VCR replacement in your pockets

In an attempt to lure more customers most of the companies today are offering multiple functionalities on their gadgets. One thing that seems inevitable is some kind of movie playing capability, no matter how impractical the screen size of the gadget is. The V-Mate memory card recorder from SanDisk looks like one solution to this and could be really practical for people who love getting their video fix on portable media players like the iPod, PSP, etc.

SanDisk has announced the launch of the V-Mate Video Memory Card Recorder, a device that will allow you to record television directly to a memory card without the need of a PC. It connects to an analogue audio and video output from pretty much any source you like, then records straight to the card. And it has been designed with small portable video players in mind.

This device is 12.95cm x 6.6cm x 2.03cm in size and will allow you to playback movies and TV on your mobile phone, Sony PSP, notebook and other playback devices by plugging them in to anything with a Video Out socket.

It has a maximum recording resolution of 640 x 480, which makes it suitable for small screens. You will be able to record up to 3.5 hours of high quality video per gigabyte. The V-Mate is compatible with SD, MMC, MMCplus MMCmobile, SDHC, MiniSDHC, MicroSDHC, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick PRO Duo.

"We are hoping to replace the VCR with this product," said a company spokesman. "It will be like having a video recorder in your pocket."

V-Mate will hit the market in October and will carry a price tag of $130.