Disposable camcorder launched in the US

CVS has launched a disposable digital camcorder in the US, the pocket-size camcorder was developed by Pure Digital Technologies and will sell for $29.99.

Jonathan Kaplan, chief executive of Pure Digital, said CVS is the first to retail such a camcorder but eventually it will be distributed widely as other retailers call in to sell it.

The camcorder features a 1.4-inch color LCD screen and has a memory chip that can store up to 20 minutes of digital video and sound. The camcorder weights less than 5 ounces and users will also have the ability to delete video.

"The introduction of the disposable film camera significantly grew the photography industry by making photography accessible and affordable to anyone," said Mike Wolf, Director of Digital Photography Trends at InfoTrends/CAP Ventures. "One-time-use camera category has grown to be 218 million units annually and we expect it to account for 38% of total film volume in the U.S. in 2005. A simple and affordable one-time-use digital camcorder could spur growth in the digital video market in a similar way."

Users can return the recyclable digital camcorder to a local CVS store to get their video transferred to a DVD disc for $12.99. More details at CVS