Review CEREVO CAM : The networked camera

On 16 Dec 2009, a new concept camera "CEREVO CAM" is released to Japan market.
CEREVO CAM" is made by CEREVO for it's startup : "Akihabara Tokyo" based and "independent" electronics company. This camera is designed from scratch and in-house, based on DM355 platform (Ti).
CEREVO announced that the company is going to release not only CEREVO CAM but also "CEREVO CAM development kit". It sound very good and cool for "Make:" geeks community and education market!

CEREVO CAM's spec, history etc... Please check this following link

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/12/13/cerevo-cam-hands-on-with-the-social-camera-that-directly-uploads-pictures-to-the-web/
Good report from TechCrunch.

My CEREVO CAM (blue box) and daily bread.

I add some stickers on its face.

I bought my CEREVO CAM on 10 Dec 2009 (1 week before release day) and try about 1week. That's my 1st week impression of using.

"CEREVO CAM" is called as "networked camera". Its ecosystem is linked VERY closely with wireless LAN, internet, and many of online photo storage services, SNS and microblog :as Flickr, Picasa, tumblr, twitter and so on.
If you are not using these online services, you are NOT CEREVO CAM's target.
If you sometime use these online service, mmm... you may not be CEREVO CAM target, go BestBuy and check CANON or SONY old-school digital camera. They're very sophisticate and easy to use for you and your grandmothers.
If you are geek, living with 24h wi-fi connection and 3G modem (e-mobile in Japan), tumblr holic, Flickr fan and "edge digital gadget freak" ... CEREVO CAM may welcome people like you and me :) .

Note: I'm using the earliest version of firmware and CEREVO is going to release new firmware on 22 DEC.

Before start using CEREVO CAM, you have to go CEREVO LIFE (CEREVO official web service) and link your CEREVO CAM with your account and your wireless LAN setting : ESSID, WPA-PSK or WEP(not safe!), your wireless LAN password and use DHCP(or not). If you're using your global IP address, add your own address, gateway, netmask, DNS address.

After entering these setting, you saw a QRcode on your monitor. This QRcode includes your network information. When you take QR code one shot on your CEREVO CAM, the camera automatically setup your wireless LAN connection. You don't have to enter your wireless info with small camera interface. That's very nice idea.

Wireless LAN connected!

After finish registration on CEREVO LIFE. The camera set "time,date,year" automatically. If you're living outside Japan, please set your timezone from camera setting.

OK. Go outside with my CEREVO CAM and take many photos :)
(Note: most of these photos are not original image. I tuned these color with IrfanView.)

(This photo is original image of CEREVO CAM, not fixed.)

CEREVO CAM doesn't wake-up quickly for the first time, maybe 45 sec on first power on. Don't worry. When once power on, CEREVO CAM supports "sleep mode". Without input anykey 5min, CEREVO CAM set into sleep mode, when you push power button, the recovery time to work is about 5 second or much longer.
CEREVO CAM may have small buffer memory or use slow transfer system to micro SD card. After taking many photos, I sometimes have to wait till my CEREVO CAM finish memory transfer (maybe 30sec-45sec). The waiting time was too long for me.
I always take over 500-800 pics in one day with my GR_DIGITAL, DSC-R1 (10Mpixs very unique style camera by SONY) and some other cameras from my collection.

After using 3days, I understand the style of this small camera.
CEREVO CAM is not for "Fast Draw" photo-shooting. CEREVO CAM require slow photo shooting style, like most of digital cameras 5years before (3Mpixs generation).
CEREVO CAM doesn't support any image stabilization. CEREVO CAM doesn't have Auto Focus unit, no macro (42mm equiv. pan focus.) CEREVO CAM doesn't support self timer now, woops! (It maybe updated, I think.)
CEREVO CAM's Auto White Balance is not good. The camera sometimes shows nostalgic image pictures as 80's photos.


Although, If you hold your camera to reduce camera shaking and blurring, the camera sometimes (not always) shows very nice photos. These photos are really a 9Mpixs camera's output.
I like the taste of these photos because these photos are not "too much digital effected". These photos still keep "natural detail" of pictures. Some latest digital camera kills such "natural detail" when erasing digital noise and do strong sharpness effects, I don't like such "noiseless and harmless (or boring)" picture.


Automatic upload!

After getting many photos into my CEREVO CAM, the camera automatically search wireless LAN network (which registed on CEREVO LIFE) and upload photos automatically. CEREVO LIFE storage is 5GB, enough OK for photos.

When I setup my CEREVO CAM wireless setting once , I "don't need ANY KEY INPUT" to upload my photos to CEREVO LIFE. Also, CEREVO LIFE supports automatic photo transfer to many SNS and microblogs

If I want to do, I can post my photos on tumblr or Flickr "without ANY KEY INPUT" via CEREVO LIFE. That's very very net-native style lol, wow I love it!
(Needless to say, you can select some good pics on CEREVO LIFE and post them to tumblr or Flickr or some SNS. That's normal way for MOST users.)



CEREVO LIFE supports easy retouch of photos : crop, rotation and some effects like monochrome or high-contrast.
The "graphic effect server" of CEREVO LIFE uses "Playstation3 Linux". That's very powerful, unique and economy system.
http://bb.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/news/25379.html

In addition, when you are not in wi-fi area, (for example: you're in some old style office without any geek,wooops) , you can connect your CEREVO CAM directly to your "USB e-mobile unit (3G modem)" and do upload your photos JUST NOW. In Japan, e-mobile 3G modem service supports most area of Tokyo and most city area around Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and many big city.

One bad point. CEREVO CAM now doesn't support "wireless LAN freespot" but CEREVO announced that they'll update its firmware and support "wireless LAN freespot" very soon. After this firmware update, I can upload photos from anywhere with free-wireless LAN spot. In Akihabara, there is so many resultants with free wifi spot and good taste of coffee and sweets (not free but economy price) .

The concept of CEREVO CAM is very nice idea, I think.
However, the product is not in perfect condition. When using CEREVO CAM, it get freeze 3 times and I have to push hardware reset button, and lost 4 piece of photos.
The shutter button and hardware user interface is not so good feeling of touch.
I misfired my camera flasher many times at Shinjyuku Kabukicho, one of the most famous amusement area in Japan.

At any rate, CEREVO CAM is very unique. It seems still in progress. I'll use CEREVO CAM as "sub camera " for my daily snapshot and record my memory casually. I'm waiting next firmware update and wish CEREVO CAM and CEREVO LIFE flourish.