ION Air Pro Takes on the Action-Camera Competition
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(Image Credit: ION)
The mobile action cam market isn't new; just look at companies such as GoPro and Contour HD. But Giovanni Tomaselli thinks it's just about time for a new player.
Founder and CEO of ION, Tomaselli is launching a new camera today: the ION Air Pro Camera. And with years of experience designing cameras for Kodak, Casio and Nikon, he is confident his latest creation will knock the other action cams off their feet.
"All I wanted to do was design an action camera that had the smallest footprint, but was still the absolute best product," Tomaselli told ABC News.
The ION Air Pro HD weighs 4.5 ounces (the GoPro weighs 3.5 ounces) and is waterproof up to 30 feet and wind resistant. The camera, which looks like a shrunken flashlight, was designed with a curved front lens so that water would naturally drip off and not linger on the shot.
It was also designed to be simple to operate. Slide the toggle on the top of the camera and you turn it on and start recording. In a demo of the product, Tomaselli was quick to point out that it was specifically designed for "one-click capture."
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ION Podz
Like other action cameras, the ION Air Pro HD is compatible with helmet mounts, but the mount - or CamLOCK, as ION calls it - has been designed so you can just swivel the camera around to adjust its position. It will also flip the orientation of the image in the video, so you don't record upside down. The ION captures 1080p video but users are required to purchase a microSD memory card. It can accommodate up to 32-gigabyte card.
The real unique feature of the ION comes with what Tomaselli has called Podz. The bottom of the circular camera has a little opening where you can attach small circular modules or Podz. The first module that will be available for the ION is a WiFi Podz; attach it and the camera will be able to automatically upload footage to an iOS device (iPhone or iPad) or to a computer.
Tomaselli plans to release other versions of Podz in the coming months, including one that will function as a wireless remote for the camera and one that works a microphone.
The ION Air Pro starts at $229.99 and includes the camera, mini tripod, power adapter and the CamLOCK mount system for attaching the camera to a pole, helmet, handlebar, etc. The ION Air Pro WiFi will go for $349.99 and includes the WiFi Podz. They will be on sale starting today on www.iontheaction.com.