Google introduces ‘ hands free’ camera
GOOGLE has introduced its ‘Clips’ camera, a camera that it describes as hands-free, for capturing life’s spontaneous moments.
According to the company, Google Clips has been designed to look for good moments to capture, as soon as you switch it on. It can also learn faces, so it knows who you like to photograph the most.
Clips from the camera are sent across to your smartphone (Android or iOS devices are compatible) wirelessly and quickly, from where you can save or delete clips, or choose an individual frame to save as a high-resolution photo. Anybody using Google Photos can back up unlimited clips for free.
As well as capturing clips automatically, there is also a shutter button on Google Clips, meaning it can be used as a conventional camera as well. For those worried about possible security issues, Google says that Clips has been designed to look like a camera, and lights up when in use, making it obvious when it’s working.
For now at least, Google Clips will only be available to buy in the US. At the time of going to press, there’s no word on availability in the UK and other markets.
The successor to Google’s highly praised Pixel smartphone was also launched at the same time. The Pixel 2, with its main focus on the quality of the camera, has been rated as the best smartphone currently on the market by independent camera experts DxOMark – already beating the recently launched iPhone models.
It features a 12-million-pixel rear camera with optical image stabilisation, and makes use of a special dual pixel mode to create shallow depth- offield effects. The front facing 8-million-pixel camera can also achieve the same effect using the same technology.
Anyone buying the Pixel 2 will be given unlimited photo and video cloud storage until 2021. Other interesting features include an ‘all day battery’ life, a 5in, 1080p OLED display and HDR options.
Unlike Clips, Pixel 2 will be available in several markets, with prices starting from £629 for the 64GB model, or £729 for the 128GB version. A Pixel 2 XL model is also available, with prices starting from £799.