Great Gift!
Written: Dec 27 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: endless fun for the spy mentality
Cons: black and white images, low res
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| bfett25's Full Review: Casio WQV1-1CR Watch |
I got this watch for Christmas two days ago, after hearing briefly about it through the grapevine and thinking, there's no way this thing will work. But I stand corrected and declare it one of the coolest thing's I've ever seen.
First impressions can be a bit off-putting, and initially I was concerned about the size. The body is somewhat big for a watch of today's fashion. Not huge, but not a swatch. Then again, Spoon watches are the IN thing right now and they're sort of bulky. So prepare yourself for something that stands out but don't fret over it. You'll forget size soon enough. Concerns about girth are immediately set aside once the picture taking commences.
My girlfriend, who gave me the watch as a gift, had already taken a picture of herself and added a message to it that read, Merry Xmas. It was a fairly clear image of her from the shoulders up smiling. It looked great, was well lit, and convinced me that if I didn't take a picture in the next five seconds i would burst.
Over the course of the day I took about 50 pictures--It holds up to one hundred. Half of them came out really well while half came out dark and blurred. The reason for the unclear pictures was a factor of lighting and movement. The brighter the room the brighter the picture. You'll want fluorescents or at least more than one light on in the room. And shoot subjects that are still. They don't need to be statuesque, they just can't be jumping around.
There are three settings for indoor and outdoor use. To be honest, I don't notice a huge difference between them, but there are minimal changes in the brightness. It does allow you to change contrast also and provides some effects. The effects are kind of goofy, however, and I can't imagine too many people have a need for a split screen. Once the image is captured you can type in a message above it.
The infrared PC link and software that come with the watch are extremely easy to install. I admit I was annoyed at the prospect of even having to install it because I have had a troubled past with this kind of stuff. Rest assured, however, it almost sets itself up. Uploading and downloading images is a simple step, and the manual, both in print and on the disc, run you through the process. Uploading the fifty images together took about five minutes. Uploading single images takes about twenty seconds.
Image quality is fair. It's new technology and it'll take time to format high res images on a watch. But it is certainly better than I expected. The image you get on the computer is kind of small, something like 2 inches square. But I've already e-mailed a bunch of the images to my friends and the responses have been positive. The program allows you to fuss with the brightness, contrast and add messages as well.
The only con to this great gadget at the moment is that it only produces black and white images. But bear in mind it's a watch, and it's a novelty. Just pretend your James Bond and have some fun. And belive me, it is fun!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
bfett25
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Member: Ryan Thomas
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 1 member
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