September 25, 2007 – Today, Toshiba announced that they will release a series of high definition camcorder. Two models in the Gigashot A Series will record full 1920 x 1080 video onto hard disk drives (HDDs) in the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format. Two models in the Gigashot K series record in the lower 720p resolution (1290 x 720). The Gigashot GSC-A100F, does not come cheap, expecting to retail in Japan for 188,000¥ (approximately US$1640).

Toshiba has been quietly releasing camcorders for the last several years. In early 2006 they announced their first Gigashot HDD camcorders. This is the first time Toshiba has released high definition models.

The A Series, which includes the GSC-A100F and the GSC-A40F, are equipped with identical imaging specs. They differ only in the recording capacity, with 100GB and 40GB HDDs, respectively. Inside, they pack a 1/3” CMOS sensor with a gross pixel count of 2,360,000 (effective pixel count 1,490,000). Both record full 1920 x 1080 and 1440 x 1080 at 60fps. Toshiba has also decided to muddy the waters of compatibility by employing yet another format for consumer HD. Video is compressed in the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format, which is different from the AVCHD codec of Sony, Panasonic, and Canon – and different still from the MPEG-2 transport stream of JVC HD camcorders.

Like it or not, at least for a while, any new smartphone that comes out is going to be compared to Apple iPhone. One device that seems to actively invite this comparison is the HTC Touch.
This new model runs Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system, but it includes a system that, like the iPhone, lets you perform many tasks by running your finger across the screen.

In addition, this HTC device has a design similar to the iPhone, with a sleek shape and minimal buttons.

But don't think the Touch is a pale imitation of the iPhone. It includes features that users of Apple's first smartphone can only dream of.