Google is selling a tiny camera for $249 that apparently only takes perfect pictures
Have a spare $249 and a desire to never think about when you should be snapping a photo? Then Google has something special for you.
Google Clips quietly went on sale via Google's website this week. The device, announced at Google's Pixel 2 event in October, is a small camera -- less than 2-by-2 inches -- that users can easily hold or clip anywhere.
But it's not just a convenient camera like Snapchat's Spectacles or, you know, the smartphone in your hand. Google Clips takes photos at particular moments based on artificial intelligence and a machine learning algorithm.
"Google Clips is smart enough to recognize great expressions, lighting and framing. So the camera captures beautiful, spontaneous images. And it gets smarter over time," Google's website reads.
Taking photos not with a press of a button but rather at any moment obviously brings forward some security concerns. Google product manager Juston Payne said the team behind Google Clips prioritized those issues. For example, the camera only stores photos on the device. A light shows on the device when it's able to capture photos, and they capture photos best at areas 3-8 feet in front of the lens.
"The bottom line is I don't think it crosses any new lines in terms of privacy," Jay Stanely, an ACLU policy analyst with the organization's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, told Mashable shortly after launch.
Here are the specs:
1.9 inches in dimension
2.1 ounces
130-degree field of view
15 frames-per-second
16 GB of storage
Up to 3 hours of battery life
Compatible with Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy S7, or Galaxy S8 running Android 7.0 Nougat or greater, or with iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X running iOS 10 or greater
Happy snapping, or rather ... happy not doing anything as you live your best life and have evidence to prove it!
Topics Artificial Intelligence Google
Kerry Flynn is a business reporter for Mashable covering the tech industry. She previously reported on social media companies, mobile apps and startups for International Business Times. She has also written for The Huffington Post, Forbes and Money magazine. Kerry studied environmental science and economics at Harvard College, where she led The Harvard Crimson's metro news and design teams and played mellophone in the Band. When not listening to startup pitches, she runs half-marathons, plays with puppies and pretends to like craft beer.
