get my money back. Turns out this is a very popular camera and eBay was no exception to its popularity.

I watched a few auctions to see how the pricing went. Some people were spending more than the Amazon deal for the same exact item(s) and some were spending just a little more than the cost of just the camera. eBay buyers aren't very smart sometimes. Anyway, I found a few auctions by this one seller that seemed to be a pretty good deal. They were selling the camera with accessories: external flash, 1-6 GB Compact Flash card, USB card reader, 3 filters, wide-angle lens, additional 70-300mm lens, regular case, hard aluminum case, table tripod, regular tripod and a lens cleaning kit. The particular auction I was looking at had a 4GB compact flash card for $1,118.00. Quite a bit above the $699 that originally caught my eye but I think worth it because of all the stuff you got with it. The 75-200mm lens my coworker bought was $193+s/h, 2GB flash card was like $100+s/h, the filter kit was around $30+s/h and then she bought a case locally. So you figure she spent around $1,023 where as I should have spent $1,118. Again, it was a sweet deal.

I used the "Buy It Now" option as it was the only option. I called the company to pay and their sales/cust.svc. guy sold me a couple of additional items. All pretty much needed of course. I purchased an additional "professional" long-lasting battery for $69.99 (originally $89.99 but had a 30% coupon) and a 5-year extended warranty for $199.99 (originally $245 but another coupon). With these "upgrades" I was upgraded to a PRO wide angle lens, PRO filter kit, PRO flash and 2-3 day shipping.

Good times, huh? Are you feeling the excitement too!? LOL!

Anyway, I am anxiously anticipating my new toy. The laptop purchase has been thrown to the "wants" pile especially since I have two other older ones but they aren't desktop replacements.

I want my toy NOW!!