I can’t think of anything permeating mainstream camera culture as aggressively as the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. The Fujifilm X100VI has stolen some of its thunder among film simulation enthusiasts, but DJI’s still having somewhat of a cultural moment on YouTube, Instagram, and the troubled TikTok by spurring all sorts of creator glee.
Technology
The DJI Pocket 3 is almost everything I wanted my iPhone camera to be
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25441475/DJI_Osmo_Pocket_3_Kennemer_6.jpg?ssl=1 "The DJI Pocket 3 is almost everything I wanted my iPhone camera to be")
Of course, the camera buffs are all over it, but serious and casual creators from other genres have paused their usual programming to rave about how it transcends amateur vlogging pursuits, whether you’re filming a wedding or self-shooting a scene for a Sundance-hopeful short film.
Some of us at The Verge are excited, too: Vjeran liked it enough to call it his favorite gadget of 2023, and Sean just bought one after using it to elevate his Today I’m Toying With videos.
I felt tingles about the $519 Osmo Pocket 3 when DJI first announced it, but it wasn’t until I purchased a Creator Combo that I fully understood the hype. The video quality often comes close to my full-frame Sony mirrorless (although I can’t get all the same shots) and is very noticeably better than my phone.
The original Osmo Pocket and Pocket 2 couldn’t make those boasts, but the Pocket 3 is a cut above. Its larger one-inch-equivalent sensor is now bigger than those in most phones, with better low-light performance and more reliable autofocusing than predecessors. It has a much bigger display, longer battery life, faster charge time, more microphones — the list goes on like that for nearly everything that makes it tick.
Photo: Quentyn Kennemer / The Verge
My first heavy outing with the Pocket 3 was at a WWE SmackDown show at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Without a photographer’s pass, I couldn’t enter the venue with my Sony A7 IV or anything else bigger than pocket-sized. But the Osmo got in after I showed security that its battery grip wasn’t a selfie stick.
I’d gone with the simple hope of capturing some good stabilized audience point-of-view footage that might look a touch better than what my iPhone 12 Pro Max produced at the last show I attended. I left with clips that look so good that I could see them appearing in WWE’s social media reels or pre-match hype promos.
The Pocket 3 was better at capturing the majesty of the heavy light rays and pyrotechnic embers that define WWE’s grand productions than my iPhone, and its microphones did a better job at taming the loud audio levels without overly dampening the sound and stripping it of acoustic character. The footage was also considerably less hazy compared to the iPhone’s, with smoother stabilization, though the iPhone’s software stabilization compared decently.
Even if I could have brought a mirrorless or DSLR, the Osmo let me live more in the moment. I had a large popcorn and a cold one occupying one hand for most of the night, so I’d have been miserable trying to adjust dials and deep-dive menus. With the Pocket 3, powering it on is just a matter of swiveling open the display. The record button’s right under your thumb, and settings are a single swipe away.
The Pocket 3 has its limitations. It can only manage a 2X-equivalent digital zoom, for starters. That’s enough to capture impromptu closeups — like then-WrestleMania-bound Cody Rhodes looking into the rafters after he walked right past my seat, for example. But you won’t be able to achieve the dreamy, bokeh-heavy images reserved for interchangeable lens cameras.
Meanwhile, my iPhone’s telephoto sensor offered better reach at a Monday Night Raw show in October. I sat in the same exact seat at both shows, with a great view of the ring and decent visibility of the entrance stage from the first row of the risers. My iPhone gave me clear face shots of Becky Lynch and Damian Priest’s entrances, even if I greatly preferred the overall color, clarity, and exposure of the Osmo during the SmackDown show.
I’ve shot a number of personal videos since SmackDown and spent a fair bit of time comparing my footage to my Sony and iPhone results. Compared to my phone, colors don’t look overly muddy and washed out in low light, and there’s far less noise. I get more leeway to push and pull colors in post-process when shooting in D-Log M. (Though, that might be a wash if I had an iPhone 15 Pro with a similarly flexible ProRes Log color profile.)
Even in well-lit scenarios, there’s still a decent gap: the bokeh on the Osmo Pocket 3, while subtle, is more noticeable and pronounced than the iPhone. It’s enough to draw the viewer’s eye to your subject while muting an otherwise distracting background.
Sean filmed the Transformer above with iPhone 14 Pro and Pocket 3 — you can probably tell which shot is which!
And it’s just so easy to use. Going from powered off to an effortlessly stabilized video is as simple as swiveling open the screen and hitting the record button right next to it, no separate multi-pound gimbal or balancing weights needed. Tap the screen to flip it into selfie mode, and it’ll automatically pan and tilt to keep your face in frame.
Most phones don’t let you use the higher quality sensor to record yourself while previewing your shot; here, you can frame your own walk-and-talking headshots on the two-inch OLED screen, then spin the same sensor around to capture viral content, short films, and the world’s beauty in front of you.
You can also fire up DJI’s smartphone app to remotely preview and control the entire camera over Bluetooth — and if you spring for the $669 Creator Combo, you get a high-quality wireless lav mic with 32-bit float recording that effortlessly integrates, too. The mic automatically connects to the Osmo as soon as you power it on, can record separately to its own internal storage, has both a clip and a strong magnet to keep it attached to clothing, vibrates in specific patterns so you know when you’re rolling, and can charge and transfer recordings over USB-C. (Plus, the combo comes with a nice extended battery grip, an iffy wide-angle lens, and other accessories.)
No, you won’t find the same shooting options that enthusiasts and professionals seek out of a proper camera body. You can adjust white balance, shutter, and ISO to varying degrees, but you don’t get advanced recording codecs, LUT previews, alternative metering modes, and the like. It’s not exactly comfortable to have in your pocket despite the name, and for still photography, I’d sooner grab my phone. Did I mention you should run like hell if you see a raindrop? There’s no waterproofing at all.
But everything about the Osmo Pocket 3 makes me want to get out and record because it’s fun and easy to do. It encourages the lazy part of my brain to stop whining. It narrows the gap for people who need an ultra-portable camera that can shoot better-looking footage than their iPhone and lightens the load for those who don’t need a more complex camera for every shoot. For me, right now, it’s up there with the wallet, keys, and phone as something I’ll always consider grabbing on my way out the door.
That’s remarkable for a camera that isn’t much larger than the average vape pen — and costs less than a new phone.
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Would you pay $20 a month for access to AI hardware you already own? That appears to be one of Meta’s next bets. This week, it quietly announced that your glasses’ Conversation Focus feature will soon be limited to three hours of use per month, unless you pay for a $19.99 Meta One Premium subscription.
In a help article, the company insists that it won’t require a subscription to use your glasses, period; it’s merely erecting a “rate limit” for certain AI features. Even premium subscribers will only get 15 hours of Conversation Focus per month under that “rate limit,” it claims.
Problem is, Meta’s rate limit is ridiculous. The Conversation Focus feature, which amplifies the voice of the person you’re speaking to so you can hear better in noisy environments, is not something that should plausibly be rate-limited, because it doesn’t use Meta’s servers. It runs on-device, using the chips inside the glasses that you’ve already purchased. I turned off my internet, and it kept working.
Here’s how the company introduced it last year: “[C]onversation focus uses your AI glasses’ open-ear speakers, beamforming technology, and real-time spatial processing to dynamically amplify the voice of the person you’re talking to.”
Not only does it avoid Meta’s servers, but Conversation Focus doesn’t technically require an internet connection at all. I double-checked by turning off my phone’s Wi-Fi and cellular, turning on Airplane Mode, and I was still able to use Conversation Focus just fine by tapping a button on my phone.
Does Meta have some secret licensing deal with another company that costs it money every time a person uses Conversation Focus? Failing that, the rate limit sounds utterly bogus.
We’ve asked if Meta can explain the move, and whether the company plans to put other on-device features behind a subscription. Meta didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
TRANSFORMATION: AI changes what robots can accomplish
Humanoid robots, showcased at Chicago’s Automate Show, demonstrate advancements in AI and robotics. Jeff Burnstein, President of the Association for Advancing Automation, explains AI’s role in enabling diverse tasks in hospitals, factories, and warehouses. He emphasizes that robotics boosts competitiveness, leading to job creation.
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A busy warehouse loading dock can be a grind. Trucks pull up. Packages pour in. Workers have to move fast, lift heavy boxes and keep everything flowing before the next trailer arrives. That part of the warehouse has always been one of the hardest places to automate. Every box can be a different size. Freight can shift in transit. Labels may face the wrong way. And when one system finishes a task, the next system still has to know what to do with the package.
Now, Ambi Robotics and Pickle Robot Company say they have linked their robotic systems to help solve that handoff problem. The companies announced a commercial integration that connects Pickle Robot’s trailer-unloading robots with Ambi Robotics’ AmbiStack pallet-building system. In other words, one robot system unloads mixed freight from a trailer. Then a conveyor moves those cases downstream so another robotic system can scan and stack them for warehouse receiving.
If this works well in large facilities, it points to a future where robots can handle more of the work that happens between a truck and a warehouse floor.
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Ambi Robotics and Pickle Robot Company have integrated their warehouse robotics systems to automate the flow of freight from trailers to pallets. The companies say the setup can fit into existing warehouse operations. (Ambi Robotics and Pickle Robot Company )
How warehouse robots move packages from truck to pallet
The setup starts at the trailer. Pickle Robot’s system unloads boxes from trailers or containers. That matters because unloading mixed freight can be exhausting work. It also creates bottlenecks when warehouses do not have enough people on the dock. From there, the packages move by conveyor into AmbiStack. Ambi Robotics designed AmbiStack as a multipurpose stacking system. It reads package information and builds pallets for the next stage of the warehouse process.
The key here is the handoff. Many warehouses already use automation. However, those systems often work in separate lanes. One machine may handle unloading. Another may handle sorting or stacking. Yet the warehouse still needs people or custom engineering to connect the pieces. This collaboration tries to make that connection smoother. The companies say the system can work with existing warehouse infrastructure. That means operators may avoid tearing apart a facility to use it.
Why Physical AI is important for warehouse automation
Physical AI means AI that controls machines doing physical work. That is important here because warehouse robots have to deal with moving boxes, shifting freight, conveyor timing and pallet stability. That creates a very different challenge from software that writes a paragraph or answers a question. A warehouse robot has to react to what sits in front of it. A box can arrive dented. A label can face the wrong way. A pallet can become unstable if the next case goes in the wrong spot.
This Ambi Robotics and Pickle Robot integration shows how that can work inside a warehouse. Pickle Robot handles the trailer unloading. AmbiStack takes over downstream by scanning and stacking cases for receiving. Together, the systems show how specialized robots can connect across a warehouse workflow.
“Warehouse operators shouldn’t have to choose between best-in-class technologies and seamless integration,” said Jim Liefer, CEO of Ambi Robotics. “As Physical AI transforms supply chains, interoperability will become increasingly important.”
AJ Meyer, founder and CEO of Pickle Robot Company, put the customer demand more directly: “Customers want automation that improves real-world throughput while fitting into existing operations.”
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A new warehouse automation system connects robotic trailer unloading with AI-powered pallet building, reducing manual handoffs on busy loading docks. (Ambi Robotics and Pickle Robot Company )
Why loading docks can slow warehouse operations
Anyone who has waited on a delayed package knows the supply chain can break down fast. Sometimes the problem starts long before a delivery truck reaches your home. Inbound logistics covers the work that happens when goods arrive at a warehouse. That includes getting boxes off trailers and moving them into the right workflow. It sounds pretty straightforward until you see the reality.
Trailers can be packed unevenly. Boxes can arrive in odd shapes. Warehouse teams also deal with tight schedules and physical strain. That is why loading docks have become such a major focus for automation. If robots can unload freight and pass it into a pallet-building system without constant human intervention, warehouses could move goods faster through one of the most labor-heavy parts of the operation.
How warehouse robots could change jobs
The big question is obvious. What happens to workers? Robots can take over repetitive and physically demanding tasks. That may reduce injuries and help warehouses handle labor shortages. It may also change which jobs companies need most.
Instead of spending a full shift unloading trailers, some workers may monitor the unloading and stacking systems. Others may step in when a package jams, a label fails to scan or a pallet needs human attention.
Still, that shift can feel unsettling. Automation often comes with a promise of safety and efficiency. Workers want to know where they fit in next. That is very important. A robot may move a box, but people still handle judgment calls, customer issues and fast decisions when the workflow changes.
Why retailers want connected warehouse robots now
Retailers and logistics companies feel pressure from several directions. Consumers expect faster shipping. Warehouses face staffing challenges. Meanwhile, e-commerce keeps creating more package volume. That creates a hard math problem. Companies need to move more goods without slowing down at the dock.
This Ambi Robotics and Pickle Robot setup gives warehouse operators another option. Instead of buying one giant system from a single vendor, they can connect specialized robotic tools that handle different parts of the job. That could give operators more flexibility. It could also help them avoid major redesigns, which can be expensive and disruptive. In other words, the robots are getting smarter. They are also starting to work together in more useful ways.
What this means to you
Even if you never set foot in a warehouse, this kind of automation can affect your life. When warehouses move goods more efficiently, stores may restock faster. Online orders may move with fewer delays. Returns may get processed more quickly. There is another side, too. More automation can reshape job roles inside warehouses. That means workers may need new training as companies bring in more robotic systems.
You may also hear fewer excuses when packages run late. If robots help warehouses operate with fewer bottlenecks, retailers may raise expectations for speed even more. That sounds convenient, but it also means the race for faster delivery keeps putting pressure on every part of the supply chain.
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Ambi Robotics and Pickle Robot Company say their integrated systems could help warehouses move inbound freight faster while easing physically demanding work. (Ambi Robotics and Pickle Robot Company )
Kurt’s key takeaways
What grabs me here is the handoff. One robot unloads packages from a trailer. Another scans and stacks them for the next part of the warehouse process. That is the piece that could change how loading docks operate. Warehouses are full of little delays that add up fast. If a package sits in the wrong place or waits for a person to move it to the next step, the whole process can slow down. This integration shows how warehouse robots may start taking over more of that middle work between the truck and the warehouse floor. Still, the human side deserves attention. These systems could reduce backbreaking work, which is a good thing. At the same time, they may change what warehouse workers are asked to do. The companies that make that transition clear, fair and useful for workers will be the ones to watch.
If robots can unload the truck, build the pallet and keep the warehouse moving, what job inside the warehouse gets automated next? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
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Google’s NotebookLM is adding a new way to catch up on your notes: TikTok-style AI videos. The new feature is rolling out to Google AI Ultra and Pro subscribers, allowing NotebookLM to generate 60-second vertical AI clips based on the sources you upload to the app.
The example shared by Google details Australia’s unsuccessful war on emus, pairing paper cutout-style AI art of emus with narration. It adds to some of the other ways NotebookLM lets you interact with your research, including by generating AI podcasts, cinematic videos, and visual explainers.
To generate a 60-second clip, head to NotebookLM on the web or app, select a notebook, and then choose “Video” from the Studio column on the right side of the screen. From there, select “Short,” choose the topic you’d like NotebookLM to focus on (or enter your own), and then hit the “Generate” button.
The feature is rolling out in English only for now, with support for free users coming “soon.”
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