I was a little skeptical about the Theta when I first borrowed one for a couple weeks but soon discovered how much fun it was. Since it’s invention, the camera has been mostly a straight line device in that you aim it at the thing you want to take pictures of but with the Theta, everything is in the frame.

It’s a very different way of photography than most of us are used to but it’s a supremely interesting device. Everyone I showed it to was amazed that such a thing was even possible.

Now Ricoh has improved on their design with the Theta S, which is not only an upgrade in the image and video quality department but also adds live streaming to its list of features.

The lenses (since there’s technically one in the “front” and one in the “back”) are newly designed with a F2.0 aperture and 7 elements in 6 groups. These are paired with a new 12MP 1/2.3″ sensor that’s a big jump in image quality and allows for full 1080p HD video. When they say 1080p, though, that’s 1080p for the entire 360 degree frame so the resolution will be lower if you’re only looking at a piece of it. Either way, the samples show a welcome bump up in clarity and pushes the Theta further towards mainstream usefulness.

But to me the biggest improvement has to be the addition of live streaming straight from the Theta S either via USB or HDMI. Planting a Theta in a the middle of an event or concert would be a great way to live stream it to the Internet.

For more info on the new Theta S, head over to Ricoh’s product page. We expect the Theta S to be available later on this month for $449.