We caught wind of Sony's HDR-GW77V Handycam camcorder when it launched in Japan back in May, but there was no word on when it'd see an international release. Well, consider us informed: Sony has announced that their waterproof camcorder will arrive in the US sometime around the end of the month.

The HDR-GW77V doesn't look especially imposing, but Sony reports that the camera is shockproof for up to 5 feet and waterproof for up to 16 feet, without needing to rely on special housing. We weren't allowed to shoot any test video as the sample wasn't ready for public consumption, but Sony told us that the camcorder will record 1080p video and can take 20.4 megapixel stills. It also offers a built-in GPS for geotagging and a 3-inch, 921k touchscreen. The 16GB of internal flash memory will record up to approximately 4 hours of video, but you can expand that with MicroSD and SDHC cards, or Memory Stick Micro cards. The HDR-GW77V will be available in three colors for about $699 when it launches in a few weeks.