JVC have stuffed their latest camcorder with Bluetooth, but while you might automatically assume the short-range wireless functionality was to be used for media transfers, you’d be wrong. In actual fact, the JVC Everio GZ-HM550 uses its Bluetooth for remote control, GPS geotagging and even for sound monitoring using a hands-free headset.
If you’ve ever wanted to remotely control your camcorder from your smartphone, JVC have your back. An include app – no word on what platforms are supported – allows users to control recording, zoom and playback; alternatively you can pair up a Bluetooth GPS puck and use it to geotag movies and images. Footage will automatically sync with Google Earth once you transfer it back over to your computer. Finally, you can pair up a Bluetooth headset, allowing you to either monitor audio being recorded through the GZ-HM550’s microphone, or to overlay a director’s track yourself.
As for the photography specs, the GZ-HM550 has a 10.6-megapixel CMOS which can record in Full HD and grab 9-megapixel stills, saving files to its 32GB of internal storage or to an SD/SDHC card. There’s a 16x Konica Minolta zoom, face detection and time-lapse recording, and you can set the camcorder to automatically trigger when movement is detected.
All of that comes at a price, however; the JVC Everio GZ-HM550 is on sale now, with an MRSP of $799.95.