When Dave Michels spoke at the UC Summit about video and "removing the blindfold," he was referring to audio teleconferencing--audio without video is the "blindfold." This really struck home with me because in UC today, field workers are wearing blindfolds.
Last month prior to attending UC Summit, I engaged in researching POV (point-of-view) camera manufacturers. While there are some really cool POV cameras on the market, none of them are equipped or really designed for what I have in mind. The closest match I could find is the PivotHead product from HDVisionware, shown below:
There's been some talk about field workers using tablets' video capabilities, but tablets aren't really versatile enough: An iPad really doesn't work as a telephone, and you can't really do hands-free video with it.
I want a wearable camera that weighs ounces, not pounds and I like the idea of PivotHead--using wearable glasses. Their camera is ideally located and offers hands-free use. But what it doesn't do like all the other POV cameras is stream video via cellular data.
The other options I'd love to see in a POV camera like PivotHead are streaming via Facetime, Google Video and Lync. Then, I should be able to connect via my BlueJeans Network app on my iPhone and stream video of what I am seeing to others in the conference room, allowing them to see exactly what it is that I am seeing, and to offer assistance or a remedy for the issue. Video streaming should be an option in any device to effect what is needed in any collaboration.
I am not suggesting that all POV video encounters are going to be live and require assistance, but I am suggesting that the ability be available and not dependent upon WiFi, since WiFi is absent in many field conditions. The capabilities need to range from simply shooting the POV video and storing it for upload, email or sharing; or escalating to real-time sharing depending upon the need and urgency, to another user device or video conference room.
Holding up an iPad or and iPhone to capture a POV video for many field workers is ridiculous; although it's an available resource, it's simply the wrong tool for the application. In numerous fieldwork scenarios, it would simply be too dangerous to use any handheld device to stream video.
The various POV camera manufacturers deliver really cool cameras that capture the point-of-view seen by the user that is racing a car, driving in a moto-cross event, skydiving or some other sports activity, by wearing a camera on a helmet or mounting it on a vehicle or piece of equipment. Potential enterprise users include various field workers and situations where hands-free POV video would provide meaningful engagement with others concerned.
Dave Michels has it right, remove the blindfolds, and I'm only asking to remove the handcuffs because video is going to provide meaning to collaboration and there's a value add to industries with field workers, to move collaborative engagements to point-of-view to solve problems and resolve conflicts.
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