Nothing to do with the IPO but I found the Hero3 both hard to learn and operate. Maybe I'm spoiled by user friendly tech, but it seems the compromises in usability to achieve durability severely limits the ability for an average person to use the product. The tiny control interface and cryptic symbols required much time in the tiny but dense instruction booklet.
I was only helping a family member (as the resident family geek) but was left with the impression that it would take a solid weekend (or three) to fully understand the options and how best to get the footage you want.
To contrast I have a "tough" Lumix digital camera which is water, drop and generally abuse resistant that is drop dead easy to use, records in high-def and also has a large LCD and dedicated record/photo buttons that make operating it easy. And I'm not talking about normal recording conditions, I've used both extensively on the trail, in the cold (winters in Maine) and mounted on various vehicles and body parts.
I do think the reasoning behind many of these inconveniences is toughness but the net result is a very difficult product.
To be fair, I always thought the Contour was miles ahead in form factor and usability, it's a shame that they weren't able to continue to compete with GoPro.
I actually bought a Contour before I ended up selling it to get a GoPro 3 Black. The video quality just wasn't comparable at all. The laser level was a great concept, but the WiFi viewfinder is far easier to use, despite sucking down battery like there's no tomorrow.
There were 3 things I really liked on the Contour, though: the standard tripod screw on the bottom (that's an extra accessory on the GoPro), the battery life was far better, and the model I had was able to withstand a few feet of water without a big bulky case. (Snorkeling/swimming okay, SCUBA not.)
I liked my Lumix a lot (it got stolen in Canada, of all places) and even went swimming in the Mediterranean with it, but it was still a general purpose point-and-shoot. GoPros generally have wide-angle lenses and I don't doubt they're even more durable. It makes sense to me to make a product that's as tough as possible, just to make sure they're not going head-to-head with Panasonic et al.
Connecting to it via wifi without the benefit of the paper manual is itself a WTF-worthy process. Even with the manual it was a PITA for me, I can't imagine what it's like for a non-techie.
No, because you have to choose between Wi-Fi "phone mode", Wi-Fi "remote control mode" and off[1]. Navigating the menus on the camera is pretty annoying - I always get mixed up which button is back and which is "Ok".
I surprised to hear that you had so much trouble. I think my GoPro is at least as easy to use and navigate menus as my Canon point and shoot camera, which has a bunch of buttons and a full color LCD.
I was only helping a family member (as the resident family geek) but was left with the impression that it would take a solid weekend (or three) to fully understand the options and how best to get the footage you want.
To contrast I have a "tough" Lumix digital camera which is water, drop and generally abuse resistant that is drop dead easy to use, records in high-def and also has a large LCD and dedicated record/photo buttons that make operating it easy. And I'm not talking about normal recording conditions, I've used both extensively on the trail, in the cold (winters in Maine) and mounted on various vehicles and body parts.
I do think the reasoning behind many of these inconveniences is toughness but the net result is a very difficult product.
/rant