camera posts

Video Spy Cam Hidden in Car Key Fob

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Oct 24th 2009 at 5:10PM

It might not be the smallest camera we've ever seen, but the Fake Car Key Spy Camera definitely would be a nice stocking stuffer for an Inspector Gadget in training. The camera is designed to look like a remote device that unlocks a car, shoots video at 29-frames-per-second, snaps photos at a resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels and records sound, too. There's also a slot for a MicroSD card so you can share your voyeuristic, er... spy vids with buddies. All for $63, and Brando even throws in an 8 gigabyte card for the extra paranoid.

Could you really get away with sneaking pics and videos with this thing? The pinhole-sized lens might not be noticeable, but subjects might wonder why you're pointing a car key remote at them. The only place you'll be able to use this unsuspectingly is in a parking garage. Even then, how long could a person pretend to forget where he parked his car? [From: Boing Boing and Brando]

Tags: camera, car, gadget, key, novelty, photos, spy, top, video

Cameras

Wearable Vicon Camera Lets You Log Every Moment of Your Life

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Oct 18th 2009 at 12:01PM

Potentially taking the place of moms and their ever-flashing cameras, a new device allows people to document their lives simply by wearing it. According to New Scientist, U.K.-based firm Vicon has licensed technology from Microsoft Research Cambridge in order to produce the camera, which automatically snaps pictures as users wear it around their necks. The device, which can be programmed to take photos as often as every 30 seconds, whenever light changes in an environment, or when the camera detects body heat, was originally designed to aid the memory of Alzheimer's patients by allowing them to look back on their "lifelogs" at the end of each day.

Now, Vicon has plans to mass-produce the camera. It will retail for around $820 when it's released to researchers in the next few months, but will hopefully cost less when it hits store shelves in 2010. Dubbed the ViconRevue, the camera can store about 30,000 pictures on its 1-gigabyte memory card, and it's about the size of a pendant. For scientific purposes, we think this device is a great idea. But most folks, ourselves included, don't lead lives so interesting that they warrant dozens of photographs throughout the day. Making the sandwich and sitting on the couch is boring enough. Watching ourselves as we make a sandwich and sit on the couch would be intolerable. [From: New Scientist]

Tags: camera, documentary, health, memory, photos, science, top

Cameras, Web

Web Game Rewards Voyeurs for Monitoring Real Security Cameras

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Oct 6th 2009 at 2:20PM

In what he says is an effort to combat petty crime, a British businessman is asking wannabe spies to take part in a revolutionary Internet game. Next month, Tony Morgan will launch the crime-fighting service Internet Eyes, which will allow regular citizens to watch for criminal activity through closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) installed in businesses around town.

According to The Daily Mail, if someone spots something questionable, he or she will simply click a button on the Web site, alerting the business owner via text message. Then, the owner will be able to decide whether or not there's enough evidence to report the activity. Players are awarded points for correctly identifying a crime and deducted points for incorrectly reporting one. At the end of the month, the player with the most points will receive a cash prize. It's free to ~~spy~~ play, but businesses will be charged around $31-per-week for each camera they list on the site.

Tags: camera, cctv, crime, criminal, games, privacy, spy, top, video, web

Cameras

Amateurs Send First HD Camcorder Into Space via Balloon

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Sep 25th 2009 at 8:31AM

If you're afraid of heights (or easily nauseated), this story might not be for you. On August 23rd, a group of amateur radio enthusiasts in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, took a high-definition video camera to new heights, literally. Reaching 107,145 feet with the help of a hydrogen balloon, this hi-def footage features some amazing views from the edge of outer space.

According to Gizmodo, the BEAR-4 project resulted in the first amateur footage captured at such an elevation. These amateur engineers housed a Canon Vixia-HF camcorder inside some foam blocks. Then, they attached the unit to an 1,800-gram balloon and launched it into the sky. The flight lasted about four hours, but thankfully, the highlights have been edited into an incredible (and much shorter) 10-minute clip (after the break).

Tags: balloons, camera, flight, high definition, HighDefinition, hydrogen, space, top, video

Computers

MobileMe Vigilante Uncovers More About Computer Thief's Identity

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Sep 2nd 2009 at 7:39PM

A few days ago, we reported the story of a man who used Apple's MobileMe program, which allows users to sync several computers, to spy on a person using his stolen Macbook. Having stumbled upon that trespasser's online job application, the amateur sleuth, identified only as 'Jim,' was able to glean an IP address and other information, all of which he then sent to police. End of story, right? Not exactly.

After gaining access to this initial information, Jim synced to the stolen laptop once again. According to The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW), he discovered a JPEG on the desktop that, when opened, revealed the smiling face of the person Jim suspects to be the thief. Jim took the photo, which was taken with the computer's built-in camera, and forwarded it along to police. Until police recover the stolen computers (which should be real soon considering all the information they have), Jim told TUAW that he'll be sneaking in and erasing files that contain personal information.

If you ask us, the police should give Jim a medal for making their job so much easier. While they're at it, a shout-out is in order for Apple, too. With features like MobileMe, it might be easier to get away with stealing fine art than it is an Apple computer. So, if your Mac is stolen, don't fret, folks. With a little ingenuity and Apple's handy features, even you can crack the case. [From: The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)]

Tags: camera, criminal, dumb criminal, DumbCriminal, macbook, mobileme, police, top

Web

'Intimacy' Device Lets Long-Distance Lovers Express Affection With Light

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Aug 6th 2009 at 2:39PM

Cell phones and computers have made it much easier for long-distance lovers to remain romantic. However, text messages and e-mails lack that intimate touch. While it's still not quite the same as being there, a new device from Distance Lab aims to keep that flame burning strong in long-distance relationships.

BBC News reports that the Mutsugoto, which has been in development for nearly two years, will be tested this weekend by a couple in Edinburgh and London. Here's how this weird device works. Each person wears a touch-activated ring. When the person living in Edinburgh, for instance, moves his or her hand, a camera detects the movement and transmits signals to a mechanism that displays a beam of light on the person living in London. Essentially, the system enables you to draw on your significant other's body with beams of light. The device is meant for use in a private place like a bedroom, which would lend a different level of intimacy than, for instance, using a cell phone in public.

This is definitely one of the more bizarre devices to have come along lately. It just doesn't make much sense. How exactly does a beam of light represent an 'intimate' connection? It seems like Web cams or even a phone call would prove more intimate. After all, what happened to using words to express how you feel? [From: BBC News and Distance Lab]

Tags: camera, intimacy, long distance relationships, LongDistanceRelationships, love, online dating, OnlineDating, relationships, top, uk, weird

Cameras

'Dark Flash' Eliminates Annoying Light From Picture-Taking Process

by Kaiser Hwang (RSS feed) — Jul 21st 2009 at 8:40AM

Flash photography lets us, among other things, take pictures in dimly lit situations. Unfortunately, when taking pictures of people, it often leads to the dreaded red eye and/or the deer-in-headlights effect, with blown out highlights and harsh shadows. The light itself can also be distracting, hence its exile from many museums, concerts, and public performances. But if NYU student Dilip Krishnan and assistant professor Rob Fergus's "dark flash" concept can iron out some wrinkles, all those problems may soon be a thing of the past.

According to New Scientist, this innovative flash works by emitting light in a wide range of frequencies, and then by filtering out the frequencies that wind up being visible. The result is a sharp, but oddly tinted image. To compensate for distorted colors, a second, flash-free image is taken immediately afterward, and the two are combined in software to produce a naturally toned, well lit image (see example above). Because the invisible flash depends upon ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) light, objects or materials that absorb said kinds of light won't appear in the photos. Even with that caveat, though, we could be looking at the biggest thing in cameras since, well, the flash. [From: New Scientist via Engadget]

Tags: camera, flash, light, photography, photos, top

Cell Phones

Buddha Phone Looks Like Ancient Treasure

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Jul 13th 2009 at 5:27PM

Become one with your voice mails with the golden C91 Buddha Phone, compass-shaped flip phone that lets everyone know you have enlightenment on speed dial.

According to Slippery Brick, the phone retails for about $123. Equipped with a 2.0 inch display, a 1.3 megapixel camera, FM radio, and an audio and video player, the device might make the 'Big Guy' himself drool.

Apparently, this isn't the first religion-themed phone to grace God's (or Goddesses') green earth. A few years ago, a phone for Muslims launched in Europe, and there's already been one blinged-out Buddha phone prior to this latest addition. So, the Christian phone seems like the next logical step, right? It could feature a prayer button that sends you straight to God, complete with a little golden halo around the antenna. Once the Pope starts using it, that thing would sell like hotcakes. [From Slippery Brick, via New Launches]

Tags: buddhism, camera, cellphone, religion, top

Web

Plots Disappearing From Porn, Thanks to Short Online Attention Spans

by Leila Brillson (RSS feed) — Jul 10th 2009 at 3:07PM

Whether you overindulge in it or find it morally repulsive, the pornography industry and technology have a very, well, intimate relationship. When the world was deciding between VHS and Betamax, the adult industry chose VHS, and everyone listened. Hopefully, this trend doesn't cross over into content, because, as the New York Times reports, the Web is destroying the creativity behind pornography.

Two notable things: Yes, there apparently is creativity involved in porn, and secondly, since users find their attention spans shrinking, if the story doesn't pick up in the first minute, watchers move on. Vivid Entertainment's co-chairman Steven Hirsch tells the Times that, "On the Internet, the average attention span is three to five minutes. We have to cater to that." So, there goes the loose plots that made classics like 'Deep Throat' and 'Debbie Does Dallas' mainstream crossovers.

Tags: adult, attention span, AttentionSpan, camera, industry, internet, porn, pornography, top

Cameras, Visionaries

Seeing-Eye Fabric Developed By MIT Researchers

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Jul 9th 2009 at 3:45PM

Those dang MIT brainiacs. When they're not cracking people up with their erudite pranks and kooky creations, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are developing something to make the rest of the world feel insignificant and, well, let's just say undereducated. Institute researchers, according to CNet, have created a fabric with intertwining fibers that act as a basic camera.

The fibers, which can discern between two different light frequencies, produce a signal that is then amplified and processed by a computer. In its first successful trial, the process culminated in a smiley face displayed on the fabric, itself. Yoel Fink, one of the researchers, asserted that the groundbreaking design is the first to employ fabric that "can collect images just like a camera but without a lens."

The researchers believe the technology could be instrumental in battlefield scenarios, giving soldiers a 360-degree view of their surroundings. With this new camera suit, we hope to see a thrilling fiber-optic race to create a working invisibility jumpsuit or a functional chameleon cloak. Should MIT win that race, Cal Tech students need to be very worried. [From: CNet, via Slashdot]

Tags: camera, fiber optic, FiberOptic, military, mit, science, top

Cameras

Mini Camera Offers Dog's Eye View of World

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Jun 11th 2009 at 3:05PM

Ever wonder what the world would look like through the eyes of a dog? Probably full of doggie rear-ends, water bowls, and human legs, we would speculate. But pet-lovers need guess no more; curious owners can now find out for sure with the help of the Pet's Eye View Camera.

Boing Boing Gadgets tested out the tiny round camera, which snaps onto the collar. The $39.99 petcam can be set to take 640 by 480 pixel photos every one, five, or 15 minutes, and it stores up to 40 photos on an 8-megabyte memory card. After five or six hours, the camera automatically erases the card so more photos can be taken.

After a test run with a couple small dogs, Boing Boing reported a few complaints with the gadget -- namely, the product's lack of blur reduction and motion sensors. We checked out the photos, which were mostly just blurry shots of the ground, and agree. We wouldn't be too pleased to pay $40 for a bunch of photos that look like the work of a dog on a four-day bender. Similarly, 8 megabytes? In a time when gigabytes of storage can be purchased for well under $20, 8 megabytes of storage is incredibly small.

You'd think that the folks at Uncle Milton, who doubtless have the money and time to appropriately refine the camera, would be able to come up with something as good as, if not better than, amateur enthusiasts Michael and Deidre Cross. But, for our money, the Crosses' DIY pet camera, and their kitty Cooper, easily walk away with the blue ribbon. [From: Uncle Milton and Boing Boing Gadgets]

Tags: camera, dogs, novelty, pets, photos

Cameras, Reviews, Digital Camera

Is the Casio EX-S12 Camera With 'Dynamic Photo' Worth the Hype?

by Sean Captain (RSS feed) — Jun 9th 2009 at 4:08PM

Most point-and-shoot camera makers are marching in lock step -- all introducing features such as fancier face detection, higher light sensitivity, and larger LCD screens. Casio is playing along, but it's also adding more-powerful image processing -- allowing its cameras to capture photos in high-speed bursts, shoot slow-motion video, or track fast-moving subjects.

What it is: Casio's EX-S12 (and a sister models, the EX-Z400 and EX-Z270) use this extra processing power for a new function called Dynamic Photo that lets you cut a still subject, or even a stop-motion video clip, from one shot and insert it into another.

Why it's different: Cameras have been adding editing capabilities, such as removing red-eye but Casio is the first to put compositing -- making a new image with portions of other photos -- into a point-and-shoot.

Does it live up to the hype? Absolutely not. The prescribed process for creating these images with the EX-S12 is arduous, with a low success rate. And even when the tech works, the results are laughable.

Tags: camera, casio, casio ex-s12, CasioEx-s12, features, hype check, HypeCheck, top

Cameras

Print Your Picture on a Shower Curtain

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Jun 3rd 2009 at 10:01AM

Are you having a tough time finding something to do with that perfect photograph you took while on summer vacation? What about that picture of your significant other sitting on the front porch? Still searching for just the right spot in the house to place that photo of your dog swimming in the lake?

Well, if you're struggling with these questions, the folks over at PhotoShowerCurtain.com (which seems to have run out of bandwidth with all this newfound attention) can offer a little help. Just choose between a custom tub curtain ($199) or a custom stall curtain ($149), send in your image, and two-to-four weeks later, you'll receive a shower curtain emblazoned with the picture of your choice. The shower curtains will not fade or crack, according to the Boing Boing Gadgets blog, even if machine washed.

According to the Web site, high resolution images (minimum 2,000 pixels) in clear focus with adequate contrast between the subject and foreground work best. Digital images taken with a 3 megapixel or higher quality camera work well, too.

In this hyper-personalized world, we think this product is a unique way to decorate your bathroom, if not a great way to show off your photography skills. [From: PhotoShowerCurtain.com and Boing Boing Gadgets blog]

Tags: bathroom, camera, house, novelty, photography, shower, top

Cameras

Digital Spycam Captures Cereal Thief

by Tim Stevens (RSS feed) — May 5th 2009 at 1:53PM

You've heard of serial killers, but what about cereal thieves?

That was the very sort of criminal recently terrorizing employees of a company called The Marketing Store in Sydney, Australia, according to the Telegraph. The company's staff would return to work in the morning to find their breakfast goodies eaten, the staff shower used, and some other signs of trespass. To catch the culprit, they hid a motion-sensitive digital camera, which captured a few clear pictures of the man, who was later confronted by security and told to never return.

The unidentified thief was sneaking in through a ventilation shaft at about 4am, eating breakfast, washing up, and then leaving again. As he was only taking cereal and not any of the expensive computer equipment nearby, the company decided against pressing charges, but he was told to never enter again. The best part?

That hidden spy camera was tucked away (where else?) inside a box of cereal. [From: Telegraph.co.uk]

Tags: camera, cereal, criminal, dumb criminal, DumbCriminal, funny, hidden camera, HiddenCamera, security camera, SecurityCamera, thief, top, weird

Audio/Video

Track Plant Growth with the Timelapse Garden Video Camera

by Darren Murph (RSS feed) — Mar 30th 2009 at 2:45PM

For those of you looking to prove just how green your thumb really is, have a gander at the Timelapse Garden Video Camera. Offered up at the always intriguing Hammacher Schlemmer, this weatherproof garden tool engages in the tedious task of taking snapshots of your flora in customizable intervals and then weaving them together into a single 1,280 x 1,024 AVI video. The lens can focus as close as 20-inches away, and with the bundled 2GB USB flash drive, upwards of 18,000 photos can be stored at a time. Amazingly, we're told that it can operate for up to four months using four AA cells, and it even turns itself off at night and back on in the morning in order to not waste capture space and battery life. It's shipping now to hedgers, groundkeepers and everyday plantsmen for $159.95. [Via OhGizmo]

Tags: camera, garden, garden camera, GardenCamera, gardening, hammacher schlemmer, HammacherSchlemmer, plant, plants, timelapse, Timelapse Garden Video Camera, TimelapseGardenVideoCamera

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'Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

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Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.

Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.

Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.

Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.

HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.

HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.

HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.

GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.

Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.

Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.

Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.

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