GoogleHelpouts
Latest
Wearable Google Helpouts streaming camera shares GoPro heritage, we go hands-on (video)
Ambarella isn't exactly a household name, but the 10-year-old company's silicon has long found its way into GoPro cams and other hardware thanks to its video-compression chops and low-power tech prowess. Word broke last month that Google commissioned the outfit to produce a reference design for a wearable camera that would stream to its Helpouts service, which lets folks ask experts for help over video. Here at CES, the manufacturer's brought along a few samples of the device, and we've just put our paws all over one. Inside a plastic housing the size of a chunky matchbox, Ambarella's placed a custom chip (an A7LW, if you're curious) that endows the package with the ability to stream 1080p video at 30fps for a minimum of one hour. The housing also comes with a micro-USB port, microphone, 500mAh battery, 8GB of flash storage, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, along with power and "connect" buttons up top.
Google Helpouts aims to improve your life with the healing power of web video
It's like a Hangout, only with less loitering and more healing. Or something. After months of behind-the-scenes testing, Google's launching Helpouts, a new service that leverages the company's video offerings to pair users up with doctors, teachers, personal trainers and the like. Those professional life maker-betters need to list their credentials, as per the Hangout-powered service's fine print, so you don't wind up showing off that gaping shotgun wound to just any Joe Webcam (also, you should probably see a real life doctor. That looks infected). It should come as no surprise, too that the offering will be available on mobile devices, as well, so you embark on that pilates session on the bus to work. And once you're all done, you can check out with Google Wallet.
