Smart homes that utilize more than one Blink camera can now enjoy Moments, a feature that automatically combines several camera clips to show a person or pet’s movements around your property. Amazon says that Moments is currently rolling out, though the feature requires a paid Blink Subscription Plus Plan membership.
Blink Moments aims to reduce the labor involved in home security. Let’s pretend that a suspicious man wandered around your home while you were at work. He happened to walk by all five of your blink cameras. Instead of manually picking through the Blink app to find each clip of the suspicious stranger, you can see all of the man’s movements in a single Moments video.
Moments isn’t a must-have feature, but it has the potential to be a huge convenience. A Moments video may be used to assist law enforcement immediately after a break-in, or it could be used as evidence when filing for an emergency injunction (a restraining order that’s implemented before or during legal proceedings).
Of course, your chances of being robbed are relatively low, which is why Amazon’s press release focuses on more casual uses, like capturing video of family playtime or funny interactions with animals. While I’m mainly interested in Moments’ use as a security tool, I believe that Amazon is correct in that it will primarily be a source of fun.
“Today, Blink customers have an average of three cameras per household and generate hundreds of motion events. With a large volume of footage, manually scrolling through individual clips can be time-consuming. Moments solves this by combining various clips into one condensed story. In doing so, it delivers added value by providing customers with an easier way to interact with their footage.”
To my surprise, the new Moments video feature works with all “current and prior generations of Blink’s battery-powered and plug-in devices.” Most smart home companies refuse to provide new features for old products, so this is commendable.
It’s worth nothing that Moments is a cloud-based feature—video editing and processing is handled by a remote server, rather than your cameras. Privacy advocates are sure to criticize Moments, as it demonstrates how Amazon can automatically turn a loose set of camera feeds into a point-by-point record of a person’s actions or movements within their home.
Blink has a nice privacy policy, but Amazon recently paid $31 million for violating child and consumer privacy laws. Consumers should make an informed choice when installing any internet-connected device in their home. A product like the Blink camera will always come with clear benefits and murky downsides.
Blink Moments is currently rolling out and will be available to all Blink Subscription Plus Plan members over the next few weeks. Blink Basic users will not receive this feature. A Blink Subscription Plus Plan will run you $10 a month or $100 annually, depending on which billing option you choose.
Source: Amazon
