... gSmart range of digital cameras is manufactured by Mustek, better known for their scanners (Digital camera probably has a closer relationship to scanner than optical camera). The gSmart Mini is measured 4.7cm x 6.9cm x 1.1cm, and it’s weight is 39g. It is so tiny like a toy that you probably ... Read review
Advantages: No battery needed, small in size Disadvantages: No preview screen, no flash
...them for a considerable time. Mustek tackled that department and came up with a brilliant solution. gSmart Mini draws power directly through your PC; no clumsy main adaptor or batteries are needed. And it’s all done via a cable linked to the USB port of the PC. This is the same cable for uploading pictures onto PC. As soon as you plug in the USB cable, the camera is being recharged. At the same time you may use the camera as a web cam. A stand is ... ...charged after about 3 hours, it can be operated continually for one hour. When it’s on stand-by, it can actually last up to two whole weeks. I must say this battery-less operation has got to be the strongest selling point for gSmart Mini.
However, as the camera doesn’t use removable flash memory card, there’s a risk of losing all the pictures if the camera runs out of power. To minimise the risk, the camera has the auto shut-off ability ... more
When I logged onto ipoint one day, a message on the web site struck me, “You can afford gSmart Mini Digital Camera”. Although I’ve already got a decent digital camera, a small inexpensive camera would be handy for me to carry anywhere. So, I ordered it straight away.
The camera was supplied by Firebox; as you may expect, it also came with third party software, PhotoExpress and PhotoExplorer, for viewing and editing digital photographs. gSmart range of digital cameras is manufactured by Mustek, better known for their scanners (Digital camera probably has a closer relationship to scanner than optical camera). The gSmart Mini is measured 4.7cm x 6.9cm x 1.1cm, and it’s weight is 39g. It is so tiny like a toy that you probably won’t take it seriously at first. It has actually got some useful features: a self-timer, an adjustable focus (close-up or infinity), selectable resolutions* for fine mode (1024 x 768) or normal mode (640 x 480), and 10 second video clips recording. The capacity is quite acceptable at 50 shots for fine mode and 100 for normal mode. One typical feature missing is LCD preview screen, but that is forgivable for a tiny camera like this.
In general, digital cameras are power-hungry monsters; quite often you’ll need a few spare batteries if you use them for a considerable time. Mustek tackled that department and came up with a brilliant solution. gSmart Mini draws power directly through your PC; no clumsy main adaptor or batteries are needed. And it’s all done via a cable linked to the USB port of the PC. This is the same cable for uploading pictures onto PC. As soon as you plug in the USB cable, the camera is being recharged. At the same time you may use the camera as a web cam. A stand is provided for resting the camera. When the camera is fully charged after about 3 hours, it can be operated continually for one hour. When it’s on stand-by, it can actually last up to two whole weeks. I must say this battery-less operation has got to be the strongest selling point for gSmart Mini.
However, as the camera doesn’t use removable flash memory card, there’s a risk of losing all the pictures if the camera runs out of power. To minimise the risk, the camera has the auto shut-off ability to preserve power, and a warning red light to indicate low power. The best thing to do is to upload the pictures onto PC as soon as practicable. I have used the camera both indoors and outdoors, the quality of the pictures was slightly above average; but after some retouchings, the pictures looked very good. (I wish I could post some of the pictures on here!) Remember the camera has no flash; therefore plenty of daylight is needed to obtain a good picture.
The list price for gSmart Mini is around £40 on most online shops. There are gSmart Mini 2 and 3 now with higher specifications, and of course at higher prices. If you’re not too demanding with photography and are not prepared to spend too much for a small camera, gSmart Mini should fit the bill. One final point I would like to add, that is the little lens sticking out like a nipple; don't get too close when taking pictures on a hungry baby!
* A version of gSmart Mini also has a low-resolution mode (320 x 240) with 200 shots.
Advantages: Very small, True 1.3 Megapixel Disadvantages: Camera freezes regularly, loosing all pictures
I already have a digital camera. I really didn’t need another one. In conclusion I shouldnt have bought this one
But …
For some reason there was a little voice nagging away at the back of my subconscious as to why I just had to buy it.
For a start I had a friends Hen Night coming up and there was no way that I was lugging the £600, 3.3 Megapixel Canon digital camera (otherwise known as a small brick!) around with me for the evening. ... ...one of those Boots-brand disposable party cameras because, lets face it, there is no real chance of me getting around to taking the film in for processing. I already have a drawer full of film and no idea about what I took pictures of.
So – It had to be digital. It had to be light. It also had to be cheep because otherwise I would get an ear-bashing from the other-half.
A quick perusal of the usual online gadgetry stores led me to believe ...
christine_g_hall 10.10.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Mustek GSmart Mini
Advantages: Incredibly small, good quality pictures Disadvantages: No flash, unable to view photos straight after taking
...catch my eye was the Mustek GSmart Mini. The size was small enough to fit in my pocket, infact you could most likely fit quite a few of these in your pocket it's that small, and the price was even smaller (EDIT: £39.95 to be exact, it was £29.95 when I bought it but it seems to have gone up). I ordered it straight away and when it arrived (with a bag of fried egg sweets thanks to firebox) I took it straight out of the box and started snapping away...
... ...the size, its just so small, you can take it everywhere! The actual design of the camera is nice enough, mine is grey (unlike the purple one shown on ciao) and has the GSmart Mini logo on the front. My only real problem with the overall design of it is the weird nipple thing on the front, it just makes the camera look a bit weird, however it does serve a (very limited and hardly noticable) purpose, which is to change the focus from close up photos ...
Spiffeh 11.06.2004 (12.06.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Mustek GSmart Mini
Advantages: Small. Pics OK Disadvantages: No Flash, Does not always work when needs charging
Well I actually from this camera from the Discovery Channel Website.
First I will tell you the REQUIREMENTS required to use this camera.
* REQUIREMENTS*
*Pentium 166 Mhz Processor or higher
*Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
*Super VGA Card and Colour Monitor
*CD-ROM Drive
*64MB Recommended
*USB Port
*200MB available HD Space
Its pretty easy to install you just pop the CD provided into your CD Drive and click next. Restart your PC and everything is ... ...Acrobat Reader
Camera Drive
Video Capture Driver.
So I guess your wondering what the SPECFICATIONS of the camera are? Here it goes...
*SPECIFICATIONS OF CAMERA*
*Works as a digital camera, digital camcorder and pc camera.
*Resolution 1024 x 768
640x480
320x240
*Memory of 8MB
*Video Clip is only 10 seconds but it is a small camera. resolution 320x240.
It has a self timer which allows you 10 seconds to get ready to pose.
Dimension is 69mm ...
rachelneal2004 26.05.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Mustek GSmart Mini
Advantages: Very small, compact Disadvantages: Needs charging for 3 hours
I bought this camera this year and I was a bit sceptical, how could such a small thing hold a) any good amount of pictures and b)pictures of any good quality. But I was pleasantly surprised when i downloaded the pictures onto the computer and they were excellent quality, the cd was easy to use and there are so few buttons you can't go wrong. It also has a web camera feature which allows you to see the other person as you are talking to them on msn ... ...has a nice little chord to go around your neck and clip on to the camera so you don't lose it. Excellent Value! I think for the amount of money you pay for the camera then I think it is worth it , maybe as an ideal gift for a boyfriend or girlfriend. It beats paying hundreds of pounds for a top wack camera when you can just pay £35 like and have so much fun. ...
hermoine123 31.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Mustek GSmart Mini
Picture Quality
Range & Quality of Feat...
Ease of Use
Durability
Overall Look & Design
Value for Money
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**** INTRODUCTION ****
I thought I would share with you all my little digi camera, so let me tell you all about it.
**** WHAT IS GSMARTMINI 2 ****
The gsmartmini 2 is a small digi camera, camcorder, and also a pc camera. This camera takes clear pictures when in the right light, and like all camera you have to have a steady hand in order to take blurred free pictures. The camera is very small which you can take anywhere and is not noticeable; it can fit in your shirt pocket and forget it is there, with it having not much weight to it. The one I have is blue in colour, with a silver moon shape band on it. This camera runs through USB, and when linked up to USB you can view the images you have taken on the pc, using the software provided with the camera. You will notice the small view finder at the top left hand corner ...
Advantages: Tiny, lightweight, easily carried, rechargeable batteries Disadvantages: Difficult to frame photos if you wear glasses
is charged through the usb cable. This worked well for the first three weeks that I had the camera ... then disaster struck - the camera wouldn't charge.
Mustek weren't very helpful and I eventually returned the camera to Firebox (who were, extremely) for a full refund.
I'd recommend the camera if you want something small and lightweight to impress your friends - and you plan on mostly taking photos outside. If you want more than snapshots, I'd suggest you look for something a little larger with a flash. ...
Advantages: Small, looks cool, makes a good webcam Disadvantages: picture quality is only good with adequate lighting, no flash, 75% chance of blurry shots
Mustek GSmart Mini is an 850-kilopixel multi-mode digital camera. This camera is smaller than credit card in length and height. It stores up to 200 pictures with 8MB memory. Macro/Normal switch enables close-up shooting. The macro select dial provides close-up shooting when taking pictures from a distance of 20cm-30cm. The camera features an auto-rechargeable battery via USB power.
