Genius Intros Crazy Camera Mouse Combo Device
This hybrid peripheral combines a 1200 DPI mouse with a 2MP camera.
Now here's an interesting way to share photos and files on the fly: the new Genius Cam Mouse. As the name indicates, it's a 1200 DPI desktop mouse combined with a 2MP camera, allowing students to quickly share notes or business professionals to scan and transmit documents without having to get out of their seat. It's available now for a mere $34.99 at participating retailers.
"In a split second, the Cam Mouse transforms from a regular mouse to a camera that takes pictures and videos," the company said. "The ability to have a camera ready when needed is great for situations when you have a teacher who is about to erase some valuable notes off the board, or if a presenter in a meeting switches slides too quickly."
Genius said that users can switch into camera mode by merely opening the lens cover on the bottom of the mouse. The Smart Capture button is located on the top left corner of the device when it's laid flat, thus when the user picks it up to take a picture, the button is correctly placed on the right as if it were mounted on a standard camera. The only thing missing, it seems, is a small LCD display and viewfinder.
The mouse features the Genius BlueEye sensor, allowing it to be used on virtually any surface including dusted glass, marble, thick carpet or the top of your thigh (you've been there, admit it). The scroll wheel can be pressed down for free-scrolling or can be used to easily navigate long webpages or documents. It also has a QR code scanning function that allows users to navigate to websites on the fly.
"The Cam Mouse software lets users easily upload to Twitter, Flickr, Facebook and YouTube," the company said. "The combination to instantly upload pictures and videos to the computer and its social media integration means that users can share their world around them — in an instant."
The device is compatible with all voice and video chat applications such as Skype and Google Hangouts, and records video in 720p. There are a total of four physical buttons including left, right, and middle/scroll buttons, and the Smart Capture button.
For more information about this new mouse-camera hybrid, head here.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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vmem because clearly, everything in life needs a camera...Reply
How else will big brother watch us? :-P -
razor512 why not also add a camera on the keyboard? I want to be able to take pictures with my keyboard too.Reply -
bystander Since the mouse sensor's are cameras, I guess they figured they'd see if people would want to take advantage of it.Reply -
l_mckeon If they wanted to use it for Skype or Chat, it would also require a microphone. Seems they forgot about that.Reply -
chumly This is for that niche cam whore market where you don't use the mouse because you need those hands free for other activities.Reply -
Jack Revenant Forget the camera side of things, who on earth would pay $35 for a 1200 dpi mouse? You can get upwards of 3500 dpi for that kind of money.Reply