App Discovery: Camo -- why not use your smartphone as your PC webcam?

PCs generally do not come with a webcam, though laptops do. Yet the ones come with laptop are... tiny and non-upgradable. Sure, you can BUY a webcam... but why do that when there's usually at least two perfectly great cameras... in your smartphone, that's usually MUCH better than any webcam? You don't know how? Let me introduce you to Camo. 

Basically, you download Camo.Studio on the PC side, and the Camo app on the smartphone side (yes, Android and iOS compatible). Start the pairing mode, scan the QR code with the Camo app (make sure both are on the same Wifi) and voila, your smartphone cam and microphone can be used on the PC as if it's a webcam input. And you can tune it with your Camo.Studio before using it as a video feed for anything else... Zoom, Google Meet, Youtube Live, and so on. 

Your smartphone's camera are usually much more capable than any webcam. On my OG Google Pixel 6 (Pixel 8 is already out, you know) even the FRONT camera is 8 MP. Most webcams are barely capable of 1080p, unless you pay for the premium ones. Why would you? 

Best of all... All this is FREE! Both Camo.Studio and the companion app are free! Yes, they do sell a premium subscription if you want HIGHER resolution feed, more tuning power, more profiles, presets, frames, presets, but that's not my job to explain EVERYTHING to you. 

It's FREE. Just download it and TRY it yourself! How you mount it... I leave up to you. 

A Kickstarter Rant: where's the real innovation?

 I am a superbacker on Kickstarter, as I like gadgets and scifi, so I backed a LOT of things. But in recent years, I've noticed some trends that to me, feels a bit... off. 

1) Companies using Kickstarter to launch new product line

MiPow (it's pronounced My-Pow) using Kickstarter to launch its ultra-thin BT folding keyboard, claims to be the thinnest ever. 

Keychron uses Kickstarter to launch each of its new models before making them available for general sale on its own website. 

I am NOT knocking them on their products. I backed the Keychrone 96-key a while back and it's a good keyboard. I also backed the MiPow as I do need a folding BT keyboard (I have one and it's not as good). 

But it sort of takes away the origin story, about how Kickstarter (and IndieGogo) are for inventors who need funding to finish their project. 

2) Lack of innovation or dubious claims

The latest battle for wearable seems to be in SmartGlasses, and even Razer had joined the battle with Razer Anzu, while both Amazon (Echo Frames) and Bose (Tempo Frames) but most of those are just regular Bluetooth bone conduction speakers mounted to glasses, with a few improvements. The cheaper bone conduction BT glasses from China have already dropped under $50 on Amazon (while Bose and Amazon entries are about $200-250, and Razer Anzu as low as $150, but usually $200. They don't claim a lot of battery life though. Razer Anzu claims 5 hours. Bose claims 8 hours. Amazon is a bit cagey but relents that Echo frames get 4 hours of continuous playback. 

So when a company claimed they have BT bone conduction glasses that have 12 hours playback on Kickstarter, one should be skeptical, esp. if they also claim to be lighter than their competitors, AND does simultaneous translations. AND the early bird price is under $100. 

And so far, the team is a bit cagey showing their faces... Or reveal what is the company and team... 

Instead, they are more enthused to present the boxes and packaging. 

I don't need the translation feature, but it's kinda interesting to have. I am mainly interested in 12 hour playback without recharging. Not that many neckband headsets can claim that, muchless eyeglass BT headset. All this from an unknown team? I'm a bit skeptical, esp. when their biggest schtick (aside from the claimed translation capability with no detail) is "now with 7 different lens options!"

Dust over on Indiegogo, on the other hand, relies on a different schtick: the LED can be manually controlled to provide different levels of shade. And Bluetooth is optional. 

But really, why do most of these frames look so f-ugly? Not only are they thick as f***, they are almost all based on Wayfarer or such. More people should do what Razer does: not only 2 different frame styles (square vs rounded) they also have 2 different sizes for each style, and swappable lenses, rather than have 6 or 7 different front-frames. 

Also, I have a large head, which is why I ask if there's a large frame size or spring-hinged temples. But with arms that can't be bent, fitting will be a MAJOR issue. 

Instead, I am going to try the JLab JBuds, which are basically two Bluetooth modules that can be clipped to ANY pair of glasses. At $50 USD, it's quite affordable, but reviews generally call it "horrible sound quality". We'll see for ourselves. 

Today I Learned: Shingled Magnetic Recording Hard Drives

Sometime during 2020, hard drive vendors have slipped SMR (shingled magnetic recording) drives into the consumer line of hard drive, that used to be only CMR (conventional magnetic recording). 

What's the difference? SMR writes overlapping tracks, instead of discrete tracks like in MMR. The result is MUCH higher data density, but much worse performance due to the need to micro-position the heads to read those overlapping tracks. With much higher density, what used to require more platters can now be made on fewer platters, reducing overall costs... as the expense of performance... something regular users likely would not notice. 

Previously SMR was only used on the VERY largest drives where they were advertised as archival grade: you write to it and mainly to store them rarely access them. But slipping them into the regular consumer channel means some people are buying them expecting them to perform one way... and they are not getting it. And some users are crying foul. 

Buyer beware... figure out if you have SMR or CMR spinning drives. 

Or just buy SSD.