In the age of the selfie, everyone from Rihanna to Ellen de Generes has used the front facing camera to market themselves (and their Hollywood buddies) to the Twittersphere and Facebook universe. However, the angle has always been restricted to arm’s length. Until now. Say Cheez, the latest app from Itamco, allows users to activate their iPhone camera’s controls using only their voice. Well, alrighty then…
I must confess to being a bit of a snap-happy type of iPhone user; not a meal goes by without the click of the Instagram app annoying my girlfriend, although what really annoys her is when I don’t take a picture (“What’s wrong with it? Isn’t it good enough for your followers?!”), so I always jump at the chance to review a new camera app. The logo of Say Cheez says it all, the laughing hunk of Jarlsberg declaring that this is a fun app for taking fun photos. It’s even fun to explore, although if you plan on doing this in a crowded café, prepare yourself for some bemused looks as you bellow obscure commands such as “Flip!”, “Light on!” and “Help!” at your iPhone.
It will take about thirty seconds to work out all of the commands and if you forget any, the Help screen is available by speaking its name. Saying “Cheez” to take a photo is a cute touch and will guarantee that your cheeks are upturned in the most photogenic way possible; there’s also a second’s delay before the command is activated so it gives people time to prepare their most dazzling smile. As for the distance of which the app can be activated from, I stood at the other end of my office (about five metres) for a selfie and it worked perfectly.
The voice-activation is all well and good but what really impresses me about Say Cheez is that you can post your photos directly to Twitter, Instagram and Facebook simply by saying the social media platform’s names instead of “Cheez”. As long as you are signed in on the device, the app will bring up a link to post to, say Twitter, and all you have to do is click OK. Talk about a time saver!
Night photos are also possible as you can activate the light with a voice command, switching it on or off from speaking distance; this completely hands-free setup is indicative of the direction in which technology seems to be moving, what with Google Glasses and other voice-activated devices becoming commonplace. Whether you want to use Say Cheez for a shrewd marketing ploy, à la Ellen’s Oscar stunt, or simply take a fun selfie from a distance and post it to Twitter without lifting a finger (literally), this free app seems to have carved a little niche for itself at the vanguard of app development. Altogether now, “Say CHEEEEEEEZ!”
