New Google Clips is a hands-free camera that can also decide when and what to click [Updated]

Update:

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, reacted to Google Clips’ launch in a tweet, saying the camera doesn’t even pretend to be innocent. Following is the tweet in question:

Original story below:

Most of parents will likely agree that running behind kids and capturing memories simultaneously is a bit challenging. Images of kids are life long memories, but we all know how difficult it can get most of the times to get that perfect picture.

What if the camera does all this hard work for you, while you do what you love: enjoying with your kids. Yes, that’s now possible, thanks to Google, which has come up with a camera – dubbed Google Clips – that not only automatically records, but is also smart enough to decide when and what to capture.

No no, it ain’t a CCTV, but a smart camera that’s watching all the time, and is in a look out for recording interesting stuff. So Clips is not just a camera, it’s the photographer as well, one that wants you to be a part of every picture it clicks.

Clips is Google’s project to revamp the concept of photography. Just turn the camera on, pair it to your phone, place it at a location of your choice, and your job’s done.

Now sit back and let it fetch beautiful and most realistic captures, while you live the actual moment. Google’s fancy AI based camera recognizes faces to seize pictures, and records automatically without you being on the head every time to press the shutter button.

The camera – which is a basically a tiny, clip-able, curvy-edged square – comes with a lens and shutter button for manual operation a well. However, there’s no display or other features like regular digicams.

It uses it’s own algorithms to figure out what and when to picture, and then records a small 7 second clip of it. The device masters facial recognition and eventually gets used to clicking the frequently appearing faces, and ignore others.

A small led light under the lens starts blinking, once Clips is turned on and begins recording. It’s worth mentioning that the camera doesn’t record audio as it has no mic.

Though Google Clips is always watching, it’s not even remotely interested in breaching your privacy. The company says all the data the device captures is fully encrypted and lies safe locally on the camera itself. The clips sync wirelessly from camera to the Google Clips app, for Android as well as iOS.

Once transferred to your phone, you can choose which pictures to save and which ones to let go. You can even trim the recording, select a still image or a high-resolution individual frame out of it, or export them as Motion Photos, GIFs, JPEGs, or movies.

An added benefit for Google Photos users will be a free and unlimited backup for clips. So, where to store the stuff once synced to device won’t be a concern at all.

Getting to the specifications, Google Clips has a 130 degree lens, 12 megapixel camera, 16 gigs of storage, and as already mentioned earlier, no mic. Price tag is $249. The camera is currently only compatible with Google’s Pixel phones, Apple’s iPhones (6 and above), and Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and S8 smartphones.

Google is marketing the camera as a must-have for parents and pet owners, but how well will it be welcomed, that only it’s sales will reveal. The company was light on details like the launch date of the product, as they only mentioned that Google Clips will be coming to the US soon.

We are hopeful that the hassle free capturing of Google’s new camera will be as fun to use as promised. Meanwhile, you can enjoy the first look of the Google Clips

https://youtu.be/JXh1yyvXpwo

Google