If you were a fan of Inspector Gadget or Dick Tracey as a kid, these crowdfunded gadgets should be right up your alley. Let’s have a look at Arrow’s smartwatch with an integrated, rotatable HD camera, and then the Removu K1 gimbal-mounted POV cam. These nifty devices present interesting ways to capture footage of your fun times. And they’ve both easily surpassed their funding goals over on Indiegogo…
Arrow smartwatch
Los Angeles’ Arrow Smartwatch has created a function-filled watch that features a 360° rotatable 1080p HD camera built into its bezel. The Arrow allows you to spontaneously snap photos or shoot video without pulling your phone out of your pocket. Photos are captured at 5MP, video records at 1080p, and a microphone is located next to the camera lens to capture sound.
Simply tap the red pusher button to turn on the camera, and the watch’s 1.39” face displays an image preview and the option to shoot photos or video. The camera is angled on the bezel, making it easy to frame up selfies or other images.
All videos/photos are saved on the watch’s internal 8GB memory but can be then transferred to your phone using the Arrow app. The app allows users to collect files, edit images, then share to social media or by text message.
Aside from its camera, the Arrow also offers fitness tracking functions that log speed, distance and route, plus counts steps & calories burned. Users can set fitness goals and check on their daily, weekly, or monthly progress.
And that’s not all: The smart Arrow performs hands-free calls and texts, connects to social media platforms, provides directions, contains a calendar with customizable alerts & reminders, and displays weather reports. The watch syncs to your phone (via Bluetooth) to import your contact lists, emails, calendars, and social media accounts. The Arrow can also store music, and communicates directly with Bluetooth headphones or speakers.
The Arrow’s battery charges in 2 hours, and lasts up to 20 hours under ‘normal use’. Both a dock-style charger and a USB charging cable are included. The watch is IP65 rated, which means it’s not waterproof but is dustproof and wash-down capable. The color OLED interface gives you a choice of 11 different watch face displays or you can customize one of your own. The watch and app are compatible with Android and iOS smartphones.
There are only a few days left to pre-order an Arrow Smartwatch. Indiegogo supporters can currently grab an Arrow with a silicone band for $159 (regular price will be $299) with free shipping to the USA. Upgrading to the leather band will cost you $179, the Black Metal option goes for $199, and the Silver Edition sells for $229. Arrow expects to be shipping units out by February 2018. Check out the Indiegogo campaign here.
Removu K1 self-stabilizing 4K camera
The Removu is a 4K POV cam that comes attached to a 3-axis gimbal/handle with an integrated 1.5” LCD screen. The creators wanted to make shooting photos and video simpler and more streamlined, so they’ve wrapped up all the essentials into one tidy package designed for one-handed operation.
The Removu’s gimbal features a motorized stabilizer, which can be used to aim the camera in a few different ways: If you’d like mechanical help for smooth panning or framing, the four-way joystick on the handle will rotate the camera as directed. Alternately, you can set the camera to either hand-mode where it floats freely on the gimbal (keeping itself level), follow mode which keeps the camera fixed straight ahead, or selfie mode which rotates the camera towards the user.
With the LCD screen, users can watch a live preview as they shoot video and playback photos/videos on the device immediately after shooting.
The Removu’s wide angle lens provides a 101° field of view, 3x digital zoom and a focal range of 50cm-infinity. Video shoots in 4K or 2.7K resolutions at 30fps, plus 1080p at 30/60/120fps, or even 720p for super-slow motion video up to 240fps. There are also modes to shoot normal or motion time-lapse video. Still photos are shot at 12MP, with modes for single shots, burst, panorama, and time-lapse.
The battery lasts for up to 4 hours of continuous recording, and recharges in 3 hours via micro-USB. The Removu has its own built in microphone, plus a 3.5mm input to plug in an external mic. Files are saved on Micro-SD, and the device can accept up to 256GB cards.
Of course there’s a mobile app which allows you to remotely control the camera through your Android or iOS smartphone. Users can start/stop filming, shoot still pictures, control the camera’s position, preview your footage, and change the camera settings remotely, plus share pics/videos on social media.
The Removu is quite portable at just 8.5” long, and lightweight at 340g including the battery. There is a ¼” tripod mount on the bottom of the handle. Unfortunately the unit is not waterproof, so it must be kept dry.
The Early Bird price for the K1 Package (camera, battery, charge cable & carry pouch) is $299, which will eventually rise to $399 MSRP. The first units are expected to ship as of December. Check out the Removu K1’s Indiegogo campaign here.
