The Google Clips Camera is now available for purchase and costs $249 on its official store, as well as through various online retailers. An AI-powered camera, Clips can automatically click pictures of interesting things within a 130-degree field of vision.
Apart from the online Google Store, you can buy this camera from Best Buy, B&H Photo, and Verizon stores. Those interested can add an Incipio Mount Case in Seafoam, Gray, or Coral for $15.
The Google Clips Camera is a hands-free, automatic point and shoot camera similar to the Go-Pro, only smaller and thinner. It simply looks like a camera icon on an Android phone. The camera uses an algorithm to detect people, smiles and other triggers. The tiny camera also reads the activities of the user to identify the most interesting of them.
“Once it learns that there’s a face that you see frequently, it’ll try to get nice photos of those faces,” said Justin Payne, the device’s product manager at Google, at a press event, while talking about its AI capabilities.
Google’s idea behind the mini camera is to make sure that a user does not miss the moment even when they are away from the phone or camera. The camera captures everything from the sudden cute activities of a toddler to the mischievous antics of the dog. So, the search giant basically wants people to be more engrossed with their loved ones rather than worrying about taking the pictures.
There is a click button on the front of the camera that can be used to take pictures manually. Or, one can use the app on the phone to see what the camera is viewing and take shots accordingly. However, taking shots manually is the secondary feature, while letting the camera do all the work on its own is its primary objective.
The Google Clips Camera has a lens made of Gorilla Glass, while it can run 3-4 hours on a single charge. To activate, the lens should be rotated counterclockwise. Since, Clips does not come with a microphone, it cannot record any sound, and neither can it stream to the cloud.
Google’s tiny camera is capable of producing little movies just like Apple’s Live Photos feature on the iPhone. It doesn’t exactly give out videos as the Clips Camera shoots at 15 frames per second to create segments. Like many smartphones, the camera is 12 megapixels. It must be noted that the tiny camera is not waterproof, so a user would need to be careful while clipping outside.
While the camera is all fun when it comes to capturing spontaneous moments, initial reviews suggest that it can sometimes delay the display of photos and short clips in the app. Very rarely there could also be a notification stating that the camera is getting a little heated. This, according to Google, is possible in case the Live Preview feature is used for too long. However, the company assured that it is not an issue as the camera comes with built-in controls that regulate the temperature, according to Time.
“This product is only possible because of the way that silicon has advanced,” Payne said, adding that the technology to squeeze such tech into a small device of this size is just a year or so old.
