Unit vs. Phone

Found this thin beautiful item.

Tearing open a phone seems like a nice enough idea: it's small, compact and already built. An elegant package, ready to accept ready-made software.

But there are issues: a phone's screen eats a lot of power; that would have to be disabled. A battery pack would have to be inserted, as would an adapter for charging it if ceiling outlets were available (sometimes they are, sometimes not).

And, there's the expense. Simple smart phones are $200+.

This one might need less power or have
 better battery life.

So, I'm thinking about an MP3 player with a camera to pick up viewers' presence (camera lens serves as the sensor and the software exists as an app). I've barely looked into it. though the price of the unit is much more agreeable than a phone. It probably takes up much less power.

But this little gem is both tiny, has no
screen but has a camera. About $ 110 at
Eyespypro.com

However, the conceptual side is what bothers me: the recognition element is something that fights with the concept of the piece. The idea is for the viewer to recognize the situation, not the other way around.

Recognition is a delicate thought; it's something recalled. How does that compare with memory? I'm thinking that memory exists internally, whereas something recognized is the recollection of the memory by something physical and present at that moment.