I remember when the original GoPro wrist-mounted surf camera first came out back in 2004 the thing was clunky and even a little kooky, but I loved the idea of being able to capture the action while I was out on the water. Thankfully GoPro kept on improving the cam year-by-year and soon their Hero became a legit piece of photography equipment.

This small GoPro BacPac LCD screen lets you frame
your shot and review footage real-time.

Earlier this year, their High-Def Hero just became even more legit with the launch of the GoPro LCD BacPac [$80; gopro.com]. Basically the BacPac is a tiny LCD screen that snaps onto the back of any HD Hero cam and, with an included extra rear door, will still fit inside the waterproof housing. The video screen helps you frame your shot and then review your footage or photos real-time right there on the spot. Before the BacPac, you had to pray that you got the shot and wait until you could get to a computer to check your footage. To me, it was the main bummer about the GoPro system, but this new BacPac essentially solves that problem and makes the HD Hero an even cooler camera.

Just for fun, here's a shot of the original GoPro wrist-camera (circa 2004). GoPro, you've come along baby!

The original GoPro wrist-mounted camera circa 2004.