If it is a High Capacity memory card ( such as a SDHC) either the hard reader is SD only or the Operating System ( if it is not Vista or XP) can't recognized the higher capacity.
Or it mighty be faulty memory.
If it works well in the camera and it is SDHC you will either need a SDHC compatible reader or connect to the camera from the computer to see the images.

Generally camcorders come with a remote....but not all. You can look at the whats included area on the box and the description portion on the web site.

Thats a BIG question. It has been debated back and forth for as long as there have been cameras. In the basic compact..consumer arena...Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Panasonic and a host of others have always traded places in the TOP slots.
D-SLR the top 3 have been Canon, Nikon (trading places regularly) and Sony (the new comer)
In the Professional arena you'll find names like Hasselblad.

Both a very good cameras. It is usually best to go with the higher optical zoom in most cases. You may not notice the 2MP difference in the final photo but you will probably notice having that extra 2x on the zoom.