HTC today finally got around to updating their HTC Camera app for their One M8 for Windows. Since its release, HTC has updated numerous core apps (Sense TV, Dot View app) for their flagship Windows Phone, although Camera has gone without one.
Today, 2.0 has come to the Store, which is a rather large jump. The banner feature here is the new Pan 360 option, which replaces the previous Panorama mode that is built into the camera app.
Pan 360 differentiates from a typical panorama app in that it can work horizontally on a plane and also vertically, along the axis. In that sense, it feels similar to Microsoft's Photosynth, although it is not as focused on making a spherical photo. You can share the completed photos as usual although there is a built in "viewer" that lets you pan around the app in a more visually striking way.
There was no changelog included with the app update, so anything else that is new will have to be fleshed out by readers. It is not clear if the swap camera feature was already present, or if that is new. (The option works by effortlessly swiping across the camera display to switch between the rear and front camera)
HTC Camera 2.0 is still one of the fastest camera apps around on Windows Phone, although Lumia Camera 5.0 for some Lumia Denim devices come very close. Regardless, the HTC One is getting some reliable treatment from HTC, and it is great to see this app getting a refresh.
Back in December, HTC and Verizon pushed out a firmware and OS update for the One. The update bumps the OS to version Windows Phone 8.1.1 build 14203, and its firmware changed from 10602 to firmware build 21705.
Hopefully for those who had some glitches with the previous one will see an improvement with today's update.
Thanks, King B, jtbarton14 and Linus V., for the tips!
- Download HTC Camera 2.0 for Windows Phone (HTC One for Windows only)
