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Contour's new mount, watersports kits help bring its cameras with you in the water, snow or dirt

Richard Lawler — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:00:00 EST

As Contour continues to do battle with GoPro over the action-sport POV camera market, its latest offensive centers around prepackaged activity-specific mount kits that should make it easier for customers to pick one up and go. Also new is an all-in-one ContourRoam watersports kit that includes the HD camera and waterproof case that's capable of keeping it dry at depths of up to 60m. The mount kits include sets for skiers, cyclists, motorcyclists, hikers and an all purpose helmet mount kit. All of these are available starting today on the company's website and at select retailers, with the mount kits going for between $59 - $99 and the Roam Watersports kit for $249. We appreciated the Contour+'s sleek package in our head to head test with the Hero 2 last month and the addition of these packages should help it compete on price and ease of use right out of the box. The specific details are in the press release after the break and pictures of each set are in the gallery below, assuming your hobbies are exciting enough to merit recording, of course.

Gallery: Contour accessory kits

Continue reading Contour's new mount, watersports kits help bring its cameras with you in the water, snow or dirt

Contour's new mount, watersports kits help bring its cameras with you in the water, snow or dirt originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eRocketry successfully launches Delta II Model 7420-10 rocket, has the video to prove it

Amar Toor — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:05:00 EST

Got a hankering for homebrewed aeronautics? You might wanna reach out to the folks at eRocketry -- a self-described "Online Rocketry and Space Community." Earlier this week, at the tenth annual Plaster Blaster event in California, a group of eRocketeers made their grand debut, successfully launching a Delta II Model 7420-10 Rocket into the ether, along with an onboard camera. Constructed by space enthusiasts from Tripoli San Diego and the Diego Area Rocket Team (DART), the 1:9 scale rocket (pictured above) stands nearly 14 feet tall, with a diameter of just 10.75 inches. After eRocketry founder Philip Odegard attached a Contour HD camera to his creation, the beast triumphantly soared above the desert sky, reaching an altitude of 2,272 feet. Fortunately for all of us, the camera survived the journey, capturing some pretty cool footage along the way. Check it out for yourself after the break, or hit up the source link for more images.

[Thanks, Keith]

Continue reading eRocketry successfully launches Delta II Model 7420-10 rocket, has the video to prove it

eRocketry successfully launches Delta II Model 7420-10 rocket, has the video to prove it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GoPro launches HD Hero2 helmet cam, announces video streaming Wi-Fi pack for winter

Sean Buckley — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 03:01:00 EST

Want to catch every frame of your next extreme sports wipeout in all of its grotesque glory? GoPro knows where you're coming from, and has updated its line of high definition helmet cams to help you capture every bone-breaking moment. The HD Hero2 competitively boasts that it's twice as powerful its 2009 predecessor, the original HD Hero. The new helmet cam promises to capture 1080p 16:9 footage from atop your sweaty noggin at both narrow (90-degree), wide (170-degree) and medium (127-degree) angles, and can snap up to ten 11 megapixel photos per second. The camera's mini-HDMI port, composite out, USB, SD card and HERO ports will help you share the spoils of your spills when your adventure ends -- at least until this winter, when GoPro's WiFi BacPac promises to enable live broadcasting and camera control over WiFi. Best of all? The Hero2 kills the original HD Hero's confusing 3-digit code interface in favor of a simple language-based menu.

The HD Hero2 comes in three $300 configurations: outdoor, motorsports, and surf editions, all of which are compatible with existing accessories. Too rich for your blood? Then you'll be happy to know that the previous models are getting price drops -- $200 for the original HD Hero and a paltry $150 for its "960" variant. Hit the break for the official PR and a full list of features.

Continue reading GoPro launches HD Hero2 helmet cam, announces video streaming Wi-Fi pack for winter

GoPro launches HD Hero2 helmet cam, announces video streaming Wi-Fi pack for winter originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 03:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Contour Plus helmet cam spied, offers wider view of your extreme antics

Terrence O'Brien — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:53:00 EST

If you're the type who likes to risk life and limb in pursuit of pleasure, then you know the best way to document your exploits is with a little helmet cam action. Bike Rumor is reporting that Contour, one the leaders in this (admittedly niche) field, will soon be releasing a new POV shooter called the Contour Plus. The site came across some Giant pro cyclers testing the device, who claim the Plus will improve on the ContourGPS by adding an HDMI-out port, boosting image quality, and widening the viewing angle from 140 degrees to 170. And, for those who really like to live dangerously, the Plus will supposedly pack a Bluetooth radio so you can stare at the iPhone viewfinder app while hurtling down a snow-covered slope or through an obstacle-riddled bike path. Of course, this is all unofficial at the moment, but the "little birdy" whispering in Bike Rumor's ear said the updated cam will land in the next month or two. One more blurry shot after the break.

Continue reading Contour Plus helmet cam spied, offers wider view of your extreme antics

Contour Plus helmet cam spied, offers wider view of your extreme antics originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Contour launches Viewfinder App, lets your iPhone talk to your ContourGPS (video)

Tim Stevens — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:57:00 EST

Helmet cam aficionado? Contour's ContourGPS currently has the greatest range of connectivity options, and one of those options, Bluetooth, is finally good for something. The company has just flipped the switch and deployed its Viewfinder app that we last saw at CES, which allows iOS devices to pull live video from the camera, even if it's still stuck to the side of your head and covered in mud. Users can also tweak camera settings in real-time, which is a huge step forward over the previous process that required tethering the cam and booting up some software. However, there is a catch: to use the device you have to install a little card, called a ConnectView, into your camera. This sucker will set you back $29.99, though we're told the upcoming Android release of the app will be able to do without. Unfortunately, that version won't be along until an unfortunately vague "Spring," but the iOS flavor is a free download right now in the App Store.

Continue reading Contour launches Viewfinder App, lets your iPhone talk to your ContourGPS (video)

Contour launches Viewfinder App, lets your iPhone talk to your ContourGPS (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch Pro Bowl practice through Michael Vick's eyes -- and his ContourHD 1080p helmet cam

Nilay Patel — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:44:00 EST

This weekend's NFL Pro Bowl might be one of the more useless spectacles in American sport, but since there's nothing at stake, the NFC coaches allowed Michael Vick to strap a ContourHD 1080p camera to his helmet during practice -- and the resulting few moments of footage are pretty awesome, if you're a football fan. We gave the 1080p a pretty decent review, and it certainly delivers here: you get to watch Vick break the huddle, fire off a pass to Jason Witten, hand off to Adrian Peterson, and run a play-action to Witten, all the while exchanging some friendly banter with Matt Ryan and Drew Brees. It might actually be more interesting than the Pro Bowl itself, actually. Now if only the NFL would let Aaron Rodgers wear one of these during the Packers' inevitable Super Bowl victory, we'd be happy as clams.

Update: We hate to remind everyone, but this is a gadget blog, and as such we like to keep the conversation on topic and geared towards that. Since most people can't seem to stay on topic, we're closing threads on this one.

Watch Pro Bowl practice through Michael Vick's eyes -- and his ContourHD 1080p helmet cam originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ContourGPS helmet cam review [updated]

Tim Stevens — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:02:00 EST

Helmet cameras have now achieved the pinnacle of HD recording: 1080p. If you have the cash, a head, and a pastime worth filming you have a few choices for full HD extreme POV recording. So what's a little lid-mounted recorder to do for its next trick? If you're Contour it's to add a positional sensor and the letters G, P, and S to your product and create the ContourGPS. It lets you not only record your extreme antics but also how fast you were going when you were partaking in them, plus a lot of other information. And, more promisingly, there's a suite of hardware updates here, some paving the way to letting you use your smartphone as a viewfinder. But how does this $350 piece of helmet jewelry perform on the ice? Keep on reading for some video evidence.

Gallery: ContourGPS

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ContourGPS helmet cam review [updated] originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Contour adds Live Viewfinder to its ContourGPS helmet cam, real-time streaming to smartphones

Tim Stevens — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST

The Contour family of helmet cameras are among our favorite, their little lasers making it a little easier to figure out just where the heck they're pointing. Not as nice as the integrated screen as on the Drift Innovation HD170, but rather less bulky. Soon you won't have to worry about lasers with the upcoming Live Viewfinder feature. As it turns out, the $349.99 ContourGPS doesn't just have a GPS chip inside, there's Bluetooth connectivity in there somewhere too.

This enables the little cameras to connect wirelessly to your Android or iOS device and send some video its way. At least, that's the theory, as the apps aren't ready for consumption yet, though we're told iOS is coming first sometime this summer. It looks like you won't be able to tap into the camera's storage, this will exclusively work like a viewfinder, but that gives us something to hope for in coming releases. This extension is coming later this year, but we're hoping to check it out a lot sooner than that. Stay tuned.

Continue reading Contour adds Live Viewfinder to its ContourGPS helmet cam, real-time streaming to smartphones

Contour adds Live Viewfinder to its ContourGPS helmet cam, real-time streaming to smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Contour announces 1080p ContourGPS helmetcam, lets friends locate your extreme exploits (video)

Tim Stevens — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST

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.

Gallery: ContourGPS helmetcam

Continue reading Contour announces 1080p ContourGPS helmetcam, lets friends locate your extreme exploits (video)

Contour announces 1080p ContourGPS helmetcam, lets friends locate your extreme exploits (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Drift Innovation HD170 helmet cam review

Tim Stevens — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:59:00 EST

What's this, another way to capture for posterity the extremeness of our helmet-requiring pastimes? Yes indeed, a new player has entered the increasingly crowded POV/action/helmet camera market, the Drift Innovation HD170, offering 1080p recording in a durable case that stands poised to take on GoPro's HD Hero and VHoldr's ContourHD 1080p. However, the built-in color LCD here lets you do something you just can't do on either of those two: check your footage on the camera itself. Does this make up for some of the cam's other shortcomings? Read on to find out.

Gallery: Drift Innovation HD170

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Drift Innovation HD170 helmet cam review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Video Cameras

Ross Miller — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:32:00 EST

Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season.

Whether you want them to or not, there's a good chance you've got a family member or two (or more) that feel compelled to capture every single moment on video, including those times when all you're doing is sitting around watching previously recorded memories. That's just an inevitably we face each and every family gathering, and if you must endure, might as well get them the best possible fidelity, right? Then again, maybe you are that memory-capturing individual -- in either case, we think we've got a few suggestions to maximize your holiday enjoyment.

Gallery: Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Video Cameras

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Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Video Cameras originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Waterproof ContourHD case enables head-mounted video captures under the sea

Darren Murph — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:57:00 EST

Look, you've always known that you were the next Kelly Slater, but you've never had the outlay to hire a professional recording team to capture your rides off of Oahu's stunning north shore. Thankfully for you, your extreme sporting dreams are about to become a reality courtesy of a $39.99 waterproof case, which has just been released to encase VholdR's ContourHD and ContourHD1080p helmet cams -- which we just so happened to take a look at ourselves earlier this year. Said case can withstand liquids for up to ten meters deep, and just in case you're in the accessorizing mood, the outfit has also released a handlebar mount, vented helmet mount, and a lens kit to its accessory range. Granted, all of this stuff will be rendered pointless when we start embedding HD cameras into our retinas, but we suppose it'll do the trick until that fateful day.

Continue reading Waterproof ContourHD case enables head-mounted video captures under the sea

Waterproof ContourHD case enables head-mounted video captures under the sea originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GoPro HD Hero review and helmet cam face-off

Tim Stevens — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:40:00 EST

What's this, another tiny, high-definition camera to strap onto your person before doing something wild and crazy? Yes, it's the latest pixel-pushing contender for high-def helmetcam supremacy, the GoPro HD Hero; a little gray box in a waterproof case that can record 1080p at 30fps, 720p at 60, and comes with a selection of mounts that will enable the thing to hang on to just about whatever you want to sling it from -- but at $299 you might not feel particularly inclined to put it in harm's way. Worth the risk, and how does it compare to the competition and its predecessors? Read on for the full analysis, and of course plenty of gratuitous high definition footage.

Gallery: GoPro Hero HD unboxing and comparison

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

GoPro HD Hero review and helmet cam face-off originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VholdR ContourHD1080p helmet cam announced, we go hands-on

Tim Stevens — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EST

If you live in the north you've probably noted a chill in the air. The leaves are turning, the days are shortening, and anybody with a pair of skiis or a snowboard in the closet is walking with a bit of a spring in their step. A whole new season of extreme powdery antics is just a few months away, and for those looking to capture those antics -- or those on the streets, up in the air, or anywhere else in between -- a rugged helmet camera is the way to go. Earlier this year we got a chance to run the 720p-recording ContourHD through a few helmeted trials, and now we've been given exclusive access to test the company's new version, the ContourHD1080p. The name tells you the biggest news here, full 1080p recording in a tiny package, but there's more to it than just pixels. Read on for the full details, and a video of a couple of dudes jumping off a cliff.

Gallery: VholdR's ContourHD1080p

Continue reading VholdR ContourHD1080p helmet cam announced, we go hands-on

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VholdR ContourHD1080p helmet cam announced, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VholdR ContourHD wearable HD camcorder hands-on and impressions

Tim Stevens — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:12:00 EST

We've been toying with a VholdR ContourHD helmet cam for a few weeks now, seeing how well it blends in with our adrenaline-fueled lifestyle. We've mounted it on various helmets, tried it with some moderately extreme endeavors, and, now that we've had a chance to refill our asthma inhalers, we thought we'd share a few of those adventures and give our impressions of this helmet-mounted HD shooter.

Gallery: ContourHD unboxing and hands-on

Continue reading VholdR ContourHD wearable HD camcorder hands-on and impressions

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VholdR ContourHD wearable HD camcorder hands-on and impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ContourHD helmet cam now shipping for aggro dads everywhere

Tim Stevens — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:01:00 EST

Some dads like grilling, some dads like football, and some dads like tacoing wheels on rocky downhill mountain bike runs. For that latter group (and any other similarly action-oriented folks of either gender), the VholdR ContourHD is now shipping just in time for Father's Day -- and the summer injury season. The 720p wearable cam was announced back in April and we recently received one for in-house testing. We'll provide our full impressions on it soon, but for now enjoy the thrilling red-light footage after the break captured at last week's Brammo Entertia test ride, or go ahead and pick up your own. MSRP is $299.99, but Amazon's selling them for $20 less and throwing in a $50 gift card to boot -- savings that will do little to offset the cost of fixing your broken clavicle if you don't take it easy on the whoopties.

Continue reading ContourHD helmet cam now shipping for aggro dads everywhere

Filed under: Camcorders

ContourHD helmet cam now shipping for aggro dads everywhere originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ContourHD helmet cam now shipping for aggro dads everywhere

Tim Stevens — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:01:00 EST

Continue reading ContourHD helmet cam now shipping for aggro dads everywhere

Filed under: Digital Cameras

ContourHD helmet cam now shipping for aggro dads everywhere originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VholdR ContourHD helmet cam upgrades your brain to HD

Paul Miller — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:05:00 EST

The original VholdR was already one of the more attractive propositions when it comes to helmet cams -- let's face it, when it comes to strapping a video camera to your head, style is likely your first priority -- and now the even sexier followup is here: VholdR ContourHD. The camera shoots 720p at 30fps and WVGA (858 x 480) at 60fps, making it what is apparently the world's first HD "wearable camcorder." A goggle mount and flat surface mount are included, and the lens swivels 192 degrees for easy alignment, with dual lasers to help with setup and a 135 degree wide angle lens to catch your faceplants in a comprehensive manner. There's a 2GB microSD card included, and we must say the H.264 default codec is an extra nice perk. ContourHD is on sale now for $280, and starts shipping on May 15th.

[Via Helmet Camera Central]

Filed under: Camcorders

VholdR ContourHD helmet cam upgrades your brain to HD originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VholdR ContourHD helmet cam upgrades your brain to HD

Paul Miller — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:05:00 EST

Filed under: Digital Cameras

VholdR ContourHD helmet cam upgrades your brain to HD originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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