Garmin enters the Action Camera market with VIRB

Leaders in GPS technology, Garmin, have made an entrance into the Action Camera Market with a new camera called ‘VIRB’.According to Garmin, ‘VIRB is its first true HD 1080p action camera series that features a rugged and waterproof housing and a 1.4-inch Chroma colour display for easy setup and playback.’ That is, unlike competitors’ units, the VIRM won’t require a casing, which according to some anecdotal reports can have diminished water proofing qualities as well as rendering sound quality poor.

The interesting note for cyclists and triathletes, is the VIRB Elite will have ANT+ compatibility, allowing pairing with the Garmin 810 (and some other Garmin devices) to show a power (and other metrics) overlay on video captured, as well as allowing the user to control the camera from the touchscreen of the 810. The Elite also has built-in wi-fi and a high sensitivity GPS.Also lined up for users of the Elite, Garmin will be launching a free desktop software application to edit and upload VIRB and VIRB Elite videos. With this software, users can easily edit their footage and embed sensor data in the video, then share with family and friends or upload to social media sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.