TomTom aims to shake up camera market
TomTom has launched its new TomTom Bandit Action Camera, aimed at consumers who enjoy editing and sharing videos online.
The TomTom Bandit comes with a built-in media server, eliminating the need to download footage before being able to edit it. The camera works with a companion app, making it possible to create and share videos in a matter of minutes by shaking a smartphone.
"We took a simple, but radical approach to solving the editing problem," explains Slobodan Stanisic, lead engineer, TomTom. "With all existing action cameras you first need to download gigabytes of footage to a powerful PC, a process that can take a long time. Then you need to find the highlights, put together a story and format it. We know this often takes hours.
Stanisic continues, "Not with the TomTom Bandit. We have designed a camera where the footage is processed on the camera itself, making the editing process far easier and much faster."
"We know that the biggest frustration people have with action cameras today is the time and effort it takes to edit," says Corinne Vigreux, co-founder and managing director, TomTom Consumer. "With TomTom Bandit we've cut the editing time down from hours to minutes - all it takes is a shake.
The TomTom Bandit Action Camera is equipped with in-camera motion and GPS sensors to automatically find and tag exciting moments based on speed, altitude, G-force, acceleration and heart rate. Highlights can also be tagged manually with a tagging button on the camera or the remote control.
The TomTom Bandit works with a smartphone app, which includes a viewfinder. Footage can be reviewed instantly with the smartphone app via the built-in media server. In editing mode, a shake of the smartphone instantly creates a movie. Users can then make changes, add music and add overlays of favourite metrics, such as speed, before sharing with friends.
The camera has a wide angle lens, high-end 16 MP CCD sensor and a powerful processor. It is also completely waterproof.
TomTom says the Bandit Action Camera will be available online and from selected retailers later this year, with pricing to be confirmed.
