Just keep `em coming! That's what we can say with all these action camera offerings. This market segment was created by small startups to answer the needs of outdoors and extreme sports people for a handy way to film their experiences and exploits and it just went crazy. For now, GoPro is the market leader but big name electronics companies from Japan such as Sony and Panasonic have entered the fray, and now companies more known for navigational products such as Garmin and TomTom also want a piece of the action.
TomTom is the latest entry to this market with the TomTom Bandit which has some unique features that cannot be found in competitors apart from the usual High Definition video recording (1080p at 60fps/720p at 120fps), GPS, timelapse, Wifi, slow motion, burst photo mode, and still photos.
With the phone app, it has a "Shake To Edit" feature that when you shake the phone it mixes up the video clips you have taken, allowing you to find the good clips to put your movie together. Once done, it’s ready to be uploaded, as TomTom says about the Bandit footage, "Share it while it’s hot."
It also has data visualization allowing you to check your stats such as speed, altitude, and location which will you help you improve your performance, especially if you're preparing for a big competitive event.
What I am actually pleased with the TomTom Bandit apart from its well thought out action-cam-smartphone-app combo it the actual hardware itself. It is certified IPX7 which is splashproof and can be immersed in 1 metre of water for 30 minutes without the need for a waterproof housing. With an extra lens cover, it can go IPX8 which TomTom says and you can dive up to 50 metres with it.
Now what really sets its hardware apart is the uniquely designed Batt-Stick. It is a 1900 maH battery, a microSD card and USB stick housing. You can easily pull out the Batt-Stick Module from the camera unit and with its USB just insert it to the USB3 port of your laptop. While transferring video files, it can start drawing juice from the laptop's power and thus charging at the same time.
The TomTom Bandit is now on pre-order for £299.99 with a Premium Pack which comes with a Remote Control, Handle Bar Mount, Dive Lens Cover, 360 Pitch Mount, and Power Cable to be available soon. TomTom are expecting to ship the Bandit before the 30th of May. For now, the app is available for iOS devices with the Android version coming soon, hopefully when the TomTom Bandit starts to ship.