During the launch event for the new Pixel phones, Google managed to surprise everyone by unveiling a new camera device called Google Clips. It is a camera powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
The camera is designed to automatically take photos and videos of faces and pets that it recognizes. This way, no one needs to hold the camera in their hands, and everyone gets to share in camera-worthy moments. This also allows users to record fleeting moments that they are not able to capture on their own.
"How do you let yourself capture those fleeting moments, while being part of the moment?" Google product manager Juston Payne asked during the presentation.
The device is targeting parents and pet owners to allow them to interact more with their kids and pets without having to worry about recording or taking pictures.
Clips is designed to recognize expressions, lighting, and framing to enable it to capture beautiful moments. With its built-in AI, the camera will get smarter over time.
Google Clips only captures soundless video, so it does not violate any laws against wiretapping. The camera also has a LED that blinks to indicate that the device is currently recording.
Users will be able to export the recordings as either video, pictures, or GIFs. The data can be transferred from the camera to smartphones through Wi-Fi. Currently, the only devices compatible with the Clips are Google Pixel phones, Samsung Galaxy S7 and S8, and iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. Compatibility with a wider array of devices should be expected in the future.
The device comes in a combination of white and teal and has a 12-megapixel camera sensor with a 130-degree field of view. The camera shoots videos at 15 frames per second and has a 16 GB internal memory. As for battery life, Clips can last three hours of continuous use. The Google Clips camera will retail for $249.
