The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.The smartphone may have replaced a "traditional camera" in many of our lives, but there are still some places where's it's impractical to use. Attached to a helmet while snowboarding, for example. They may be prettystrong, but smartphones are still kind of fragile devices ' they are half glass after all!GoPro has carved out a nice chunk of the "extreme sports" market, but a new player, Sioeye, has released a camera of its own.Their camera hassome features that set it apart from its competition. The biggest one is that it has a built-in LTE antenna, whichlets youlivestream anything you're doing at any time.That's a game-changer if you've got a captive audience, or want to share something with your friendsas it's happening. There are video-messaging apps out there, but if you want your family from across the country to watch you ski or surf, this is the best option I've seen.The Sioeye itself is a small 4K-capable camera. If you've seen a GoPro, you'll know what to expect. Overall, the hardware looks and feels reallygreat; this is a definitely a premium product. The only part of the hardware that irked me is that both the door that holds the battery, and the door that protects the MicroUSB port, headphone jack, miniSD card, and SIM card are removable. They're small, light, and easy to lose, so I wish the doors were attached to the camera with a hinge, like they are on traditional cameras.Included in the Sioeye's package is a mountable case and a handful of adhesive pads and clips, so you can get ready to livestream under any circumstances. While this is meant more for extreme sports, the fact that it's a small high-resolution camera that can broadcast from anywhere could make it a significant tool for reporters, even if live broadcasts are capped at 1080p.While the marketing says the Sioeye can be operated without the use of a smartphone, I found using one with the camera to be very helpful. Yes, there's a dedicated livestream button, but because of its small screen, navigating around the menus on the camera itself to change a setting was a little tedious. Tetheringthe camera to my iPhone 6 Plus'a surprisingly seamless process, let me make all the settings changes I liked on a significantly larger screen; Sioeye's app is very well laid out and easy to use.Once I was happy, I could hit a single button on the side of the Sioeye and I'd be livestreaming within a few seconds. What makes Sioeye's self-contained system work is its partnership with AT&T and T-Mobile to provide data-only SIM cards that're compatible with the Sioeye. You'll burn through T-Mobile's 5GB allotment in short order if you exclusively shoot in 1080p, but if you ratchet the quality down to 720P, or even 480P, you'll be able to broadcast for way longer.The other major component to Sioeye's system is its website and social network. Through their site, you can "follow" other Sioeye streamers, commenting on their videos while they're going on. If you follow someone, you'll automatically be sent a notification on your phone when they start streaming. You, as the streamer, can also get a link to your stream that you can distribute through your social network of choice. It's an interesting idea, but its success and usefulness ultimately depends on how many people pick up these cameras. Check out @mikehinkens taking the streets by storm down in Ecuador. #squadgoals #bmx #Guayaquil #Ecuador #Sioeye A video posted by Sioeye (@sioeye) on Jul 18, 2016 at 9:31am PDTon Jul 18, 2016 at 9:31am PDT It should be said that you can take local video with this camera, attach its MicroSD card to your computer, and edit footage there, but then the difference between it and a GoPro are negligible. This camera is really for people who want to have an action-capable camera for events happeningright now.Our phones might be the camera we use themost, but a specialized camera like this one definitely has a place in your life if you want to up your livestreaming game.Sioeye Iris4G Live Streaming Action Camera, $429, available on AmazonSEE ALSO:10 awesome and weird iPhone accessories you probably needDON'T MISS:8 must-have iPhone accessories under $20Join the conversation about this story
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