It’s hard to believe that a mobile phone was once JUST a mobile phone. These days most smartphones contain everything but the kitchen sink (and rumor has it Apple is working on a kitchen sink app for the iPhone 3.0). Even though most self-respecting mobile phones have featured some sort of built-in digital camera for many years now, they were mostly of the “snap and go” variety, with a two to three megapixel resolution at best.
But mobile phone manufacturers are increasingly blurring the boundaries between mobile phone and high quality digital cameras by adding quality lenses, optical and digital zoom, and a host of other features. Perhaps more importantly, they are also increasing the resolution of digital phone cameras at an exponential rate.
Consider Samsung’s new Pixon 12 M8910, which features a staggering 12 megapixel digital camera, along with other “pro” camera features. The Pixon is slated to be released late June in Europe, though a North American release date has yet to be announced.
Arch rival Sony Ericsson is also planning to release a 12 megapixel cameraphone later this year, though it seems Samsung has beaten them to the punch this time. Sony Ericsson has yet to release additional details for their new high-megapixel smart phone/camera, except to say it will include autofocus and other features you would expect from a quality 12 megapixel digital camera.
Meanwhile the new Samsung Pixon features a touchscreen display, LED flash and one touch autofocus. The Cameraphone also boasts a 28 mm wide angle lens and a plethora of other “smartcamera” features. Not only should the Pixon be great for taking still photos, it also records video at an impressive 30 frames per second, with a top resolution of 720 x 480 pixels. Not bad for a humble “phone.”
Of course, the Pixon also has zillions of other features you’d expect from a modern smart phone, including a powerful media player, Bluetooth connectivity, FM radio, GPS navigation, WiFi, and support for microSD memory cards. Helpfully, the Pixon even features photo and video editing software and is capable of uploading both photos and video directly to MySpace, FaceBook, Friendster and other social networking sites — all without leaving your phone.
Although the price for the Samsung Pixon has yet to be revealed, it is expected to retail in the neighborhood of $700 - $800. Not cheap by any means, but considering the amount of features included, it could be a very reasonable deal.
