An increasingly popular solution is the exploit of a solar panel, which allows you to recharge the battery so you can install it and potentially never touch the camera again. Both Wyze and TP-Link just unveiled some compelling solar-powered cameras this week. Let’s talk about Wyze first.
The Wyze Solar Cam Pan ($80) is a 2K outdoor security camera that can rotate 360 degrees and tilt 70 degrees. It’s IP65 rated, straightforward to install, and comes with a miniature solar panel that Wyze claims can keep the camera running in just one hour of sunlight a day (we’ll find out by testing it in the gray depths of a Scottish winter). Solar Cam Pan also offers AI-based people tracking, two-way audio, color night vision, a spotlight, and a siren, though you’ll need a subscription starting at $3 a month to unlock intelligent features and get cloud video storage.
Wyze also announced a modern product that is impressively affordable Battery Operated Video Doorbell ($66). We recently started testing Wyze cameras again as we improved them its security policybut repeated security breaches, sharing thousands of camera images with other clientsit may still give you something to think about.
Meanwhile, TP-Link is the first manufacturer to combine solar energy with a reflector function in its modern device Tapo C615F set. The similar-looking but larger Tapo C615F is another 2K camera, but it rotates 360 degrees, tilts 130 degrees and, most importantly, has an adjustable 800-lumen reflector.
TP-Link claims its solar panel only needs 45 minutes of sun a day for the camera to work, and it comes with a handy 5-meter cable so you can install the solar panel in the best place to catch the rays. The Tapo C615F ($100) is now available and you can exploit the promotional code 10TAPOFLDCAM to get $10 off if you hurry. —Simon Hill
Fujifilm updates its X-T30 line
Courtesy of Fujifilm
Fujifilm released X-T30 IIIan update to the entry-level X-T30 mirrorless line in a SLR shape. The third version of the X-T30 camera combines the already familiar 26MP Fujifilm X-Trans APS-C sensor with Fujifilm’s latest processor, the X-Processor 5. The latter means that the X-T30 III is now more or less the same as the X-M5 and X-T50 in terms of internal features. All Fujifilm film simulations are available, as well as object recognition AF modes. Video specs also see an raise to 6.2K at 30fps with the gate open and 4K 60fps with a 1.18X crop.
The bodywork is almost identical to the previous model; size, weight and button/dial layout are the same as the X-T30 II. The only change is that the control dial is now a film simulation dial, with three options for custom film recipes. X-T30 III will go on sale in November for $999 for the body, or $1,150 for the body and a modern 13-33mm F3.5-6.3 zoom lens (20-50mm equivalent). —Scott Gilbertson
Intel AI Solutions Stores
To celebrate the peak shopping season, Intel is launching a variety of “AI Experience Stores” in several key locations around the world. We don’t know exactly what they will look like, but Intel says these pop-ups will feature some sort of “AI-powered shopping experience” and are based on the first launch trial shop last year in London.
If the same design ethos is maintained, these stores will be quite immersive experiences. There will be plenty of AI-powered demos on devices from the broader Windows laptop ecosystem, likely to raise interest and curiosity about what PCs can do. Interestingly, this is the result of significant marketing efforts by Microsoft in the form of modern AI solutions in Windows 11, aimed at convincing buyers to upgrade and explain some of the modern AI features.
Below are the dates and locations that Intel Stores will be open. —Łukasz Larsen
- Recent York: 1251 6th Avenue (October 29–November 30)
- London: 95 Oxford Street (30/10–30/11)
- Munich: Viktualienmarkt 6 (30/10–9/12)
- Paris: 14 Boulevard Poissonniere (from 11/04 to 30/11)
- Seoul: OPUS 407, 1318-1 Seocho-dong (October 31 to November 30)