“You got your head in the clouds and you’re not at all what you seem”…

I had the pleasure of attending a very special do on London’s Southbank on Friday for Microsoft’s UK division, with the aim of exploring their longstanding, yet seemingly under-appreciated SkyDrive service. Joining a group of tech-focused bloggers for a breakfast briefing at the Marriott County Hall (below), we delved into the ins-and-outs of all things SkyDrive and prepared for a head-to-head competition – using it to seek, capture and share the City’s landmarks with speed and style.

Just another cloud-storage product? I had thought so. And by seemingly general consensus, so had the group! What we discovered however, was a feature-rich photo-sharing service (complete with quick shoot-and-upload apps for both iPhone and Windows Phone) that makes it easy to save and share individual shots – or even entire galleries (below) – with your friends, family or the world…yes, even those NOT on Facebook.

There’s no need for a Hotmail account (major plus!), you just need to get yourself a Windows Passport/Live ID (which can be linked to any of your existing addresses) and you’re in.

Far from being a static storage device, SkyDrive incorporates Microsoft’s Web Apps, which pack some remarkable features for collaborative editing of workplace Office docs. Word appeared smooth upon demonstration, with clever tools such as the ability to assign certain paragraphs of text to individual people for editing, and a lock-down/notification system that prevents accidental cross-editing and informs the group of rewrites in-progress and completed revisions.

Personally, I struggled using Web Apps to create a PowerPoint presentation for the day’s second challenge, but would highly recommend the service’s photo-sharing feature, which with its gallery lightboxes and simple sharing options (send to any email / post to Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn / get a link for Twitter etc.), plus permission toggling (can edit/must sign in), appears well polished and would make management of larger online photo collections in particular much easier to juggle.

Post briefing, we took our newfound knowledge and put it to the test, with a shoot-out in a private capsule on the London Eye! One lucky winner would take home 2 x Nokia Lumia 800s with Window Phone. Juggling bubbly and photography, we sought out, captured, and tweeted like mad, hoping followers might be able to not only recognize our landmarks, but tell us where they were shot. Yes, that’s what all those random tweets were about Friday…and knowing that followers of MTN are largely US-based (and prolly not even awake yet), I mostly forgive you for not responding.

Next up…battle two. Armed with PowerPoint, we all had 30 mins to create presentations of our experience – vying for a brand new Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook. Utterly surprised by the quality of my fellow bloggers’ slideshows, and personally thwarted by the aforementioned technical problems, I conceded defeat. Again. So yeah, no giveaway prizes I’m afraid.

Finishing up with a spot of fine dining, fantastic views and great conversation at the top of the Oxo Tower, the sun had set and it was time for us to part…until next time!

A special thanks to Ian Moulster from Microsoft UK, Andrew and Emily from 3 Monkeys and all the amazing bloggers that made it such an enjoyable day. And thanks to our pro-photographer, we even have pics of the action. Enjoy…

Are you afraid someone’s going to eat the last piece of your favorite chocolate cake while you’re stuck at the office? Wish you could keep a close eye on the things you care about the most — even when you’re not at home?

Well, with the Smartphone Home Monitor, you can keep your home or office under constant video surveillance.

This surveillance camera can be set up anywhere to transmit video in real-time to any iPhone or Android smartphone via the Internet. By logging in to a specific website, you can even remotely position the camera – tilting the lens up to 125° and panning it up to 270° to achieve an optimal view.

The camera transmits video in a 640 x 480 resolution at 30 fps, and also comes equipped with 15 infrared LEDs positioned around the lens for night-vision surveillance.

When the camera’s motion detector is activated, it automatically sends you an e-mail and saves a 30-second video to an SD card (not included) – keeping an eye on things for you even when your remote eyes are needed elsewhere.

Connecting to any computer running Windows XP, Vista, 7 or Mac OS X 10.5 or later through the included Ethernet cable or WiFi, the Smartphone Home Monitor measures just 5″ H x 4″ W x 5″ L, and it’s available at Hammacher Schlemmer for $249.95.

If you’ve ever tried capturing indoor concerts with a point-and-shoot camera (the only practical kind unless you’re a photo pit pro), you’ll know a thing or two about grain, and how impossible it is to get a half-decent shot. Fortunately, us concert-goers and gallery, museum and theatre attendees (where flash photography is often forbidden), now have a compact camera at our disposal that is designed for, and excels at low-light shots.

Called the Low Light Digital Camera, it features a 4X wide-angle iZuiko zoom lens (previously only available on chunky SLRs), which offers exceptional brightness through its wide-wide-open f1.8-2.5 aperture stops – letting as much light in as possible.

Also equipped with a rapid 1/2000 second shutter speed for crisp, grain-free shots and to freeze fast action on stage, the Low Light Digital Camera features a highly sensitive ISO3200 10MP CCD, a vivid 3-inch LCD OLED monitor for greater compositional contrast and offers optional SLR-like manual control through a dial around the lens.

Accepting capacious 64GB SD cards and also shooting HD 720P movies, the Low Light Digital Camera is available now from Hammacher Schlemmer for $549.95.

Do you suspect coworkers are walking into your office when you’re not around to steal paper clips, snoop in your drawers, or simply put their filthy fingers all over your stuff?

Well, the Video Surveillance Clock is here to catch them in the act!

This analog clock has a built-in, motion activated surveillance camera that shoots at a 62° angle (to capture mugs, not midriffs) from up to nine feet away – recording 720 x 480 video and taking 1280 x 960 images. At the same time, its sensitive microphone can pick up audio from 16 feet away – perfect for keeping a watchful eye in any room or office.

The Video Surveillance Clock supports up to 8GB microSD cards and includes a 4GB card that can store up to 6 hours of AVI video or up to 52,000 JPG images. The content can then be transferred to any Mac, Windows XP, Vista, or 7 PC via the included USB 2.0 cable.

The USB cable is also used to charge the clock’s rechargeable lithium battery, which can provide up to 1.5 hours of video recording (or 18 months of stand-by time) from a 3-hour charge.

Nobody wants to spy on their own coworkers, but if you feel there’s something going on in your office when you’re NOT around, you can get your Video Surveillance Clock at Hammacher Schlemmer for $159.95.

If you’re broadcasting your image across the Internet with a low-res webcam, you’re doing both your professional reputation, and your geek cred a great disservice – especially when this piece of quality kit comes so inexpensively. Leave the grain for breakfast…it’s time for an upgrade!

With the Logitech 1080p Webcam Pro C910, you can look your very best in every single video or photo you take. Its autofocus feature, 5MP HD sensor, and precision Carl Zeiss pro lens provide crystal clear video and impressive 10MP photos every time.

The Logitech 1080p Webcam Pro C910 can be easily attached to ultra-thin notebooks or LCD monitors due to its universal clip, where you can record full HD 1080p videos and post them on Facebook and YouTube with just one click. Also, with the included Magix video and photo editor, you can polish your videos before they go viral.

As long as you have a standard broadband connection, you can make video calls with a 720p resolution, and more frames per second than most HD webcams thanks to Logitech’s More HD Technology. Also, with its dual built-in noise-cancelling microphones, your friends, colleagues and customers will hear you loud and clear in HD-quality stereo.

Billed as the No. 1 selling webcam in the world (as of Feb 2010), the Logitech 1080p Webcam Pro C910 is rated 4.4 out of 5 stars (from 315 customer reviews) at Amazon.com and is available with FREE shipping for $69.99.

Video is great for capturing and preserving special events such as sporting matches, graduations, weddings (or when one of your mates does something so embarrassing it begs to be recorded and played back ad nauseam). Photos on the other hand, can you know, speak a thousand words – capturing key moments in stills that often convey more for what’s omitted. Trouble is, it’s one format or the other…until now! Thanks to the Simultaneous Still And Video Camera, you can record events in HD video from start to finish AND take photos of the highlights at the same time! Clever you.

Using a proprietary, multi-recording image processor, the Simultaneous Still And Video Camera enables you to shoot 720p high-definition video to capture tackles, tries and home runs in all their live-action glory, and simultaneously snap priceless 3MP shots of facial expressions frozen in time. The camera also takes 1080p HD videos and 16MP stills if used separately, and it’s 24X wide-zoom optical lens gets right up close to the action – eliminating camera shake with its built-in dual image stabilization.

Featuring a 3-inch LCD and accepting large 4GB microSD cards for image and video storage, the Simultaneous Still And Video Camera connects to your computer via the included USB cable, plays back content on your TV with its included AV cable, and is available now from Hammacher Schlemmer for $499.95. Your goal? To snap one up today!

How many times have you been called “crazy” simply for telling people about what you see with your standard binoculars? Ever wish you could go back in time, push their faces into your binoculars and point them in the exact same direction, at the exact same time – so they wouldn’t have to take your word for it?

Well, the Vivitar Binoculars with Digital Camera are the practical (and realistic) solution to your problems!

Taking pictures with a permanent 10x magnification, the Vivitar Binoculars with Digital Camera features fully-coated optics, weather-resistant rubberized armor, and rubberized eye-cups that allow their use with glasses and sunglasses.

You can store up to 75 photos thanks to the built-in 16MB memory, and download/edit them easily too with the included USB cable and software editing guide.

Available at Taylor Gifts for $39.98, the Vivitar Binoculars with Digital Camera include a lens cloth, a wrist strap and require only two AAA batteries (not included), making them perfect for bird-watching, sports and travel, providing a practical way of sharing those unique images with the world.

If you do a bit of dirt bike racing and want an easy way to capture your wicked jumps all rider-POV, the MX Off Road Camera Goggle Mask is your man. Completely hands-free, they strap to your head like only goggles can – meaning you won’t risk smashing it off your helmet or handlebars in a spill. Or risk losing that priceless shot of Mr All That in front stackin’ it hard. Man, you meeeeean.

Recording in 720p HD at up to 30fps, the MX Off Road Camera Goggle Mask is also good for use on the road, to capture valuable EVIDENCE in an accident or otherwise. My traumatic experiences? Lemme see. Skidded under a truck once! Would have made an awesome video. Oh, and I had a heavy backpack thrown at me too (separate incident). Almost stacked it just sitting at a traffic light! Still lose sleep thinking that monster’s still out there *shakes fist*. If only I had proof, then someone might believe me his bag-throwing days would be more numbered than license plates.

Anyway, the MX Off Road Camera Goggle Mask records to MicroSD/SDHC cards of up to 32GB, can also take 5MP snaps, shoots continuous video for up to two hours on built-in rechargeable Lithium batteries and is available now from IWOOT for £225.00. Get shooting. “POLICE BRUTALITY…you’re gonna regret this…POLICE BRUTALITY”

Your iPhone does a pretty neat job of getting your snaps into iPhoto and onto Facebook, but the real world? Not so much. Sure, you could use it to call directory assistance to hunt down one of the few remaining photo-labs and wrestle with a kiosk (arghhhh) — OR — you could just dock your handset in the iPhone Photo Printer and turn your digi-pics into brilliant 4″ x 6″ prints in less than a minute!

With no computer, software or ink cartridges required, the iPhone Photo Printer is controlled via a FREE downloadable app that shoots out crystal-clear 300dpi prints with vibrant colors – thanks to special mess-free, patented paper with embedded yellow, magenta and cyan dye crystals.

These ultra-durable prints are smudge and tear-proof, as well as fade and water-resistant, plus the iPhone Photo Printer can be set to print either 1, 4 or 10 images per sheet – ready for passport photos, cut-and-paste collages or an index for cataloging/archiving your photography.

The iPhone Photo Printer is the size of a box of tissues, doubles as a charger for your iPhone/iPod Touch, also connects to iPad/iPad 2 or Android phones and is available now (including paper for your first 12 prints) from Hammacher Schlemmer for $159.95. Additional sheets are also available for $24.95.

We all enjoy some coffee or tea to get going in the morning, and the Camera Lens Mug is a great way to enjoy it in style – whilst letting everyone know you’re serious about shooting.

Designed to look exactly like a real 28-135mm lens, the Camera Lens Mug will help you bring things into focus first thing in the morning – serving up your caffeine fix complete with a lens cover that doubles as a lid and coaster.

Although it can’t be used as a real lens, this mug will surely become a staple of any photographer’s early morning shoots. Best of all, it’s insulated to keep your beverage warm and your hands cool.

At 17.5cm(H) x 10.5cm(W) x 10cm(D), the eye-catching Camera Lens Mug is big enough to hold a full beverage – whether it’s coffee, tea or something cool like water – and can be snapped up at Firebox.com for $24 | £15 | €17.