BRICK, N.J., Oct. 19, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- The first wearable and hands-free camcorder to capture and save action that happened before the "record" button is pressed is now available from Deja View, Inc.
The Camwear 100 solves the age-old dilemma of many photographers who have often uttered the words, "I missed that shot", according to Sid Reich, president, inventor and founder of the Brick, N.J. company.
Now selling for the suggested retail price of $399.99, the Camwear 100 is tiny and can be worn on a pair of eyeglasses or bill of a hat, and has the unique ability to record visual experiences after the fact.
It is ideally suited to a variety of applications, including recreation and leisure, travel and tourism, business, education, government, military, law enforcement, medical research and many others, Reich said.
When introduced last fall, the Camwear 100 and its patent-pending "after-the-fact" technology were heralded by industry experts and the media for the innovation demonstrated in a consumer product.
The camera/microphone unit with clip is less than an inch long and smaller than a nickel in diameter, and is tethered by a thin wire to a PDA-sized remote unit that clips to a belt or waistband or fits into a pants or coat pocket or handbag.
Here's how it works: With their hands completely free, and with the Camwear 100 clipped to their glasses or a bill of a hat, users turn on the power and just watch the action as it occurs in front of them. The camcorder is always-on as a scanning feature feeds a continuous video stream into the control unit or "hip pack". Although users may turn away from the action for a few seconds, they can still capture up to 30 seconds of the previous action by hitting the "record" button. The camera is compatible with SD memory cards with up to 1 gigabyte of storage capacity.
Normally, to obtain action footage with a standard handheld video camcorder, users must keep the device turned on and constantly aimed and ready, anticipating what might happen in front of them -- before, during and after the event occurs.
"The Camwear 100 eliminates the need to view the world through a viewfinder," added Reich. "It is wearable and lightweight, providing a completely hands-free experience."
A typical usage scenario is when parents are watching their son or daughter play in a Little League baseball game. For instance, Johnny hits a home run but Dad was talking to Mom and missed his son take the dramatic swing. Dad's not worried because once he returned to watching Johnny, he was able to press the "record" button and save Johnny's big event. He did not have to hold the camera during the entire sequence and no extra videotape was wasted.
Reich said the product's after-the-fact technology makes it possible to capture and save those special moments. Users can keep the 30 seconds of recorded action or they can edit the saved clips to specific video frames using ArcSoft's ShowBiz 2 custom software provided with the camcorder.
The Camwear 100 is available on the Deja View web site, www.mydejaview.com, and will be sold through a network of consumer electronic chains, camera stores and major online resellers, according to Jeff Sobel, executive vice president.
Key Features:
-- Wearable on glasses or cap for completely hands-free operation.
-- Rechargeable battery provides up to 6 hours of power.
-- Video quality at CIF (320x240) and 30 frames per second.
-- From 64MB to 1GB memory. (Minimum of 16 video/audio clips with
64MB card).
-- Indicator light warns when less than five minutes of storage
capacity remain.
-- 110v charger similar to cell phone chargers.
-- USB cable along with ArcSoft ShowBiz 2 software allows downloading
video/audio clips to PC.
-- Direct output available to TV, VCRs, or DVD burner via RCA jacks.
-- File viewing possible with ArcSoft ShowBiz 2 software or Windows
Media Player.
-- ArcSoft ShowBiz DVD 2 software is also included, allowing users to
create CDs and DVDs, and, depending on their computer hardware
configuration, users can capture still photos from their saved
video clips.
About Deja View
Deja View, Inc. was founded in 2002 to design, manufacture and market a complete line of wearable camera products based on its own patent-pending "after-the-fact" video camcorder technology. The privately held company is headquartered at 260 Chambers Bridge Road in Brick, NJ, 08723. Phone number: 1-866-DEJA VIEW (335-2843). Email: info@mydejaview.com. Web site: www.mydejaview.com. Fax: (732) 477-4572.