HTC goes into the actioncam market, with the RE

Although HTC is best-known for its smartphones, today the company announced its venture into another product category – actioncams. The company has announced the RE, a viewfinder-less waterproof video camera that looks sort of like something you'd find in a plumbing store.

The RE has a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor, an f2.8 146-degree lens, and records 1080p/30fps video. A sensor in its hand grip automatically turns the camera on when it's picked up – there's no power switch. From there, a quick tap of its single shutter button snaps stills, with a longer press required for video.

Using the upcoming Android/iOS RE app, users can access recording features such as time-lapse, plus the app screen serves as a remote viewfinder for setting up and reviewing shots.

Footage/photos can be streamed to a paired smartphone (and onward to the cloud) via Bluetooth, and recorded on a user-supplied microSD card. One charge of the RE's 820-mAh battery should reportedly be good for approximately 1,200 photos or 1 hour and 40 minutes of continuous video recording.

As mentioned, it's also waterproof – it's rated to IPX7, meaning that it can be immersed for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter (3.3 ft).

It's available now for pre-order, priced at US$200. US shipping is expected to start in November.

Source: HTC

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