idea: webcam

[dimag0g]

It can do 640x480 apparently, but only at 16fps. You're not going to be taking any high quality movies, but if your goal is video chat it should be adequate, especially for the price.
I'm willing to bet that if you look in the $40-$60 range you can find something of similar design with a much higher resolution.


But c'mon, $3 for a webcam!


edit: ok, I bought the first one. It's free shipping from china which means it'll be here sometime between next week and 6 months from now. Once it arrives I'll put it through some tests on my Pandora (or Pyra, if I've got one by then) and report back.

Yeah, it's $3 all right. I wonder if you will be able to read a QR code with it in a reasonable amount of time. I've had a bad experience with crappy webcams, so now I stick with this one.

Best of luck though, if it turns out to be a great deal I wouldn't mind to have a spare webcam.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

^Anywhere I can buy that in the USA?

 

[comradekingu]

AAAH, i woke up and i didnt have a shitty camera connected to every piece of electronic equipment i own, thankfully it was just a dream, PHEW

 

[equex]

I've been looking to solve this problem for a while with my PC.

I don't have/want a webcam, but I want to be able to use my external Android camera as a QR scanner where the QR-code ends up on the computer instead of being opened locally on the phone.

Let's say i've got the cursor in my Chrome URL bar on the Pyra running Android for example.

I press the USB-connected phonecamera button in front of some QR code, and the URL ends up in the URL-bar on the Pyra instead of the phone opening a local browser.

That'd be handy!

Exactly like some barcode readers they use in some retail stores. The codes usually goes directly to some 'Item PLU'-field in the accounting program..

Is there any programs like this for Win/Linux?

I could probably assist on making the Android part of such an app. (Not so good with Linux drivers/internals programming)

 

[Stellanatus]

Well my pockets deep. So Idc about a lil more size. And for price Idm $200 extra either. Don't forget what the Pyra really is! Well worth it if you ask me... But I won't argue agianst a popularity vote. The greater good is more important than just my individual needs.

 

[WizardStan]

The webcam arrived today. It is definitely small. It clips perfectly on the corner of the Pandora. It worked out of the box, just turned on the USB host, plugged it in, started mplayer with v4l2. Because of the nature of the lip around the Pandora's screen, you can't clip it in the middle, it has to be on a corner where there's more support: the Pyra doesn't have this lip, I think, so it'd be a lot better, and on the Pandora itself I could probably rig up something to make the clip fit if I really wanted it in the middle of the scrren. The retractable cable is pretty cool too.

The quality is surprisingly good on the Pandora's screen, even the 320x240 is pretty good, and the 640x480 is sharp enough to see my pores when I get close enough. A little out of focus when I'm less than 6 inches away, but holding it at a reasonable distance I can say "yeah, that's me, and I'm looking sharp today". No complaint about the colours, either; under sufficient lighting all the reds, blues, and greens look perfect, there's no washout like I've seen with other camers.

The only problem is the zoom: holding my Pandora with webcam attached at arms length makes my head perfectly framed. Holding it at a more reasonable distance where I'm likely to be using it all you see are my eyes and nose. It's kinda gross.

For $3, this is a great webcam that I'm considering hooking up to my aging BeagleBoard and putting in front of the cat bowl so I can record them eating and make sure the big one isn't beating up the little one (or vice versa), but for video chats the zoom level is a major problem. I may be able to take it apart and replace the lens somehow, but I don't know.

The important part of this experiment is to prove viability, and I think I can confidently say that, if the camera weren't so obsessed with seeing what what the inside of my cornea looked like it would be a perfect addition.

 

[Trickyhero]

I do wish that there was a webcam, I am looking forward to replace my phone with the pyra potentially, so without one I would be missing out on a big feature of normal phones.

 

[Glyph Reader]

I do wish that there was a webcam, I am looking forward to replace my phone with the pyra potentially, so without one I would be missing out on a big feature of normal phones.

A lot of the people here consider the lack of a camera as a feature.  Some just don't like the idea of a camera that is forced to be there, which I can understand.  I have a smart phone (ironic name, really), and the camera kind of freaks me out.  I think about people watching me when I use the device, and it is just unnerving.  Of course, this might just be my paranoia. 

-Glyph Reader

 

[Haraldur]

Well, one could cover the camera up. Indeed, the Nokia N900 comes with a lens-cover. I think the Pya's lack of a camera is a slight shame -- I do not use my N900's camera very often, but it is nice to have with me, in case I need it.

As far as paranoia is concerned, I would be much more afraid of the Pandora's/Pyra's microphone. After all, a camera can be confounded by putting the device in a (non-transparent) pocket, bag or case; a microphone is not so easily stymied -- sound-proofing is bulky, there is no simple equivalent to a lens-cap or duct-tape-over-the-lens. It is inconsistent to oppose a camera when not opposed to a (much more dangerous) microphone.

 

[WizardStan]

I think Glyph Rider is exagerating the "a lot of people". I'm sure a few people were opposed for paranoia reasons, but by and large it was just seen as an unnecessary expense, in terms of both money and space, the latter of which is actually more precious. A camera for an extra $20, probably not a big deal, but a camera that makes the lid 3mm thicker or the screen 5mm narrower is not something a lot of people were interested in. A line needed to be drawn somewhere, you can't just put every feature you can possibly desire into it. That line was drawn at the camera.

 

[rygD]

I do wish that there was a webcam, I am looking forward to replace my phone with the pyra potentially, so without one I would be missing out on a big feature of normal phones.

Yet another thing I dislike about smartfones, or most recent ones, smart or not.  Does the world really need more selfies and pictures of breakfast?  I notice many people take pictures of information they might need later.  I have kept a little notebook and a pen in my pocket for around 2 decades for that purpose.

Glyph Reader, I keep the cameras covered.  If you are embarassed about doing that just tape black paper to them, then put a case on it.  Most people won't notice either way, even if you have a piece of a pink post-it note taped over them.  I don't care so I go for pink post-its.

I like the way WizardStan put it.  The size thing is a big deal (I want it about the size of the Pandora, and smaller if it must change). I don't want one so I won't make an ass of myself by taking pictures of stupid things all day everyday (most people don't care if they are photographing others without permission either).  I also don't really have much of a need for one, and would prefer a real camera.  I don't know what the actual price difference would be, but I would rather have the extra money go toward something else I do want.  

 

[Glyph Reader]

Well, one could cover the camera up. Indeed, the Nokia N900 comes with a lens-cover. I think the Pya's lack of a camera is a slight shame -- I do not use my N900's camera very often, but it is nice to have with me, in case I need it.

As far as paranoia is concerned, I would be much more afraid of the Pandora's/Pyra's microphone. After all, a camera can be confounded by putting the device in a (non-transparent) pocket, bag or case; a microphone is not so easily stymied -- sound-proofing is bulky, there is no simple equivalent to a lens-cap or duct-tape-over-the-lens. It is inconsistent to oppose a camera when not opposed to a (much more dangerous) microphone.

I can understand the use-case of a camera, but there are other devices for that purpose.  However, I do understand that this is merely my own personal opinion on this. 

Microphones are pretty scary.  However, I never talk about anything important around my devices, so I'm not as worried.  If I really need to have a private converstation, I just put everything in a (clean  ) microwave. 

I think Glyph Rider is exagerating the "a lot of people". I'm sure a few people were opposed for paranoia reasons, but by and large it was just seen as an unnecessary expense, in terms of both money and space, the latter of which is actually more precious. A camera for an extra $20, probably not a big deal, but a camera that makes the lid 3mm thicker or the screen 5mm narrower is not something a lot of people were interested in. A line needed to be drawn somewhere, you can't just put every feature you can possibly desire into it. That line was drawn at the camera.

I was going for an exaggeration.  I was going to expand my post to cover the main concern of unnecessary expense, but I was short for time.  Not to mention the extra bulk it would bring (think of the iPhone 6 --- unsightly! ). 

I do wish that there was a webcam, I am looking forward to replace my phone with the pyra potentially, so without one I would be missing out on a big feature of normal phones.

Yet another thing I dislike about smartfones, or most recent ones, smart or not.  Does the world really need more selfies and pictures of breakfast?  I notice many people take pictures of information they might need later.  I have kept a little notebook and a pen in my pocket for around 2 decades for that purpose.

Glyph Reader, I keep the cameras covered.  If you are embarassed about doing that just tape black paper to them, then put a case on it.  Most people won't notice either way, even if you have a piece of a pink post-it note taped over them.  I don't care so I go for pink post-its.

I like the way WizardStan put it.  The size thing is a big deal (I want it about the size of the Pandora, and smaller if it must change). I don't want one so I won't make an ass of myself by taking pictures of stupid things all day everyday (most people don't care if they are photographing others without permission either).  I also don't really have much of a need for one, and would prefer a real camera.  I don't know what the actual price difference would be, but I would rather have the extra money go toward something else I do want.  

I have tape around my laptop's webcam and I disabled the drivers, so I'm fine with that. 

I agree with writing information down instead of taking pictures of it.  Pictures can be useful, but I find I benefit more from writing things down directly rather than snapping a picture that usually doesn't provide the needed context later when I have time to view it again.  Writing it down directly, meanwhile, allows me to create a connection with the data as well as eliminating any extraneous information that distracts from the point.  

-Glyph Reader

 

[Haraldur]

I think Glyph Rider is exagerating the "a lot of people". I'm sure a few people were opposed for paranoia reasons, but by and large it was just seen as an unnecessary expense, in terms of both money and space, the latter of which is actually more precious. A camera for an extra $20, probably not a big deal, but a camera that makes the lid 3mm thicker or the screen 5mm narrower is not something a lot of people were interested in. A line needed to be drawn somewhere, you can't just put every feature you can possibly desire into it. That line was drawn at the camera.

I am not fussed, I do not use cameras very often, as I said. It would just be a little bonus to have a small (crap -- 640x480?) camera on the device: a crap camera in one's pocket is better than a good one hours away. A user-facing camera also has some nice possible uses: teleconferencing being an obvious one; a less obvious one being: would it be possible/desirable to automatically adjust the screen brightness depending on the ambient light detected by the camera sensor? After all, glare comes from the direction pointed to by a user-facing camera (generally).

I have read some of the previous camera threads, so I appreciate the concerns about space, price and build-complexity; I do not disagree. I just think the paranoia argument invalid, given the inclusion of a microphone (which I am not that concerned about either: I expect the Pyra to give the user sufficient control to block such surveillance through turning off the WiFi and/or GSM radios). I think my face would betray less than my voice.

It would, of course, be nice if the Pandora/Pyra were a little smaller in the pocket, but, as with the lack of a camera, I do/shall cope. Perfection can only be achieved in a relative sense (contradiction!) and the rest of the mobile-computing world is highly imperfect.

 

[WizardStan]

I do not use cameras very often, as I said. It would just be a little bonus to have a small (crap -- 640x480?) camera on the device: a crap camera in one's pocket is better than a good one hours away.

That's where the discussion of a clip on USB camera came from. This thing is seriously tiny, a little box with a short USB cable attached to it. I'll take some pictures of it. It can definitely read bar and QR codes.

 

[dimag0g]

As far as paranoia is concerned, I would be much more afraid of the Pandora's/Pyra's microphone. After all, a camera can be confounded by putting the device in a (non-transparent) pocket, bag or case; a microphone is not so easily stymied -- sound-proofing is bulky, there is no simple equivalent to a lens-cap or duct-tape-over-the-lens.

Well we have screen backlight for that on the pandora don't we? =)

Personally I wouldn't mind having a built-in webcam for barcode reading and whatnot, but I recogize I'm a minority on this one.

 

[edgex004]

I do not use cameras very often, as I said. It would just be a little bonus to have a small (crap -- 640x480?) camera on the device: a crap camera in one's pocket is better than a good one hours away.

That's where the discussion of a clip on USB camera came from. This thing is seriously tiny, a little box with a short USB cable attached to it. I'll take some pictures of it. It can definitely read bar and QR codes.

Just ordered one the other day. I know video is crummy, but I want to see if I can clip it to my shirt and have be like a mini go pro.

 

[Haraldur]

As far as paranoia is concerned, I would be much more afraid of the Pandora's/Pyra's microphone. After all, a camera can be confounded by putting the device in a (non-transparent) pocket, bag or case; a microphone is not so easily stymied -- sound-proofing is bulky, there is no simple equivalent to a lens-cap or duct-tape-over-the-lens.

Well we have screen backlight for that on the pandora don't we? =)

I do not understand.

 

[rygD]

Microphones are pretty scary.  However, I never talk about anything important around my devices, so I'm not as worried.  If I really need to have a private converstation, I just put everything in a (clean  ) microwave. 

I haven't thought about this in a while.  I usually walk into a place that I feel secure, and most of the time I just leave everything behind.  I don't put thought into, and I am not really discussing things that I don't want others to know (if that were the case I wouldn't say it).  In the past while discussing sensitive information all electronics and such were locked up outside.  That was on the extreme side since most of our equipment was shielded to prevent emissions, and the offices were contrusted in such a way to avoid information leaking out.  I suppose the microwave does a lot of the same stuff, but what about windows or things within the building/room that might "overhear" the conversation?  Really the biggest threat to confidentiality related to spoken conversations are other humans, and not all the ways in which the conversation can be collected.

I agree with writing information down instead of taking pictures of it.  Pictures can be useful, but I find I benefit more from writing things down directly rather than snapping a picture that usually doesn't provide the needed context later when I have time to view it again.  Writing it down directly, meanwhile, allows me to create a connection with the data as well as eliminating any extraneous information that distracts from the point.  

Sometimes I find that I don't need to look at what I have written down if it was just a quick note and I use that info within a few days.  I guess writing helps my memory more than just seeing or hearing something alone.

I would be more open to a camera (as well as some things the Pyra will actually have) if it had a hardware switch.  If I was worried about people looking at me I would do as I always have.

 

[Haraldur]

I would be more open to a camera (as well as some things the Pyra will actually have) if it had a hardware switch.  If I was worried about people looking at me I would do as I always have.

Would not placing a cap or tape over a camera have the same effect? Also, I believe that all the communication hardware (WiFi, GSM) shall have "hardware LEDs" to disambiguously display whether they are on (assuming intact hardware). Also, again, microphones are much more dangerous on a handheld/pocketable device (perhaps not for a desk machine where a camera can be on and ignored and pointing in a 'useful' direction for a long time) for which simply being 'put away' makes a camera mostly 'useless'.

 

[rygD]

Tape or whatever is not the same as a switch.  I don't know how well whatever is used for the Pyra will work for all the other things.  I have a laptop that has a switch for wifi.  I slide that and I know it is off (for a variety of reasons, including power saving).   That laptop also has an indicator, which the Pyra will not have (it will, however, have the RGB LEDs behind the logo that are user controllable).  It is merely my preference to be able to flip a switch and have things be off unless the switch is flipped again.  I frequently forget to turn internal wifi off on my Pandora (which does have an indicator LED, however due to my settings this goes off when it is closed...the other option is not to have it go to sleep and lose even more power).  I have other devices where I regularly think I have disabled something only to come back later with my battery significantly drained since I didn't turn everything off.

I was not trying to revive the indicators and switches debate.  It is my preference and I will get along without them.