Google Clips release date, news: AI-powered camera now available in the US for $249

A promotional photo for the Google ClipsFacebook.com/GoogleClips

The AI-powered camera introduced by Google back in October is now available in the US market. The small snapper device called Clips is a special hardware from the search engine giant, which makes use of artificial intelligence to find the right timing in taking a photo. Google Clips itself can tell which scene is interesting enough and deserves a snap. Buyers can have the camera for $249 without any shipping costs.

Google has silently begun selling the Clips camera this week. As reported by Engadget, the company has already taken the initial pre-orders of interested buyers, although Google is said to have stopped taking new orders for a while. For now, those who would like to purchase the device will be brought to the waiting list, in which they will give their e-mail address so that Google can contact them once the pre-ordering period resumes.

On the other hand, those who were early enough to pre-order the Google Clips will receive their purchase very soon. The expected delivery dates of the Clips camera range from February 27th to March 5th. It is still uncertain if the delivery time will take longer when the company starts to take orders again, especially if the demand for the product overcomes the limited supply.

According to Tech Radar, the Google Clips is an always-on camera which can be placed anywhere by the user to take perfect stills. The user does not have to make any input on the device as the Clips camera relies on artificial intelligence to judge when is the right timing to take a picture. The camera is also aware of interesting subjects to have their photos taken. Clips spares the user's time to click on the shutter button, as it automatically takes the most photogenic scenes that its lens have spotted. 

The Google Clips is packed with 16 gigabytes (GB) of built-in storage, huge enough for the camera to store numerous snaps every hour. The device does not require an internet connection to function, although users have an option to sync its stored image files with Google Photos. The camera's 2-inch square body houses a 12-megapixel (MP) sensor, which is effective in taking pictures, as well as recording video clips.