Why it matters to you
Staring at a screen when trying to capture an event pulls you out of the moment. FrontRow wants to change that.
Smartphones have allowed us to easily capture intimate and memorable moments, such as a baby’s first steps or a graduation ceremony. But too often we’re looking through the smartphone, rather than simply being present. Ubiquiti Labs‘ FrontRow is a wearable camera that wants to help by capturing and sharing the moment, so you can stay in the moment hands-free.
The FrontRow looks like a pocket watch, except instead of a watch face there’s a 2-inch circular display. There are two cameras, one on the back with the display, and one on the front. On the side, you’ll find a power button, and a media button that lets you start and stop recording.
The premise is simple: When you are about to engage is an activity you want recorded, like a kayak ride, tap the media button and FrontRow will begin recording. You can take photographs, too. The primary camera, on the other side of the display, features a 140-degree lens, allowing you to capture more in a frame. The microphone array captures sound, and a speaker lets you play content back with audio.
Running Android, the touchscreen display lets you access a handful of supported live-streaming apps, such as Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and Twitter. You can directly hop into these apps to start a live-stream without needing to pull out your phone.
But FrontRow’s highlight feature is Story Mode, which is somewhat like the time lapse feature on an iPhone, except a little smarter.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiTJG9TjORg?feature=oembed&w=100&h=100]
Story Mode “autonomously captures” a handful of images every few seconds when you’re on the move. The company said the mode is optimized for the first-person perspective, and the end-result is a collection of images that tell a story of the event or your day.
The wearable will stay on standby mode for 48 hours, but Ubiquiti Labs claims it can last for two hours in live-streaming mode, and 16 hours in Story Mode. There’s a USB Type-C port on the FrontRow, which is used to charge it. Thanks to fast-charging technology, the company said it will recharge in about 20 minutes.
The FrontRow hangs around your neck, but the company will be offering a car window mount and a flexible coil mount in the future. While the design is stylish, the FrontRow still looks very much like a tech gadget — the camera gives it away. The idea isn’t entirely new either; wearable cameras are a growing trend, though FrontRow’s implementation certainly is unique.
It’s available for purchase on FrontRow.com and Amazon for $400, and the companion app is supported on iOS and Android.