Apple is not expected to outfit the Apple Watch with a camera anytime soon, but today, owners of the Apple Watch Series 2 could have not just one but two shooters in their smartwatches by way of a camera-equipped strap.
The innovation was launched by startup called Glide, which counts erstwhile Apple Watch engineer Shawn Greening as cofounder. The company is calling its product the CMRA band and is being sold with a unique charging dock that can power both the strap and the smartwatch at the same time.
Based on the promotional video released, the dual camera technology is cleverly positioned to simulate smartphone shooters. One camera is front-facing or outward-facing, capturing the action before the user while the other acts as a selfie shooter. The former sports an 8-megapixel sensor capable of capturing HD photo and video, while the self-facing module has a 2-megapixel Sony sensor.
If you think that those figures are quite impressive for a smartband, consider its additional technologies. It is capable of tilt balancing, lens correction and noise reduction. The company also touts a pixel optimization feature, LED indicators and a full-day battery life.
There is a big chance that the CMRA band stem from a desire to use the Apple Watch in video calling. Glide is mainly in the business of software development, and its main products include a video messaging app called Glide. This early, it appears that the CMRA band will come with a dedicated video chat application, which could be a smartwatch version of the Glide app.
The CMRA band, which will retail for $249, is significantly more expensive than the conventional straps being peddled for the Apple Watch, but if you preorder it now, you get $100 off, which is a 40 percent price cut. That is already quite a steal especially when premium and limited editions straps retail for as much as $689 at the Apple online store.
Glide has not released an exact release date, but those who preorder the CMRA band today will be able to get it in the spring of 2017. If you are interested to purchase a set, a preorder has a maximum cap of three bands, which is unfortunate because there are four colors available. There are two size variants, covering the 38 mm and 42 mm Apple Watch models.
With the release of the CMRA band and how it effectively addressed concerns about the bulk of additional camera module, Apple could be pressured to explore the same technology in the next-generation Apple Watch, which is not entirely far-fetched. The company certainly has time on its side, as the Apple Watch 3 is projected to roll out late 2017 or early 2018.
