The Buzz: Tools, Trends, and Gizmos

Pocket-sized HD

The size of a highlighter pen and weighing less than three ounces? I'll bet it's the world's smallest HD camcorder. The 1.4 x 5-inch PenCam HD by Aiptek fits in the palm of your hand so you're ready to grab all the action in 720p high definition. Featuring a 5-megapixel shooter, the PenCam boasts 4 GB of memory, built-in HDMI, and a 1.1-inch OLED display. Optional accessories include a mount for your bike or windshield. $179.99.

'Tis the season for gifting. And there are some fine choices over on Etsy, online purveyor of all things unique and handmade. Among the gadgety items—this camera case by Hine Mizushima. A designer/illustrator and self-described “slow crafter,” Mizushima handstitches these one-of-a-kind accessories in cool color combos with button accents. I declare her a genius of felt. The cases are currently sold out, so you must keep browsing Etsy. And that's such a chore.

Citing Tweets?

The American Psychological Association (APA) has crafted guidelines for citing Twitter and Facebook posts. Acknowledging the import of social media, Chelsea Lee, senior manuscript editor of APA Journals, outlined the procedure on the APA Style blog. “One last issue is retrievability,” wrote Lee. “We don't know if these status update pages will still be here in a year, or 5, or 20 years. So if you are writing for publication, it may be prudent to self-archive any social media updates you include in your articles.”

Follett Launches Destiny 9.5

Follett Software has released Destiny 9.5. The latest version of the library automation system boasts new features requested by users, according to the company. They include MyQuest book club, a new social networking element within Destiny Library Manager, which allows students to invite friends from their school or district and features shelves for sharing books they're reading. Destiny 9.5 has also expanded reporting capabilities, including a reorganized list and tags for favorites. 

Easy-Access Audiobooks

New, in-school service AudioBook Classroom lets K–12 users access a collection of a 1,001 titles from any networked computer. AudioBook Classroom lives on the server, where students can listen to titles on a classroom computer or transfer them to an iPod or other personal media player. The audiobooks span 29 subjects—biography, poetry, sociology, juvenile literature, world history, and more—and range from contemporary titles like The Soloist by Steve Lopez to classics, including Little Women and The Great Gatsby. Created by OverDrive, the service supports Windows, with a Mac version to come.

Twitter All the Time

It may have been inevitable: a dedicated Twitter device. We're talking about the TwitterPeek, a handheld that provides “instant tweet delivery,” and that's it, no email, no Web browsing. With it, “newbies will finally 'get' Twitter,” says Amol Sarva, CEO of Peek, creator of the device. The cost: $99 plus six months of service, $199 for lifetime tweets.