Newsy: New Wearable Camcorder Called 'TiVo for Life'

New ear-mounted camera could change the way we videotape everything from home videos to (yikes!) news accounts.

It’s called Looxcie (Look-See) -- a new ear-mounted camcorder that goes everywhere you do. Its makers promote it as a way to videotape and instantly post video to your social network -- Facebook, twitter and YouTube. Social video, it says, has never been so effortless. (Looxcie.com)

We’re analyzing coverage of the new mini-cam from Looxcie, MediaBistro, TechCrunch, Wired and Fast Company.

MediaBistro says, professional journalists, watch out, Looxcie is loaded with options you use every day: “...a Bluetooth-enabled headset with an always-on camcorder that captures everything its user sees... When users ‘long press’ the instant-clip button, the clip is automatically forwarded to a preselected email address. The device also boasts an application that turns smart phones into viewfinders, remote controls, and editing tools...”

TechCrunch notes, as novel as this seems, it’s probably not going to be wildly popular outside the geeky blogosphere: “...it’s hard to imagine massive traction with the average consumer. At 15 frames per second and HVGA 480×320 resolution, the video quality is OK, just mediocre— not superior to your average iPhone or Android smartphones.”

Wired agrees, but says, even geeks have budgets: “Then we get to the rub: The Looxcie costs $200, and the camera quality is crappy ... On the other hand, it does look like a gun from Portal, so that might make it worth the price as a novelty....”

But Fast Company calls Looxcie 'TiVo for life' (pronounced tee-voh, IPA: /ˈtiːvoʊ/) is a brand of digital video recorder (DVR) in the United States, Canada, and soon, Australia. It is a consumer video device that captures television programming to hard disk storage for later viewing ("time shifting"). The device also provides an electronic television programming schedule, and provides recording options based on that schedule), saying you’re always ready when the moment hits: “Capturing video of your baby's first steps with Looxcie means you're probably wearing a Bluetooth headset during your baby's first steps. It means you're probably the kind of person who wears a Bluetooth headset around-the-clock. But if you're comfortable or shameless enough to wear one in public, why not add a camcorder? Who knows what you might see.”

So, will you take a look-see and Looxcie? Or are you turning a blind-eye to bad bluetooth bling?

Writer: Jim Flink

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