Gillian Shaw
Sun
PlaySport Video Camera, Kodak
JustTheBill, JustTheBill.com
CanoScan 9000F Colour Image Scanner, Canon
Backflip, Motorola
1. PlaySport Video Camera, Kodak, $160
Waterproof up to three metres underwater and with full 1080p HD video, the PlaySport is Kodak’s latest entry in the pocket video market. On your next snorkelling trip or when you’re simply having fun at the beach or pool, the PlaySport will capture your underwater adventures in high definition. It also takes five-megapixel, 16:9 widescreen HD stills and has electronic image stabilization. Social-media ready, it has built-in software and a USB for sharing on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, and an HDMI cable to hook up to your big-screen TV. It records up to 10 hours of HD video; a SD/SDHC card slot gives you up to 32 GB. www.kodak.com
2. JustTheBill, JustTheBill.com; free for individuals and up to $90 per month for corporate accounts with 10 users
Tax time is over, and with it the perennial panic of scrounging for receipts and getting them into something more organized than a shoebox. It was just such a problem that prompted Vancouver’s Mike Jagger to take a concept from a tracking program he was using for his company Provident Security and work with Thirdi Software to create JustTheBill. The app is only available for the BlackBerry, although the web version can be used with any smartphone via e-mail. It records a photo of a receipt, tracks the GST and any other details the user wants to file, and files it into the appropriate online file — where it’s available for bookkeepers, accountants and tax time. An iPhone app is expected within weeks. Prices range from free for a single user with three debit and credit accounts to $12 a month for two users, and up to $90 a month for 10 users and unlimited accounts. www.justthebill.com
3. CanoScan 9000F Colour Image Scanner, Canon, $250, US
Archiving your old photos? The CanoScan 9000F has built-in pro film scanning for keeping the image quality you want for your treasured memories. The 9000F can also scan up to four 35-mm slides or 12 35-mm film strips at a time, another useful feature for archiving your photos. ‘EZ buttons’ let you scan, copy, e-mail or create a PDF file by pushing one button. www.canon.ca
4. Backflip, Motorola, $80 with three-year Telus contract.
While Apple has been getting attention with the arrival of the iPad in Canada, new Android-powered smartphones have been launching to compete with Apple’s iPhone. The Backflip is one, featuring a 3.1-inch high-resolution touch screen, 3G and Wi-Fi and access to the Android Market, now with 50,000 apps and growing. It has a QWERTY keyboard, touchpad and fivemegapixel camera with flash. A MicroSD memory card slot supports up to 16 GB cards. www.telusmobility.com
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