Jørgen "007" Sundgot rigs up Nokia's new Observation Camera, and finds that keeping track of what's going on at home or at work when you're not around suddenly becomes a snap.
Having embarked on an accessory bonanza for its vast line-up of mobile phones, Nokia is now pitching its new Observation Camera as the latest must-have for those in need of remote supervision. Be it for keeping an eye on the kids, colleagues or even frame unsuspecting burglars in the midst of night, the Observation Camera snaps pictures in VGA resolution and sends these via MMS to provide a fly-on-the-wall view of what's going on - and yes, only your imagination (and local legislation) prevents you from coming up with additional uses.
 | E.T. or surveillance camera - regardless, the Nokia Observation Camera does its job well
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With a shape eerily similar to that of E.T.'s head, the Observation Camera can be placed on or attached to any surface by means of its attachable mounting socket which doubles as a foot stand. The camera itself is aligned courtesy of a ball joint, and in addition to the lens itself totes two infrared light sources, a motion senser, a microphone, a thermometer and three indicator LEDs that serve to notify the user of the GSM status of the camera.
Requiring a SIM card and subscriber account with GPRS and MMS capabilities activated, the camera can be configured either through connecting it through a serial port connection to a PC and the Nokia Observation Camera Suite, or entirely by means of SMS messages from the mobile phone number associated with the Master (Administrator) account of the camera. Initial configuration is brief and int uitive, and as a particularly nice touch the desktop application lets users request MMS account settings via SMS rather than having to key these in manually (which is also an option).
The functionality offered by the camera is threefold: users can request one or more snapshots either manually or - using motion detection - have these sent to them automatically; receive notifications when a minimum or maximum temperature has been reached; and allow users to listen in to audio from the area in which the camera is placed. Utilizing a mixture of SMS, MMS and old-fashioned dialling to achieve its capabilities, the camera does an excellent job at each and provides a more than adequate array of settings for users to tweak.
To mention a few of the more practical ones, the size and quality of pictures to be sent via MMS can be adjusted, coming in handy when operators implement size restrictions; users can choose the number of pictures to be sent to them when the motion detector kicks in; pictures can be sent to any phone number; and the Master User can define which of the maximum of 20 user accounts should be allowed to access just which ones of the available functions.
In use, each of the functions of the Observation Camera performed flawlessly. The quality of images proved to be as good as that of any comparable VGA camera, while MMS messages were delivered with good speed - although potential buyers should keep in mind that the latter can be affected severely by network capacity. Also, the infrared night vision of the camera proved as efficient as the average security camera, and the ability to immediately listen in on activity in the immediate vicinity of the camera offers yet one more option of determining what actions are taking place. The remote temperature monitoring feature seems to have little practical use for most people, however, but could come in handy for some.
Lastly, the user manual of the Observation conveniently includes two credit card sized command function reminders which list the most commonly used functions - a nice touch.
Availability
The Nokia Observation Camera is available now in most European countries and sells in the 350 EUR range.
Conclusion
The Nokia Observation Camera brings a new twist to the concept of remote monitoring, and succeeds both in delivering useful features and rendering these easy to use. Its ability to provide instant notification is a boon is a boon both in consumer and enterprise scenarios, and its audio monitoring feature provides a unique opportunity to determine more accurately what is taking place on the other end of the line. It does not do video, however, which is a drawback compared to conventional cameras.
- What's positive: Full remote control, tweakability, audio dial-in
- What's negative: No video recording
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