Can A Camera Phone Ever Replace A Camera? - A Comparision

A Comparision - Camera Mobile Phone Vs Digital Cameras.
1. LG Viewty vs Canon Digital IXUS 70
2. Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot K850i vs Sony Cyber-shot T200
3. Nokia N95 vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9
4. Samsung G600 vs Samsung i85

It’s not all about megapixels, megapixels, megapixels you know. Increasingly, people are looking towards camera phones as the ultimate in gadget convergence because it really is handy not to have to take an expensive extra bit of tech with you on holiday. Plus, suppose you suddenly bump into your hero on the street (unlikely to happen to me unless Neil Gaiman moves back to England) and you have no camera to record the event? You’d like to know that a mobile phone snap won’t be the blurry, badly lit photo some phones had lead us to expect.
So what should you be looking for in a camera phone? And what do you miss out on by not having a full camera on hand? I take a look at high profile camera phones from LG, Sony Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung and put them to the snapper test.

1) LG Viewty vs Canon Digital IXUS 70

Already established as a favourite of mine, the Viewty really takes into account some of the features you would expect from a camera. It packs 5 megapixels, so printing up to A3 is not a problem. The xenon flash is on, off or auto – it can’t be forced at will – but the fact that there IS a flash is a massive bonus; it’s something frequently lacking from camera phones. There is also an incremental ISO light sensitivity setting up to 800, which while low for a camera is pretty revolutionary for a camera phone. I’ve seen this phone point into a darkened box and take a snap of a black Darth Vader helmet; what appears to be a murky and typical shot resolves itself on playback to a crisp and clear picture. It even has white balance options and digital (though not optical) stabilisation.
Basic video editing features including the option of filming at 120fps and playing back in slow motion seriously give this the edge in the camera stakes.

But what is it missing? Well, I’ve compared it to a relatively cheap, compact and popular camera, the Canon Ixus. For under £150 you would get 7.1 megapixels plus 3 x optical zoom as well as 4 x digital zoom, face detection, flash modes and red eye reduction. The flash in general is stronger and ISO speeds can be double that of the Viewty at 1600 as well as set to automatic. Playback is on a 2.5” screen as opposed to the Viewty’s generous 3 inches.

LG Viewty thumbs up: Convenience, xenon flash, 120fps video

Canon IXUS 70 thumbs up:

Optical zoom, face recognition, automatic ISO, megapixels

Verdict:
I would argue that the Viewty, which is likely to be free on a £30-£40 contract, is the better bargain. You’re never going to get the fine zoom detail on the phone that you can on the camera, but for close-to-mid-range shots, there’s not a hell of a lot in it.

2) Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot K850i vs Sony Cyber-shot T200

The brand new K850i is so new I haven’t even held it in my hands yet but it promises amazing things from a camera phone. I’m a huge fan of the Cyber-shot brand, having relied on a K810i for holiday snaps recently and not been remotely disappointed; the macro setting captured a stunning image of a dragonfly in close up. The 850i goes for 5 megapixels, automatic lens cover, auto focus, xenon flash and BestPic, a new Sony technology that fires outnine shots in quick succession so you can keep the best and dump the rest. Photo fix editing is included to improve underexposed snaps, too. PictBridge lets you print straight from your phone, an accelerometer features means instant viewing in portrait and landscape depending how you tip the phone, andone-click moblogging uploads are made easy.

The T200 I have had my hands on, and it’s a sleek, compact little 8.1 megapixel number that’s almost as moreish as chocolate cake; once you’ve tried it you’re keen to go back for more even though it’s not necessarily considered a serious camera. It has a number of useful features such as facial recognition, ISO of 3200 and a 3.5” screen, and also some icing-on-the-cake ones like the Smile Shutter, which can be set to only take a photo when it detects a smile; sounds daft, I know, but having seen it in action it really works. However, it also becomes apparent that to all intents and purposes, you only really get 2.8 inches of the screen being used for framing and playback and a lot of the features as style over substance.

Sony Ericsson K850i thumbs up:

BestPic, xenon flash, photo editing, easy moblogging

Sony Cyber-shot T200 thumbs up:

high megapixels, high ISO, Smile Shutter

Verdict:

Again, for the amateur who just wants decent pics of nights out and holidays – and if they wanted more than that they’d want a DSLR camera anyway – the phone is more than capable and designed for quick sharing. Most of the extra features of the T200 are fun, but little more than a distraction.

3) Nokia N95 vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9

The N95 took a huge leap forward for camera phones when it was released earlier this year. The magic words “Carl Zeiss lens” appear on the spec sheet, alongside 5 megapixel CMOS sensor when this was largely unheard of for a camera phone, 3.2 being considered generous. Quick image-sharing uploads to Flickr and Twango were also built in from the off, and it one the TIPA Award for Best Mobile Imaging Device. Auto focus, flash with red-eye reduction, auto exposure, white balance, colour tone, 20 x digital zoom, exposure compensation… they’re all there.

In looking for a reasonably fair comparison, I opted for a Sony compact with a Carl Zeiss lens and 30 x digital zoom as well as 15 x optical zoom. The CCD sensor promises 8.0 effective megapixels, ISO 3200, red-eye reduction and double anti-blur technology. There’s a tilting 3” LCD screen and electronic viewfinder, PictBridge and NightShot, which is probably the most impressive extra feature that is yet to be found on a phone. It allows you to shoot in virtual pitch darkness using infra-red.

Nokia N95 thumbs up: Carl Zeiss lens on a phone, Flickr, Twango

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9 thumbs up: Optical zoom, NightShot

Verdict:

A tough call, as the N95 is widely considered to produce pretty much the best quality camera phone shots anyone has seen so far. But when you get to that level of specification and start trying to compare like with like in lens quality terms, you get a lot more from the camera in terms of impressive optical zoom and features like NightShot. If you expect this much from your phone, you probably expect a lot more from your cameras and have a DSLR, but if you want to come close to having a phone that replaces the need for a camera – not that this is yet fully possible – this is the one to go for.

4) Samsung G600 vs Samsung i85

The Samsung G600 is all about its camera. It’s a fashion phone, all about being “image conscious” but for all that it touts its 5 megapixels, some of the features are a little disappointing. There are plenty of special effects, a flash LED, white balance and 4 x digital zoom, but even compared to its fellow camera phones that’s a little weak. Having said that, it’s also wafer-thin, which is not something that can be said about many cameras, no matter how compact.

If the G600 carries roughly the spec of last year’s Samsung i50 MP3 camera, the newest equivalent compact camera from Samsung is the i85. Packing 8 megapixels and PMP features, this really threatens the G600’s grip on convergence; if you’re going to get a media player in your camera, then it’s probably worth lugging two gadgets around (even the iPhone, media player extraordinaire, does not have much of a camera and wouldn’t spare you the schlepping). Besides which this is only 0.8” thick, with built-in stereo speakers and plenty of formats supported. Camera-wise it offers a slightly meagre 5 x optical zoom, image stabilisation and ISO 1600.

Samsung G600 thumbs up: Super slim, special effects

Samsung i85 thumbs up: PMP features, optical zoom, high megapixels

Verdict:
It’s time to shell out for a camera. The G600 looks lovely and I wanted so much to get excited about it, but I was relatively unimpressed with the camera when I tried it out, even though I loved the design and other phone features. The i85 is a great bit of clever convergence; we’d still rather carry around a phone and a media player – although the iPhone may change that – so why not put a media player in your camera?

So there you have it; the camera-killing phone hasn’t arrived quite yet, but there are plenty of handsets that have gone beyond perfectly adequate for the average user and are actually turning out amazingly good shots. One photographic artist has even stitched together photos from his camera phone for an exhibition – and they’re only going to get better. This is one area of convergence the geeks are getting just right.

Source: http://www.dialaphone.co.uk/blog/?p=681

The Dream Come True - Apple's iPhone to go on sale in the UK on 9 November

Computer company Apple has announced that its iPhone device will go on sale at 18:02 local time on 9 November 2007, in the UK, at retail and online stores of Apple, mobile services provider O2 and mobile retailer Carphone Warehouse.

Apple said iPhones will be available at over 1,300 Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse retail locations in the UK, enabling customers to purchase the new device, which combines a mobile phone, widescreen iPod and Internet device. It confirmed that each Apple retail store will offer support for iPhone at the Genius Bar, with users able to sign up to a free workshop or arrange a personal training session through its One-to-One programme.

O2 said it has hired and trained hundreds of new iPhone specialists who will be present in all of its 450 stores, providing live demos and showing customers how to get the most out of their iPhone.

The iPhone will be sold for GBP269 with 8GB of storage on a choice of three tariffs from O2, starting from GBP35, and all with a new 18 month contract and including free unlimited use of the O2 mobile data network and The Cloud Wi-Fi network. Each Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse retail location will allow customers to buy up to two iPhones per person, on a first come, first served basis.

Source: http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/791503/

AT&T and O2 unveil unlimited iPhone data plans

AT&T and O2, the service providers for Apple's iPhone in the US and the UK, have rolled out unlimited data plans.

The plans will offer UK iPhone owners unlimited data transfer on O2, while US customers will be shielded from huge charges while travelling internationally with AT&T.

The iPhone has earned a reputation for being a data hog since its US release in June.

In order to accommodate its email features, the device constantly uses its Edge and Wi-Fi connections to check data, resulting in numerous small data transfers.

AT&T had offered unlimited data as part of its service plan in the US. When users left the country, however, they were charged roaming fees on each data transfer.

This led to cases of customers running up thousands of dollars in charges without ever really using their iPhones.

To solve this, AT&T is introducing a 'Global Data Plan' which will cost $59.99 on top of the standard iPhone service fee.

Users will be allowed 50MB per month in transfers in 29 countries. The regions covered under the plan will include Europe, Asia, Canada and Mexico.

In the UK, iPhone provider O2 announced its own plan to feed the phone's hefty data appetite.

The company has revised its iPhone policy to allow unlimited data transfers for all iPhone users. Previously, the company had imposed 'fair usage' limits to the iPhone that would have capped data transfers at 200MB per month.

Source: http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2202776/providers-feed-iphone-appetite

iPhone vs iPod: The Raw Battle

Two decades back from now, we could have never thought in our wildest dreams that we would be at the disposal of some of the most technologically advanced devices in the form of communication devices that we wield today. But the scene is entirely different today. Science has gifted so many, so useful devices for the use of mankind. Without delving into details of any form, if we try to concentrate upon a list of some important gadgets that has shaped the modern world, mobile phones would feature amongst the leading names. The immense progress of the mobile phone industry since the last decade has certainly made sceptics eat their words. In fact, the way things are moving ahead at the mobile phone arena, we can hope for even more scintillating developments ten years down the line from now.

Settle for now with Apple, one of the premier names in the world entertainment name which has shown keen interest in the word of mobile telephony by launching the iPhone. We will come to the features and prowess of the iPhone a bit later – for now let's analyse the mettle inside the iPod which had become a great rage the world over soon after its release. iPod is a brand of portable media player designed and marketed by Apple and launched in October 2001. The line-up currently consists of the original style hard drive-based flagship iPod classic, the premium iPhone-like iPod touch, the mid-level video-capable iPod nano, and the low-end screenless iPod shuffle. Former products include the compact iPod mini (replaced by the iPod nano) and the high-end spin-off iPod photo (re-integrated into the main iPod classic line). The current iPod classic models store media on an internal hard drive, while all other current models use flash memory to enable their smaller size. Like many digital music players, iPods can also serve as external data storage devices.

With such technological prowess at its back-end, the innovator has stepped into the mobile phone arena with its newest release – the iPhone. The iPhone, which is one of the most beautiful and feature rich communication devices, comes with dual functionality of a mobile phone and an iPod. The prime features in the Apple iPhone are 16 million colour touchscreen (320 x 480 pixels), 4/8GB internal memory, GPRS, iPod audio/video player, Google Maps, integrated handsfree, HTML (Safari) browser, Bluetooth wireless technology, WLAN, EDGE etc. The Apple iPhone measures 115 x 61 x 11.6 mm and weighs 135 grams and offers up to 8 hours of talktime and up to 250 hours of standby time. This Quad Band beauty is compatible with both MAC v10.4.10 as well as Windows Vista operating systems and takes in 4GB or 8GB flash drive. A 2.0 megapixel camera has also been equipped for added attraction.

In the mankind's long history, technological inventions have drove many go crazy about possessing gadgets and surrendering to the comfort of their specialities. If there are gizmos enamouring million men, their female counterparts are no lacking behind with the handful of machineries and their services to avail. Mobile phones of late, do add to the long list of desired accessories. And they are making men and women alike to turn in a long queue to get a hold of a specimen that counts worthy amongst the lot.

iphone holds similar commands to all those (both men and women) who love freedom, power and fun. Truly, soon after its launch iPhones have become a household name just its erstwhile brother iPods did once.

Feeling chest pain? Use your mobile to analyze your heart

Coronary heart disease is by far the most common cause of death in many countries. For example, every few seconds someone in Europe is suffering of chest pain caused by an insufficient supply of blood to the heart.

While a short-term oxygen scarcity usually origins angina pectoris, a long-term severe lack of oxygen causes a myocardial infarction, which may eventually lead to a cardiac arrest. Therefore it is very important to identify a heart attack and immediately seek for medical attention. However heart attack victims can wait on average two hours or more after the beginning of symptoms before they seek medical help but sadly it might be already too late then.

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is certainly the most effective way to identify anomalies in the cardiac activity. “An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG, abbreviated from the German Elektrokardiogramm) is a graphic produced by an electrocardiograph, which records the electrical activity of the heart over time - Wikipedia”

Symbian mobile phones provides excellent platform for home heart monitoring. The heart monitoring can be performed using wearable wireless ECG miniature sensor (e.g. Mega Electronics Wireless Bio-Amplifier, WBA), which continuously measures the heart activity and wirelessly transfers the data directly to the mobile phone using Bluetooth. The information then can be automatically transferred to the health care provider using mobile phone networks or even analyzed on the device.

Mobile phone solution like this offers users the capability of recording and simultaneously transmitting the ECG signal whenever they feel pain in the chest or heart irregularities. Additionally, the feeling of being in virtual contact with the health care professionals provides a sense of safety, without the hassles of permanent monitoring.

However, several measurement sessions may need to be taken in different situations to assess the best information of the condition of the heart. So, this kind of mobile phone based ECG monitoring offers a valuable tool for easy measurement of ECG without interfering with everyday’s life.

Source: http://blogs.forum.nokia.com/blog/arto-holopainens-forum-nokia-blog/s60/2007/08/01/feeling-chest-pain-use-your-mobile-to-analyze-your-heart.

HEALTH ALERT OVER TODDLERS WHO HAVE THEIR OWN MOBILES

Effect Of Mobile Phone On Brain

CHILDREN as young as three have been given a mobile phone despite the potential health risks, a study revealed yesterday.

Almost a quarter of three to six-year-olds use handsets and by the age of 15 almost every child has their own mobile. However, experts warn there may be long-term health risks from exposure to emissions. Children are thought to be most at risk because their thinner skulls make them more likely to absorb radiation from the phones. Research by the website moneysupermarket.com revealed the extent to which mobiles have become must-have gadgets for youngsters.

MOBILE PHONE DANGER: Experts warn of long term health risks

In a survey of 1,000 parents, it found more than half of children under the age of 16 regularly use one. Some parents give their children handsets at a very young age. More than 13 per cent of parents with three-year-olds said their youngster had used a phone. Among three to six-year-olds, the figure was 23 per cent. By secondary school, about 94 per cent of children had their own phone.

Most parents place restrictions on how much their children spend on calls and texts. Three-quarters said they only allowed their youngsters pay-as-you-go phones to avoid them running up huge bills. But only 36 per cent of parents questioned said they stopped their children from accessing the internet on their mobile and just under a third barred them from calling premium rate numbers. But over two-thirds said they did nothing to stop their children downloading ringtones and screensavers that cost up to £3.50 each.

Rob Barnes, head of mobile phones at moneysupermarket.com, said: “Buying a mobile phone for your child can provide peace of mind, as it makes them easily contactable. But there are factors parents should consider. “Take heed of warnings regarding internet access and look into whether filters can be placed on your child’s mobile to bar access to specific sites. “Buying your child a mobile phone is a difficult decision, and I believe there has not yet been enough development in the market to offer sufficient protection.” Scientists admit long-term mobile phone use could have serious health risks.

A £9million study published in September found no evidence of a link between short-term use and brain cancer. But experts behind the research said it was too early to know the health consequences of using a handset for more than a decade. The Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme did not tackle this issue and it may be years before the results of a separate £6million study into the effects on children are known.

Source: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/24285/Health-alert-over-toddlers-who-have-their-own-mobiles

Researchers Investigate Cellphone Cancer Link

Cell Phone Risk

If you tend to hold your mobile phone on your cheek or cheekbone when you're talking on it, you might want to reconsider that habit. A team of researchers has found that holding a mobile phone like that can lead to an increase in the amount of potentially dangerous electromagnetic waves absorbed into the brain and other body parts.

The electronics engineering team led by Prof. Kim Youn-myung at Dankook University said Sunday that they experimented with 12 kinds of handsets to determine how much energy is absorbed from the handsets. They found that the specific absorption rate (SAR) varied by as much as three times depending on how and where the phone is held to the face.

According to the study, the lower the microphone of the handset is placed from the mouth and the closer the handset is held to the cheek, the higher the SAR. This was true regardless of the type of handset -- folder or slide -- and the location of the antenna -- internal or external. Yet SAR was slightly lower with slide types and with internal antennas.

The team came up with guidelines to minimize exposure to electromagnetic waves. They advised not lowering the microphone closer to the chin, keeping it as far from the mouth as possible, and using an internal antenna.

"It's difficult to reduce emissions of electromagnetic waves because doing so deteriorates voice quality," Kim said. "Therefore users need to be aware of the right ways to use mobile phones in order to minimize SAR."

Other studies have found that electromagnetic waves from mobile phones may affect people's health. A preventative medicine team led by Prof. Choi Jae-wook of Korea University surveyed 177 brain cancer patients admitted to the hospital in 2005. In 137 or 77.4 percent of the patients the cancer was located near the spot where the patient held their mobile phone.

"People who held their mobile phones to their right ears got cancer on the right side of the brain, and those who used the left ear got cancer on the left side of the brain," said Yoon Song-yi, one of the team's researchers. "It's too early to conclude that the way they used their mobile phones increased their risk of getting cancer. The final results will come by the end of the year."

Source: http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200711/200711050007.html

Why Gphone Can’t Kill iPhone

The news has been rife for a very long time. Google is supposed to be working on a mobile project and it was considered to be a worrying factor for the already launched Apple iPhone. The iPhone has been creating great waves in the mobile market the world over, can Google GPhone be any better? What all does this phone incorporate? What new does it have to offer?

Gphone From Google & Iphone From Apple

Surprise! Unlike the iPhone, the GPhone by Google is not a phone! It is actually a software for mobile carriers and mobile advertisers. It is estimated that this gadget is actually an attempt by Google to tap the mobile advertising market, which might be small at this point in time but is expected to grow drastically. The details of the phone are not fully out yet, hence the confusion about its functionality remains. More reports about the same is expected to be divulged by the company later this year and by 2008 handsets fitted with this software might start making rounds of the world market.

Google's GPhone is an open source phone operating system. In the recent times, there has been a growing interest and advancement in Linux-based software and development tools for mobile devices. Rumours are also gathering to the effect that with this software Google is planning to develop a cheaper alternative to Windows mobile operating system by Microsoft.

The GPhone project has ignited a great deal of inquisitiveness and intense speculation on the World Wide Web. A search on Google turns up over 2.7 million references to "GPhone." Google has tied all its hopes on the growing popularity of Linux based mobile operating systems. Big names engaged in mobile manufacturing viz. Motorola too are optimistic of the success of Linux in the near future.

The market for Linux has not been formed. This will give Google the leverage it needs to launch its high profile GPhone to be a success in the worldwide market.

Sensational LG 'Wood' Follows Chocolate & Wine

There's a theme here, see if you can spot it: Chocolate = black; Wine = metallic black; now Wood = wood. Confused? You should be and it's all LG's fault.

Sensational LG Wood

After sensational success with its arguably misnamed but extremely popular black Chocolate phone, the Korean monolith decided to try and repeat the trick with the ever-so-vaguely-red-tinged-but-ultimately-still-black Wine Phone, but in technology progress is everything and it appears the company finally understands its third medium: wood.

As a result the LG 'Shine Wood' is, stand back and prepare to be amazed, WOOD (or at least a convincing fake substitute - no trees were hurt in the making of this phone).

Officially known as the 'LG-LB2005H' - it's most stunning feature aside - it is actually rather a mid-ranger with such trivialities as a 2MP camera, music player and Bluetooth though it does have a couple of standout features, namely DMB TV and an electronic dictionary.

Further details won't appear until closer to launch, which - like every LG handset - will be in Korea first. That said, I suspect - if popular, like all LG's previous dalliances in substance named phones - it won't be too long before we start getting Wood all over the world.

Wait. Hang-on. Oh no...

Source: http://www.trustedreviews.com/mobile-phones/news/2007/10/30/LG-Wood-Follows-Chocolate-Wine/p1

PCs step aside… smarter mobiles are coming

NEW-GEN PROCESSORS

Hyderabad, Nov. 4 A fundamental shift in processor design with system on chip (SoC) and multiple cores would make smart phones a lot smarter and powerful just as current day personal computers and notebook PCs are.

In fact, as these smart phones compress more features into them and turn intelligent and versatile, packing advanced capabilities, it is expected that their shipments would go up to 30 per cent of overall mobile phone sales from about 10 per cent now (100 million).

The Vice-President of Technical Marketing, ARM, Mr Keith Clarke, who now carries a smart phone and an IBM laptop - the latter to make some power point presentations, says that in a couple of years he may not have to carry the latter thanks to these new generation smart phones with operating systems and browsers that provide PC experience.

On a visit to Hyderabad, Mr Keith told Business Line with Windows Mobile and Symbian operating systems and lately Linux getting popular, and browsers such as Internet Explorer and Mozilla complementing them, there is hardly anything that current PCs process that these smart devices do not handle.

“As a supplier of designs for original equipment manufacturers and semiconductor companies including Nokia, Apple, NXP, Infineon, TI, Samsung, we foresee a scenario where more people on the move would opt for these smart devices for ease of use and convenience,” he said.

Multi-tasking

The entire mobile phone ecosystem is in for a shift with new generation of processors that have the capability to do multi-tasks. Citing the examples of the company’s single core solutions for smart phones, consumer electronics and automotive entertainment and ARM Mali graphics processors, and its collaboration for Linux mobile computing, Mr Keith said mobile phone makers are taking to a platform approach which offers flexibility to add new features.

“As a business-to-business solutions provider and facilitator of designs for mobile phone companies, contrary to general perception that cheaper phones provide big market opportunity, we believe this may not be the right analysis. While affordability is important, users do want to do a lot more than what the basic phones could do ,” he said.

However, these capabilities bring a few design challenges including low power consumption. What ARM started to design in 2002, has begun to roll out now and smart phones with multiple cores would come out by 2009-2010.

Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/11/05/stories/2007110550450200.htm