codefoster | Another app in the Store
Jeremy Foster
@codefoster

Another app in the Store

by Jeremy Foster 6. December 2012 16:45

I'm on leave but I return to work next week. I took some of my off time to write another app. It's a quick one that is tied to a specific piece of hardware, but I have said hardware and I use this app all the time now.

It's a webcam viewer for the Foscam FI9820. I will expand it at some point to work with more cameras and do a lot more to it, but for now I have done with I always recommend my independent developer friends do and I kept the scope very low.

The app is called CamView and I use it daily now to spy on my as he sleeps. Here's what it looks like...

Notice the full screen view of the webcam. I like this immersive experience, because I feel like I'm actually in room looking into the crib. I wanted to create a good snap experience too since watching someone sleep is not exactly going to be captivating and one might wish to multi-task. Here's what I ended up with for the snapped view…

Instead of the camera's view being restricted to a small square, it takes up the entire snap view.

Notice too the faint arrows on each edge of the screen. Those control the pan and tilt of the camera. Again, I like how direct the control is. Instead of a control panel to the side, they are right on the surface of the image.

If you happen to have this specific hardware, then you can link to CamView in the store with http://aka.ms/camviewapp.

I'm not sure what I'll write next, but I'm ready for my next app. What are you working on and how's it going?

Tags:

Windows 8

Comments (3) -

Husein
Husein Bosnia and Herzegovina
12/12/2012 11:07:55 AM #

This is an excellent idea, and the one, I have to admit, I also plan to implement. I was thinking of implementing motion detection also, however, children will turn many times in bed. Detecting open/closed eyes might be a good solution!? Smile

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Daniel Hines
Daniel Hines United States
12/27/2012 12:05:57 PM #

This is awesome and something I have always wanted to implement.  Some things to consider:

-Support for various IP camera makes/models
-Kinect support!!!
-Viewing multiple camera streams at once
-Manual/motion-triggered recording
-Streaming to the cloud (some guy actually set up his own home security system that did this with a bunch of Kinect sensors for the Seattle 30 to Launch event)

I think there's definitely a substantial market for apps like this for those looking for DIY home security solutions.  I installed commercial IP camera systems for 8 years, and despite the software not usually being too feature rich, it would sell for tens of thousands of dollars.  A Win8 app with comparable features is something that I think would sell very well, even with relatively high price point ($50?).  Or perhaps provide the basic app for use with a single camera, and charge for each desired additional camera.

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Jeremy Foster
Jeremy Foster United States
12/28/2012 9:13:12 AM #

Dan, I agree. I do have a lot of features that I'm trying to add for the next release. Multiple camera support will be there as will simultaneous camera views. The other ideas are great. Thanks.

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