New nonstop flights

I rarely get this excited about tech gear, but this morning at a Samsung press preview, I didn't want to let go of the new DualView TL220 ($300). Due out next month, the 12.2-megapixel "smart" camera has two LCDs: a 3-inch touch-screen on the back and a 1.5-inch front display. The front screen lets you take better self-portraits while on vacation or when updating your Facebook profile. (Oh, the vanity!) When you turn on the self-timer, the screen goes black and bright blue numbers count down "3, 2, 1." Now if you want to get in the shot, you don't have to run back and forth. Plus, none of your friends can claim they weren't ready. To make kids look at the camera, the child mode on the front screen shows an animated clown cartoon. (For kids who are afraid of clowns, Samsung will have other downloadable videos to swap out.) Also new is the TL225 ($350), with a larger 3.5-inch LCD screen. As with the TL220, the touch-screen technology means you can delete pictures simply by drawing an X with your finger. Both versions record HD video, and have a 27mm wide-angle lens and a 4.6x zoom. Ships to major retailers the first week of September, but Sears.com is taking pre-orders. Personally, the last time I was this thrilled about a camera was when Nikon streamlined its swivel-lens technology on the Coolpix back in 2002. MORE DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY Shoot Like a Pro

Quiz time: When is a $20 daily car rental rate promotion a rip-off? Answer: When you could just as easily be paying $10 a day.Long ago, I signed up to receive promotional "Hot Deals" e-mails from Alamo Rent A Car. Recently, I received a message alerting me to "Weekend Rentals from $10 a Day." Hmm… Curious about how truly "hot" this deal was, I opened a new window on my computer to check out Alamo's website, where I found a similar-looking weekend promotion. Only this one had the headline "Weekend Rentals from $20 a Day." I clicked on the $20 promotion and saw a blond model with a gray tank top, standing and smiling in front of a Chevy. Around her were the details to the promotion: compact cars from $20 a day, mid-size cars from $24 a day, full-size cars from $28 a day, premium cars from $30 a day, with restrictions including a four-day maximum rental and validity dates of August 20 to September 21. Next, I went back to the e-mail that heralded the $10 weekend promotion. I clicked through the link provided, and saw the exact same blond model, same Chevy, same restrictions, same validity dates. The only differences were the words "EMAIL EXCLUSIVE" on the top of the web page, and the prices listed for cars: $10 for compacts, $14 for mid-sizes, and $18 a day for full-sizes, and $20 a day for premium cars. The lesson? If you've ever thought that all promotional e-mails do is clog your in-box, here's a case for signing up for them. The bigger point is that you should never assume that a "deal" is actually a deal. Sometimes, you can do much better than a "special" promotional rate. EARLIER Where hotels are hiding their lowest rates now: Priceline, Twitter, and e-mail offers What's a guy gotta do to get a seat assignment around here? (25+ comments)