What is this strange pendulum hanging below the camcorder? An external battery? Some eccentric fashion accessory from the Far East? Actually, this is the ReadySteady: a camera stabilizer (and potentially a stand) designed for use with various pocket camcorders such as the Flip Mino, Sony Bloggie, Sanyo Xacti (like our HD1010 here) and Kodak PlayTouch. The device really is as simple as it looks — it consists of just a two-part 3.5-ounce aluminum disc and a flexible camera stand, the latter of which can be stored within the disc. Likewise, the instructions are pretty straightforward: simply poke the stand through the disc, screw it into your camcorder, put a grip near your camcorder’s bottom, and then apply some force onto the disc with your other hand (as pictured). Voilà! So, does this $29.99 device work? And is it worth it? Read on to find out — an extensive test video awaits you after the break.

Continue reading ReadySteady pocket camcorder stabilizer review

ReadySteady pocket camcorder stabilizer review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 17:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Noah, who needs a bit of assistance in making the transition from textbook to e-book. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I have a class that has gone paperless. All of our readings are posted online as PDF scans of books. I have become quite annoyed with having to read these on my computer. So I have thought about purchasing an e-reader. The best choice seems to be a Kindle, but would you recommend a Sony, Nook, or something else instead? My primary interest is great PDF support / viewing. Thanks.”

We know, you’re “too busy” with “classes” to really answer here, but everyone deserves a study break or three. Take a breather and help your fellow student out — it’s just the right thing to do.

Ask Engadget: Best e-reader for school use / PDF viewing? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 23:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has constantly been under scrutiny regarding their App store approval policy and today they took a solid first step in becoming more transparent with developers about that process.   They announced in a statement this morning that for the first time they are relaxing restrictions related to iOS development tools and publishing their App store review guidelines for developers.

Apple’s control / perceived lack of openness has always been less about dictating with some bias about what apps get in and which ones don’t.   Their review and approval process has always been about preserving the experience for the consumer.   Hopefully now that they have published their review and approval guidelines developers will understand how they approve apps and use this knowledge to create better applications for iOS.

I am also excited to see what kind of applications developers create with the relaxed restrictions to the tool set.    I had heard complaints from developers about some features they wanted to add in future versions of apps but knew they couldn’t because of these restrictions.   As Apple said in the statement “this should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need.” Hopefully this will not only allow developers to create more compelling applications but hopefully it will also attract more developers to innovate and create software for iOS.

Both moves are important for Apple as they cater and attempt to work with developers to make the App store a better experience for everyone.     Software developers are an important part of Apple’s immediate and long term future.   So it is critical that they continue to listen and adapt in order to attract and maintain quality application developers.

Things to Watch

- How will developers react to this move?
- Is it enough to satisfy the critics of Apple’s App store approval process?
- How will developers take advantage of the relaxed iOS toolset

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