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* Photo: Kevin Twomey * Look, Ma! No Tapes!
Videotape is dying. The latest camcorders feature capacious hard drives, Blu-ray discs, and SDHC cards that store hours of true hi-def video. — Mathew Honan
Hitachi DZ-BD7HA
$1,500 hitachi.com
For its latest tapeless, Hitachi helped launch an entirely new media: 8-cm rewritable Blu-ray discs. They hold about an hour of what's called full hi-def — 1920 x 1080 — video and will save you the chore of importing and editing footage, since they play on any set-top Blu-ray drive. If you're still on the sidelines in the next-gen-disc shoot-out, you can also record to MiniDVD or store four hours of HD on the 30-GB hard drive.
Wired: Basic in-camera editing effects save expensive Blu-ray disc space. Offloads HD video from drive to disc with ease. Samurai-sword-sharp pictures with great color.
Tired: Mini Blu-ray discs hard to find; pricey at upwards of $20 a pop. Blu-ray versus HD DVD format war could Betamax your discs.
Canon HG10
$1,099 canonusa.com
Canon's newest hard drivebased camcorder is prettier than a Tahitian sunset and captures dazzling footage that looks as good as any we've seen from a consumer shooter. The 40-GB hard drive will hold five and a half hours of real-deal full HD video for all the detail your plasma set can handle. But be warned: While the AVCHD format lets you store more in less space, it works with only a handful of editing programs.
Wired: True-to-life colors look almost 3-D. Brilliant 2.7-inch LCD easy to see, even in full sunlight. Thumbwheel makes menu navigation a snap. Top-rate optical image stabilizer and drop-sensing hard drive great for on-the-run shooting.
Tired: Slow to focus on fast-moving targets, with trailing artifacts visible in footage. Lackluster wind-cut audio feature. No FireWire for video offloading.
Panasonic HDC-SD5
$1,000 panasonic.com
Panasonic's solid-state three-CCD camcorder is small and lightweight, with a long-lasting 100-minute battery. Even better, it shoots 1920 x 1080i AVCHD video to SD or SDHC cards, so if you fill it up on the road you can easily grab more memory. While we were totes impressed with both the color handling and the Leica lens that captured bright, detailed images, playback revealed noticeable compression artifacts.
Wired: The Nicole Richie of camcorders: 5.3 x 2.6 x 2.6 inches and 14 ounces. Manual focus enlarges image on display for fine-tuning. Bundled DVD burner.
Tired: Flashlight shape hard to hold steady when shooting while in motion. At 10 minutes of top-resolution video per gig, you're going to need a full deck of memory cards.
JVC Everio GZ-HD3
$1,300 jvc.com
There are some great refinements built into this three-CCD model. An onscreen pie chart shows recording time left, and the battery meter displays juice remaining, even when the cam is switched off. Focus Assist feature outlines in-focus images for macro aid in manual adjustments. But don't be dazzled by the full HD label: This cam shoots at only 1440 x 1080, not 1920 x 1080.
Wired: Disgustingly good variable-speed zoom focuses fast to shoot action like Michael Bay. Front-side light automatically switches on in the dark for hot lights-out action. 60-GB drive holds five hours of max-resolution video.
Tired: Dull HD; we've seen crisper pears. Oddball MOD file format a pain to use with most editing apps. Just an hour or so of battery life.
Photo: Kevin TwomeyPowder-Ups
Whether you're falling down the bunny slopes or bombing a double black diamond blindfolded, this season there's a boundary-pushing snowboard out there for you. Happy shredding! — Miguel Pino
Lib-Tech Skate Banana
$469 lib-tech.com
This yellow stick incorporates so-called Magne-Traction technology — an unorthodox form provides seven points of edge contact that give you a tenacious grip on icy slopes. The result is an all-mountain shredding machine. On everything from opening day's pristine powder to spring thaw's grimy ice, we experienced an almost perfect balance of control and agility. Forget Sinatra — this is the chairman of the board.
Wired: Unique shape channels pressure toward the middle of the board, giving a combination of maneuverability and pop — with no sacrifice in speed — unmatched by any other model we tested.
Tired: Board throws you into a spin if you're not paying attention. Take a look down: As the name advertises, you're riding what looks like a giant flattened banana.
Palmer Platinum LE
$1,900 palmersnowboards.com
If you can calm its temperamental ride, this board will launch you downhill in a blur of exhilaration and terror. Forged from 100 percent carbon laminate, the Platinum delivers lightning-quick response. But it leaves little room for error. We hit a deep patch of fresh snow and instead of a minor slowdown, board and rider catapulted end over end.
Wired: Extremely rugged without cutting into weight or performance. Phenomenal edge-to-edge response requires minimal effort for turns. Graphite base so fast it kept us speed-checking — even when no one was looking.
Tired: 1,900 bucks, no kidding! Squirrelly: The first few times we rode this board, it bucked us like a mechanical bull.
Forum Grudge
$550 forumsnowboards.com
The Grudge isn't just a snowboard; it's an extension of your body. From the first time we tore downhill, it felt as though we'd been on it all season. Aggressive yet smooth, it owes its ride to a low-density carbon laminate wrapped around a machined aerospace composite core. Translation? Explosive rebounds and effortless maneuvering. One warning, though: The Grudge's light weight is perfect for fresh powder but makes the board feel loose and wiggly on rough, icy terrain.
Wired: Fluid feel never forces you to ride in any particular style. For grown-ups: not festooned with a bunch of goofy-looking graphics. More pop than Orville Redenbacher.
Tired: Flex sometimes feels spongy — power riding can be mushier than Mom's oatmeal.
Burton T6
$800 burton.com
Make no mistake, the T6 is a beautiful board. The smoky-gray, translucent deck just begs to be ridden. But do not, we repeat, DO NOT, strap up the T6 unless you have many, many seasons under your belt. Here's why: This stick is designed for two things — going fast and turning hard. And it does both, due to the aluminum core's ridiculously stiff torsion. But it's a finicky beast that will toss you when you least expect it. Once mastered, the T6 is extremely responsive and invigorating. Just make sure you have the right skillz before stepping on.
Wired: Perfect for ripping through virgin backcountry powder accessible only by helicopter.
Tired: N00bs need not apply — superstiff and difficult to control.
Part Utility Vehicles
Crossovers may seem like a marketing-driven nightmare, but the best of them combine the advantages of trucking with what we love about, well, carring. — Mike Spinelli
Mazda CX-9
$36,660 mazdausa.com
The CX-9 shares many of its underpinnings with two of the parent company's other vehicles (Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX), but don't write it off as just another variant. Mazda product managers took care to set their CUV apart. In grand-touring trim, the CX-9 has the most premium feel of any crossover we drove. It matches a Ford V-6 engine with a sublime six-speed automatic from Japan's Aisin. An additional 2 inches of wheelbase and a non-knee-injuring third row of seats give the Mazda an extra advantage.
Wired: Most agile of the large crossovers. Third row of seats approved to be occupied by real human-size adults — with legs and everything.
Tired: Though fun to drive, this family car sacrifices ride quality for handling.
Hyundai Veracruz Limited, AWD
$38,070 hyundaiusa.com
If your last experience with Hyundai was a college beater that dropped its transmission between Boston and Daytona Beach, you'll be shocked by how far the Korean carmaker has come. With the Veracruz, Hyundai is explicitly gunning for the high end in terms of quality and driver experience. It offers a sweet interior, a supple, quiet ride, a top-class stereo, and an overall feature set that would make any Lexus owner lament his inflated sticker price.
Wired: Hushed ride. Standard six-speed automatic. Adjustable pedals (optional). Standard XM radio. Excellent audio system.
Tired: Ho-hum aesthetics. Is the world ready for a near-$40,000 Hyundai?
Saturn Outlook XR AWD
$36,710 saturn.com
GM has been taking Saturn upscale, as evidenced by the plushness of its Outlook in top spec. Engineers created it from scratch, so it's not adapted from an existing car chassis (like the Mazda). Such clean-slate thinking translates into big spatial advantages over competitors; it has more cargo room than a full-size Chevrolet Tahoe.
Wired: Third-row seats are ample enough for adults. Titanic cargo space with seats down. Muscular exterior design sets it apart from box-on-wheels SUVs or egg-shaped minivans.
Tired: Feels bulky on the road and while parking. Cheap-looking plastic trim detracts from an otherwise pleasing interior.
Acura RDX
$37,165 acura.com
With a hyperactive turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the RDX is a crossover for boy-racer types who've chopped off their mohawks and outgrown their souped-up Civics. Cargo space can't compare with that of the larger, family-oriented models, but plenty of go and the best handling of the crowd make it the most fun to drive.
Wired: Exhilarating acceleration and handling. Toys, toys, toys! Cell phone integration, voice recognition, and navigation with live traffic information. Audiophile-quality stereo system.
Tired: Interior may crowd out drivers of above-average height. Turbo's lag may jostle your latte, and its ever-present whine is grating. Way too small to be a serious SUV replacement.
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