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Graava is a new action camera that does the editing for you

Graava is a new action camera that does the editing for you

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Shoot first, edit never

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Action cameras make it easy to capture amazing footage of your life, whether you're skydiving or walking your dog. But in the end you're still stuck with hours of footage to sort through. A new product designed in partnership with Matter Design promises to do that work for you. It's a smart, slick-looking action camera called Graava.

The Graava camera's specs are modest; it can only shoot 1080p video at 30 frames per second and 720p video at 60 frames per second, take 8 megapixel stills, and has a relatively wide field of view of 130 degrees. It can't shoot extreme slow motion, and it can't shoot raw 4K video. (It does have a "hyperlapse" mode, which automatically compiles the camera's 8 megapixel stills into what amounts to a 4K time lapse video.) The camera also 1100mAh battery that the company says will last for up to three hours of shooting 1080p video, and can be charged with a wireless charging mat.

Graava's app does all the hard work

But Graava isn't trying to compete with head-turning specs. Instead, Graava's whole hook is that it will solve the biggest headaches of shooting lots of high-definition video: reviewing and editing the footage. Graava's software is supposed to be able to pick out the most amazing moments from your hours of footage by using the microphone, accelerometer, GPS, and even third-party heart rate monitors. The software is also smart enough to make edits that match the beat of your favorite song, and can instantly sync footage from multiple Graava cameras.

Graava action camera in photos

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Graava is tackling these problems in a clever way, but the new company isn't the only one with a solution. Earlier this year TomTom announced it was getting into the action camera game with the Bandit. While the Bandit sounds like a very capable shooter, TomTom placed a heavy emphasis on the software's ability to edit clips for you using onboard sensors — much like what Graava wants to do. (One mode in the Bandit's app even lets you just shake your phone to quickly create a jumbled edit of your best clips.) And other action camera companies, like GoPro, are making it easier to tag the moments you'll want to remember while you're recording.

An example of Graava's editing: this is the "best 30 seconds" from four minutes of video.

The biggest difference between Graava and its competitors is that Graava isn't coming to market until next year — the company says the first units won't ship until early 2016. That leaves a lot of time for action camera companies to extend the head start they have on startups like Graava. You can preorder the Graava camera starting today for $249, and it will eventually retail for $399.