Hydrogen One
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RED founder retires, and the Hydrogen phone project is over
At the age of 70, RED founder Jim Jannard has announced he's retiring, saying that between his age and a few health issues "it is now time." As he steps away from the company, he also announced its Hydrogen phone project will end after producing just one device. When the Hydrogen One arrived late last year it brought some technology, like "4V" for its display and image capture that was innovative, but didn't live up to its $1,295 price. Earlier this year RED announced plans to "radically" change the program and build a device to have wider appeal across pros and regular users. That's all done now, although the Hydrogen One will continue to receive software updates, and RED Digital Cinema is still operating with Jarred Land as its president. You'll just have to find your next moonshot phone from a camera company somewhere else.
RED blames Chinese manufacturer for its phone's terrible camera
RED's much-hyped, camera-centric smartphone, the Hydrogen One, received some pretty damning reviews when it launched last year: the screen was poor quality, its headline photo features were disappointing and its camera software was rough around the edges. But according to RED founder Jim Jannard, it wasn't their fault. In a post on H4Vuser.net, Jannard blamed the company's unnamed Chinese ODM (original design manufacturer) for the Hydrogen One's shonky performance.
RED finally ships the $1,600 titanium Hydrogen One
At long last, RED is shipping the titanium version of its Hydrogen One phone. It promised the variant when it announced the handset in 2017, and took pre-orders for that version at the full $1,595 cost. When RED delayed the titanium model last September, it sent those who pre-ordered it the aluminum version, and now those folks are receiving a titanium handset as well at no extra cost.
RED plans to 'radically' change Hydrogen phone program
If you bought RED's Hydrogen One hoping that its module system would improve its frankly lackluster camera technology, you might not want to hold your breath for an imminent upgrade. RED has pulled references to the conventional camera module from the Hydrogen One page, leaving its fate up in the air. Company founder Jim Jannard didn't go into detail as to why the module mention vanished, but indicated that RED was in the midst of "radically changing" the Hydrogen program to appeal to both pros and everyday users -- the camera system in particular is due for a shake-up.
