Opkix
If you’re an avid concert goer like me, chances are you need more than two hands to count the number of times you’ve watched a concert through someone else’s smartphone screen. But for someone who frequently uses social media, grabbing a 30-second clip of a chorus or particularly great guitar solo is an irresistible moment — who doesn’t want to share awesome live music?
What if there was a way to capture the experience, and not have to fidget with your phone during a show? Enter Opkix, a new wearable, wireless video camera that uses magnets to attach to hats, sunglasses or other accessories for hands-free recording.
Lawrence Greaves, CEO and co-founder of Opkix, said the goal in creating Opkix was to develop a fashion-forward and lifestyle-driven product that can be mounted on someone’s person to free them from having to grapple with their phone. It’s discreet enough to wear to any concert, and high-quality enough to create meaningful, shareable content.
In the case of concerts, that means more time to raise your drink in your air and hug your friends while enjoying the show — instead of watching through a screen.
“We’re living our life so, so focused on wanting to capture that moment, but we’re doing it through a screen,” Greaves said. “And we may as well just sit at home and live stream the event if that’s going to be the case. So we want to free people of that.”
Opkix began selling products direct to consumers this spring — but the inception for the idea came in 2016, when co-founder Shahin Amirpour was on a snowboarding trip and lacked a wearable, hands-free way to capture video. Developing the Opkix took the work of more than 200 engineers across four continents who had to rise to the occasion of packing advanced technology into a compact device that could be used by anyone.
While the main draw of Opkix is to unglue users' fingers from their phones so they can enjoy the present moment, Greaves emphasizes that the team at Opkix are NOT anti-smartphone — in fact, phones are integral to the product’s operation. Users can record on their Opkix with the press of a single on/off switch. Then the video clips are uploaded to the users’ phone once the device is placed in its wireless charging “egg.” The clips can be accessed and edited using the Opkix app (which is free, and available to those who don’t own the Opkix camera and want to edit social-ready videos).
The cameras themselves store up to 15 minutes of video, with up to 70 minutes of storage inside the egg. For a night out at a concert, or for a three-day festival, it’s plenty of footage that can be edited into socially shareable bites.
In addition to getting concert captures from the audience perspective, the Opkix has been used by musicians to get a stage-level view — Swae Lee donned the device on a pair of sunglasses to capture clips of a crowd of fans, amd Jared Watson of the Dirty Heads popped it on a hat.
“We’re getting two different vantage points,” Greaves said. “Both the artist and the fanbase haven’t seen before from this perspective, and it’s really quite incredible for us to see both sides of the equation, especially when we’re such big fans of the music space in general.”
The Opkix One runs $295 for a single camera and $395 for a dual camera. Bundle packages are available that come with mounting accessories, as well as accessories that can be purchased individually to give users multiple options on how to wear the camera.
Greaves, who has two children and has found himself free from his smartphone in favor of the Opkix during family outings, says it’s an ideal product for anyone who wants to capture memorable moments without having to deal with their phone.
“Whether it’s concerts or even parents going to their kids violin recital at school, we go to these events to celebrate, be present and enjoy the time where we’re off work, enjoy the time that we’re socializing and being with our friends, “ he said.
Opkix
