HTC caught the tech world a little by surprise (though there were rumors leading up to the announcement) when they announced their RE action camera. It was a different take in accessories than other manufacturers, and one they are hoping will work in Taiwan according to HTC North Asia president Jack Tong. If the RE camera sells well in Taiwan, HTC will have a pretty good idea how well the second generation RE camera will do.
Yes, evidently HTC is working on a second generation RE camera for release in 2015. Tong didn’t give any details on the device, but other reports suggest that it will be more of a standalone device rather than an accessory that relies on a smartphone.
As the smartphone market slowly dies down with less innovation among the manufacturers and consumers becoming more satisfied with holding onto their smartphones for longer periods of time, manufacturers need new ways to produce revenue, which is likely why there is such a push for smartwatches. However, as other manufacturers work on those and curved displays, HTC is focusing on their RE camera. It will be interesting to see what they do with the next iteration.
via Focus Taiwan
Providing some kind of viewfinder (that doesn’t necessarily mean a screen, which would drive up the price) will be essential. Also, given that the current Android app has bugs (auto-disconnects from wifi), a better interface is also required. Hardware cannot be spectacular if its interface sucks. Finally, the darn thing needs an on-off switch. I’d like to smack the idiot who didn’t think that was a good idea with the first Re (which I have, or I wouldn’t know these things).