HTC Announces The HTC Desire Eye & HTC Re

Smile for the camera! HTC Corp. introduced a new smartphone, the HTC Desire Eye, as well as a new hand-held camera, the HTC Re, for taking quick photos on the go; these are two fresh devices catering to the selfie generation. .

HTC Desire Eye

The Desire Eye features a 5.2” capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 and a pixel density of 424 ppi. It features two 13MP cameras, one at the front and one at the back, both with autofocus, HDR, and dual LED (dual tone) flash. It runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat and equipped with a quad-core 2.3GHz Krait 400 Qualcomm Snapdragon 801. It also features a 2400 mAh battery.  For those who are quite active, the Desire Eye is IPX7 certified, which means it’s  dust-proof and water resistant to up to 1 meter and 30 minutes.

HTC Re

As for the HTC Re, it looks like a periscope that fits perfectly in your hand and is more of an action camera than your typical hand-held digital camera. Taking on the GoPro market, the Re doesn’t have a power button, as it uses a grip sensor. When you pick it up and grip it, the device automatically turns on. The button at the top of the device is the shutter button. Press it once to take a photo, press and hold to take a video. If you want to activate the slow-mo mode, press on the button at the front of the device.

The HTC Re

The HTC Re is a 16MP camera with a 146° ultrawide lens, is capable of taking 1080p, 30fps FHD video, 720p, 4x slow motion video, and time-lapse video recording. It features an HD mic, speakers, an 820 mAh rechargeable battery (1,200 16MP photos; 1 hour 40 min of continuous FHD video recording), IP57 dust & water resistant, the body is IPx7 certified, while if the cap is screwed on the device is IPx8 certified making waterproof. It has a slot for microSD up to 128GB and connects with a device running Android 4.3 and iOS 7 or higher via Bluetooth 4.0.

The downside of the Re is that it has no viewfinder or a display screen that allows you to see what you’re shooting. So it would take some getting used to, just pointing and shooting without having to see what you’re pointing and shooting at until it’s time to review your photos at home.

For comparison purposes, here are the specs of the newest GoPro Hero4 (baseline version), dominating the market HTC’s just entered with the Re:

GoPro Hero4

Priced at only $129, the new Hero could be the ideal entry-level action camera. It’s not terribly expensive, but the lower price didn’t keep GoPro from packing in the features. It supports high quality 1080p30 and 720p60 video and captures the same immersive footage that’s been the trademark of this action camera.

The Hero comes with user-friendly modes for beginners including QuikCapture, which powers on the camera and starts recording with the press of a single button, and Burst Photo, which captures fast-action sequences at up to 5 frames per second. Users can wear, hold or mount the Hero worry-free, as it comes with waterproof housing that protects up to 40 meters below water.

 .

5 top selfie gadgets

Though HTC’s two new devices hope to be the ultimate selfie gadgets, there are other products designed to help you take the perfect self-portrait.

NX Mini

The NX Mini is Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd’s offering for the selfie generation. It’s small and slim, easily fitting your purse or back pocket. The lens is interchangeable, and what makes it the perfect selfie gadget is its three-inch screen. When flipped open, the camera automatically wakes up, and to take a selfie you either tap on the screen, press on the shutter button, or just simply wink for a two-second shutter delay.

The NX Mini has an NFC chip for sharing photos with other NFC enabled devices, and connects to the Internet via WiFi to directly share photos on all the major social networking sites. The NX Mini with a 9mm lens is priced at $449.

 Selfie Snap

Selfie Snap

For under $20, you can have a great selfie with the Selfie Snap wireless smartphone camera trigger, compatible with iOS and Android phones. It’s a small device that resembles a camera icon, allowing you to remotely control your smartphone’s camera if you download the accompanying iSnapxRemote app.

The Selfie Snap has a range of 10 feet, making selfies, ussies or groufies – a selfie of a group of people – just a click away.

 .

SelfieBrush

This gadget not only allows you take selfies comfortably, but also makes sure you look good. The SelfieBrush is equipped with a paddle brush to tame your mane before taking a shot, a mirror on the back beside where your smartphone will be placed, and easily fits in your big purse or satchel for traveling. It’s available in various colors for less than $20, but it can only accommodate iPhone 5 and 5S.  Sorry fAndroids.

KW1 Cybershot

Not many will admit they’re a selfie addict, which makes Sony Corp.’s KW1 Cybershot the perfect gadget for inconspicuous women. The KW1 is disguised as a perfume bottle, minimizing the attention you’d draw to yourself or your gadgets. It has a 180º camera lens for use as a regular camera or a selfie camera, and comes with a 3” OLED screen, touch slide shutter, self timer, WiFi for smartphone control and photo sharing, and Swarovski crystals for a glamorous touch. The KW1 Cybershot is quite expensive for a selfie camera, priced at RMB 5,199, or about $848.

Monopod + wireless remote

A monopod is an extendable stick that is able to securely hold a smartphone so the user can take a wide-shot selfie or a groufie. The problem with traditional monopods is that when you want to take multiple selfies or groufies you need to activate the timer after every shot. The solution is to get a monopod that comes with a wireless remote so you can take multiple shots just by clicking on the remote. You can get the monopod + wireless remote combo for less than $20.

BONUS

The ultimate selfie or groufie may be in the hands of Nixie, a wearable quadcopter drone equipped with a camera. It flies off your wrist to take a photo and when it’s done, immediately lands back on the wrist pod. Though Nixie seems like a cool selfie gadget, you might have to wait a little longer, as it’s still a prototype.

 .

3 selfie editing apps

Of course not everyone is willing to spend hard-earned cash just to get the perfect selfie or groufie, so here are three free apps to help you edit that not-so-perfect portrait.

Perfect365

Available for iOS, Android and Windows Phone, this app allows you to erase imperfections, highlight your great qualities, and enhance other facial features so you can get the perfect selfie. Best part is, it also works for groufies.

ModiFace

This may be the ultimate selfie app, as it allows you to give yourself the ultimate, virtual makeover. Want to try out a new look, like shorter hair? Use ModiFace then share it with your friends for feedback.

Selfie Photo Editor

This app allows you to tweak almost every part of your face or body. You can change the the texture of your skin, add makeup, make your eyes wider, plump your lips, enhance your eyebrows, and shrink or enlarge just about anything. You can touch up your hair, add filters, borders, text and accessories, and of course share to your favorite social media platform.

Not all selfie addicts are all about duck faces and makeup, as some just want to capture their wild or adventurous side. If you’re into extreme sports and activities and looking for a way to capture these unforgettable moments, check out our comparison of action cameras: New GoPro Hero4 line vs. other action cameras.

photo credits: camil tulcan, benpettis via photopin cc