There are “Flip killers” and then there Flip killers. And Samsung is definitely aiming at the latter with its new HMX-U10 camcorder. It borrows heavily from the Flip’s upright, boxy design, but with a curvy twist. And unlike the Flip Ultra HD, the HMX-U10 records 1920 x 1080 HD video, not the lower quality 720P found in the UltraHD. It also snaps 10-megapixel still photos, sports a 2-inch LCD, and at $199 it costs the same as the Flip UltraHD. Look for it in September.

Samsung also revealed details on two new standard definition models with very powerful 52x optical zoom lenses: the SMX-K40 and SMX-K45. They record 720 x 480 standard resolution which can be “upscaled” when the camcorders are connected to an HDTV with an optional HDMI cable. The K45 ($499) packs 32GB of internal flash memory while the K40 ($329) records directly to SD/SDHC memory cards. These models are due in stores in August.

Panasonic's HDC-TM300K is a high definition flash memory camcorder that recently hit store shelves. It's aimed squarely at the advanced amateur with a host of manual controls, but it also has a few features to entice novices to dig into their wallets to pay for the $1,299 ACVHD-based camcorder.

We got our hands on one and posted the review here.

Many camcorder shoppers have passed through the doors of Ritz Camera Centers. The nation's largest camera store chain declared Chapter 11 in April and at the time said it would close down about half of its stores. Now, the company is preparing to sell off its remaining stores, if it can find a buyer. In this economy, that is likely to be difficult.

But, as they say, every crisis is an opportunity. And Ritz's crisis is an opportunity for you to head over to a local store (or a Wolf Camera, which is also owned by Ritz) to check out the camcorder deals. Also note that the Ritz Camera website is not the same as the brick and mortar store - the website licenses the Ritz name but is an independent company.

Bad economy got you down? Well, Coby is counting on it. The low cost electronics maker is about to introduce their first camcorder products with bottom basement prices.

They're said to have three new models due at the end of July. The top-of-the-line (if you will) is the CAM5000 SnappHD. It records 720p HD video at 30fps, a 4x digital zoom, a 2-inch LCD, and 128MB of internal memory with an SD/SDHC card slot for adding capacity. At $100, it's considerably less expensive than products from Pure Digital and Kodak, but that price is a bit deceiving. The 128MB worth of internal memory won't store more than a few seconds of HD video so you'll have to buy a memory card as well.

Rounding out the trio is the $60 CAM4000 with VGA resolution, a 2.4-inch LCD and 32MB of internal memory with an SD/SDHC card slot. The CAM3000 is another VGA camcorder with a 4x digital zoom and 32MB of internal memory. With a price tag of $40, this seems better suited as a gift for a teenager rather than a camcorder you'd bring with you on your European vacation.

The G8 meeting of the world's industrial powers got underway in Italy this week. As part of the international diplomacy, Japan's Prime Minister gave the Pope a gift: a Sony HDR-XR500V camcorder.

No word on whether other Japanese camcorder titans like Panasonic and Canon are feeling slighted. See a video of the camcorder gifting here.

All of this raises an important question, what camcorder would you give the Pope?

From Engadget and CamcorderInfo comes word of a new hard disk drive-based camcorder from Panasonic: the HDC-HS350. The news is initially out of Japan, so no word yet on U.S. availability and price, but from the specs it looks like a top-of-the-line high definition model. You're looking at a 1920 x 1080 HD recording in the AVCHD format, a 240GB hard drive, and 12x optical zoom.

In addition to the two new flash memory camcorders, Sony will update its DVDirect DVD burner. This standalone burner connects to camcorders to transfer footage (both standard and high definition) to DVD discs without a computer.

The new model (VRD-MC6, $229) sports a 2.7-inch LCD, FireWire, Composite Video and USB inputs as well slots for Memory Stick, SD/SDHC, and xD flash memory cards. It's also due in September.

Sony pulled back the curtain on a pair of high-end flash memory based camcorders: the HDR-CX520V and HDR-CX500V. Both pack a generous serving of internal memory. The CX520V ($1,300) offers 64GB while the CX500V ($1,100) has 32GB worth of internal memory. Both camcorders also accept Sony's Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX memory cards for boosting recording capacity.

Additional features include:

*1920 x 1080 video recording

*built-in GPS (like the HDR-XR520V)

*60p output when connected to an HDTV

*optical image stabilization

There are a few new technological tricks in these camcorders. Sony is introducing what it dubs Face Touch. A variant of face detection, Face Touch lets the consumer choose a face in the scene by touching it on the camcorders' LCD display. Once touched, that face becomes the focusing priority.

Also new is the ability to down-convert AVCHD format high definition video to MPEG-2 format standard definition video when either camcorder is connected to Sony's DVDirect Express DVD writer (sold separately). The DVD could then be played back any standard DVD player. This is ostensibly aimed at consumers who don't yet own an HDTV but who would nonetheless shell out a decent chunk of change to buy an HD camcorder (would anyone do that?), but it's probably more useful for burning standard definition videos for friends and family who don't own an HDTV.

Look for the CX520V and CX500V to hit retail shelves in September.

Pictured above, the HDR-CX500. Image courtesy Sony.

Ryan Kim at the San Francisco Chronicle passes along a rumor that Apple is looking to embed a camera into its newest iPod. Kim remarks that it could be "another step up that could eat away at sales of dedicated cameras and camcorders" and particularly the popular Flip from Pure Digital.

Color me skeptical. Not that Apple is working on a camera module for the iPod (I have no idea) but that such a move would have any measurable impact on camera/camcorder sales, which are declining due to market saturation more than anything else. Last year, consumers bought about 35 million cameras and about 5 million camcorders in the U.S. They've been buying tens of millions of such devices year-in and year-out despite the fact that their cell phone has a camera. When camera phones were introduced, many analysts were predicting the demise of cameras and camcorders. But it didn't happen.

It would be an act of monumental foolishness (and tech-writing career suicide) to bet against Apple, but I suspect that even if they hit the proverbial home run and create an iPod capable of taking some really nice video, people will still want the features and functionality you can only find on a camcorder. But of course, I would say that.

Sony raised quite a few eyebrows in January when it announced that it had packed a GPS receiver into several new high definition camcorders. One of those GPS models also happens to be Sony's flagship Handycam: the HDR-XR520V.

We've gotten our hands on this high-end model and posted a review here. To learn a little more about GPS in a camcorder, check out this Guide to GPS Camcorders.