EYE EYE! Up periscope with HTC’s RE action camera

HTC may be better known for its smartphones, and I brought you news of the new HTC EYE yesterday, but the Taiwanese company also revealed its plans to enter the camera market.

In what has been described as a direct challenger to the likes of the extreme sport-loving camera GoPro and Polaroid’s latest cubed device, HTC has launched its first standalone camera, curiously dubbed RE.

If you think that it’s just the name that is a tad odd… just take a look at the device.

The 16MP snapper might resemble something which belongs in Mario and Luigi’s kit bag or poking up from a submarine but it will record videos in 1080p HD and features a remote viewfinder.

A built-in grip sensor instantly activates the camera when its picked up, and its single shutter button allows one tap to capture photos, with a longer press being used for video recording.

The design also has a 146-degree wide-angle lens, as well as slow-motion and time-lapse recording, with a remote viewfinder that allows users to take shots through their mobiles.

An app, available for both iOS and Android, will automatically back-up everything stored on the camera to the user’s phone or the cloud to free up space on the camera.

In the future, RE will offer real-time video streaming to YouTube which will be a natty addition as it will allow anyone to share events in their lives as they happen.

The HTC RE stands around 4-inches tall and the cylinder design means it’s easy to hold.

I am intrigued to find out how it feels to use and how it performs. I am also interested to see whether people are ready to embrace a hand-held periscope-styled camera.