Hasta La Gadget!

Meet meMINI, a wearable videocamera that’s currently seeking $50,000 in crowdfunding on Kickstarter to help you save the best bits of your daily life for posterity without having to record everything and then edit the footage for highlights.

Wearable life logging cameras are nothing new, even if the idea of walking around with an all-seeing digital eye recording your daily life (and therefore other peoples’ too) still raises eyebrows. Whether it’s GoPro for adrenaline junkies, helmet cams for police or cyclists, or Google Glass for, well, Robert Scoble’s personal shower time, the hardware kit to capture your unique-snowflake first-person perspective on everyday life is already out there.

But — privacy issues aside — there are some problems with existing lifelogging tech. Not least, the too-much-data issue. Those cameras that take a record-it-all approach introduce the tedious and time-consuming problem of sifting and editing the reams of data generated to pull out the gems.

Those bits of hardware where you selectively record your bits and bobs (so to speak), a la Glass, mean you’re inevitably going to miss some cool stuff — i.e. when you don’t manage to shout OK GLASS RECORD THIS SHIZZLE NOW fast enough.

Well meMINI’s makers reckon they have a neat solution to all these problems. Their wearable camera prototype records (and deletes) a continuous video loop until the moment something cool happens. At which point you press a button on the front of the device which tells it to save the last recorded loop — allowing you to capture that cool thing that just happened — just after it happened.

The size of the video loop that meMINI buffers will apparently be configurable to between five seconds or up to five minutes of past time, depending on your preference. The finished product will also include two RAM chips to ensure there’s no disconnect between when you press the record it button and when the hardware can start recording.

Now, depending on your perspective, all of this is either insanely cool, or rocketing off into a dystopian future where we are all inescapably tied to our transgressions, humiliations, failings and faux pas since these events can be forever recalled from the great all-seeing buffer in the CCTV-strewn sky, and replayed ad infinitum (until we are truly, truly sorry).

Mostly, though, meMINI’s awesome/terrifying qualities will depend on how slick its tech is. And, right now, the current prototype is very far from a smooth operator. It’s also rather large and heavy for something you’re supposed to wear on the front of your t-shirt – although its creators say part of the reason they are taking the crowdfunding route is to finesse and “dramatically” miniaturise the tech. (Exactly how small they are hoping it will end up is unclear.) 

The protoype also didn’t work as intended when I tested it. And the hardware button on the front felt like it wanted to fall off. Or fall in. But hey, crack open its two plastic halves and meMINI’s messy electronic guts, hacked together with glue and bits of metal, spill out. This is cutting-edge hardware, Kickstarter-style. So really, it’s a bit harsh to judge its creators for taking a DIY development approach.

It is worth noting that we’ve seen this sort of buffer recall ability before — for audio in app form, with the likes of Heard, for instance. And, even more pertinently, in Looxcie, a lifelogging camera with a retroactive recording feature that’s out in the market already.

So MeMINI is not the first mover here. And it’s not planning on shipping its hardware to backers until June — assuming it hits its funding goal (although that’s looking likely with, at the time of writing, more than $35,000 pledged and still 26 days left of its campaign).

MeMINI’s makers are promising a three-hour battery life for their camera, which is an hour longer than the Looxcie 3 will apparently give you. However the meMINI is currently a lot bigger and heavier so that extra juice may well add substantial additional heft to carry around vs the 1.3-ounce, 1.5cm-thin Looxcie.

MeMINI is designed to be attached through your clothing via a magnetic backplate, which doesn’t sit too well with its current size and weight — with the prototype dragging at thinner fabrics (yet the magnet requires fabrics that aren’t too thick to ensure a secure fix). So meMINI’s makers really do need to pull off a dramatic miniaturisation trick for this to be a comfortable wearable for everyday situations.

A smaller and lighter meMINI stuck in the middle of your t-shirt would also probably look less intimidating at the breakfast table, as you film your kids goofing around.

The meMINI will offer 1080p HD video recording, vs the Looxcie 3′s 780p. But it is more expensive, with a early bird Kickstarter backer price-tag of $150 (or $170 thereafter) vs $100 for the Looxcie 3. Plus, you have to wait til June (at the earliest) to get it — giving Looxcie a chance to work on uping the resolution of its range in the meanwhile.

Add to that, the Looxcie 3 is generally more fully featured, with the ability to simultaneously live stream and record content, live-stream directly to Facebook, and snap still photos. But meMINI’s makers look to be focusing on the retroactive recording feature — along with a cloud service that you can opt to save clips to — which isn’t a bad thing in itself.

If they can make a retroactive video camera that’s really simple to operate, with just the one big button to press, that could appeal to more mainstream users.

Judging by the current state of the prototype they do have a way to go to get to ‘effortless operation’, though.

Action cams typically go hand-in-hand with the dudebros risking life and limb for adrenaline, and are named to match. Looxcie’s target demo’s a bit different. Beyond embracing the pun (and creative spelling) at its utmost, the company’s new Looxcie 3 aims to get even more wearable with a squarish design that weighs just 1.3 ounces. And if the Looxcie 3’s promo shots are any indication, the company’s hoping you’ll strap this video streamer to your kid’s chest and share that whimsy over WiFi (in 480p) live to Facebook. Or record and edit captured 720p video and stills from your smartphone (Android and iOS are both supported). The $100 compact cam supports microSD expansion up to 64GB so you should have plenty of space to keep the cherished memories (or banal moments) stored. You can order the Looxcie 3 now at the link below, but just FYI, the kid leashes are sold separately.

Filed under: Wearables

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TechCrunch

We have had some hands-on time with Looxcie’s products in the past, while talking about the Looxcie HD video cam some time later. The thing is, each time you go adventuring with your Looxcie HD video cam, all would be fine and dandy if you happen to be cycling, skateboarding, performing some crazy stunts with your pair of Rollerblades, but what if you prefer to get yourself wet and wild, like white water rafting? Looxcie has got that base covered, too, with the recent introduction of the Looxcie Rugged Waterproof Case for the Looxcie HD.

Just to recap and refresh one’s memories, the Looxcie HD happens to be their wearable 1080p streaming video cam, where the case itself will come bundled in the Looxcie Outdoor Pack if you decide to pick it, or as a standalone accessory. Specially developed in order to further expand video sharing opportunities for adrenaline junkies and outdoor adventurers, the Looxcie Rugged Waterproof Case carries the promise to further enhance wear-and-share innovation. It offers protection against dust, dirt, water, snow and extreme use, all the while enhancing the viewer’s experience through the delivery of a truly immersive point of view.

It comes with IPX8 ratings and can be used in water of up to 60 meters deep, where the case would be able to protect the HD video cam from damage. Apart from that, users are also able to capture and share their adventures on land, in water or on the slopes. Thanks to the inclusion of different mounts which enable mounting on any smooth helmet or surface, the Looxcie HD can be attached to surf boards, jet skis and more for virtually unlimited POV footage.

Those who are interested in picking up the new Looxcie Rugged Waterproof Case can do so from Amazon.com, www.looxcie.com and other participating retailers. The Outdoor Pack would cost you $299.99, where the Looxcie HD Rugged Waterproof Case alone would retail for $49.99.

Press Release
[ Looxcie introduces Rugged Waterproof Case copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

We have seen Looxcie roll out their fair share of wearable cameras in the past, and here we are with their latest addition, the Looxcie HD video cam which is touted to deliver full 1080p recording as well as integrated Wi-Fi connectivity, letting you share a live video stream with family and friends in full HD quality, and in real time, too. Touted to be the first wearable cam in the market which delivers direct-to-Facebook live streaming, the Looxcie HD is said to enable users to kic off their own personal broadcasting network, where you can choose to start a public broadcast for the curious, or if you’re more private, begin a private stream where only invited friends can participate.

Once the broadcast is over, the recorded video will be saved automatically in the cloud, where you can then share it on Facebook later on via the Looxcie App for Facebook. In the event where users are not streaming, Looxcie’s special Instant Clip button allows folks to capture “instant replay” clips of what happened. The Looxcie HD hooks up wirelessly to smartphones or tablets that run on iOS (5.0 or higher) or Android (2.3.3 or higher), letting you stream a broadcast or share video clips from just about anywhere you are with a decent connection.

Other features include a new water-resistant design, a low-light camera sensor, and removable and rechargeable battery. You can place a pre-order for the Looxcie HD from today onwards, where depending on the configuration, it will retail from $279.99 to $349.99. [Press Release]

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Looxcie 2 launched, Looxcie Wearable Camcorder Now Supports The iPhone,

For reasons I’ve never been able to discern, some people really seem to get a kick out of sharing every bit of banal minutia that peppers their daily lives.

Should you happen to fall into that category (and if so, why?), you may be glad to know that the folks at Looxcie have just announced the Looxcie HD, a new addition to its long-running series of super-portable wearable video cameras.

The basics remain the same as just about every other Looxcie model before it — the HD can connect to iOS and Android smartphones (running the companion app, naturally) via Bluetooth, and can transfer recorded video snippets to them for easier distribution. As the name suggests, the biggest new addition for the dedicated lifecasters among you is the ability to record video in full 1080p, a far cry from the 480p video that its predecessors were capable of capturing. Also new to the package is the inclusion of a Wi-Fi radio, as well as improved low-light performance for when those late night raves just beg to be captured on video.

A recent update to the service saw the addition of live broadcasting to Facebook and other Looxcie users, but the video quality for live streaming takes a hit — resolution still tops out at 480p for that, but that’s arguably a small price to pay when you get to live-stream your daring trip through the mall food court. C’est la vie, I suppose.

What really leaps out at me is just how big the Looxcie HD is compared to its forebears. While previous iterations of the Looxcie hardware were small enough to fit only somewhat cumbersomely on a person’s ear, the new HD model is (sadly) just big enough to make that unfeasible. Still, there are some upsides to be found: the newly-designed enclosure is weather-resistant, and it houses a larger battery (1200mAh, to be precise) than the model that came before it. The HD is actually more reminiscent of devices like the GoPro series these days, but that’s hardly a bad thing unless you were really keen on strapping one of these to your head.

If the concept of sticking a camera on your baseball cap and taking on the world has piqued your interest, the Looxcie HD is now up for preorder — prices start at $279, and jumps pretty quickly depending on the mount package that catches your eye.