Gadgets: A tiny camera streams life's moments, live

When Looxcie, the tiny video camera that fits over the ear, came out in 2010, it gave navel gazers an opportunity to record and share the minutiae of their daily lives.

Looxcie records in a continuous five-hour loop, allowing users to capture events in their lives, both unexpected and mundane, without lugging around a video camera. An Instant Clip button on the device lets videographers send a clip of the last 30 seconds to a social network with a single click.

Seeking to increase the level of instant gratification, the makers of the camera have introduced a new service called LooxcieLive, a mobile app that allows users to broadcast their video instantly by putting it in the cloud. Friends and family members are invited beforehand to view an event, like a baseball game or a birthday party, that they can watch over a live stream.

It is just like live television, but without a five-second delay to censor the occasional obscenity or wardrobe malfunction, so use caution. And with LooxcieLive, viewers get to talk back. Texting and audio push-to-talk features allow them to interact with the person making the video while it is streaming.

The camera comes in two models. The $150 version offers five hours of recording capacity; for $180, you get 10 hours. LooxcieLive is free at Apple's App Store and the Android Market.

If you have ever found yourself nostalgic for "It's a Small World," the ride found at Disney theme parks, here is your chance to take your children on the popular boat trip around the globe on an iPad instead.

The app, from Disney Publishing Worldwide, was inspired by a children's book illustrated by Joey Chou. The artwork is beautifully rendered, evoking the charm and delight of the ride without being overly saccharine.

The app, which costs $3.99 and is available at Apple's App Store, has two navigation tools. The first allows the reader to scroll through the scenes like the pages of a book. The second allows the reader to jump to a specific destination via hot-air balloon. Geographical borders do not exist and the countries meld into one another, creating a fluidity of cultures, sounds and colors.