The folks at Wired are applauding the low 9-megapixel count in Ricoh’s new CX1 camera, and for good reason: It actually has some solid specs instead of the arguably meaningless pixel overload we saw in the last round of digicams. At the core is a CMOS sensor — the kind of technology usually reserved for DSLRs — bringing with it a couple of interesting features. The first is Dynamic Double Shot mode, which takes two photos with different exposures and combines them into one optomized image. The other is a 120 frames per second continuous shooting function, though that one is only availalbe in 640 x 480 resolution. Other perks include Multi-Target AF (which takes seven pictures in a row at different focal distances) and Multi-Pattern Auto White Balance. The CX1 will be in stores on March 13 for £300 in the U.K., but it’s not known how the price will change in the states. [DPreview via Wired]

Jumping in on the slim touch screen smartphone market, Sony Ericsson has unveiled the Idou, which it notes is just a concept name until the handset becomes a reality. It sports all the usual trimmings, like a 3.5-inch, 16:9 display for video, music and applications with Turbo 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity. Photographers can look forward to a 12.1-megapixel camera with “touch focus” and Xenon flash. The Idou will get its new name and go on sale some time in the second half of this year. Pricing is still unknown. [Sony Ericsson]

In a slap in the face to cameras with higher pixel counts, Nikon’s D700 DSLR camera won Amateur Photography’s Product of the Year award for 2008. The British mag has some clout, so Nikon can celebrate for good reason. The 12.1-megapixel camera received praise for its FX Format CMOS Sensor and its quality auto focus, white balance and metering systems, delivered for less money in a smaller and lighter body than Nikon’s D3. The big losers here were Canon’s EOS 1DS MARK III and Sony’s Alpha 900, whose respective megapixel counts of 21.1 and 24.6 weren’t enough to beat the mighty D700. Hail to the king. [Amateur Photography via Wired]

Samsung is claiming “first” to pair 10x zoom with a wide-angle lens in its latest digital camera. The 10.2-megapixel WB500 (or the Hz10W in the US) includes hardware and software image stabilization, face detection auto focus, smile shot and blink detection. This camera was shown off earlier in the year at the Consumer Electronics Show, boasting features like Smart Albums for sorting photos and a wide range of manual controls to  make it feel professional-like, but Akihabara is quoting a new Korean press release in regards to Samsung’s self-appointed accolades. In any case, the camera is available now for $300. [Akihabara News via Electronista]

If you’re thinking of jumping from compact digital cameras to DSLRs, perhaps you should wait until March, when Nikon launches the Coolpix P90. The 12.1-megapixel camera pairs a 24x zoom lens with 4-way image stabilization, and it can snap continuous photos at 15 frames per second. Other features include a 3-inch tiltable viewscreen and a “best shot selector” that takes up to 10 frames and keeps the sharpest-looking one. There’s 6400 ISO, but only at the camera’s 3-megapixel setting. Still, that’s  a pretty impressive package for $400, which is not much more expensive than your high-end digicams. [via DVice]

Apparently, there’s a homemade Windows program out there that turns any Canon DSLR into a high-definition video camera. The clip above is reportedly output from a Canon EOS 40D. Because the hack is a Windows application and not a change to the firmware, the camera needs to be tethered to a computer when shooting video. Wired points out a more important caveat: The download page is short on information, and Google won’t translate the original forum post linking to it. All signs point to sketchy, so ready your virus scanner if you’re thinking about giving this a go, or just leave well enough alone. [Download page via Wired]

If you’ve ever tried snorkeling with one of those waterproof shells for your camera, you know how hard it can be to capture the perfect picture or video underwater. Liquid Image aims to make this easier with an HD video camera mask. Pictured here with an optional lighting accessory, the Scuba Series HD320 shoots video in 720p and up to 30 frames per second in the H.264 format. It can also grab 5-megapixel JPEGs and record audio using an underwater microphone. The HD320 is waterproof to 115 meters. After its unveiling at CES this week, look for it in the spring for $215. [via Wired]

Sharp has kicked off the new year in style with the Sharp SH810C mobile phone. The handset has an 8 megapixel camera built-in with a 3-inch LCD AVS and an 854×480 resolution. The handset is currently available in China only with no word on when we’ll see it hit Europe or North American markets.  Quite a few cell phone manufacturers have started putting high megapixel cams in their handsets. Do you think they’ll come a time when we don’t need consumer cameras anymore, just cell phones? [via AkibaharaNews]

Details have leaked about Kodak’s newest digital camera. The camera is expected to be released at CES later this week, but CrunchGear went ahead and ignored the embargo on the info and posted the details today.  The 12 megapixel KODAK Z980 camera will have a 26-millimeter wide angle lens, 24x optical zoom, DSLR-type body, hot shoe, vertical shutter release, and can capture HD video. The camera also includes Kodak’s “Smart Capture” feature, which analyzes scenes and adjusts camera settings to help take better pictures. Look for the camera to be released later this Spring for around $400, and to be officially announced on Thursday. [via CrunchGear]