“Someday someone is going to get one of these digital camera/binocular hybrids right and have a hit product on their hands, but manufacturers’ continual insistance to make the camera lens seperate from the binoculars really futzes up what could otherwise be a fantastic product. Take these Bushnell Instant Replay binocs, for instance, as reviewed by KC’s David Twiddy. It’s not a cheapo device - Bushnell is a major binocular brand - but it still doesn’t take images of what you’re actually seeing through the binoculars (and has a crappy shutter speed, too, it sounds like), so no matter how many flip-up LCD screens and Compact Flash slots it has, it’s still fundamentally flawed.” Full Story via Gizmodo

This device looks like something I could get in to, being a die-hard fanatic of the San Francisco 49ERS, I often find myself yelling at the operator of the largely unused scoreboard, asking them why they don’t show a replay. This especially annoys me on those disputed calls, when for 90 seconds, there is absolutely no action on the field.

The problem could be solved, but I think I’ll wait a while for the manufacturers of these devices to fix some of the fundamental flaws before shelling out a few hundred bucks. For now, I’ll just have to drink some tea and keep yelling.