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A new twist on the webcam
MORE: Click here to watch our video review of the USB Snakescope
This unorthodox webcam has a large cable between the handle, which has the controls on it, and the camera itself.
The cable can be moved around so that it snakes around corners or doors (hence the product’s name). There’s a light around the camera, which is controlled by a dial on the handle, so that you can see in the dark, although in practice it was pretty useless.
That's because the light is not powerful enough to illuminate anything more than a couple of inches away, at which point the camera’s lens was too close to the object to capture anything useful.
The rigid cable worked well, though – it’s flexible enough to allow the Snakescope to be used in all sorts of positions.
Quality was fair – it’s enough for a bit of fun – but our main question is what the device might actually be used for. It’s not good enough for ‘serious’ uses, while at £30 it’s a bit too expensive for what is essentially a throwaway bit of fun.
Here's a picture we took using the Snakescope:
MORE: Click here to watch our video review of the USB Snakescope
A clever idea for a webcam, but of relatively limited use
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Snakescope webcam
In his review Anthony says that he is not sure what the point is of this device. It seems to be an adaption of a very sophisticated imaging technology used in industrial inspection called an endoscope (also used in medical procedures). In fact there is a device called a Snake Eye which has been marketed to industrial inspection companies for some years now. ( http://www.sonatest.com/products/multi/snakeeye/Overview.html )
Posted by Mark Nel, 25 Feb 2010
Missing the point.
The reviewer says it is of very limited use.I think he has missed the point completely.For a start he calls it a web cam-which it clearly is not.I'm assuming it was design for inspection work.Where a clear line of sight is not possible.He also says its too expensive and picture quality was poor,again missing the point!
Posted by twistyy92, 02 Mar 2010
It is a webcam
This is a webcam - it's not an industrial or medical tool, and you can tell from the shot above that quality is nowhere near what either of those applications would require. It's a home camera that's designed for fun, but it's a bit expensive as it is.
Posted by Computeractive, 03 Mar 2010