Last year we published a review of the Looxcie, a wearable camcorder that we used during our trips around the world. We recently received the new version of the device, the LX2. Here's our first impression.

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As for the first device, the packaging for the LX2 is very well designed. It's smaller and more efficient than the fancy red box that we received the first time which makes more sense given the size of this tiny camcorder. But when you open the box, you see that the best improvement in terms of design is inside the box.

The updated version of the Looxcie is simply gorgeous. While the first one looked nice and fun, the LX2 is classy and discreet. As you can see it's a simple black stick that no one will really care about on your ear. If it was 1inch shorter, there would be no way to tell the difference from a classic bluetooth headset.

One brilliant improvement is the on/off button that is now a two-position switch instead of a button. I can tell from experience that this will make a big difference. While at the Dour festival in Belgium, I put my Looxcie in my pocket after recording a bit. Unfortunately it turned itself on when my jeans pressed on the button, resulting in a 2 hour recording of the inside of my pocket. You can see a bit of the footage in the Looxcierama (below) which is kind of fun. But it exhausted the battery and I wasn't able to use it for the rest of the festival as we camped and had no access to power outlets.

The second improvement is the ergonomic fitting system using a specific earbud that won't allow the device to move while you record. You will find 4 sizes of earbuds in the package and two sizes of the part that goes around the ear. We have yet to try it out rigorously but I know it'll be an improvement over the first one. We actually had to tape the original model to our cheek when used while running or climbing. I reckon it's not really the primary purpose of the device but we like our extreme sports.

In terms of using the device, it's exactly like the previous version and the software is regularly evolving to enhance the functionality. However, it remains compatible with both versions of the device.

There are two things we are looking forward to seeing in the future for the Looxcie. First is an upgrade of the quality. I realize it must not be easy with such a tiny device but filming in HD would be the ultimate experience. Also, it would be great if the Looxcie Desktop app added basic editing software to make it even easier to cut and paste clips from camcorder, in order to produce our own movies.

 

Oh and they announced Looxcie Live, a software to live stream the feed from your camcorder. I can wait to try that while in Berlin, to share events with the team in Paris!

You will find below our new Looxcierama with some parts of our summer. As you will see it wasn't very exciting as it rained most of the summer in Paris and we didn't travel that much. Next month, expect a Looxcierama 5 with footage from the US West Coast and Berlin.

Note: this wasn't shot with the LX2 device as we only received it last week.

Alex