Mustek DV300T Multi-Functional Compact Digital Camcorder

Having only recently posted about AgfaPhoto's DV-5000G compact digital
camcorder and how we're not entirely sold on the idea of fusing
additional, otherwise unrelated functionalities into such devices, along
comes the 6-in-1 DV300T from Mustek which, apart from serving as a low
entry digital camcorder also comes with an integrated music player and
text reader capabilities.

Essentially appearing to be a somewhat lower spec version of Mustek's
DV520T (and its title would seem to corroborate this), the DV300T sports
an F.28 aperture ratio lens offering '�3.1 mega pixel interpolated
resolution' (worryingly, its non-interpolated '�true' resolution is not
provided), 8x digital zoom (no apparent optical zoom capabilities) and
64MB on onboard storage expandable courtesy of an SD card slot.

So far, so'ฆwell, dull actually (let's be honest here).

So can the fact that this device has stills camera capabilities save the
DV300T from the grey swamp of absolute gadget mediocrity? Actually, no -
it's hardly as if it's a mind blowing '�extra' is it? How about '�text
reader' capabilities? One question - why? Ok, how about the fact that
this plays MP3's? Again, sorry, but to quote a certain Shania Twain
(merely, it would seem, because we can) '�that don't impress me much'.

Obviously aimed at the casual user, to put it somewhat mildly, the
DV300T, certainly from what we have read via Mustek's official site,
just doesn't do anything for us. Like so many products out there it
simply strikes us as being somewhat of an afterthought designed to cash
in on a particular market share (ie, the YoTube generation) and, in so
being, very much like the previously referred to DV-5000G from
AgfaPhoto, it wholly fails to set our pulses racing quite as must as the
Flip Camcorder did on its release.

No details concerning a release date or unit pricing concerning the
Mustek DV300T are available at the time of writing but, certainly as
far as we are concerned (and based on Mustek's own sales pitch
concerning the device), its our opinion that nothing except an
especially low price point can possibly make the DV300T worth even the
vaguest of considerations - and, with that in mind, we await official
word from Mustek regarding pricing details with great interest.

It all hinges on the price.

Mustek