Samsung Miniket more than sum of its parts

Camera, MP3 player, voice recorder and portable storage device.

There are two things I look for in a travel companion. First off, they have to travel light - no eating into my baggage allowance, please. Secondly, they have to add to my travelling experience, not distract me with their own hang-ups. On both counts, the Samsung Miniket impresses.

It weights just 150g, about the same as a clamshell mobile phone, yet serves six functions: video camera, digital still camera, mp3 player, voice recorder, web camera and mass storage device.

It's versatile and incredibly useful, but like most multi-taskers, doesn't do everything to the same high standard.

The video camera has a 10x optical and 100x digital zoom. It records in 720x576 resolution at 30 frames per second, but rapid movement or low light plays havoc with it.

Displayed on a 21 inch TV screen, the video was of average quality, although watchable. The Miniket's small microphone delivers surprisingly good sound.

The mp3 player, controlled from the Miniket's LCD screen, is as good as an iPod's sound. It also has a universal audio jack so you can plug in a decent pair of Technics headphones.

The LCD displays useful information such as the track name and length, the kiloHertz rating and recording compression.

The 2.1 megapixel digital still camera is of the same standard you'd expect from the Panasonic D-snap or any other combination device. Pictures appear slightly grainy.

The camera flash is equivalent to that of a mobile phone - in other words, not great. Night shooting is pretty much ruled out.

The Miniket will also work as a web camera when plugged into your PC. Sitting in its cradle, you can position the Miniket to put you in the frame for NetMeeting, MSN Messenger or any other video conferencing program.

With one gigabyte of storage the Miniket will hold up to 60 minutes of video or hundreds of songs or photos. You can load on other files as well, using the Miniket as a mobile data drive.

Is it greater than the sum of its parts? The answer is yes, providing you're not expecting top-notch photos and video footage. If you buy a dedicated digital video camera and high-resolution digital still camera for that, you'll pay three times as much for the quality.

ImageMixer software comes standard for basic video editing jobs, but the video, digital pictures, mp3s and .wav voice files are all accessible through Windows Explorer where the Miniket appears as a mass storage drive.

A Memory Stick slot allows for extra storage. I'd have preferred support of the more popular SD card. Even Sony, the maker of the Memory Stick, is building a slot for rival SD cards into its new Playstation 3.

Digital photography snobs will scoff at the Miniket's features, but ask yourself this: how important is it for you to have high-quality prints or video footage of your holiday exploits? If a slightly lower-resolution picture is good enough for you, the Miniket will be too.

Samsung Miniket

* Pros: Lightweight and versatile, easy to use, syncs easily with PC.
* Cons: Memory Stick only removable storage supported, still picture quality is average.
* Price: $1182
* Herald Rating: 7/10