Camcorder News

May 8, 2006 - Pure Digital has expanded beyond the bounds of CVS. Last week the company announced that they will begin selling their Pure Digital Point and Shoot Camcorder in Target stores nationwide. In a concurrent announcement, RCA released their Small Wonder EZ101 camcorder, which has adopted most of the Pure Digital design and functionality. Both models retail for $130.

Previously available as a one-time-use camcorder at CVS stores, the Pure Digital will now be reusable and USB supported, as will the Small Wonder. Both camcorders have near-identical bodies and offer one-touch recording for up to 30 minutes of "high quality video and sound," though the CamcorderInfo.com review of the CVS One Time Use camcorder offered evidence to the contrary.

The camcorders’ features include a 1.4 inch LCD (1.5 inches on the RCA model) for instant playback, delete options, 2x digital zoom, a wrist strap, and two AA batteries. A flip-open USB arm allows connections to a PC for viewing, saving, and emailing videos. All operations are performed in-camera, with no additional software to install. The RCA Small Wonder also offers an AV-out to connect to TV.

Customers looking to archive their video will have to travel to a 1-hour photo lab, where they will receive "fully-edited, Hollywood style DVDs." The company promises more than 8,000 locations that will offer the service. Later this summer, Pure Digital plans to include a bonus "Best Moments" movie, entailing "a collage of video highlights set to music that rivals an expensive, professionally-edited movie." The press release did not offer any more details on this enigmatic feature and how it will be produced.

The Pure Digital Point and Shoot camcorder is currently available in over 1,300 Target locations in 47 states. The RCA Small Wonder is available online at http://www.mysmallwonder.com/. One-hour photo lab DVD creation has expanded from CVS and now includes Rite-Aid, Ritz, and Wolf Camera stores. The camcorders retail for $129.99.