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Panoskin makes it easier to post GoPro footage to Street View
Uploading your own Street View Photos -- even with a 360-degree camera -- can be a pretty laborious process. Google introduced "Street View ready" standards in 2017 to make things easier, and now things are set to become even more straightforward. Chicago-based company Panoskin is launching a desktop app that lets anyone with a GoPro Fusion 360 camera convert and publish their footage directly to Street View.
GoPro Plus now offers unlimited uncompressed video storage
When GoPro launched Plus -- it's subscription service for cloud storage -- it was a modest offering. For $5 a month, you could store a bunch of your photos and videos online, access a library of music to use in your edits, and a get a 20 percent discount on accessories. Early last year, the company added a new benefit -- a no questions asked camera replacement scheme and bumped photo storage to unlimited. Today, the company extends that unlimited feature to video, and importantly at native resolution (i.e. 4K videos won't be compressed at all).
GoPro improves Fusion VR camera resolution via software update
It's not often a camera gets a resolution upgrade purely through software, but GoPro appears to have managed just that. The company has released beta firmware that lets its Fusion VR camera capture 5.6K spherical video at 24 frames per second. That's not a huge bump over the original 5.2K, but it could still be noticeable in the confines of a VR helmet. GoPro manages the feat by capturing footage at 5.8K and stitching it together to produce the finished video.
GoPro's Nick Woodman is happy he gave away a million dollars
GoPro's Nick Woodman is happy that there's nothing to report. After an eventful few years, 2018 was pretty much back to business as usual. That doesn't mean it was an uneventful 12 months though. The Hero 7 Black landed with a (stabilized) splash, and the company embarked on a new endeavor: The Million Dollar Challenge, that gave GoPro Hero 7 Black users the chance to claim a slice of the seven-figure prize pool. In our stage interview here at CES, Woodman (joined by one of the winners) explains how it could well be one of the best ideas they ever had.
GoPro will make 'most' of its US cameras outside of China
China and the US may have declared a tariff truce (however tentative), but GoPro isn't taking any chances. It's moving "most" of its US-bound action camera production out of China by summer 2019 to reduce the effect of any potential tariff increases. The decision will help diversify manufacturing "regardless of tariff implications," the company said, and shouldn't cost much when it already owns its manufacturing equipment and just needs to switch facilities.
A closer look at DJI's Osmo Pocket camera
DJI has become known for offering some of the best gimbal setups for video creators, and its latest product is quite promising. The new Osmo Pocket, which leaked earlier today, is a 12-megapixel camera that can shoot 4K video at up to 60 frames per second. And, as its name suggests, one of its main traits is that it's small enough to fit in your pocket -- so long as your jeans aren't too skinny. It weighs a mere 119 grams (or about four ounces), has 3-axis mechanical stabilization and a 140-minute battery life (at 4K 30p).
GoPro Hero 7 Black review: An action camera for the social age
Ever wondered why GoPro's flagship camera is called "the Black" but has always been silver or gray? Well, with the Hero 7, the company has righted that wrong. Cognitive dissonance aside, there are a few other things fixed with this year's update, but the big question is: Are they the issues that matter to you? If your frustrations center around shaky footage or wrangling your videos onto social media, then yes. If you were hoping for a laundry list of new video modes then, maybe not so much (4K/60fps is still the max). There is a little something here for everyone, though, and -- importantly -- it keeps the $399 price tag of the Hero 6 it replaces. The question this time seems to be: Can it replace your phone (camera)?
GoPro unveils three Hero 7 cameras starting at $199 (updated)
The leaks were true, and then the subsequent leaks covered nearly everything else. GoPro has unveiled the Hero 7 action camera family, and the focus this year is on the basics -- that is, an easy-to-understand lineup of cameras that take better shots. The highlight of the bunch is undoubtedly the $399 Hero 7 Black (which we've just reviewed), whose in-camera HyperSmooth stabilization is billed as good enough to rival the rock-solid footage you'd get using a gimbal. We're not convinced it's that good in practice, but it's certainly a perk. Accordingly, there's a TimeWarp feature that behaves like a souped-up version of Instagram's Hyperlapse, turning your bike ride or diving session into a smooth seconds-long clip.
GoPro Hero 7 leak hints at steadier action shots
'Tis the season for major device leaks, it seems. Austin Mittelstadt has posted photos of a store display that spills the beans on GoPro's unannounced Hero 7 action cameras. The leak shows a cam that looks similar to the Hero 6 on the surface, but promises "gimbal-like" image stabilization that's smoother than what you get with its soon-to-be-outdated precursor. There's also a hint at a shakeup in product strategy, for that matter.
GoPro has now sold more than 30 million Hero action cams
GoPro has been dealing with significant business challenges in recent months, but the camera maker has managed to keep its chin above water. The company today revealed it has surpassed 30 million sales of its Hero action video camera since the first HD model came out nine years ago. Its Hero5 Black model -- an affordable all-rounder for outdoorsy types -- has sold four million units and gains the honor of becoming GoPro's best- selling camera.
Hot Wheels' GoPro toy car captures sweet shots of your lil' stunts
How much do you love Hot Wheels? So much that you spend your days wishing you could ride that loop-the-loop yourself? Probably not, but Mattel has your back regardless. It just trotted out a Hot Wheels Zoom In car with a slot designed to accommodate one of GoPro's Hero5 and Session action cameras -- yes, you too can document your plastic track racing with a camera that costs exponentially more than the $1.09 vehicle underneath. If you've ever wanted to combine the thrill of first-person stunts with the fear of trusting an expensive gadget to the whims of physics, your dream machine is here.
GoPro makes it easier to share footage as Instagram Stories
While you can post GoPro photos and videos as Instagram Stories, the process takes quite a few steps to accomplish and sometimes even requires the use of a third-party app. Well, the action cam-maker worked with Instagram to launch a direct way to share your adventures, like say a diving expedition, a trek up the mountain or an ordinary day at home playing with your dog, through the social network's ephemeral feature. Starting today, you'll see Stories as an option when you share videos and photos from within GoPro's application.
GoPro's latest trade-in program will take any digital camera
GoPro really needs you to buy its action cameras, and it's trying an uncommon take on a familiar strategy to make that happen. The company has introduced a TradeUp program in the US that gives you a discount of $50 on a Hero 6 Black or $100 on a Fusion if you trade in your old digital camera... no matter who made it. So long as the camera was worth at least $99.99 when new, you'll get that same discount. You'll clearly get more value out of this by trading in a point-and-shoot or early GoPro instead of a DSLR, but it's a good way to get rid of a device that would otherwise gather dust in the closet.
GoPro's $199 Hero action camera is meant for newcomers
GoPro's action camera lineup has skewed toward the enthusiast side for a while -- you get a Hero6 because you intend to document your bike rides and surfing expeditions. Now, however, GoPro is ready to court more first-timers. It's releasing a $199 Hero (no number, just "Hero") meant for beginners and occasional users who'd rather not spend a fortune and passed on the similarly priced but relatively niche Hero5 Session. There's no 4K or similar high-end features (you're limited to 1440p at 60 frames per second), but GoPro is betting you won't mind.
GoPro licenses camera tech to other companies amid sales struggles
There's no question that GoPro is hurting: sales are struggling, its drone plans are dead and it's not clear that the company can survive purely on sales of action cameras like the Hero6. What's it going to do? Offer its technology to other companies, apparently. GoPro has unveiled a licensing deal that lets Jabil use its camera lens and sensor tech for a wide range of products. The two aren't specific about what this will involve, but Jabil sees uses in everything from law enforcement (think body cameras) through to videoconferencing and self-driving cars. Yes, the tech that documents your mountain bike trip could also drive you across town some day.
Netflix sent a show about space into space
Netflix is already available in 190 countries, so where's the next logical place of expansion? Space, obviously. As part of Netflix's latest hack day, a team sent an iPhone with downloaded Netflix content into the heavens with a GoPro camera, reaching an altitude of approximately 115,000 feet. The show kept playing, albeit without sound because in space, no-one can hear you scream. Subtitles on, then. Of course the show in question was Star Trek, although it seems illogical that the team opted for Star Trek: Discovery, which isn't actually available to stream on Netflix in the US (it's available on CBS All Access).
After Math: The state of the 'uniom'
It was a week of taking stock as the President meandered his way through the State of the Union address and a number of tech firms reviewed their Q4 earnings. Alphabet and Amazon both had something to crow about, while Apple and GoPro both posted less than stellar holiday sales. Numbers, because how else would we realized that, at this point, the rules are made up and the points don't matter?
GoPro faces uncertain future as holiday sales disappoint
The holidays were not kind to GoPro. The action camera company had already issued an earnings warning in January, dropping its projected Q4 revenues from $470 million to $340 million, that's a 37 percent year-over-year decline. The holidays were so dreadful, in fact, that GoPro has since decided to abandon its drone pursuits and a fifth of its workforce, roughly 300 positions. That said, the company did earn $1.18 billion in 2017, flat year-over-year, and the staff reductions did help drop GoPro's operating expenses by 30 percent, which left the company with $247 million in cash and marketable securities at the end of the year. That's $50 million more than it had on hand at the end of Q3.
GoPro's Plus service will replace your busted camera
GoPro has amped up its Plus subscription in a big way. The offering, which was mostly a back-up service for your photos and videos, now comes with device replacement for the same price. GoPro says if you break your camera, it'll replace it for you with no questions asked -- so long as you only go in twice per 12 months of subscription. If you break your GoPro a third time within a year, you're on your own... and you probably need to think of a way to keep your camera safer when you go on your wild adventures.
GoPro's Fusion camera is ready to work with a few Android phones
GoPro's ability to nail the experience with its 360-degree Fusion camera will rely on its marriage of hardware and software capabilities, and now the latter is getting a boost. An update to the company's Android app allows certain phones (listed below) to pair with the camera and share 360-degree stills or video clips. There are only about ten models on the compatible list, and just like on iOS, capabilities vary by platform, however, GoPro expects the list to expand as "we continue to improve stability, image processing and overall performance on the platform." Until then, Pixel and recent Galaxy owners are among those with one more reason to consider the $700 camera, even if some other Android users don't.
