Destined to Reign

Samsung just loosed a pair of low-end digital cameras for your newbie'n consumption. The $169, 7.2 megapixel S760 and $179, 8.1 megapixel S860 both feature a 3x optical zoom Samsung SHD lens, digital image stabilization, face detection, a 30fps VGA video recording mode in AVI (MJPEG) format, and the ability to motor off a pair of AA batteries in an photographic emergency. A special effects "E" button gives PC-less control over red-eye and basic image manipulation -- it does not, however, give you a sense of lime-green lollipop euphoria. Look for them on shelves in January.