Kodak has just announced that it’s bungee-jumping into the “actioncam” market, with this month’s introduction of its new compact, shockproof, waterproof HD Playsport video camera. Members of the public will have their first chance to try it out on Saturday, March 20th, at the 2010 Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships in Vermont. On the off chance that you won’t be attending that event, here’s a bit about the camera...

The Playsport records in full 1080p HD, is watertight down to three meters (10 feet), and utilizes electronic image stabilization. It also has a color LCD viewfinder/playback screen, with a Glare Shield setting that allows you to see the picture in bright sunlight. Other features include face-tracking technology, claimed “incredible low-light performance”, and the ability to play footage back in slow motion.

A number of pieces of information are absent from the official press release, which might have been nice to know. While we’re told that the camera uses a rechargeable Li-Ion battery, no run time is provided. Likewise, although it can record up to ten hours at 720p on an SD memory card, no figure is given for full 1080p. It would also be good to know how wide its lens is, although in the product shots it looks suspiciously small.

The camera package includes PC-only Arcsoft Media Impression software for editing your videos, and sharing them on YouTube, facebook and twitter (the camera itself is Mac-compatible). An optional Adventure Mount strap appears on the Kodak website, although it’s unclear how well it would work with this particular camera.

The Playsport comes in black, blue or purple, and is now available for $US149.95 via Kodak.com