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Nowadays, most of us are well used to simply lifting and directing our camera phones at the activities taking place. That point has not been lost on electronics producers who have of late been taking over an “if you can’t beat them, join them” attitude and progressively reducing current camcorders down to phone size. It’s like the days of Dad regaining the brick-sized device from the dining room cupboard for the family holiday once a year.

Dad would also be alarmed to find tape-based taping has been systematically phased out over the past couple of years at consumer level in favor of storing video on built-in hard drives or, as with digital stills cameras, removable media cards. Therefore, as far as possible in a fast dynamical environment, the device itself is future proofreaded.

A case in point is Sony’s CMOS sensor incorporating MHS-PM1, or as its producer would have it “bloggie” or “mobile HD snap camera”, which provides its paltry 12MB internal memory to be supplemented by virtue of the reality that it also accepts the company’s copyrighted Pro Duo Memory Stick. Just as well as it records High Definition footage at 1440 x 1080 pixels at a respectably smooth 30 frames per second in MP4 format, which will quickly eat away at any memory capacity and bring your hard drive a battering into the good deal. The choice is to shoot less memory hungry 5-megapixel JPEG photos.

Dual recording buttons come promptly under the thumb and flank a thin 4-x digital zoom lever, which again brings user-friendly operation. If we have a complain it’s that as with most mini HD camcorders, the 4.6cm or 1.8-inch, 230k dot resolution LCD monitor offered is slow, especially since the image is trimmed further while you switch it on to ape widescreen format.

Appearing like an accessory from a P Diddy video, JVC’s funny named Picsio is externally set to stun with its glitzy pearl-like goal that is more nightclub than camera club.

It’s a close comparative, design and layout wise of competitors from Flip Video in the Ultra HD and Creative in its Vado range of upright, mobile phone-sized camcorders. Like them, the JVC offers direct YouTube upload, but contrary to them, doesn’t integrated a handy flip out USB arm. Its maker not as the mini camcorder it is but an “HD memory camcorder” describes the GC-FM1 model.

When the plastic glossy surfaced Picsio, just 17mm in depth, looks slippery enough to slide out of your palm while you’re seeking to hold it single-handed and stable for filming. In fact, the JVC equipped tactile ribbed chrome edging at the sides to avoid such an occurrence and digital image stabilization to boot. While gripped, it looks solid enough to hold up the unusual bump and knock and portably lightweight too at 95g.

JVC hasn’t figured fit to include an optical zoom with the Picsio, only a cursory 4x digital variety with which to try to enlarge the creative horizons of the 30mm equivalent fixed lens. We also achieve 1440 x 1080 pixels, widely compatible MPEG4 format high-definition video with mono sound offered at a frame rate of 30fps.

As an indication, that it’s a device that is designed to be used “on the go”, a non-removable internal battery is charged via USB port rather than mains and lasts for 96 minutes if fully charged. Not long maybe but long enough, since most users of the Picsio are going to be shooting in short bursts as they would video on a camera phone. USB Cable, AV Cable, Hand Strap and PC Software are provided with the unit.