Swann

MP3 DJ Doorbell: Rickroll your unsuspecting visitors

I'm looking at my hopelessly low-tech 1940s-era doorbell. Its most impressive feature is a light-up button outside. If only I could make it play "Friday" instead of "ding-dong."

For $50, I can upgrade to MP3 doorbell technology, thanks to Swann's MP3 DJ Doorbell. The wireless design makes installation easy. It consists of a speaker unit that you mount inside and a push button doorbell unit that you mount outside. … Read more

Freestyle HD wearable camera packs a display

The GoPro line of wearable cameras has been dominating the action sports video camera realm, but a new challenger has just arrived. The Swann Freestyle HD hopes a display will be the game changer.

The Freestyle HD caters to impatient people who don't want to wait to load their videos onto a computer or play them back through a television at home.

The detachable 1.5-inch LCD screen is tiny, but it will let you know if you captured that spectacular skateboard wipeout or not.… Read more

Crave giveaway: Swann RC helicopter

While Swann is known for its security cameras, the company recently entered the RC helicopter arena, and to kick off the launch of its new line, it's offering up this Emergency Strike model to one lucky winner here on Crave.

Here's what Swann has to say about the Emergency Strike:

This Swann Emergency Strike remote-controlled helicopter is a miniature version of the choppers you see at search and rescue operations around the world. Put yourself in the picture and save the day with this mini, fully functional version of the real thing. Equipped with the latest Gyroscope technology … Read more

Swann RC helicopters get good gyrations

Once upon a time, manufacturers of disposable razors engaged in an arms race to see who could fit the most blades onto a Bic. A similar battle is now being played out in the world of radio-controlled indoor helicopters.

It's going to be tough to top Swann's Military Thunder, a Chinook-style, double-rotor machine with a total of four chopper blades and two stability arms.

The Military Thunder is part of a new line of RC helicopters from a company that's better known for making surveillance equipment like security cameras. Why not combine the two? RC copters with video surveillance would be a lot more fun than a regular baby monitor.

RC indoor helicopters have been annoying cats and crashing into expensive home electronics for years, but there's always been room for improvement. Swann's contribution to the genre is its take on a coaxial gyro technology that increases the stability of the toys. That explains the stack-o-rotors design.

You don't have to go the military route, however. The Micro Lightning chopper would feel at home on the set of "Magnum P.I." The Emergency Strike model is all decked out in EMS garb. It's big enough to rescue large insects or very small mice, provided you can find EMTs microscopic enough to fit inside.

Swann says the Micro Hornet model is the smallest and lightest fully controllable mini-helicopter on the market. At 5.5 inches long, it's certainly a tiny little thing. Charging it for 20 to 30 minutes will get you five minutes of flying time. That's just long enough to buzz your significant other awake from a nap.

Each copter runs $70 and comes with an extra set of rotors. You're going to need those after you crash your RC chopper into your flat-screen TV.

Check out the promo video below. It makes it look like helicopters have finally arrived in the Land of the Lost.… Read more

Spy camera pretends to be car remote

The $100 Swann DVR410 RemoteCam is a digital camera shaped like a car remote control. The camera lens and microphone are located on the front, and buttons are unmarked so no one will suspect it's anything more than an ordinary car remote.

It records up to 40 minutes of footage onto a 2GB SD card with a resolution of 720x480 in full color. Still-image capture is also possible at up to 1,280x1,024-pixel resolution. It has a built-in microphone, with an audio range of about 10 feet.

As with any spy camera, you can use the DVR410 for … Read more

Record video Bond-style, sort of, with MovieStick

I don't remember any scene where James Bond has to secretly record anything, but if you do, the MovieStick camcorder that Swann announced on Thursday would come in handy.

Slightly larger than a pack of gum and weighing less than 7 ounces, the MovieStick easily fits into your pocket and can be taken anywhere. It uses a removable microSD card (not included) to store recorded footage, up to 2.5 hours of video on a 2GB card. The device supports only older microSD cards (cap at 2GB). It can't handle high-capacity microSDs like those ScanDisk recently announced.

The … Read more

Become a remote spy with Swann's new wireless camera

From the folks who brought you the creepy and simultaneously cool (depending on who's using it) DVR flashlight, comes another 007-inspired piece of high-tech security gear. On Wednesday, Swann Communications introduced the IP-3G ConnectCam 1000.

The ConnectCam is a 802.11G wireless network camera that lets users view their own surveillance video on their 3G phone (setup of the camera's options requires a PC) from anywhere in the world, according to Swann. I really need to get my superiors to send me to New Zealand to test out this whole "anywhere in the world" thing.

The … Read more