Digital Home Thoughts: dpreview's Quick Guide to Pocket Camcorders

"Compact digital cameras may all be starting to sprout HD movie capability but they're by no means the only devices able to capture your life in high definition. Driven by the popularity of video sharing on YouTube and FaceBook, a new class of devices has sprung up, offering an even more simple way to record and share the important, interesting or simply funny things going on around you - the pocket camcorder."

Although not an actual review, dpreview's "Quick guide to pocket camcorders" should be on the reading list of anyone thinking about purchasing a device that falls into this increasingly popular product category. The article provides a basic feature and specification chart for 10 pocket camcorders, touches upon available resolution offerings, and covers several key specifications to look for when making a purchase decision. The author also takes the time to cover some additional considerations - such as battery, connectivity, and storage type - and even includes several sample videos that provide some indication of the output quality a casual user might expect to achieve. It will be interesting to see how this market shakes out as mobile phones add greater photographic and video capabilities.