Amaryllo iCam HD is a Linux based smart network HD (720p) Camera with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n + WPS connectivity, infra-red vision, 100 degrees view angle, and 360 degrees view possible via remote pan-and-tilt, a microphone, a speaker, a micro SD card slot for video recording, a motion sensor, and a micro USB port for power via a standard USB power adapter or a USB power bank. On top of that, you can easily remotely access the camera via Skype by calling from your computer or your smartphone just like you would do to call a friend or family member.
The camera can be used to watch after your loved ones: babies, aging parents, pets…, and for home security. I could also envision using it with people who are close to you that are not comfortable with computers. You could just set it up for them, and call them directly without any intervention from their part. The downside is that although you would see them, but they would not see you. Audio should probably work thanks to the built-in microphone and speaker in the camera. The hardware is there for this particurlar use case, but I’m not 100% sure it would work.
I understand you’ll need an Android phone to setup the camera via iCam HD app, and the process involved scanning a QR code from the camera, and from the phone back to the camera. Once this is all setup you can call the camera as shown in the video below with an Android mini PC connected to an HDTV.
You could also call their test camera installed in their office, for a live demo for up to two minutes. Not all at the same time. Thanks. I could not find out how they exactly control the motors remotely, but a Linux.com articles states that “you can control the camera by entering simple commands into the Skype chat window”, which does not seem very user-friendly.
There are actually two models iCam A1 (ACC1308A1) with all the features mentioned above, and iCam B1 (ACC1308B1) which lacks pan & tilt control.
You can find more information on Amaryllo website. iCam HD (A1) is available from the company website for 179.90 Euros, from Amazon US for $209, as well as from the company’s Indiegogo campaign for $159 including worldwide shipping. The odd thing is that the campaign has been running for about a month, with one more month to go, and they don’t have even one backer yet.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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