HTC’s Action Camera Looks Like an Inhaler, Shoots Video Underwater

HTC

HTC’s new Re action camera looks like a ship’s pipe ventilator, and you might notice a few things missing on it. For one thing, there’s no viewfinder or screen. That’s because it’s designed to pair with your phone for framing and playing videos and photos. There isn’t even a power button. As soon as you pick it up, the Re powers on.

It’s yet another entry to the crowded action camera market—and a very late answer to the Flip—but it’s an interesting one. The Re records 1080p video at 30fps through its 146-degree wide-angle lens, and it’s also able to snap 16-megapixel stills. You capture both with a single button. Tapping it snaps a picture, and holding it down records video. You can use it underwater, too.

Along with a MicroSD slot that lets you expand its memory (it comes with an 8 GB card pre-installed, but you can swap it out for a 128 GB one), Re has a surprising amount of connectivity options—Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and MicroUSB for charging. That’s a good thing because it uses a smartphone for the rest of its interface. You can pair it up with the Re app for iOS and Android to see what you’re shooting in real time, and you’ll be able to store all your footage and photos on your phone. HTC will also offer cloud storage through the app, and the company says live-streaming capabilities to YouTube will be available at some point in the future.

This weird little inhaler-camera will be available for $200 in time for the holidays. It’s available for preorder now.