Webcams just got an upgrade

Nothing beats sipping on a cup of coffee and reading some of the headlines. Join me…

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Webcams are one of those things that aren’t often innovated on. I mean, it was a big deal when Apple finally updated its webcam to 1080p on its M2 MacBook range.

For too long, webcams have been considered an afterthought, but with the rise of remote work and more people making video content from home, some companies have decided to take another look at the humble webcam. 

Opal is one of those companies. It’s been two years since the company launched its now iconic C1 webcam after accruing a waitlist of 16,000. Since then, the team has been fairly busy thinking of how next to shake up the webcam market.

The result is Tadpole. Already a contender for the cutest product name ever, Tadpole is, according to Opal, the first webcam designed for laptops. It boasts AI-powered tech, a directional mic, a capacitive touch to mute function, and a 48 MP sensor.

One of the main draws here is just how portable it is, and Opal knows that. It weighs 35 grams and even comes with a wrist strap so you can bring it around from meeting to meeting. 

So far, so good. It has even impressed Reddit co-founder (and Opal investor) Alexis Ohanian:

“It's incredibly small and has great image quality — but it's the directional audio mic that's the real gamechanger. Can't wait to use this product”

The Tadpole is available to order now. It ships in white or black and starts at $175.

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