Sony MiniDV Handycam Vision ($1,200)
Sony's MiniDV Handycam video cameras combine a video camera with a MiniDV VCR. The camera's best feature is a super stabilization system (great for people with shaky hands) and a smart battery meter that tells you how many minutes of battery life are left in your cells. The camera has a bright view finder as well as a fold-out screen. Use this screen as a tiny video monitor for playing back your tapes, or turn it around to let your subjects see how they look while you film. As for the much-touted Night Shot feature, but I had trouble getting it to work in true black-out conditions.
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Rio PMP-300 Portable Music Player ($200)
The Rio is smaller than a cassette tape, weighs 4.4 ounces, runs for 14 hours on a AA battery, and has a built-in computer chip that can store either 30 or 60 minutes of music, depending on the quality. A slot at the bottom lets you slide in more memory, giving you more music capacity.
To load music you need a desktop computer from which you can copy music from your own CD collection, or download music off the Internet, where you'll find many bands have either singles or whole albums using the MP3 music format, the same standard used by the Rio. This gadgt has no moving parts, so it can take any amount of vibration, unlike the minidisc. Still, the Rio is definitely a first-generation machine. There is no way to record, and downloading music is slow. It's a great gadget, but if you are on a limited budget, wait for next-year's model.
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Sony MiniDisc Recorder MZ-R50 ($350)
If you make your own recordings, the Sony MZ-R50 is a great choice. You can record for four hours using the internal battery and another five hours with a clip-on battery pack. It all weighs less than 8 ounces. You can title individual tracks. Or, if you want, you can delete them. Blank discs for the MZ-R50 cost $24 for a pack of four, and prices are dropping fast. Once you have made a recording, you can play it back while riding your mountain bike, as the MZ-R50 is extremely resistant to shake and jitter. Or, you can play pre-recorded MiniDiscs, which are increasingly available.
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