HTC exposes the Desire Eye Android smartphone and RE camera -- sadly, no Nexus 9
HTC knows how to make a great smartphone. The HTC One M7 and M8 are very popular for having solid build quality and best in class speakers. Unfortunately, while the phones are great, the camera has been lackluster. Don't get me wrong, the photo quality is passable but has lacked compared to other flagships, such as Apple's iPhone and the Galaxy S5.
Today, HTC takes the smartphone world by storm with the selfie-focused HTC Desire Eye and a dedicated action camera, called "Re". Believe it or not, the manufacturer is actually releasing a standalone camera that can interact with both Android and iOS devices. Unfortunately, the Nexus 9 that the Android community has been waiting for was a no-show.
The HTC Desire Eye is your run-of-the-mill rectangular Android smartphone except for one stand-out feature -- a 13MP front camera. Yes, the focus here is on selfies, and the front-shooter should, in theory, produce best-in-class selfies. Hell, besides a high-megapixel count, there is even a flash on the face. Clearly, this phone is meant for the Instagram generation.
The Desire Eye is not made of metal like the M8, and surprisingly, I think this is a good thing. The soft plastic felt wonderful in my hand and seemed quite durable. No, I don't mean it is necessarily rugged and can taken a beating, but you may be able to forgo a case and not get tons of scratches.
It will ship running Android 4.4.4 and will be powered by the Snapdragon 800 -- an aging, yet capable processor. The 5.2 inch screen looked gorgeous, despite being "only" 1080p. Unfortunately, it will only be available on AT&T -- for now.
As cool as that smartphone is, it was not the star of the show. Actually, the RE camera was most impressive, despite its asthma-inhaler appearance. At $199, it features a 16-megapixel Sony sensor. Many consumers will wonder why they need a standalone camera when their smartphone already has one. This is a valid argument, but I think there is a place for the RE in the homes and hearts of some consumers.
It connects by Bluetooth to your smartphone on first pairing, but the HTC representative tells me it uses Wi-Fi direct on subsequent connections. Because it can be controlled by a smartphone from a distance, you can easily position it in an optimal location while standing a distance, out of the way. HTC uses the example of a father at a daughter's dance recital; the father is stuck in the back row, but he has placed the RE camera in the front -- quite genius.
The other great thing is that it can take time-lapse photos without being linked to a smartphone. In other words, you can set up a camera looking at a busy city street or sunset and leave entirely, to return and view the creation. Of course, you will want to be sure you leave it in a safe or secure place to avoid thievery!
HTC even has a bunch of accessories ready for it:
You can mount it to a bicycle or baby stroller. A mother can track her baby's facial gestures or mood by pointing it at the baby, or she can position it facing outward to see what the baby sees. The bicycle mount should produce neat action shots.
Vacationers and beach-goers will appreciate that it also will work underwater with a rating of IPx7 -- an available accessory will boost this to IPx8. An HTC representative tells me that chlorinated water is not suggested, despite the fact that the demo video shows it being used in the pool. It is only to be used in fresh or salt water.
It will come bundled with an 8GB microSD card -- yes, a card and not onboard storage. So, if you were to add a 128GB card, you would have to remove the included 8GB. Quite frankly, I would prefer to see HTC not include any memory and reduce the overall price. An 8GB card will not last long and I foresee many consumers upgrading immediately -- the 8GB card will be wasted.
Are you excited by HTC's new products? Tell me about it in the comments.