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Overview
first heard about the Casio Digital Camera Watch in January,
when Casio published a press-release announcing the MP3 Watch and
the Wrist camera. I was blown away - too cool to be true - I could
not wait - being a gadget geek hurts.
I had to wait until July to get a Wrist camera directly from a
Japanese e-tailer, who takes special orders. I got the WQV-1D-8JR
which lists for 25,000 Yen. It features a silver color case and a
metal band. It is awesome, It really worked. I had to wait another
month to finally get the Wrist Camera PC Link Kit to upload the
pictures I have been busy taking to my PC.
What is it?
The Casio Wrist Camera is a Digital Watch with a digital Camera
feature. The Digital Camera stores 100 pictures with a 120x120
resolution with 16 grayscales. It works basically like any other
simple Digital Camera. In Record mode the display of the watch shows
the live image the lens is viewing. The pictures can be viewed on
the Watch and transferred via infra red to a PC.
How does it work?
In camera mode the watch display works like a little Video
Screen. The screen shows in Real-time what the lens on the side of
the watch is picking up. By pressing the shutter button a picture is
taken. The watch stores 100 images.
It is important that there is enough light, when taking a picture.
The other important thing is to not move the watch when pressing the
shutter button. I found that the best control is gained when placing
the pointing finger under the watchband and pressing the shutter
button with the thumb. That way the watch can be held still.
Connect to the PC
To upload the pictures to the PC you need a Wrist Camera PC Link Kit
from Casio (PAD-2-1JR).
The Kit works for Windows 95/98/NT 4.0. The cable with the IR
Receiver connects to a Serial Port. The installation is very smooth.
The images get transferred over the IR interface of the watch. The
Casio Software lets you organize your pictures and even has a
Screensaver function where you can display your downloaded images.
What can you do with it ?
Imagine to have always a camera with you. The usage is
unlimited. Making a picture of your loved ones, take a snapshot of a
number plate of a car, photograph a URL in a magazine so you can
check it out later, taking photos of a Porsche you want to buy but
want to show it to your wife first, catching somebody red handed,
and so on.
Example Photo
Issues
Light is the main problem. A flash would be extremely helpful.
Maybe in the next version. When taking a picture it is important
that it is very bright. If you want to take good pictures in a
Nightclub - forget it. The other issue, it takes a while to be able
to make pictures without moving the watch during pressing the
shutter. As I explained above putting the pointing finger under the
watch helps. Third issue , just don't expect too much. It will not
replace your 3.3 mega pixel camera.
Dream Watch
One interesting observation I made is that nobody notices
the Wrist Camera Watch. I have a Spoon "Secret Agent Man"
watch for over a year and I was at times really nerved by people
asking: "What does that watch do ?" On the street, in
meetings, everywhere, people where asking me about that watch. The
only answer I could give them: "The watch displays Chinese
cookie fortune messages every ten minutes."
Now I finally have a watch which does something amazing, but nobody
is asking anymore. This is good in a way - nobody knows that you can
take a picture any moment.
I am still waiting for the watch that has it all. I imagine it like
the summary of
+Casio Wrist Camera
+Casio MP3 Watch
+Onhand PC
+Casio GPS Watch
+Samsung mobile Phone Watch
+the looks of SPOON "Secret Agent Man"
Find the Latest News about Technology Wrist Watches on WristDreams.com.
Specifications
| Recording
Format: |
CASIO original
(conversion to BMP or JPEG when uploading to a computer) |
| Recording
Medium: |
Built-in 1MB memory |
| Memory
Capacity: |
100 images |
| Recording
Element: |
1/14-inch monochrome
CMOS sensor |
| Total
Pixels: |
28,000; Pixel Yield:
24,334 |
| Lens: |
F2.8 fixed; f =1.1mm |
| Focusing
Distance: |
30cm to ¥ |
| Subject
Illumination: |
Approximately 100Lx
to 45,000Lx |
| Exposure
Control: |
Light metering
system; full screen average; ALC (Average Luminance Control),
exposure compensation |
| Shutter: |
Electronic shutter |
| Shutter
Speed: |
1/11 to 1/1660
second |
| Monitor: |
120x 120 dots
(14,400); monochrome with 16 grayscales); 20 x 20mm screen
size |
| Recording
Modes: |
Normal; Art; Merge |
| Data
Bank: |
Up to 24 characters
per image (alpha, numeric, basic symbols) |
| Clock: |
Timekeeping display,
five alarms, timer, stopwatch |
| Other: |
Auto power save
system, simple record |
| Infrared
Communication: |
Casio original
system |
| Infrared
Functions: |
Image data exchange
with a computer, data exchange with another Wrist Camera |
| Data
Speed: |
115,200 BPS |
| Communication
Distance: |
10cm maximum |
| Dimensions/Weight: |
40(W) x 52(H) x
16(D) mm / 32g |
| Power
Requirements: |
CR2032 battery |
| Approximate
Battery Life: |
6 months (60 seconds
of cameraoperation per day) |
| Options: |
Wrist Camera
Infrared Adapter & Link Software (Wrist Camera data
management application) |
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