New 'CMRA' Band for Apple Watch Features Dual 2MP and 8MP Cameras

Glide recently announced a new Apple Watch band that includes both a 2MP front-facing camera, as well as an 8MP outward-facing one, with the ability to capture crisp images and HD videos "in a tap." Called the "CMRA," users simply have to tap a button built into the band to snap a photo or long-press to begin recording a video, and on one charge the CMRA can take "hundreds of photos," or about 30 minutes of video (via Re/code).

cmra-watch-band-3
The sole button housed on the band also switches it between the two cameras with a double-tap. Any pictures or videos taken with the band are seamlessly integrated with Apple's stock Photos app, so it's easy to store, edit, and share moments captured on the CMRA. Glide says that the cameras on its band include tilt-balancing, lens correction, noise reduction, and pixel optimization features to provide enhanced shots on the fly. In terms of storage, the CMRA has 8GB of onboard flash memory.

The band's video conferencing feature uses Glide's iPhone and Apple Watch chat app to let users talk in real time, or send recorded video messages to one another. When the Apple Watch app launched last year, it set itself up as a companion to the iPhone app, notifying users of live Glides, missed messages, and let users watch videos right on their wrists. With CMRA, now users can begin recording those videos without needing to grab an iPhone.


For charging, pre-orders of the device will come with a custom dual-charging dock that charges both the Apple Watch and CMRA together, and the dock itself includes a battery pack so it can recharge the two devices twice during travel. Speaking with Re/code, Glide CEO Ari Roisman explained that the company is offering up pre-orders months in advance (CMRA is predicted to launch in Spring 2017) to test the waters and see how much interest the product gathers online.

cmra-watch-band-2

As for why it is taking orders so early, Roisman offers up the standard answer for small companies looking to do hardware: It needs to know how many to build, and the best way to do that is to sell them publicly before the first units roll off the manufacturing lines.

“The camera is only valuable when it is out and ready to take a photo or video,” says Glide CEO Ari Roisman. “Our phones live in our pockets.”

For those interested, the CMRA can be pre-ordered from Glide's website at an early bird price of $149.00 in both 38mm and 42mm. The device is expected to sell at $249.00 once it launches, and the company will mark it down to $199.00 for later pre-orders.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
maxresdefault

iOS 26 Code Leak Reveals Apple Smart Home Hub Details

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:02 pm PST by
Apple is working on a smart home hub that will rely heavily on the more capable version of Siri that's coming next year. We've heard quite a bit about the hub over the last two years, but a recent iOS 26 code leak provides additional insight into what we can expect and confirms rumored features. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Macworld claims to have access to an ...

Top Rated Comments

xDKP Avatar
119 months ago
Damn that one ugly band ... and for what? To be a creepy spy-shooting dude?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
4a6d65 Avatar
119 months ago
Beyond hideous.
Damn that one ugly band ... and for what? To be a creepy spy-shooting dude?
... ok, I think I might be alone in having no taste. I didn't think they did a bad job considering!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NT1440 Avatar
119 months ago
Oh my god, did no one learn from the original Samsung watch? nobody wants to look up your nose when video chatting with you.


I seriously question the tech community sometimes. I see a ton of products that appear to be based on "because we can" rather than "why the hell would I ever want to?"
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sunny1990 Avatar
119 months ago
AND ONE MORE THING

Attachment Image
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BeyondtheTech Avatar
119 months ago
I was going to jump the gun when I saw the "Pre-Order" button, but then got this. So, caveat emptor:

We’ll process your payment immediately. You are participating in a crowdfunding campaign for a new product in the final stages of development. If you order today, your CMRA will be scheduled for shipment in Spring 2017. You can request a refund at any time during the CMRA pre-order campaign, which ends no later than December 2, 2016. By ordering you agree to our Terms and Conditions ('https://getcmra.com/terms-conditions/').

Pre-Orders. Beginning November 2, 2016, Glide will be running a pre-order campaign for CMRA (the “CMRA Pre-order Campaign”). The CMRA Pre-order Campaign will end when it reaches One Million Dollars, or December 2, 2016, whichever comes first (the “CMRA Pre-order Campaign End Date”). In pre-ordering a CMRA directly from Glide, including after the CMRA Pre-order Campaign End Date, you understand that you are contributing (that is, making a donation) to a campaign for a product in development and has not yet been manufactured, and that you are not making a purchase (a “Pre-Order“). Glide reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject a Pre-Order. If Glide accepts a Pre-Order, you may be charged immediately for the Pre-Order, and your reward under the Pre-Order will be the number of CMRA products you pre-ordered. Our estimated shipping date for your CMRA will be noted on the order page of our online store, but we may be in contact with you nearer the time of estimated shipping to update you about any delays. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you acknowledge that Glide alone, in its sole discretion, will determine whether it is able to fulfill your reward. If Glide determines that it is unable to fulfill your reward, then: (a) it will use commercially reasonable efforts to explore if there are reasonable alternative rewards it can provide, but there is no assurance that these will be possible; and (b) both you and Glide agree that this Agreement (including, but not limited to, the Controlling Law and Dispute Resolution provisions below at Sections ‎‎21 and ‎‎22) will still apply. If you cancel your Pre-Order before the CMRA Pre-Order Campaign End Date, Glide will refund you the amount paid for the Pre-Order. But for Pre-Orders you cancel after that date, you will not be entitled to any refund. Once we ship your CMRA, the Refund Policy will apply. Please contact support@getcmra.com for all inquiries about Pre-Orders.

To be absolutely clear: if you make a Pre-Order, Glide cannot, and does not, promise that you will receive a CMRA.


While a $150 pre-order price is great for a $250 product (that includes a $60 charging stand), that's still a $150 gamble for a product that may not ever see the light of day, or if even if it does, there's no guarantee it will arrive before "Spring 2017."

I've been on a couple dozen Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns, and almost NONE of them arrived on time, even with the ones who claimed "we're in the final stages of production," and a few, of course, never did make it to production. I've been lucky and got a few refunds for the failed ones, but not all. However, they're making it very clear in the above text copied here not to expect anything if it fails. The wording alone will make your credit card company side with the merchant, in the event of a chargeback request, and the elapsed timeframe of up to six months from now, or more, would also make your chargeback request ineligible. Are you really saving $100 (less if you're accruing interest on that CC you charged it on)?

Lastly, the Series 2 Apple Watch just got released, so that's good timing. However, if it likely slips past the estimated "Spring 2017" release date and goes a few more months, it could run into the release date of a Series 3 Apple Watch, which might be incompatible with this product, or could also include an integrated camera that would Sherlock ('http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sherlocked') this product.

I'm not saying to not support them. They may very well be ready for mass production soon and just need the last round of funding. I just hope you set the proper expectations know the consequences when you place that "pre-order."
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H3LL5P4WN Avatar
119 months ago
It'd be so easy to shoot thrill ride videos with these.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)