With Cisco killing off the market-leading Flip consumer video camera, there’s a bit of an opportunity for another player to step up and take the reins. Kodak is hoping to do just that with its new PLAYFULL and PLAYSPORT models.
The PLAYFULL is both annoyingly named (all caps? Really Kodak?) and well specced, capable of recording 1080p video and then offering limited editing on the device, with simple sharing options for YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. The camera can record to SDHC cards up to 32GB and has digital image stabilisation and face tracking. Pretty good for $199.
The PLAYSPORT has an equally annoying name, but is obviously a more robust camera, waterproof up to 3 metres, dustproof and shockproof. It offers many of the same features as the PLAYFULL, but with underwater white balance mode. It’ll set you back $249.
Both look like pretty impressive pocket camcorders with admirable pricetags, especially the waterproof PLAYSPORT. It’s going to be interesting to watch just how the market reacts given the rise of smartphones and the demise of the Flip.
[Kodak]