Facebook Plans First Smartwatch for Next Summer With Two Cameras, Heart Rate Monitor (theverge.com) 25
Facebook is taking a novel approach to its first smartwatch, which the company hasn't confirmed publicly but currently plans to debut next summer. From a report: The device will feature a display with two cameras that can be detached from the wrist for taking pictures and videos that can be shared across Facebook's suite of apps, including Instagram, The Verge has learned. A camera on the front of the watch display exists primarily for video calling, while a 1080p, auto-focus camera on the back can be used for capturing footage when detached from the stainless steel frame on the wrist. Facebook is tapping other companies to create accessories for attaching the camera hub to things like backpacks, according to two people familiar with the project, both of whom requested anonymity to speak without Facebook's permission. The idea is to encourage owners of the watch to use it in ways that smartphones are used now. It's part of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's plan to build more consumer devices that circumvent Apple and Google, the two dominant mobile phone platform creators that largely control Facebook's ability to reach people.
My Precious (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3)
Remember, you are a valuable commodity to Facebook. Be sure to wear your smart watch so we can make sure we get a return on our invest...I mean... make sure you are ok.
If more people realized this, they might understand that a product offering from Fuckbook, should come with a payment, not a price tag.
The branding is incongruous (Score:2)
The brand is more a liability than a status symbol to me. It's like buying a computer made by Hoover. The younger generations already shun Facebook. I can't imagine them flocking to this smartwatch.
Re: The branding is incongruous (Score:2)
You have to understand that at this point in time most Facebook content generators are basically the most narcissistic human beings in the world. They don't think like you and I do, and any new way to record themselves is likely to be adopted with gusto.
Go to hell, Zuckerberg. (Score:2)
the two dominant mobile phone platform creators that largely control Facebook's ability to exploit people.
FTFY, Mark, now bugger off. If you ran our local sanitation firm, I'd just eat my own garbage, that's how far I trust you and your company.
Re:2 cameras?? (Score:4, Interesting)
I actually have a use case for a camera on my watch, assuming it has a visual quality comparable to my cell phone: I can get my watch out faster for a pic than I can my phone and in a few circumstances, recently that would have made a difference.
Having said that.... nope nope nope, cannot do a camera on a smart watch. I already work somewhere that restricts cell phones for that reason. In fact my cellular-smart watch is how I'm getting around that rule. Once there's a camera built-in that's it.
in Soviet Russia... (Score:2)
Oxymoron (Score:3)
Facebook smartwatch.
Top Five reasons to have two cameras on watch (Score:2)
Why would you need two cameras on a watch?
5) One out, and one wrist facing!
4) Each camera offers unique Instagram filter, purchase required to unlock each one.
3) Two cameras supports new stereoscopic Floating Head view when communicating with others.
2) Redundancy, can still take photos while one camera reboots!
1) One camera is for you to take pictures with... the other is for Facebook (cue ominous music).
P.S. (Score:1)
I had no fore-knowedlge when I wrote this that #5 was reality!!
I wonder if the heart rate monitor ... (Score:4, Insightful)
Clean up the brand image first... (Score:4, Insightful)
Facebook doesn't have a good reputation among people. Between people randomly getting banned for various stuff, to all the data exfiltration, scandals of where data was sold to, to many other things FB has done to invade privacy, anything sold with the FB brand will not be regarded highly.
Facebook needs to clean up their image before most people would buy anything from them.
Maybe work on things like how Facebook created a compression algorithm (zstd) that can cover a lot of bases, and is part of the Linux kernel. That, and their work on making btrfs something suitable for production. Facebook doing a lot of good for the F/OSS thing can help greatly improve their brand name, especially if they sell devices which are open and hackable (hackable in the old school sense, not hackable as in easily compromised).
FB has enough capitalization that they could throw a third of their capitalization at climate change and completely stop it entirely.
However, as it stands now, I don't really know anyone who would buy a smartwatch from them. The entire smartwatch industry seems to have come and gone, and if I see a smartwatch, it is an Apple Watch, so there wouldn't be much market for a Facebook device.
Re: (Score:3)
Facebook needs to clean up their image before most people would buy anything from them.
As Lt. Cmd. Worf would say: "You cannot tarnish a rusted blade." [imdb.com] - same goes for trying to 'clean it up'.
Re: (Score:2)
FB has enough capitalization that they could throw a third of their capitalization at climate change and completely stop it entirely.
Care to detail how anyone could entirely stop climate change with 1/3rd of FB's capitalization ?
What could possibly go wrong? (Score:2)
"Privacy Rapist to release product that helps track your health."
Helps whom - you or itself?
Get a smartwatch from a real company (Score:2)
There area companies out there that profit solely from the hardware, get your smartwatch from one of those companies. I don't want facebook on my wrist, and I don't think any right-minded person out there would either.
Dick Tracy and His Two--Way Wrist Radio. (Score:2)
The real question here is... (Score:1)
I wonder (Score:2)
Too Bad (Score:2)
I wish they had spun off a company for this. It's one stock you could confidently short.