MeCam Launches Wearable HD Pin-Style Camera
The market is full of cameras advertising a variety of POV functionality, from the well-known GoPro and Sony Action Cam to lesser known action and helmet cameras. The purpose behind them is to capture one's actions, typically in a sport environment. MeCam is similar, but is aimed at those who want to record their everyday actions, not just their latest trek down the side of a mountain.
The camera resembles a plastic pin or button and features a regular safety pin on the back for attachment to shirts, bags, or other items. The idea behind the MeCam is that it can be used to record activities in one's everyday life from a sort of POV perspective, doing so with less quality than what you'd get from a GoPro or other action cam, but having the added benefit of being far less obvious and far cheaper.
As you can see from the image above, the MeCam is circular and features an array of infrared LEDs around the front, which allows it to be used in dark settings. The lights aren't automatic, instead being toggled on and off with a button – they can be used for both taking stills and recording video. The center most dot, meanwhile, is the camera lens, with the device being able to record video in 720p and take 5-megapixel stills.
The camera is small enough to fit in one's palm and is said to weigh less than a quarter pound. There's an on board microphone, which has an audio recording range of 10 feet from the camera. The unit records to a microSD card, and is able to support capacities up to 16GB. Power comes from a Lithium Ion battery said to have a run time of 80 minutes, while both charging and data transfer is achieved with a standard USB cable.
As you can imagine, the incognito aspect of the camera's design could facilitate some less-than-obvious recording sessions, something MeCam's maker advises against with a "limits of use" clause pegging owners as responsible for any running afoul they may encounter. Intrigued? The camera is available now from MeCam for $49 USD.
Update: This article previously had a reporting error listing the camera as another by the same name, the MeCam chopper by Always Innovating, which will be available in 2014. You can find out more about its quad-rotor mobility in our write up.
SOURCE: Freshness Magazine