Posted by
Hemos
on from the cram-it-into-small-places dept.
prplhaze writes "Casio has done it again. Not only do they have a wristwatch that plays MP3's, they also have a watch that has an intergrated camera. It retails for around $200USD. It features a 120x120 dot monochrome display, and can store about 100 black and white images. "
That's almost one small letter on the laser printer I usually use...
Re:this is **old**
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 1
So the hell what? Do they have to post everything on the same day it's released? I never heard of these watches and don't know when I would have heard of them if it weren't for Slashdot. I've got one on order now cuz they're so cool.
Some people just bitch about the godamned stupidest things.
Re:Has /. really gotten this bad?
by
AlterEd
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· Score: 1
What??? Who the hell scored that insightful?
Whatever.
Have we started allowing crackheads to moderate posts?
--
Ed Chauvin IV
Get a REAL wrist camera:
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 1
What a joke, this camera looks like it does about 128x128 pixels. For the same size and weight you could get a REAL wrist camera like the classic Tessina:
The Tessina has many excellent options, including an infrared flash, so you can take fully illuminated spy pictures in total darkness without being detected.
Re:Serious security concerns
by
isaac_akira
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· Score: 1
Um, if I was gonna do something nasty/secret I sure wouldn't do it with a hunk of silver metal strapped to my arm, with "Wrist Camera" written in rather large letters on it.
I don't know about anywhere else, but when I took the SAT (at the Northern Arizona University testing center), it was a no-calculator test, and I had to leave my calculator watch at the front desk. I'm pretty sure that cameras are banned from most testing centers, so I don't see any reason why camera watches shouldn't be.
Re:Serious security concerns
by
freddie
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· Score: 2
There is no need to have security concerns about this watch. Tiny cameras can be hidden in all sorts of places. For example, way back when there weren't any digital cameras, people developed cameras that looked like buttons from a shirt. Also on matchboxes, I'm sure you can probably do a google search and find cameras way, way stealthier than this wristwatch.
When I took the SAT many years ago (1991), I took in a calculator watch. I didn't use it, but I thought it was great that I got it in. Why? It was a touch screen calculator watch that had no buttons, and the calculator display was only visible while using it. Very special back in dem dar days!
-- There is a fine line between being a cultivated citizen and being someone else's crop. - A. J. Patrick Liszkie
It's called READING people, ya do it before you write.
This makes me wonder what to call those people who aren't trolls, but are trying to contribute something meaningful, yet haven't a clue. Is there a name that has been laid down by the/. gods?
Personally, I think "fool" is a good title.
Re:the mind reels at the possibilities
by
Ian-K
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· Score: 1
Slight detail for you, though:
If you wear the watch on your organ, the camera will have to be pointing sideways...
...unless your organ has some very odd shape that renders it not very useful.
Trian
-- I'm no longer fed up with MS Windows: I go rid of them:)
Same day as they were out? Hahahaha! I read about this watch in an in-flight magazine in *August*, and I already BOUGHT one as soon as a store had them available here in Canada, at the beginning of September. Yes, sire! I've had mine for a month, and I've known about it for the last two months.
"So," I hear you ask. "Why didn't you submit a story about it then?" Well, my dear friend. It don't matter what I submit, because it gets rejected every time, even though when someone else comes up with the story two months later, they jump in to print it as if it was news.
Sad, really.
I got the remote control watch for Christmas waay back in 94, when they first came out. This little baby ran perfectly for me for almost 5 years, then it died. all well, it was one of the older ones (with all of the remote control buttons faceing up, none on the side) and I got my fair use out of it. -since when did 'MTV' stand for Real World Television instead of MUSIC television?
I love to take photos. Sometimes I see a great scene to take a photo of. Sometimes something is going on. Sometimes I just see something weird. I do not carry my camera with me all the time, however. That's where this watch comes in. Even though it is not the best ever quality, these scenes will not go by uncaptures.
It also functions great as a notebook, when I need to transport something graphical to a meeting (it happens!) - I can just snap it, and show the images, and we can decide between the different snapshots that way, instead of having to go through a long and expensive development process.
i didn't really mean to be nasty about it, it just bothers me to see that everyone feels the need lately to point out redundant stories on Slashdot. I just think it work out better if they were just ignored rather then pointed out.
Great for capturing those moments where having to hold a full size camera in your hand may be difficult. With a click of a button you and your partner can capture your sexual experiences and then quickly and easily upload them to your computer. Its even compatible with macs!
Re:Are we (they?0 missing something?
by
Jade+E.
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· Score: 1
If you download and watch their annoying realplayer video, you'd see that it does tell time, and has 5 alarms, a picture-linked phone book, and a lot of other features not mentioned on the page.
If you want to get those 120x120 pics out of the watch you gots to have a Windoze boxen.
"Data Communication Specifications: Infrared Protocol: Casio original"
And to top it off it's not standard IR hardware either, they supply (read: you buy) a serial cable that has an IR port on the other end.
"Use only the separately available infrared adapter for the infrared data communication with a computer.
Data communication with an infrared port built into a computer is not supported." "Computer System Requirements
The following are the computer systems requirements for running the PC Link Software.
Computer: IBM PC/AT compatible
Operating System: Windows 95/87, Windows NT 4.0 (Mac OS not supported)
Port: 9-pin communication port only
Keyboard
Display: Resolution 800 x 600, 16-bit color or greater (recommended)
CD-ROM drive
Mouse or other equivalent pointing device"
I like how they require a mouse...
My review: Nothing more than a $200 conversation starter, and a cool toy.
Compatible with Windows 95/87
by
bdigit
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· Score: 2
http://www.casio.com/accessories/product.cfm?secti on=51&product=3498&display=
Computer System Requirements
The following are the computer systems requirements for running the PC Link Software.
Computer: IBM PC/AT compatible
Operating System: Windows 95/87, Windows NT 4.0 (Mac OS not supported)
Port: 9-pin communication port only
Keyboard
Display: Resolution 800 x 600, 16-bit color or greater (recommended)
CD-ROM drive
Mouse or other equivalent pointing device
Time to go look for the Windows 87 cd to use my Casio Camera watch!
-- If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
Re:Serious security concerns
by
darthpenguin
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· Score: 1
I don't really think that, other than the court room (and maybe casino) concerns, it matters very much. The watch has a very low resolution, and is black and white. I don't think that if an "unwanted" picture was taken, it wouldn't be very easy to tell even who it was. It would be especially difficult to publicize the pictures on the web because of the low quality.
Remember, we all want nice, high-res pr0^H^H^H pictures when surfing the web. -MSD.dyndns.org
"Sucks to your ass-mar"
Stop!! Don't but them!! Everyone KNOWS that corps are in bed with the feds, they're just using Casio to make these uber-leet watches so they can actually <pun>Watch</pun> our every move!! And you were afraid of carnivore!</conspiracy>
Anyway, I have to admit that's pretty damn cool. I wonder what kind of quality it gets and how much you can store in it, I mean, it obviously can't use floppies and I'd think flash sticks would be out of the question too. Says on the site you transfer stuff off with IR only, too bad since I've personally never seen a PC with IR, only laptops. Still, it doesn't look cheap ( as in cheezy ) and I'll drool over it. It's about that time again, so I think I'll put this on my Geex X-Mas List.:)
BTW, casio, if you're listening, I'll peer review it for you if you want the conspiracy theories squashed. Hehe.
These watches were also publicised in Canada be appearing on The Shopping Channel (TSC). They had the whole range... MP3 watch... Camera Watch.. 'Million Sensors' watch. I really don't know what one could do with a low-res B/W camera. It was hillarious to hear the hosts babble on about 'taking pictures to remember where your car is parked'. That was the best they could manage. I'd rather spend (And did) the money on a nice Palm Pilot.
-- --
"Is this death or is this Ohio?"
Re:Suprised this is posted so late?!?!?!?
by
mrobin604
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· Score: 1
There's no rhyme or reason to which gadget stories get published. This watch has been up on GadgetCentral's website since APRIL.
I used to submit "cool gadget" posts but they always got bounced. Maybe they have to show up in Newsweek before they get posted?;)
Dammit! That's another new toy that I have to buy! How am I supposed to pay for life when they keep coming out with Cars, Computers, and Toys that I have to buy?!?!?!?
-- If you believe everything you read, you'd better not read.
- Japanese proverb
Slashdot screwed up my link, i even previewed it. weird. What i was trying to say was. Where the hell is the button to make it tell time!
Spyky
Whoa, hold on ther tex
by
Y2K+is+bogus
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· Score: 1
A guy I work with just bought one of these, it's 120x120x16. This is NOT a high res device that is capable of doing a lot. It's just like those polaroid izone cameras or other silly toys.
Using this watch woul be nothing compared to the calculators we used in colege. On math exam we were allowed to use the HP48GX, as long as it had no math expansion cards installed. On the other exams, calculators were not on the list of banned items, so it was ok to bring them. Considering the 128k RAM these calculators had, and the fact that there are compression programs for those calculators letting you put many times that amount of text and pictures in them, some students probably got better results than they deserved. (Yours truly not included.)
Another side of the matter, is this:
Why should calculators and watches (and books, for that matter) be banned in the first place? It's a crazy idea, that you might be kicked out for using stuff to get top results, when you in real life (when you got a job) might be fired for doing the same thing! In stead, you should be encouraged to use whatever help available to get a result as good as possible.
---
-- This message has been ROT-13 encrypted twice for higher security.
Dancy Banging at Casino!
by
resistant
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· Score: 2
I can just see bouncing around a Las Vegas casino with one of these babies twisting around every which way on my wrist, listening to Beethoven in snatches at the same time as I take pictures of everything.
They'd probably kick me out in an instant.
-- A truly excellent pizza parlor is a delight unto the heavens. Treasure the sauce and the toppings!
That just means there's too many people unwilling to read other blogs, this is old news at www.memepool.com. Heck its old news here too.
Slashdot being this huge does have its ups and it definatly has its downs. I think with such a large audience they can post more than a handful of stories a day or put up a page of rejected stories. Doubt the latter will ever happen, then someone could make their own slashdot with those submitions and take ad revenue away from whomever owns/. this quarter.
Mod me down for expressing my opinion, I've got more Karma than you can imagine.
This little beauty was on Newsweek's Cyberwatch column. Now, WHY someone would want this is out of my grasp. Then again, if it was in high-res color.....
I leave the rest to the imagination of my readers.
--
-----
Score 3? For what? Being wrong, at length? - smirkleton
Take pictures of where your car is parked...
now THAT is useful. What's next, a GPS under the hood? And the uses for the watch! Can you imagine? A game boy camera beats that!
--
-----
Score 3? For what? Being wrong, at length? - smirkleton
A pocket-watch form factor would be great
by
Spirald
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· Score: 1
I've always thought that a pocket-watch form factor with a sturdy metal case on a belt chain would be a much more attractive option.
The round case would help it work with clothing better as the corners would not protrude or get caught, and round things tend to be a bit more stylish.
The unit could then have more room for functionality (in both halves of the shell) without it being too clunky to wear, while it would still maintain its wearability aspect, unlike palm PDAs which, IMHO, cross the threshold of being truly 'wearable'.
I can imagine a brushed chrome or matte black shell about 2.5 inches to 3 inches in diameter and about.5 inches to.75 inches thick, with a tasteful multi-colored LED on the outside, a color, touch screen lcd display on the top and a touch-tablet interface on the bottom.
The combination of the all the cool I/O functions (PIM, audio/video I/O, gps, IR, bluetooth, serial) would at least be more feasible in this larger form factor. Perhaps these functions can all use a peripheral bus where the option hardware would be packaged in pie-slice shaped modules- 8 slots per unit and a module can use an integral number of slots.
I would definitely buy something like this, as long as the OS was open enough to support a community of developers.
Mike
from the cram-it-into-small-places dept?
by
Vuarnet
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· Score: 2
Oh man, I'm not even gonna go near *this* joke.
-- Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I Learning to fly, Pink Floyd.
You're on Candid Watch! Just think about it. The voyeuristic possibilities are endless.
-- Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I Learning to fly, Pink Floyd.
Re:(Standardized) Tests
by
TwistedGreen
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· Score: 1
Hey, this is nothing new. About two (2) years ago, I purchased one of Timex's Data Link watches... a very nifty unit that allows you to upload information to it with a standard CRT. The watch has some kind of optical sensor, and data (like phone numbers, time zones, custom stopwatch info, and even test answers... *grin*). You can see where this is going... well, I've never used it for cheating on a test, but a friend saw the watch and got that same idea, and decided to get himself one of them there watches... and he's used it for cheating numerous times. These are just highschool chemistry tests, mind you, not any SATs or fancy, expensive tests, but this is not a new thing.
The watch of which I speak can be found here, on Timex's website:
To you ever buy a casio watch ! I buy the super-calculator-databank-watch 100$! the plastic case break 1 year and 1 mount after (just after the warranty) If I want another one: 80$ Fuck You Casio, mayby nice look but scrap!
Hm. Interesting. I bought one quite a while ago(neary... 8 years, I think), and it was great. Advertised battery life: 2 years. What I got(with a whole heck of a lot more usage that when they recommend): 3 years. The plastic over the screen was a bit scratched by that point, though. I ended up getting a beautiful white gold/pewter watch not a week later for a birthday present, so I never replaced the battery in my Casio.
Anyways, it stood up great for me. And I'm a clutz:)
Dave 'Round the firewall,
Out the modem,
Through the router,
Down the wire,
--
Barclay family motto:
Aut agere aut mori.
(Either action or death.)
I'm not sure how you managed that. I had a Casio or two before and they worked for years on end and they were rather tough too. The one I loved most was the one that took your pulse. Great watch and lasted for years too...
As for this one, it's not a *very* useful thing (tho I can think of some evil uses), but (useless electronic) gadget collectors, like me admittedly, wouldn't mind such babies...:-)
(what was that telephone number from my uncle who's now in Singapore, again?)
Trian
-- I'm no longer fed up with MS Windows: I go rid of them:)
If you use the IR camera in daylight
by
the_other_one
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· Score: 3
Will it be like that Sony video Camera that had to be taken off the market because it could see throuth clothing?
-- 134340: I am not a number. I am a free planet!
Re:If you use the IR camera in daylight
by
silicon_synapse
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· Score: 2
The camera isn't an IR camera. The IR lens is for data transfer between watch and PC.
Re:If you use the IR camera in daylight
by
the_other_one
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· Score: 1
This is cool, but I'm still waiting for someone to make a shoe phone.;-)
Has /. really gotten this bad?
by
Red+Moose
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· Score: 1
I am wondering after merely scanning the beginning of this exaclty when was teh turning point for/.? When did it (I hate to say) go to shit? What the hell is this crap being posted? Not just now, but over the recent weeks/months. It's a damn shame and I wonder if there is any way for Rob et al to fix it. I mean, what exacly the fuck is going on when this sort of thing is posted?
--
Acting stupid isn't much fun when there's someone around who knows better
Re:Has /. really gotten this bad?
by
kermit+the+fraud
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· Score: 2
Yes, you can help! Turn on your filter to +1!
Re:Has /. really gotten this bad?
by
kermit+the+fraud
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· Score: 1
I wonder how this will affect standardized tests (SATs), or even regular school tests. Cheating is already prevalent in high school (at least my school) but it's risky. Now that students will be able to sit down with their test and take snapshots of the questions and then pass them off to their friends will surely be a cause for action. Will schools now ban watches on test days?
Considering calculators that have a keyboard are now banned... perhaps in a matter of a couple years watches could make it to the 'not allowed here' list on test day.
Once hi-res watches come out, will they be banned at concerts and other places where photo equipment is not allowed? Will they be asking to see your watch at the door?
Here in Australia they already do ban watches for exams as there are too many on the market that will accept textual input into them. Much the same way as each calculators memory is reset upon entry for all students undertaking exams.
--
Glenn
In our physics tests at (a German) university, we were allowed up to one letter size sheet of paper for "cheating" (double sided, as small as you could write). Of course, preparing that paper made you go through all of that lecture and helped you that way. The problems posed were slightly different from what we have seen before anyway, so you could not just copy the solution from the notes. Knowledge of formula was not a primary concern, you had to understand the concepts/relations.
I remember my english teacher at school also encouraged us to write cheating notes (we were not allowed to use them though).
Re:(Standardized) Tests
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 1
Watches like this with wireless networking ability.
Oh, I thought Slashdot was telling me to watch
Gamera. My mistake. ---
-- As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
Re:Too much wrist-tech?
by
the_other_one
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· Score: 1
Just going by stereotypes the police would arrest you on sight for selling stolen. property
-- 134340: I am not a number. I am a free planet!
Re:Serious security concerns
by
bstadil
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· Score: 1
Look at the positive side. Minorities could wear them at job interviews, used to document sexual harrassment and even protecting oneself for being wrongfully accused. What about police stopping you if you were black. I think its a good thing and just the posibility of someone wearing this is a deterent.
This could be useful not only for the perverted. For the paranoid, you can take quick snap shots of those you think are following, news folk that might not want to carry a full sized camera when not on the job but want to catch the news just in case, or even security guards in malls/schools/banks.
Re:the mind reels at the possibilities
by
GrandCow
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· Score: 1
ROFLMFAO!!!
That was the funniest thing I've read all night, I couldn't breathe there for a minute.
-- "Well kids, you tried your best, and you failed. The lesson is, never try." -Homer Simpson
i4u.com has some interesting sample photos. They really put into perspective how low the resolution is.
Unfortunately, I think this watch would be too heavy/bulky to wear all the time, every day. That rules it out as a tiny portable camera you could have on hand for those 'spontaneous kodac moments' when you didn't have a better camara with you. The only application I can think of other than that is in having a camera where you're not supposed to, i.e. exams, concerts, etc.
And as a gimmickey toy to show off to your mates, of course. That's why I want one.
Michael
...another comment from Michael Tandy.
-- "Goodness me, how unlike the FBI to abuse the trust of the American public." -- The Onion
Re:Serious security concerns
by
MousePotato
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· Score: 3
I know. There are plusses... my basic tenet of 'it's not paranoia if your right' impulsively propels me forward... Having been harassed once or twice by the police your point hits a homer. I think that with the current trend in law enforcement to fit partol cars with cameras is a damn good thing - cameras do put the burden of proof to the test. Juries love video as its sees and hears for them and greatly clarifies cases while also putting Police under the microscope. I know it would have really helped me had that technology been available many years ago. Facing the wrong side of the law for no reason - be it racial profiling or age / sexually biased selective enforcement - and then coming to thre realization that the judge or jury will never belive a 'criminal' over a Policeman's account sucks and hopefully cameras will help in that scenario.
not *that* surprising.. or dangerous...
by
LordBlaa
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· Score: 1
Yeah, they *could* take pictures of people who didn't want to be photographed, a black and white, 120x120 pic.. think about it, that's pretty weak at best. Also, i bet you anything (ok, to avoid possible trouble later, read that as "any positive integer of any major currency") that to get a picture of anywhere near the right thing you have to stand around for ages holding the watch up to your eye and aiming it carefully at what/whoever you are trying to photograph.. i'm sure all too many of you have ideas of subtle trenchcoated men taking huge resolutioned pics in 32 bit color with a slight flick of the wrist....
We're not too far from laser wrist watches =)
by
jkc120
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· Score: 1
Yeah, saw one of these in Nordstrom...pretty cool idea, but still too pricey for just a toy. I'll wait for cheap versions with a color display, thank you very much.
Hm... Now let's try to think of a single device that does all of these things... Yeah, I think I'd rather have one of those. It's easier to press the buttons at the very least.
Casio: The Unexpected^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hwanted Extra.
Are we (they?0 missing something?
by
evanbd
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· Score: 2
Random passerby: excuse me, what time is it?
Wrist Camera wearer: It's... oh wait, I left my watch at home. sorry.
R.P.: what's that on your wrist?
W.C.W.: oh, that's a camera. See, it takes pictures! -click- See, that's you!
R.P.: pervert.
am I missing something, or does it not tell time? I certainly didn't see anything, much less buttons to change time, etc. It would seem a simple enough feature to add.
Hey, If this watch can play mp3s I bet it has the power to remove copy protection from DVDs. I wonder if that is a violation of the EULA.
That's another thing.
Will you actually own this watch?
"...By wearing this watch you agree that it is not your property at all. In fact please return it to us now..."
Defraggle
Head monkey
Dynamic League of discord POEE Cabal "Monkey"
Now the s7rippers and h00kers will think,
by
Nanookanano
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· Score: 2
"gee, why is this guy forever checking what time it is?"
-- "..don't you eat that yellow snow."
Serious security concerns
by
MousePotato
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· Score: 4
Geez. A wristwatch camera. I'm almost speechless. I would be if pinhole cameras hadn't already been made in watchsize versions in the 60's with real film for espionage and fun. I saw a how to article on this in a do it yourself mag when I was a kid.This camera poses some real security issues though:1. Casinos will be lloking for thier clients wearing them as photos in gaming establishments are taboo. I could foresee teaming this up with a HUD of some sorts and this would lead to a real problem of people cheating in games like poker (standard player/helper scenario but now no signals to be communicated to the player by the helper as the image of the cards is now in the players HUD). 2. Court rooms will also be a problem. Photos of jurors make them awfully easy to identify and then tamper/extort. 3. Cabaret clubs will also have thier security looking out for these devices (taking a pic of that stripper is a no no as a cabaret is a private club NOT a public place). 4. The world of kidnappers and pedophiles is notorious for photographic surveys of thier targets. This will only make it much easier for them to do so. 5. Imagine going to a nightclub with your friends and they dance up on the podiums... viola... the next day your lady friends are all pictured on an up-skirt site. The list potentially goes on ad nauseum... I can't really see any redeeming quality for the development of a device like this as the uses for it will be for the most part subversive/intrusive. The potential for abuse here is very high. I don't want to take all the fun out of it as the technology is cool in and of itself but this type of thing will help all of us put big brother on our wrists in various flavors.
Not only are the "new" technologies Slashdot is now reporting on really only smaller and faster (not new), but they have been around for a while. I used to come to slashdot to see gadgets, but now I've already heard about everything that is posted.
-- There is a fine line between being a cultivated citizen and being someone else's crop. - A. J. Patrick Liszkie
Re:Suprised this is posted so late?!?!?!?
by
WillAffleck
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· Score: 2
Newsweek (the one in print), had this watch shown last week. I Love Slashdot, but this is hardly breaking news.
Someone probably submitted it back then and it got rejected. Somehow the triage process of submissions seems to be broken recently.
Me, I'm waiting for a wristwatch/cellphone with PDA capabilities. For under $300.
They've been selling this at firebox.com for a while now, for £169.95, in a choice of colours.
How is this "news"?
-
-- Meep meep
Re:Pointless gadgets for jerks
by
bradya
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· Score: 1
you know not all people would find this usless. i for one have a poor short term memory and therefore have a prob with rembering peoples names i for one would use this to help my self.
i was taking the SAT test yesterday, and i realized a thing liek this coul dbe used to take pics of the test. just an interesting fact there.
Of course I am. I am a real citizen, after all.
by
Nanookanano
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· Score: 1
However the electoral college will make sure that my actual vote is subsumed in a swamp of special interest, and further limit me to a choice of two flavors of the same policy.
Slashdot Mirror
MODERATE ME DOWN I WANNA beat HEYWOOD_JAYBLOWME'S -48!!!
That's almost one small letter on the laser printer I usually use...
So the hell what? Do they have to post everything on the same day it's released? I never heard of these watches and don't know when I would have heard of them if it weren't for Slashdot. I've got one on order now cuz they're so cool. Some people just bitch about the godamned stupidest things.
What??? Who the hell scored that insightful?
Whatever.
Have we started allowing crackheads to moderate posts?
Ed Chauvin IV
What a joke, this camera looks like it does about 128x128 pixels. For the same size and weight you could get a REAL wrist camera like the classic Tessina:
a .htm
http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/submini/tessin
The Tessina has many excellent options, including an infrared flash, so you can take fully illuminated spy pictures in total darkness without being detected.
Um, if I was gonna do something nasty/secret I sure wouldn't do it with a hunk of silver metal strapped to my arm, with "Wrist Camera" written in rather large letters on it.
I don't know about anywhere else, but when I took the SAT (at the Northern Arizona University testing center), it was a no-calculator test, and I had to leave my calculator watch at the front desk. I'm pretty sure that cameras are banned from most testing centers, so I don't see any reason why camera watches shouldn't be.
There is no need to have security concerns about this watch. Tiny cameras can be hidden in all sorts of places. For example, way back when there weren't any digital cameras, people developed cameras that looked like buttons from a shirt. Also on matchboxes, I'm sure you can probably do a google search and find cameras way, way stealthier than this wristwatch.
When I took the SAT many years ago (1991), I took in a calculator watch. I didn't use it, but I thought it was great that I got it in. Why? It was a touch screen calculator watch that had no buttons, and the calculator display was only visible while using it. Very special back in dem dar days!
There is a fine line between being a cultivated citizen and being someone else's crop. - A. J. Patrick Liszkie
This makes me wonder what to call those people who aren't trolls, but are trying to contribute something meaningful, yet haven't a clue. Is there a name that has been laid down by the /. gods?
Personally, I think "fool" is a good title.
Slight detail for you, though:
If you wear the watch on your organ, the camera will have to be pointing sideways...
...unless your organ has some very odd shape that renders it not very useful.
Trian
I'm no longer fed up with MS Windows: I go rid of them
Same day as they were out? Hahahaha! I read about this watch in an in-flight magazine in *August*, and I already BOUGHT one as soon as a store had them available here in Canada, at the beginning of September. Yes, sire! I've had mine for a month, and I've known about it for the last two months. "So," I hear you ask. "Why didn't you submit a story about it then?" Well, my dear friend. It don't matter what I submit, because it gets rejected every time, even though when someone else comes up with the story two months later, they jump in to print it as if it was news. Sad, really.
Who Wants To Date A Norwegian?
I got the remote control watch for Christmas waay back in 94, when they first came out. This little baby ran perfectly for me for almost 5 years, then it died. all well, it was one of the older ones (with all of the remote control buttons faceing up, none on the side) and I got my fair use out of it.
-since when did 'MTV' stand for Real World Television instead of MUSIC television?
I love to take photos. Sometimes I see a great scene to take a photo of. Sometimes something is going on. Sometimes I just see something weird. I do not carry my camera with me all the time, however. That's where this watch comes in. Even though it is not the best ever quality, these scenes will not go by uncaptures. It also functions great as a notebook, when I need to transport something graphical to a meeting (it happens!) - I can just snap it, and show the images, and we can decide between the different snapshots that way, instead of having to go through a long and expensive development process.
Who Wants To Date A Norwegian?
--
"How many six year olds does it take to design software?"
dinner: it's what's for beer
i didn't really mean to be nasty about it, it just bothers me to see that everyone feels the need lately to point out redundant stories on Slashdot. I just think it work out better if they were just ignored rather then pointed out.
Great for capturing those moments where having to hold a full size camera in your hand may be difficult. With a click of a button you and your partner can capture your sexual experiences and then quickly and easily upload them to your computer. Its even compatible with macs!
If you download and watch their annoying realplayer video, you'd see that it does tell time, and has 5 alarms, a picture-linked phone book, and a lot of other features not mentioned on the page.
If you want to get those 120x120 pics out of the watch you gots to have a Windoze boxen.
"Data Communication Specifications: Infrared Protocol: Casio original"
And to top it off it's not standard IR hardware either, they supply (read: you buy) a serial cable that has an IR port on the other end.
"Use only the separately available infrared adapter for the infrared data communication with a computer.
Data communication with an infrared port built into a computer is not supported."
"Computer System Requirements
The following are the computer systems requirements for running the PC Link Software.
Computer: IBM PC/AT compatible
Operating System: Windows 95/87, Windows NT 4.0 (Mac OS not supported)
Port: 9-pin communication port only
Keyboard
Display: Resolution 800 x 600, 16-bit color or greater (recommended)
CD-ROM drive
Mouse or other equivalent pointing device"
I like how they require a mouse...
My review: Nothing more than a $200 conversation starter, and a cool toy.
http://www.casio.com/accessories/product.cfm?secti on=51&product=3498&display=
Computer System Requirements
The following are the computer systems requirements for running the PC Link Software.
Computer: IBM PC/AT compatible
Operating System: Windows 95/87, Windows NT 4.0 (Mac OS not supported)
Port: 9-pin communication port only
Keyboard
Display: Resolution 800 x 600, 16-bit color or greater (recommended)
CD-ROM drive
Mouse or other equivalent pointing device
Time to go look for the Windows 87 cd to use my Casio Camera watch!
What's an elephant?
--
If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
I don't really think that, other than the court room (and maybe casino) concerns, it matters very much. The watch has a very low resolution, and is black and white. I don't think that if an "unwanted" picture was taken, it wouldn't be very easy to tell even who it was. It would be especially difficult to publicize the pictures on the web because of the low quality.
Remember, we all want nice, high-res pr0^H^H^H pictures when surfing the web.
-MSD.dyndns.org
"Sucks to your ass-mar"
Cool, now we just need to get a Ricochet adapter and buy one for Jenni.
Kevin Fox
Kevin Fox
Anyway, I have to admit that's pretty damn cool. I wonder what kind of quality it gets and how much you can store in it, I mean, it obviously can't use floppies and I'd think flash sticks would be out of the question too. Says on the site you transfer stuff off with IR only, too bad since I've personally never seen a PC with IR, only laptops. Still, it doesn't look cheap ( as in cheezy ) and I'll drool over it. It's about that time again, so I think I'll put this on my Geex X-Mas List. :)
BTW, casio, if you're listening, I'll peer review it for you if you want the conspiracy theories squashed. Hehe.
Free Online Woodworking Resources Directory
i sent this same exact thing over a month ago, just a day after the watch came out in stores and it was rejected. dont you love the /. system
cristiana
http://slashdot.org/articles/00/01/08/0811216.shtm l
I remembered the old article.
Numbers 31:17,18 Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man,but save for yourselves every virg
These watches were also publicised in Canada be appearing on The Shopping Channel (TSC). They had the whole range... MP3 watch... Camera Watch.. 'Million Sensors' watch. I really don't know what one could do with a low-res B/W camera. It was hillarious to hear the hosts babble on about 'taking pictures to remember where your car is parked'. That was the best they could manage. I'd rather spend (And did) the money on a nice Palm Pilot.
-- "Is this death or is this Ohio?"
There's no rhyme or reason to which gadget stories get published. This watch has been up on GadgetCentral's website since APRIL.
;)
I used to submit "cool gadget" posts but they always got bounced. Maybe they have to show up in Newsweek before they get posted?
At 120x120, the image is the size of a large icon.
A black and white icon.
Save the $200 and get yourself a real digital camera.
Bart
Dammit! That's another new toy that I have to buy! How am I supposed to pay for life when they keep coming out with Cars, Computers, and Toys that I have to buy?!?!?!?
If you believe everything you read, you'd better not read. - Japanese proverb
Where the hell is the to make it tell time!
Spyky
A guy I work with just bought one of these, it's 120x120x16. This is NOT a high res device that is capable of doing a lot. It's just like those polaroid izone cameras or other silly toys.
Using this watch woul be nothing compared to the calculators we used in colege. On math exam we were allowed to use the HP48GX, as long as it had no math expansion cards installed. On the other exams, calculators were not on the list of banned items, so it was ok to bring them. Considering the 128k RAM these calculators had, and the fact that there are compression programs for those calculators letting you put many times that amount of text and pictures in them, some students probably got better results than they deserved. (Yours truly not included.)
Another side of the matter, is this:
Why should calculators and watches (and books, for that matter) be banned in the first place? It's a crazy idea, that you might be kicked out for using stuff to get top results, when you in real life (when you got a job) might be fired for doing the same thing! In stead, you should be encouraged to use whatever help available to get a result as good as possible.
---
This message has been ROT-13 encrypted twice for higher security.
I can just see bouncing around a Las Vegas casino with one of these babies twisting around every which way on my wrist, listening to Beethoven in snatches at the same time as I take pictures of everything.
They'd probably kick me out in an instant.
A truly excellent pizza parlor is a delight unto the heavens. Treasure the sauce and the toppings!
Imagine the Dick Tracy impressions people will be doing once they add a cel-modem to it for video!
this post wasn't created more than 20 minutes ago and yet the Casio site reports that it is not functioning!
/. crowd never fails to amaze me!!!
:-)This little beauty was on Newsweek's Cyberwatch column. Now, WHY someone would want this is out of my grasp. Then again, if it was in high-res color.....
I leave the rest to the imagination of my readers.
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Score 3? For what? Being wrong, at length? - smirkleton
I've always thought that a pocket-watch form factor with a sturdy metal case on a belt chain would be a much more attractive option.
.5 inches to .75 inches thick, with a tasteful multi-colored LED on the outside, a color, touch screen lcd display on the top and a touch-tablet interface on the bottom.
The round case would help it work with clothing better as the corners would not protrude or get caught, and round things tend to be a bit more stylish.
The unit could then have more room for functionality (in both halves of the shell) without it being too clunky to wear, while it would still maintain its wearability aspect, unlike palm PDAs which, IMHO, cross the threshold of being truly 'wearable'.
I can imagine a brushed chrome or matte black shell about 2.5 inches to 3 inches in diameter and about
The combination of the all the cool I/O functions (PIM, audio/video I/O, gps, IR, bluetooth, serial) would at least be more feasible in this larger form factor. Perhaps these functions can all use a peripheral bus where the option hardware would be packaged in pie-slice shaped modules- 8 slots per unit and a module can use an integral number of slots.
I would definitely buy something like this, as long as the OS was open enough to support a community of developers.
Mike
Oh man, I'm not even gonna go near *this* joke.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Learning to fly, Pink Floyd.
You're on Candid Watch! Just think about it. The voyeuristic possibilities are endless.
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Learning to fly, Pink Floyd.
The watch of which I speak can be found here, on Timex's website:
It's a very nice watch, and is not very expensive... I acquired mine for $60 from a Wal-Mart.
To you ever buy a casio watch ! I buy the super-calculator-databank-watch 100$! the plastic case break 1 year and 1 mount after (just after the warranty) If I want another one: 80$ Fuck You Casio, mayby nice look but scrap!
Ceci n'est pas une Signature !
Will it be like that Sony video Camera that had to be taken off the market
because it could see throuth clothing?
134340: I am not a number. I am a free planet!
This is cool, but I'm still waiting for someone to make a shoe phone. ;-)
I am wondering after merely scanning the beginning of this exaclty when was teh turning point for /.? When did it (I hate to say) go to shit? What the hell is this crap being posted? Not just now, but over the recent weeks/months. It's a damn shame and I wonder if there is any way for Rob et al to fix it. I mean, what exacly the fuck is going on when this sort of thing is posted?
Acting stupid isn't much fun when there's someone around who knows better
I wonder how this will affect standardized tests (SATs), or even regular school tests. Cheating is already prevalent in high school (at least my school) but it's risky. Now that students will be able to sit down with their test and take snapshots of the questions and then pass them off to their friends will surely be a cause for action. Will schools now ban watches on test days?
Oh, I thought Slashdot was telling me to watch Gamera. My mistake.
---
As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
Just going by stereotypes the police would arrest you on sight for selling stolen. property
134340: I am not a number. I am a free planet!
Look at the positive side. Minorities could wear them at job interviews, used to document sexual harrassment and even protecting oneself for being wrongfully accused. What about police stopping you if you were black. I think its a good thing and just the posibility of someone wearing this is a deterent.
Help fight continental drift.
This could be useful not only for the perverted. For the paranoid, you can take quick snap shots of those you think are following, news folk that might not want to carry a full sized camera when not on the job but want to catch the news just in case, or even security guards in malls/schools/banks.
That was the funniest thing I've read all night, I couldn't breathe there for a minute.
"Well kids, you tried your best, and you failed. The lesson is, never try." -Homer Simpson
"Well kids, you tried your best, and you failed. The lesson is, never try." -Homer Simpson
I wonder what kind of quality it gets and how much you can store in it
Um, it was in the summary, just a few pixels above the reply button you hit to post your comment:
It features a 120x120 dot Monochrome display, and can store about 100 black and white images
It's called READING people, ya do it before you write.
i4u.com has some interesting sample photos. They really put into perspective how low the resolution is.
Unfortunately, I think this watch would be too heavy/bulky to wear all the time, every day. That rules it out as a tiny portable camera you could have on hand for those 'spontaneous kodac moments' when you didn't have a better camara with you. The only application I can think of other than that is in having a camera where you're not supposed to, i.e. exams, concerts, etc.
And as a gimmickey toy to show off to your mates, of course. That's why I want one.
Michael
...another comment from Michael Tandy.
"Goodness me, how unlike the FBI to abuse the trust of the American public." -- The Onion
I know. There are plusses... my basic tenet of 'it's not paranoia if your right' impulsively propels me forward... Having been harassed once or twice by the police your point hits a homer. I think that with the current trend in law enforcement to fit partol cars with cameras is a damn good thing - cameras do put the burden of proof to the test. Juries love video as its sees and hears for them and greatly clarifies cases while also putting Police under the microscope. I know it would have really helped me had that technology been available many years ago. Facing the wrong side of the law for no reason - be it racial profiling or age / sexually biased selective enforcement - and then coming to thre realization that the judge or jury will never belive a 'criminal' over a Policeman's account sucks and hopefully cameras will help in that scenario.
Prospecting Stinks. Stop Wasting Time on Cold Calling.
I mean, who wants this resolution in black and white at THAT price? Talking about Dick Tracy; this includes the raincoat and the hat!
Let 'em pump up the specs first, then we can discuss this again. This stuff isn't even worth mentioning here at /.!
Sal Monella
WHATEVERRR!!! DON'T EVEN GO THERE! Talk to the HAND!
I thought /. was for "before the press" news, I saw the picture of this in last weeks Newsweek.
hmm... for fun I enjoy launching DDoS attacks against 127.87.42.5
Does it run GNU/Linux too? :-)
Yeah, they *could* take pictures of people who didn't want to be photographed, a black and white, 120x120 pic.. think about it, that's pretty weak at best. Also, i bet you anything (ok, to avoid possible trouble later, read that as "any positive integer of any major currency") that to get a picture of anywhere near the right thing you have to stand around for ages holding the watch up to your eye and aiming it carefully at what/whoever you are trying to photograph.. i'm sure all too many of you have ideas of subtle trenchcoated men taking huge resolutioned pics in 32 bit color with a slight flick of the wrist....
Were you wearing a camera watch while doing it?
You could put up a webcast and get some income to buy more grits with.
Defraggle
Head monkey
Dynamic League of discord POEE Cabal "Monkey"
Test
Founder, PROPAGANDA Desktop Enhancement Graphics (Enjoy!)
this news has been posted already (about 10 months ago).. check it out http://slashdot.org/articles /00 /01/08/0811216.shtml
Yeah, saw one of these in Nordstrom...pretty cool idea, but still too pricey for just a toy. I'll wait for cheap versions with a color display, thank you very much.
"I drank what?" -Socrates
Personally, I don't want all this stuff on my wrist. Normal watches are too clunky for my tastes, as is...
...
Can't we make things that hang from belts or something? I dunno...
And what if you want the MS Outlook - linked watch, the mp3-watch, the camera-watch, the gps-watch (which is quite a beast), the TV/Cable-remote-watch, and the audio-recording-watch all at once? You'll look pretty damn silly, that's what! Oh, and you won't be able to lift your arms to *use* them
Geeze... It all seems pretty gimicky to me...
Hm... Now let's try to think of a single device that does all of these things... Yeah, I think I'd rather have one of those. It's easier to press the buttons at the very least.
Casio: The Unexpected^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hwanted Extra.
Wrist Camera wearer: It's... oh wait, I left my watch at home. sorry.
R.P.: what's that on your wrist?
W.C.W.: oh, that's a camera. See, it takes pictures! -click- See, that's you! R.P.: pervert.
am I missing something, or does it not tell time? I certainly didn't see anything, much less buttons to change time, etc. It would seem a simple enough feature to add.
Hey, If this watch can play mp3s I bet it has the power to remove copy protection from DVDs. I wonder if that is a violation of the EULA.
That's another thing.
Will you actually own this watch?
"...By wearing this watch you agree that it is not your property at all. In fact please return it to us now..."
Defraggle
Head monkey
Dynamic League of discord POEE Cabal "Monkey"
"gee, why is this guy forever checking what time it is?"
"..don't you eat that yellow snow."
Geez. A wristwatch camera. I'm almost speechless. I would be if pinhole cameras hadn't already been made in watchsize versions in the 60's with real film for espionage and fun. I saw a how to article on this in a do it yourself mag when I was a kid.This camera poses some real security issues though:1. Casinos will be lloking for thier clients wearing them as photos in gaming establishments are taboo. I could foresee teaming this up with a HUD of some sorts and this would lead to a real problem of people cheating in games like poker (standard player/helper scenario but now no signals to be communicated to the player by the helper as the image of the cards is now in the players HUD).
2. Court rooms will also be a problem. Photos of jurors make them awfully easy to identify and then tamper/extort.
3. Cabaret clubs will also have thier security looking out for these devices (taking a pic of that stripper is a no no as a cabaret is a private club NOT a public place).
4. The world of kidnappers and pedophiles is notorious for photographic surveys of thier targets. This will only make it much easier for them to do so.
5. Imagine going to a nightclub with your friends and they dance up on the podiums... viola... the next day your lady friends are all pictured on an up-skirt site. The list potentially goes on ad nauseum... I can't really see any redeeming quality for the development of a device like this as the uses for it will be for the most part subversive/intrusive. The potential for abuse here is very high. I don't want to take all the fun out of it as the technology is cool in and of itself but this type of thing will help all of us put big brother on our wrists in various flavors.
Prospecting Stinks. Stop Wasting Time on Cold Calling.
ROTFLMAO! I did not think of that obvious use!
Not only are the "new" technologies Slashdot is now reporting on really only smaller and faster (not new), but they have been around for a while. I used to come to slashdot to see gadgets, but now I've already heard about everything that is posted.
There is a fine line between being a cultivated citizen and being someone else's crop. - A. J. Patrick Liszkie
Newsweek (the one in print), had this watch shown last week. I Love Slashdot, but this is hardly breaking news.
Someone probably submitted it back then and it got rejected. Somehow the triage process of submissions seems to be broken recently.
Me, I'm waiting for a wristwatch/cellphone with PDA capabilities. For under $300.
Will in Seattle
They've been selling this at firebox.com for a while now, for £169.95, in a choice of colours.
How is this "news"?
-
Meep meep
you know not all people would find this usless. i for one have a poor short term memory and therefore have a prob with rembering peoples names i for one would use this to help my self.
i was taking the SAT test yesterday, and i realized a thing liek this coul dbe used to take pics of the test. just an interesting fact there.
However the electoral college will make sure that my actual vote is subsumed in a swamp of special interest, and further limit me to a choice of two flavors of the same policy.
"..don't you eat that yellow snow."
How about a spell-checker in Slash 2.0?
Note to moderators: The blatant misspelling in the subject is a parody of the incorrect spelling of the word 'integrated'.
Wee! Down I go!
Browser? I barely know her!