Say what you will, but I think cell phones
with cameras are great. And the new breed of camera-equipped
cell phones with video camcorders is even better.
Why? It's a great way to capture a moment so
you can share it or remind yourself.
According to researchers at Info-Trends,
worldwide camera phone sales will reach 150 million this
year, and those phones will capture 29 billion images.
Moreover, InfoTrends expects sales to grow 55 percent a year
for the next four years. That's a lot of cameras.
But, consider the capabilities. Say you'd
like to buy a home or rent an apartment. Rather than trying
to remember the blur of places from a shopping tour, you
could walk through and narrate a short video about each
place. Or, if looking for a car, the camcorder phone could
help you remember features and sound of the engine.
Will the phones do to the job? Based on my
tests, there's a lot of information that can get captured.
I've just started testing the Samsung SPH-A680 offered by
Sprint. The phone is tiny, measuring only 3.3 inches by 1.8
inches and is less than in inch thick. It weighs 3.4 ounces.
It takes VGA-quality pictures and has camera
settings for flash, digital zoom, self-timer, fun frames and
checks for color tones and brightness. As a video camera you
can capture up to 15-second video clips and narrate them or
attach text with the clips. You can also use video and
pictures as the phone's screen saver.
The phone also comes with great phone
features that include a rich color screen, one-touch voice
activated dialing, wireless Internet sessions and downloads,
and an appointment organizer. Using the Sprint PCS business
connection, you can establish real-time access to a
Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes account that has e-mail,
calendar, a business directory and personal contact storage.
And while I could list a plethora of other
features, I still think the best part is the camera. Digital
pictures can be sent to e-mail addresses or other Sprint PCS
Vision Phones. This takes us one step closer to
instant-to-anyone at any time.
You can expect to see plenty of success and
silly stories about these phones. A few months ago, a
quick-thinking 15-year-old New Jersey boy solved an apparent
kidnapping with his camera phone. The teen snapped digital
photos of the suspect and his car, complete with the license
plate number. Police used those pictures to find and arrest
the perpetrator the next day.
Of course, not everyone will make such good
use of the cameras. Already in Japan, where camera phones
are popular, people have taken photos up women's skirts and
down into bathroom stalls.
Subsequently the government has legislated a
fine of close to $4,200 for taking a surreptitious photo.
Like them or not, camera cell phones are hot
technology. The camera technology is of decent quality
today, but expect it to get much better. In Japan and Korea,
people are testing 1, 3, and 5 megapixel cameras. Some
analysts even believe camera-phones will overtake the sales
of low-end digital cameras within a few years.
I'll be checking out a few more phones and
other amazing gadgets over the next few weeks, so stay
tuned. One thing for sure, manufacturers are finally sorting
through the tangle of technology innovations to make smart
products that are both useful and exciting.
