HTC announce 13MP selfie phone – “HTC Desire EYE” – and a portable…. umm, thing?
HTC has announced two new products that are all about photography: a new phone that sees a 13MP camera on both front and back, and a new…. periscope style camera device, that looks set to rival the likes of GoPro.
So first up, the HTC Desire Eye – essentially think a fairly powerful HTC Desire (2.3ghz quadcore processor, 2GB RAM, 5.2″ HD screen), and then slap on two 13 megapixel cameras on the front and back. On the back the camera has a BSI sensor, f/2.0, 28mm lens, wide angle, with HDR capability, and on the front its 13MP, Auto-focus with zoom capability, BSI sensor, f/2.2, 22mm lens, wide angle, with HDR capability. Both can shoot 1080p video and have a dual LED flash.
There’s also a dedicated camera button on the hardware, and on the software side there’s a tonne of different camera features: “HTC EyeTM Experience with Face Tracking, Screen Share, Split Capture, Face Fusion, Live Makeup, Auto Selfie, Voice Selfie, Photo Booth, Crop Me In”.
The Eye will be available from November from HTC, Three and Carphone Warehouse. We’ll let you know when we have more details.
So what about this other thing?
I know what you’re thinking: Didn’t the Teletubbies invent this years ago?
Say hello to the HTC RE:
It’s a 16MP camera (with 1/2.3” CMOS sensor) that can shoot in full 1080p at 30fps, with a 146 degree viewing angle – with the ability to also shoot in slow motion (up to 4x at 720p) and timelapse too. It’s very similar to GoPro, as you can also view the camera and manage the files on it through an app on your phone. Perhaps most intriguingly, it apparently doesn’t need a record button (though there is a button on top for stills), as it will activate as soon as you pick it up, as it will detect grip. The idea is this means that you can grab it and not miss anything when you start recording. Apparently connecting it up to your phone will also automatically back up your photos to both your phone and the cloud too, free-ing up space on the device (which has an 8GB micro-SD included – though it can take up to 128GB).
The HTC RE will also be available in November from EE, Three and “selected consumer electronics retailers”. Unfortunately the press release doesn’t mention pricing.
