EE's own-brand action cam livestreams over 4G
With own-brand smartphones, tablets, MiFis and portable chargers, you would think EE's starting to run out of relevant products to stamp its logo on. After showing a recent interest in remote livestreaming by funding the Skeegle app, however, the carrier has today announced it's branching out into cameras. The 4GEE Action Cam, as it's inventively named, is a GoPro-style camera with the ability to broadcast directly over LTE without a smartphone conduit. The Action Cam can record 1080p video at 30fps, 720p clips at 30 or 60fps, and takes stills at up to 13MP (with an 8fps burst capture mode). Livestreaming over 4G is limited to 720p/30fps, though actual quality will depend on connection strength, and no points for guessing that Skeegle is where you'll find Action Cam broadcasts (settings and features are controlled through a separate companion app). The camera sports 2.5GB of internal storage, with a microSD slot to increase space by up to 64GB, and a 2,260mAh battery that's said to be good for three hours of streaming.
As you'd expect, there are a bunch of accessories that are available for the camera, such as chest, helmet and bike mounts. Lightweight and waterproof enclosures are included as standard, as is a much more interesting accessory: a viewfinder watch for framing your shot and controlling the camera when it's out of reach (the point being you don't need to bring the camera and a smartphone with you).
The 4GEE Action Cam isn't something you simply buy. It's bound to EE's network, meaning you have to effectively subscribe to the product. The cheapest way to get hold of one -- when it launches on June 16th in all EE retail channels, Selfridges, Jessops and on Amazon -- is to add it as a shared plan for £10 per month with a £99 upfront payment (for an introductory period ending July 12th, you can avoid the upfront payment), or for £15 per month with no upfront. That means you need to be an EE customer already, of course, and on new pay monthly plans, you'll have to fork over £50 to get the camera on a £15 per month contract. Things start to get pretty expensive if you want to take the pay-as-you-go route. For £299, you get an Action Cam and a 30-day, 2GB data plan, or 2GB every month for 12 months for £399 all-in.
