A Camera phone, sans phone

Las Vegas – every year the camera manufacturers set up huge booths at C.E.S., where they display an impressive array of tiny, powerful cameras.  And every year this exercise seems a bit more quaint.

That’s because the camera industry is still very much about better picture quality – megapixels and zoom lenses – even though the story these days is not just what the image looks l like, but what you do with it after you take it.  People want to share those pictures instantly on Facebook or Intagram, or through e-mail.  And they can do that with the camera in their Smartphone.

Some point-and-shoot cameras now do come with some sort of wireless connectivity.  At the show this year, Kodak, for example, unveiled digital and video cameras that allow you to send pictures instantly and post them on social networks.

But Polaroid is taking a somewhat different tack.  At its booth it is showing off the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera, a device that tries to blur the lines between a point-and-shoot camera and a Smartphone.

The Smart Camera hews closely to the basic tenets of phone design:  it’s a black rectangle controlled by a touch screen, designed to slide into a pocket.  It has a heftier lens than most Smartphone cameras, with an optical zoom.  And with 16 megapixels, it is also more powerful.  This makes sense; otherwise why would anyone buy it?

But Polaroid’s camera is designed to mimic a Smartphone more than distinguish itself from one.  The device is powered by the Android operating system for phones, allowing it to run apps.  The camera can connect to a 3G network, in addition to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.  Polaroid is still working on securing partnerships with wireless carriers.

The company declined to discuss prices, and said only that the camera would be out this year.  Once it is, users will be able to snap pictures, edit them with apps and share them on social networks or over e-mail, just as they can with their Smartphone’s.

But you can’t use it to make a phone call. (NYT)

Source: Manila Bulletin