Last month we brought you a double feature from toy giant Takaratomy. This month we look at another pair of fun products, courtesy of Thanko — the most notable of all the wacky gadget-makers in Japan.
Recently Thanko rolled out the mini-cam to out-mini all other mini-cams. Measuring a mere 30 × 27 × 27 mm, this tiny camera is so small that you can balance it on your finger tip. It weighs only 11 grams, so you can easily wear it as a geeky accessory on a necklace or on your cellphone strap. And if you have any spy missions scheduled in the near future, the Mame Cam would be a useful tool to have in your arsenal.
Thanko has very logically used the microSD format for the camera's storage, although the memory card is sold separately. The Mame Cam shoots still photos in JPEG format at a resolution of 1600 × 1200 pixels, and can also record video in AVI format at a frame rate of up 30 fps at 640 × 480 pixels. The camera charges via a USB connection to your personal computer, and requires about an hour to be fully juiced. The USB cable comes included, along with a tiny little lens cap, a key chain, a strap, and a manual (in Japanese).