Wearable Camera Not Quite Ready for Its Close-Up

Saturday, 25 September 2010 02:45

Wearable Camera Not Quite Ready for Its Close-Up

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Wearable Camera Not Quite Ready For Its Close-Up

Warhol was only half-right. Sure everyone is famous these days, but only for 15 seconds and in 15 fps.

At least that's what the Looxcie, a wearable video camera, presumes. Integrated into a flashy Bluetooth headset, the device is meant for capturing happenstance moments where whipping out a phone or cheap portable camcorder may not suffice. It also pairs with a mobile app that transforms your cell phone into a viewfinder, in case

you want to frame specific shots. Still, it's not for documentary films, just quick clips (up to 4-GB of 'em). Which is supposedly why Looxcie only shoots HVGA in 15 fps, instead of anything even close to HD.

In theory, it makes sense. With a quick double-tap of an easy-to-find button on top of the headset, we were able to record almost five hours of random footage from a variety of places: buses, trains, crosswalks, the office (the bathroom!). It's particularly solid for driving or other hands-free tasks you might want to document like, say, deconstructing and fixing a gadget (hat tip: @Alanwordguy ). In all of these instances, 15 fps is perfectly "good enough."

Outdoor clips are noticeably grainy and pixilated, the sensor adjusts to bright sunlight very slowly, and the color contrast is pretty disappointing. However, it's worth noting we found our indoor footage comparable, more or less, when tested side-by-side with an iPhone 3GS.

Looxcie Bluetooth Headset/ Camera Combo

In practice, Looxcie still doesn't seem quite ready for its close-up. The entire headset is less than 28 grams and fairly comfortable—until you really start moving around with it on. A light jog crossing the street required holding the camera in place. Every time we bent the flexible boom to frame a shot, the whole package jerks out of ear. The problem isn't just hardware, either. Looxcie's app is easy-to-use: Short clips are e-mailed within a minute. But for now, it's compatible with Android phones (sorry iDrones). Plus, you can only share footage via e-mail and Facebook (BlackBerry and Apple compatibility along with Twitter/YouTube shortcuts are purportedly on the way, but until then, it's a limitation worth noting).

A more bitter hindrance is the $200 price tag. Consider that a GoPro 960 helmet cam comes with a waterproof casing and various mounts suitable to a plethora of conditions. It costs only $180. Oh, and it captures a 170-degree field of view ... in HD (60 fps). We're not saying you shouldn't buy the Looxcie. If you're a Bluetooth headset kind of a person to begin with, killing two birds could be sensible. If not, well, you're already carrying a smart phone that shoots 15 fps. Is using one of your hands that raw a deal, guys?

WIRED Alert every 30 seconds to remind you you're filming. Lightweight at less than an ounce. Filming, viewing, editing a clip and sharing is a breeze. No limitation on clip duration. Excellent range (33 feet as advertised: CONFIRMED).

TIRED Sharing only works for short clips (30-minutes, 183 MB? No dice.). Terrible camera stabilization—some footage looked like deleted scenes from Cloverfield. Lackluster, muffled sound quality. No zoom. Right-Side Fred: Headset can't be configured to wear in left ear. Behind-the-ear battery looks like a hearing aid. Sorry nerds, cannot be worn comfortably with thicker-rimmed glasses.