Five-Megapixel Camera Phones Invade the Market

2008 is shaping up to be the year of the 5-megapixel camera phone. And we couldn’t be more excited.

Let’s face it, the crummy, submegapixel imaging chips crammed into most phones today take awful-looking photos. The iPhone’s 2-megapixel camera is an improvement, but even its photos look crummy next to a standard-issue digital camera from five years ago.

Thankfully, most handset manufacturers are realizing that a phone with an integrated 5-megapixel camera makes for a much more satisfying device. In fact, some of these gadgets look more like cameras with integrated cellular data technology than phones with added-on digital imaging sensors.

Here are a few of the 5-megapixel camera phones on display at CTIA Wireless this week. We had a chance to play with a lot of handsets at the conference, but these phones stood head and shoulders above the others.

LG Viewty
We first saw this camera at CeBit earlier this year. It has one of the finest cameras ever integrated into a cellphone. The shutter speed is phenomenal and colors are true and vibrant — even under the harsh halogens of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Samsung Soul
No, it won’t be available in the United States right away (those cheese-eating, deodorant-eschewing Europeans get it first), but it does come with the requisite 5-megapixel camera. Plus it also includes a vibrant OLED display right above the keypad.

Sony Ericsson C902
This way-too-thin, way-too-pretty handset also first appeared at CeBit. It contains useful picture-taking apps like face detection and a program Sony Ericsson calls “bestpic” technology, which lets you fire off nine pictures in rapid succession and then pick the one that looks best.

Nokia N82 Black Edition
Yes, it’s just like the silver N82 released earlier this year and yes, it still sports the same specs: auto focus, Carl Zeiss lens and Xenon flash. And yes, its image quality is still dead-on gorgeous. But hey: It’s black!

Samsung F480
This is sort of a clone of the much-maligned, perpetually delayed LG Prada phone we first saw at last year’s CTIA. It’s gorgeous, sports a full touchscreen interface, snaps lovely 5MP pictures with its built-in LED flash, and will be sold in the United States sometime this year.

We wouldn’t mind carrying any of these handsets around in our pockets. In addition to their quality cameras, many are mated with super-speedy HSDPA (high-speed downlink packet access) for retrieving wireless data, quad-band capability and innovative upgrades like OLED screens. All that adds up to a lot more than just cellphones with cameras haphazardly slapped on them. For the first time, instead of hiding our camera-phone pics in the darkest, most inaccessible recesses of a Flickr account, we might feel like blowing these pictures up and actually showing them to our friends.

The LG Viewty is one of several 5-megapixel camera phones unveiled at CTIA.
Photo: Isaac Brekken/Wired.com
Source: Wired

Turn Your Cameraphone Into a Productivity Tool

If your cell phone has a camera built in, you can use it for more than just the occasional snapshot of the kids and dog. Indeed, you can put it to productive use during your workday, especially when you’re traveling. Here’s how:

• Remember where you parked. When you arrive at airport parking, take a snapshot of the nearest signpost so you can easily find your car again.
• Insure your belongings. Business Hacks reader Weaver1 offered this great tip in response to our post on packing light for business travel: “When laying out clothes for a trip, I take a photo with my cameraphone to document clothes/shoes/etc. for the airline in case of lost luggage.”
• Send a fax. Using a service called Qipit, you can snap a photo of anything — say, a whiteboard or secret company documents — and have it delivered via fax. The service can also deliver cameraphone photos via e-mail and store them online for future reference. Amazingly, it’s free.
• “Scan” a business card. Similar to Qipit, ScanR (also free) adds the option of capturing business cards, which are then delivered to you via e-mail in vCard format (ready for importing into Outlook or another contact manager). The only hitch? You need a 2-megapixel camera for this to work.
• Create a visual to-do list. Blogger Steve Rubel throws out the idea of making a to-do list consisting of photos rather than text. To me it sounds like more work than it’s worth, but as a “visual” person I can definitely see the appeal. Maybe you will, too.

What’s the most productive thing you’ve ever done with your cameraphone? Click that Comments link up top and share your brilliance! Photo by Thomas Rockstar.

By Rick Broida – BNet

Nikon S600 leads new Coolpix compact digital camera line-up

February 9, 2008 Boasting a blistering start up speed of 0.7 seconds and the the world’s smallest body for a compact digital camera equipped with a 28mm zoom lens and optical vibration reduction, Nikon’s 10 mega-pixel S600 leads a flurry of new additions to the company’s COOLPIX compact digital camera range. The S600 is exceptionally portable at 130 g (4.6 oz.) and features 14 different scene modes and three movie modes, automatic light sensitivity control between ISO 100 and ISO 800 (with manual settings up to ISO 3200), Vibration Reduction (VR) image stabilization technology and a 2.7-inch LCD monitor that has been given anti-reflection coating as well as improved shooting displays and revised icons.

The S600 features a powerful 4x zoom-Nikkor lens, high-speed auto focus and the 28mm wide-angle capability (35mm format equivalent) gives you the range required to shoot anything from landscapes to close-up portraits or as close as close as 3 cm (1.2 in.).

The monitor also has approximately 230k-dots of high resolution and a wide 160-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angle.

The S600 has a choice of 14 different scene modes and three movie modes including the new Active Child mode, a function which allows you to frame and select a moving subject before shooting. Then as you begin to shoot, the camera tracks and focuses on that moving subject and creates clearer images.

With user-friendly functions such as large buttons and the rotary multi selector, the titanium silver body gives the camera a solid feel and when shooting close-ups the active zoom mode gives you smoother zooming. The S600 comes with a rechargeable Li-ion Battery which will give you about 190 shots

The COOLPIX S600 will be available in March 2008 at an MSRP of USD$299.95

All of the new COOLPIX cameras also feature three innovative functions to improve picture quality. Face-priority AF automatically finds, then focuses on people’s faces, in-camera red-eye fix and D-lighting, which can be applied to improve an underexposed image.

Nikon COOLPIX S600 specifications

• Effective pixels: 10.0 million
• Image sensor: 1/2.33-in. CCD; total pixels: approx. 10.34 million
• Lens: 4x Zoom-NIKKOR; Digital zoom: up to 4x (35mm)
• Storage media: Internal memory (approx. 45 MB), SD memory cards
• Interface: Hi-Speed USB
• Power sources: Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL10 (supplied), AC Adapter EH-62D (optional)
• Dimensions (WxHxD): Approx. 88.5 x 53 x 22.5 mm (3.5 x 2.1 x 0.9 in.) excluding projections
• Weight: Approx. 130 g (4.6 oz.) without battery and SD memory card

Like the S600, the S550 also boasts 10 mega-pixels (effective) but has a 5x zoom-Nikkor lens and a range of colors including urban black and purple. The new smile mode technology has a gauge which informs the user when the subject has smiled and a blink warning system detects when the subject has blinked so you should be able to get the perfect shot. The COOLPIX S550 will be available from this month at USD$229.95

At 94 x 53 x 22.5 mm (3.7 x 2.1 x 0.9 in.) the S520 offers 8.0 MP (effective) resolution, quick response and with sensitivity settings as high as ISO creates clear images. The COOLPIX S520 will be available in March 2008 in an array of colors – including plum and graphite black – at USD$229.95.

by Gizmag.com

Use a white tshirt to improve digital photos

Here are two photography hacks which use a simple white tshirt to improve the lighting of your photos. They come from Darren Rowse of Digital Photography School.

In situations where you can’t use a reflector (and for minimising the set up needed) you can wear a white tshirt to reflect light onto the subject. You’ll need to ensure you’re standing close enough for the light to reflect.

And the other tip? When shooting with a flash you can diffuse its impact by bouncing the flash off yourself. This way the subject is lit indirectly, but with a white natural light.

DIY Reflector – Wear a White T-Shirt [Digital Photography School]
by Sarah Stokely – LifeHacker

Solio Magnesium Edition converts solar power to gadget juice

Like the broad, sun-catching leaves of a plant – nature’s original sun catcher – the Solio nabs that sun but, instead of creating carbs via photosynthesis, it powers your equally life-sustaining portable gadgets. While the Solio’s been around the block before, the new Solio Magnesium Edition is a little more rugged which, ideally, means it oughta stay away from the landfill a little longer than its predecessor. The unit comes with adapters and a wall charger (for those of you who live underground) and is available for £99.95. If you could care less about the fancy new shell, the original Solio has been redubbed the Solio Classic and is now available for under £50.

by Christopher Grant – Engadget

D-Link debuts DSM-210 10-inch WiFi photo frame

We love us a decent WiFi photo frame, and D-Link seems to have a keeper with this here DSM-210 10-incher. The frame can pull photos from RSS feeds, USB drives, flash cards and a special Yahoo Widget that lets you drop an image from you desktop and have it appear automagically on the DSM-210. You can also sync with calendar programs, and various online news and other info via RSS. There’s an Ethernet plug in the back if WiFi isn’t your style, and the frame also has a rechargeable battery if you’re looking to do things completely wire free. The DSM-210 will be out Q1 2008 for $250.

by Paul Miller – Engadget