HTC has launched a new smartphone and a couple of apps focused on mobile photography. The new launches include RE, a remarkable little camera; the HTC Desire Eye, a brand new category-shifting phone; the HTC EYE Experience, enhanced imaging software; and Zoe, a collaborative video editing community.
“Today, HTC is once again changing the way that people think about technology,” said Peter Chou, CEO, HTC Corporation. “Back in 1997, we allowed people to leave their laptops at home in favour of powerful, pocket-sized smartphone computing. Today we are taking a similar leap forward. Combining incredible hardware with unrivalled software, HTC is reinventing the way we think about imaging. We are taking you out from behind the viewfinder and putting you back where you belong, at the heart of the action.”
RE, according to HTC, is its newest photography innovation. Re-imagining the point-and-shoot category, RE is a small handheld camera that allows you to naturally capture and fully experience the moment, through video and photography, without anything getting in your way.
With a stunning and unique cylindrical design, made to fit comfortably in your hand, RE features a built-in grip sensor that instantly activates the camera on pick up, eliminating the need for a power button. Its single shutter button allows one tap to capture photos and a longer press for video recording, so you won’t miss the moment fumbling between modes.
Featuring a high-resolution, 16MP CMOS sensor, Full HD (1080p) video recording, 146 degree wide-angle lens and slow-motion and time lapse recording, RE will capture moments like you have never seen before. The RE app features a remote live viewfinder that lets you set up the perfect shot and watch the live action on the screen of your mobile device, or switch to album and playback view to flick through the shots and videos already stored on the camera.
Because life’s adventures are limitless, the app will also back everything up to your phone or the cloud automatically so you never need to worry about running out of space and missing a shot again. In addition, in the future, RE will offer real-time video streaming to YouTube, allowing you to live in the moment and share it live via your YouTube channel. The RE app will be available on both Android and iOS.
Continuing HTC’s heritage of breakthrough smartphone innovation, today also sees the launch of the company’s new top-of-the-range HTC Desire model, the HTC Desire EYE. With one of the best front-facing cameras available on the market today, and software that puts you center frame and looking your best, the HTC Desire EYE captures life’s big and small moments in perfect clarity. Sporting market-leading 13MP front and rear cameras for detailed image quality that allows you to zoom, crop and print without compromise, the HTC Desire EYE is fully equipped for those who love to take great photos, videos and selfies. BSI sensors capture crisp photos, even in low-light conditions, and intelligent dual-LED flash on both cameras provides flattering, natural tones when ambient light levels drop further.
Three dedicated microphones take HTC’s signature audio quality to even greater heights, ensuring crystal clear voice and video calling whatever is going on around you. HTC BoomSound and a stunning 5.2” Full HD display combine to make the HTC Desire EYE the ultimate multimedia companion and the perfect way to view your photos and videos.
The bold, bright, dual-colour, waterproof unibody design is not only stylish but ensures that capturing your best side is as simple as possible, with a dedicated two-step camera key for focus, and capture providing comfortable, instant access to great shots, even one-handed.
Featuring HTC’s new HTC EYE Experience and Zoe, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and high-speed 4G connectivity, editing and sharing your best shots will also be smooth and effortless, wherever you are.
It’s not just about the hardware though. The HTC EYE Experience takes mobile imaging software into a new league with unique features guaranteed to make you look your best. Taking video chat and conference calls to a new level of quality and performance, The HTC EYE Experience’s face tracking keeps you perfectly framed at all times. And because staying in touch means more than just talking to a single person, up to four people in the same room can also be tracked comfortably, with each face cropped and positioned on the screen for maximum clarity.
So enjoy the freedom and flexibility of services like Skype without worrying about exactly where you or your friends are standing, as the camera will follow everyone. Want to share even more on the move? The option of screen sharing brings desktop functionality to smartphone-based video chat for the first time. The HTC EYE Experience opens up a new world of creative opportunity, thanks to the new Split Capture function. Combining simultaneous photos and videos taken on the front and back cameras into one split-screen image or video, this creates a new selfie experience, allowing you document your journey and your reaction without relying on thumbnail views.
Crop-Me-In places you at the heart of the action by cropping you from the image or video taken with the front-facing camera and positioning it within the scene captured by the main camera, opening the door to more extreme, exciting selfies and videos. Voice Selfie removes the need for awkward hand contortions by enabling you to trigger the shutter release with a simple command. Simply “say cheese” as soon as you’ve struck the perfect pose or trigger the video recording with “action” or “rolling” commands.
Popular additions to the HTC Desire 820 are also included in the HTC EYE Experience such as face fusion, the feature that allows you to merge your face with that of a friend or celebrity for a completely original look and Live Makeup, where you can set the desired level of skin smoothing and preview the effect in real-time before the image is captured.
With the new Zoe collaborative video-editing app it’s easy to remix your photos and videos into stylish highlight reels, with beautiful themes and soundtracks that can be shared. Allowing friends to remix their content with yours, Zoe creates the ultimate highlight video for all to enjoy and share through their favorite social networks.
Zoe 1.0 brings flexibility to the community, enabling short, medium and long Zoes that can be made up of just a couple of still images, or an entire series of video clips, with its new content engine making it easy to present small numbers of clips or even individual images in an interesting, visually stunning way.
Integrating fully with RE, Zoe video highlights are automatically generated and ready to share. There is no need to edit, no need to sync to your PC, just simply upload them with a single touch. Available free of charge on Android now and coming on iOS later this year, Zoe 1.0 ushers in the next generation of creative social networking.
