Tag: video

Categories
Smart Home

Campoint brings your home security footage into a central point

Over the past decade, home monitoring and security systems have been reduced from elaborate systems requiring hundreds of dollars of start-up and maintenance costs to just a few in-home, Internet-connected cameras requiring less money to maintain. Problems still abound, though, namely in the form of monthly service fees to store and view a user’s own video, false alarms, and privacy.

CamPoint’s in-home monitoring system is looking to address those problems. The device connects via Wi-fi to up to three HD cameras, allowing a user to enjoy the features of a monitoring system without a monthly fee. What’s more, CamPoint uses an algorithm that constantly learns what’s important by sending alerts to a user’s smartphone for review. Once decided, CamPoint will never send another alarm about the event again. CamPoint also liberates users of the worry associated with streaming video to unknown places for review by unknown people with both local and cloud storage depending on the user’s location. Even then, it doesn’t eat up all your bandwidth with the capacity to schedule your day into the system. Potential backers can go all in with a pledge of $279, which nets them a CamPoint with three cameras. If the cameras are unnecessary, a CamPoint solo can be had for just $149. The company is looking for $50,000 for mass production and assembly.

The elephant in the room when speaking about home monitoring is certainly Dropcam and all of the privacy issues the company has spurred. Addressing privacy concerns with smart design is good business sense, and CamPoint has hit the nail on the head. Although users of the system will appreciate that, the included seven days of cloud storage and its three camera maximum might be problematic. CamPoint has potential, but the company will need to keep innovating: the features they present can easily be copied.

Categories
Pets

Pawly shows that the cats will play when the owner’s away

The Premise. Pets are like children for most cat or dog owners. Leaving them to go to work can be heartbreaking and some pets don’t do well on their own all day. Some opt to keep the radio on all day just so their pets don’t feel alone.

The Product. Pawly is an interactive toy for pets to play with. It connects to the owner’s iPhone or Android and allows them to have fun with their pet remotely. With the app, they can control the movement of Pawly, shoot out treats and even take photos or videos. Pawly itself has four all-terrain wheels and is about the size of a laptop. It’s covered by an orange rubber shield to ensure its durability through rough play.

The Pitch. This campaign video tugs at the heartstrings of pet owners watching, showing cat and dog owners leaving their home in the morning. Never fear! They get to play with them from their office desks. If you want to see a rundown of features as well as the bone that tracks the fundraising status, check out the rest of the campaign. Pawly is looking to raise $80,000 on indiegogo.

The Perks. Watch out backers, your pet can be treat-blasted at with this Canadian product for $399 USD if you’re early enough or $449 USD if you’re on the slower side. Reward tiers climb up to $10,000.

The Potential. Remote pet care is nothing new. We’ve seen a ton of products on Backerjack that handle this very same thing like PetPal and Kittyo. Neither of them move like Pawly, but have more practical functions like feeding the pet while you’re away. In addition, Kittyo comes with a laser for cats to chase around. Also, both have speakers so that they can talk to their pet as well as videotape them. Pawly’s mobility is cool, however it has limited function compared to these other two products. In addition, the price is somewhat obscene for a glorified pet watcher. For those who are really concerned about their pets’ burgeoning loneliness, a paid sitter might be a cheaper option.

Categories
Imaging

Swivit Pro helps a GoPro capture extreme action in the round

Swivit ProJust when you thought there couldn’t possibly be another way to mount your GoPro, you were wrong. The Swivit Pro offers 360 degree rotation for filming, impact resistance, weather resistance and stabilized footage. Swivit Pro joins the hoards of other GoPro mounts including the GoBall and GoRigit that claim to offer the best of stability and protection. It’s unclear how the Swivit Pro is any different, but at $25 it’s not too expensive for extreme backers. For the niche market of those looking to document their daredevil activities, the Swivit Pro fits right in. Swivit hopes to raise $10,000 with the help of Indiegogo.

Categories
Imaging

Spinmount puts a new spin on the GoPro camera

SpinmountThe GoPro is the go-to camera for capturing sports and activities in motion. The Spinmount takes the GoPro and makes it even better. This camera mount allows the user to rotate the camera 360° around and has 180° pitch movement. With such freedom of motion, the Spinmount can capture any angle with ease. Spinmount joins hoards of other GoPro mounts currently on the market. Some boast stability while others claim to attach to anything. The Spinmount really emphasizes its ability to twist around in any direction. One mount will cost backers $36 AUD. This Australian product hopes to raise $16,000 AUD on Kickstarter.

Categories
Kids/Babies Video

Bibayo gives viewers a POV experience of being a baby

bibayoRomantics and those prone to dramatic and poetic dialogue have always bemoaned wanting to see the world through a child’s eyes again. Bibayo is a GoPro-style “point of view” camera that can be put in a baby’s bib to give adults some perspective into their child’s world. The footage can be shared through social media and the device also includes an accelerometer for tracking movement and can trigger the camera if unexpected movement occurs. While the device seems like a great way to capture the early life of children, backers don’t have any footage of the device itself or the video it captures, so supporters will have to take it all on faith. As a concept device, none of the reward tiers include the Bibayo itself at this time.

Categories
Cycling Imaging

Klamp smooths out the bumps in the road for extreme cycling videos

KlampThose involved with extreme sports love to record videos of  their adventures. Various cameras have been developed to help them do just that. Some attach to helmets while others lack any kind of fastening device. The Klamp works with several “extreme” cameras to capture action shots. It allows the user to film their ride in eight different ways and is designed to work with bikes. A pack of two Australian Klamps costs backers $38 AUD. While there are lots of camera arms and clamps out there, Klamp seems to offer more versatility and stabilization for capturing shots. This product hopes to raise $45,000 AUD in a month-long Kicstarter campaign.

Categories
Connected Objects Imaging Video

Test tube-like Pocketcopter captures aerial video, hearts

The Premise. Aerial video footage can be expensive and inconvenient to capture. Sometimes, however, to get the perfect shot, you’ll have to travel up to videotape the world below. This requires either a helicopter or ridiculously priced cameras that have the ability to fly.

The Product. A simplified drone, Pocketcopter is a small, portable camera that flies. Using two blades that rotate in opposite directions, this product can capture video from high heights. The way it flies allows the blades to be quiet so their noise doesn’t detract from the footage. With connection to your smartphone, you can operate the app with iOS or Android. A touch screen allows you to control the Pocketcopter along with the video it’s capturing. If the product should become disconnected with the phone, it simply floats down to the ground slowly.

The Pitch. Upon a second viewing of the video, it’s clear that the footage of landscape shown in the beginning few seconds are shot with the Pocketcopter. There’s no clear demonstration of the use of the product and the video is only 25 seconds long. The rest of the campaign explains the product more thoroughly and goes into its various features.This Spanish product hopes to raise €15,000 in a month-long campaign on Indiegogo.

The Perks. For €59, backers will receive the Pocketcopter at an early price or at a regular price of €99. Tiers go up to €260 with estimated delivery in May 2015.

The Potential. The market has several flying camera options to offer. The Phantom 2 Vision is a much bulkier camera and looks like something out of Star Wars. Similarly, the Parrot features four blades and comes with different camouflage options, causing one to wonder why you’d want the camera to be invisible. Pocketcopter is by far the smallest and most portable of these options, not to mention the cheapest. It’s minimal design and affordability make flying footage accessible to amateur cameramen. Pocketcopter is perfect for students or hobby filmmakers alike.

Categories
Imaging Smart Home

Butterfleye camera flits between security and fun functions

The Premise. Home security is a constant concern. Many security companies cost a lot of money and only set off an alarm, leaving you wondering what’s really going on at home. Others are set off by pets or even by yourself when returning home. 

The Product. Butterfleye is a small wireless camera that watches over your home while you’re away. It connects with your phone so that you can check in with the camera at all times. This little security guard also has two-way audio so you can speak with whoever you see on camera. With a smart operating system, Butterfleye can not only detect motion, but also easily distinguish between humans and pets. A heat detector registers rapid change in temperature and even fires. The camera is portable and can even be used to take spontaneous photos and videos of fun moments. Those pictures and clips captured can be accessed from the app and shared with friends and family via e-mail or social media.

The Pitch. Butterfleye’s video shoes a modern career woman, mom and wife using the product with ease. It’s simple and to the point. Butterfleye is featured on its very own website and not on a crowd-funding site. The creators of the product have not shared a pre-order goal.

The Perks. One Butterfleye on the site goes for $199, $50 less than the retail price and is set to ship in early 2015. The site also offers a three-pack of Butterfleye for $547.

The Potential. Home security has become more and more simple in the recent past with people avoiding signing costly contracts with security companies and instead opting for a lower-cost option. NOVI, another standalone security device, features a camera, smoke detector and learning software. NOVI lets the user contact the police or help easily when the alarm is triggered. It is unclear whether Butterfleye has the same feature, though since it connects to your smartphone, it would not be hard to send for help if your home is in danger. In addition to its security functions, Butterfleye is also a cool camera that does the work of documenting memories for you, so that you can enjoy the moment. This multi-tasking function along with everything else Butterfleye does makes it a very interesting product. There is certainly room on the security/camera market for Butterfleye.

Categories
Imaging Video

Lightbox frees social video from the camera in your smartphone

lightboxSocial video is king these days, whether it’s livestreaming an event, sending quick videos through Instagram or Vine, or even just playing video games to an audience. Lightbox is a device designed to make social video that much easier, streaming video and photos through a smartphone and to the cloud for instant access. Lightbox is small but packs some serious picture quality, and comes with a magnetic clip to make mounting the camera on an object or article of clothing incredibly easy. We’ve seen other “smart cameras” before, such as the MADICE, but Lightbox looks powerful enough to hold its own. Lightbox is due out in November 2014 to backers who pledge $149 or more.

Categories
Sports Video

The AirDog drone takes amazing videos of action sports

airdogThe GoPro camera revolutionized the way extreme sports enthusiasts captured footage of their stunts and amazing feats, but the camera angles were limited, required someone to follow the action separately, or came out too shaky and jarring. AirDog is a remote-controlled quadcopter drone that can be programmed via smartphone or that can simply follow the action by tracking a bracelet and keeping it in frame, recording it through a GoPro. The finished product is remarkably smooth, and examples of what the AirDog can do make up the vast majority of the product’s introduction video. AirDog takes flight in November 2014 for $1,195.