Contour announces 1080p ContourGPS helmetcam, lets friends locate your extreme exploits (video)
When it comes to the high-end helmetcam game, GoPro and Contour seem to have the market cornered. Contour was first to bring 1080p to your headgear of choice, and now it's the first to add GPS in to the mix. (GoBandit started talking about doing the same back in February, but we're still waiting on that to become a reality.) The $349 ContourGPS still offers the same video specs as the $279 ContourHD 1080p we reviewed this time last year, but now when sharing your videos you can also embed a real-time map view. Read on for more details, and a look at the UI.
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Built on Google Maps, Contour will launch a ContourGPS community where users can upload videos. When embedded those videos will display the position, altitude, and speed next to the footage so that friends can find their way to the same bunny slope you were shredding with the nü metal backing track, or calculate just how long it took you to hit terminal velocity after taking that first big step out of a perfectly good airplane. GPS coordinates are captured at 1hz intervals -- too slow for perfectly accurate lap times at the track, but good enough for most outdoor pursuits.
Look for the ContourGPS to start showing up on high-end helmets within the next week or so.
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Contour Introduces the World's First GPS Hands-Free 1080p Video Camera
ContourGPS to usher in new era of location-based video
September 13, 2010 (Seattle, Wash.) – Contour, a market leader in the hands-free video camera category, introduces ContourGPS, the first hands-free video camera to incorporate real-time GPS data while shooting high-definition, 1080p video. To complement this new GPS camera, Contour is launching a unique location-based video community that allows users to share their stories, track adventures and discover new places.
"We're excited to introduce location as the next innovation in hands-free video cameras," says Marc Barros, Contour's CEO. "GPS adds an exciting new element to video storytelling. It allows you to map your own adventures and discover new places posted by other users. Our seamless camera-to-community experience is like combining The Flip, YouTube and Google maps together into one simple, easy to use product."
By means of an integrated GPS receiver, ContourGPS captures location once per second with near pinpoint accuracy. The GPS data, along with crisp HD footage, can then be easily edited using the new Contour Storyteller application. Compatible with Mac or PC, Contour Storyteller also makes it easy to organize videos, configure the camera and post stories online.
With the introduction of ContourGPS, Contour.com becomes the world's first location-based video community, bringing video and mapping together into a rich user experience. Already home to thousands of videos from around the world, Contour.com will soon become the only community where users can watch an epic run down any mountain while tracking progress, speed and elevation on a map.
"We call this new form of storytelling "Video Mapping" states Barros. "The inclusion of GPS brings a whole new level of context to any video, making location, speed, time, and conditions as important as what you recorded."
A rugged camcorder for the estimated 100 million outdoor enthusiasts around the world, ContourGPS makes it easy to capture video from within the action and share it online in seconds. Shipping world-wide over the coming days, ContourGPS ($349.99 MSRP) joins the company's award-winning ContourHD model ($279.99) and is available at retailers such as REI, Amazon, Helmet Camera Central, and POV Cameras. Visit www.contour.com/camera to learn more or to find a complete list of retailers.
About Contour
Contour, formerly known as VholdR, is a market leader in the hands-free video camera category. Producing simple, thoughtfully designed and intuitive adventure storytelling tools, Contour, enables modern day explorers to use video and location-based video to relive and replay their personal tales of action, adventure and travel, sharing them with world at the touch of a button. For more information about Contour please visit www.contour.com.
