Tech Retrospect: HTC unveils 'selfie' phone, pocket cam; Apple teases next affair

The smartphone market is so crowded right now that it's getting more and more difficult to stand out. That's good news for we consumers, because it's forcing smartphone makers to try new and interesting things.

Take HTC, which this week launched two new products, one being the very selfie-focused Desire Eye. The "look at me doing whatever it is I'm doing right now" craze shows no sign of abating, and HTC is looking to take advantage by placing a 13-megapixel camera front-and-center, complete with a dual-LED flash to make sure your mug looks fabulous regardless of just how moody the lighting is.

The Eye is also waterproof, something we hope will continue to become increasingly commonplace in the coming months, and has a 5.2-inch 1,080p display. Sadly, no word on pricing or availability anywhere, but given the plastic construction and generally midrange specs (only 16GB of storage), don't expect it to break the bank.

A little further out there on the progressive spectrum is the HTC Re, a sort of pocket-friendly, light-duty action cam that has a distinctive shape and nice features. Yes, it looks like an asthma inhaler from the future, no it doesn't look particularly well-suited for a helmet mount, but the Re is more designed for casual shooting than extreme antics. Take it out of your pocket and it turns itself on. Press the big shutter release on the back once to take a picture, hold it down to record video. It'll connect wirelessly to your phone, if you like, and records directly to microSD. It's waterproof to short depths and has a standard threaded receiver for using a variety of mounts. GoPro challenger? Not really, but a neat little product.