One of the more intriguing devices to come out of the minds of Sony has to be the Party-shot.
Read the press release about the device and you are fairly underwhelmed: "A totally new concept in fun photography, Party-shot acts as your 'Personal Photographer', automatically taking beautiful pictures without your intervention."
But seen it in action and it's actually pretty impressive. Well, to watch it do its thing at least.
The device clips on to the bottom of your camera – if you have one of the new WX1 and TX1 Cyber-shots – and, without any human interaction, scours the room for faces to take photos of.
Watching it do its thing is quite unnerving. Like some mini Terminator, it positions the camera at face height, then it whirs, rotates finds its victim and snaps away. Continuously. Until you move your face.
While the whole thing sparks of gimmickry, it could be pretty useful for those who are too lazy to pick up a camera and point it at someone or, more pertinently, for the host of a party who wants to be in every photo and not just taking them.
The Party-shot is battery operated and with just two AA batteries inside it should last around 10 hours – enough time then to take pictures of yourself cleaning up the puke left by over-eager partygoers.
We suspect that the battery on your camera will probably run out before this though, as the Party-shot does constantly control your camera's zooming focusing.
So, if you are at a party in September and some weird thing in the corner of the room starts to turn menacingly at you, don't get scared and think it's a robot from the future sent back to kill you but the Party-shot (which will set you back around £130), ready to "keep you in the picture as you enjoy special moments with friends and family".
Be warned though: It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until its batteries are dead... or if you switch it off.
