Martin Källström

Wearable Tech Review: Tiny Cameras Are Watching You | WSJ's Geoffrey Folwer

The Wall Street Journal2014-01-222:021280x720 original source ↗

Are the Narrative Clip and Autographer creepy or cool? Either way, they're here. Follow Geoffrey: https://twitter.com/geoffreyfowler Geoffrey on Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/114003666864266270686 Click here to subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/14Q81Xy Visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wsjlive Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WSJLive Visit the Wall Street Journal: www.wsj.com Don’t miss a WSJ video, subscribe here: http://bit.ly/14Q81Xy More from the Wall Street Journal: Visit WSJ.com: http://www.wsj.com Visit the WSJ Video Center: https://wsj.com/video On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/wsj/videos/ On Twitter: https://twitter.com/WSJ On Snapchat: https://on.wsj.com/2ratjSM

In this recording — 6 extracted moments
click any row to play that moment
factThe Narrative Clip had begun shipping by early 2014 and was priced at less than $400.0:05factThe Narrative Clip is extremely small, comparable in size to a tie clip, and can be worn without drawing attention.0:05factThe Narrative Clip's small form factor creates a privacy problem: it requires users to disclose to others that they are recording, since the camera is not obvious to observers.0:55factUsers of wearable cameras reported that the devices created social discomfort—making others uncomfortable when they discovered recording was happening, and making the wearer uncomfortable when others were unaware.0:55factAlways-on sensor technology in wearable form (cameras in watches, helmets, eyewear) is becoming ubiquitous and will remain a significant feature of consumer products.1:20factSocial adoption of wearable cameras requires a baseline standard of disclosure: users should clearly signal to others that they are recording.1:46
Transcript

[00:00:05] Speaker A: For the last week, I've been taking photos of everything in front of me every few seconds. If we passed each other on the street, I probably have a picture of your face. I did this with 2 tiny cameras, one the size of a tie clip. Most people didn't even notice I was wearing them. These cameras aren't made for spies, but for people like you and me. One of them is called the Narrative Clip and the other called the Autographer. Hi, I'm Oskar Kalmaru. And they both began shipping recently for less than $400. Who

[00:00:30] Speaker A: on earth would want to take photos of everything in their life? These tiny cameras are supposed to help people catalog their lives, like who they meet and everything they eat. They also help you record vacations, birthday parties, and concerts without holding your phone in front of your face the whole time. The Autographer is big enough to be seen by others and looks much more like a camera. A faint blue light goes off every time it snaps a photo. It also uses a fisheye lens, So you have to get really close to someone

[00:00:55] Speaker A: to take a detailed portrait. The Narrative Clip is much smaller and more convenient to wear, but relies on people wearing it to disclose to the world around them that they're on camera. Does the idea that people around you might be photographing you without your permission make you a bit squirmy? I found that was a big cost to using these cameras. They made others uncomfortable when they found out I was recording, and they made me uncomfortable when the people around me didn't know. What I learned is that we need some rules for the road

[00:01:20] Speaker A: with this kind of gear. The Autographer camera I tested even came with a small etiquette guide that makes suggestions like turn off your camera when you're in a public place like a train. The Autographer did a better job than the Narrative Clip at passing what I call the relationships test— how the gadget impacts the way you interact with the other people around you. The truth is that this kind of always-on sensor technology isn't going away. You can now buy cameras built into products you wear on your wrist,

[00:01:46] Speaker A: ear, bike helmet, and face. We're just beginning a conversation about how we want to handle always-on cameras in our lives. But for now, I think a baseline ought to be disclosure. If you're going to take someone's photo, at least make it clear to the world that you've got a camera.