Very informative article on the near future of camera phones:Component and handset makers are gearing up to ship mass volumes of camera phones worldwide in hopes of sparking new markets in mobile imaging. They say they can resolve looming design hurdles for 2-megapixel and higher-resolution images as well as real-time video...
...Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., for one, wants "to push quickly toward the 5-megapixel camera phone and push digital still cameras to become something only for professionals. That's our ideal"...
...Next-generation lenses are also incorporating better autofocus, digital zoom and higher-resolution video capabilities. The enhancements already have doubled the bill of materials for a CMOS sensor module, from $5.50 at the VGA level to $10.10 for a megapixel unit, because of more expensive lenses and manufacturing costs. Samsung hopes to produce a 2-Mpixel CMOS module with MPEG-4 video for less than $20 by year's end....
"At Epson, we are working on 5-Mpixel graphics engines for 2005.... We believe that when the 2- to 5-Mpixel camera phones become mainstream, they will replace a huge percentage of digital still cameras," Lyons said. "In 2005 to 2006, we're looking at 2-Mpixel phones going mainstream"....
"We will support videoconferencing over circuit-switched and IP networks, but our long-term strategy is video-over-IP," he [Nokia senior VP Juha Putkiranta] said. "And carriers agree, because they see the efficiency benefits." Moving fast.
The article also expresses some worry about the networks being robust enough for lots of 2+ MP image file transfers. I still think the solution is to have the phone save two copies of every picture, one at full resolution and one at some fraction. The full resolution shots stay on the phone and then sync to a paired computer over bluetooth whenever in range. The reduced versions can be sent right from the phone over the network. This is better all around. 2 megs is too big. Even if I could I wouldn't want to fill someone's mail box up with 2 meg images. Just seems rude. (But, again, I want those full res shots in case I get one I want to keep.) My guess is this would be trivial to implement, since a DSP that can manipulate jpegs is already in the phone!
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The article also expresses some worry about the networks being robust enough for lots of 2+ MP image file transfers. I still think the solution is to have the phone save two copies of every picture, one at full resolution and one at some fraction. The full resolution shots stay on the phone and then sync to a paired computer over bluetooth whenever in range. The reduced versions can be sent right from the phone over the network. This is better all around. 2 megs is too big. Even if I could I wouldn't want to fill someone's mail box up with 2 meg images. Just seems rude. (But, again, I want those full res shots in case I get one I want to keep.) My guess is this would be trivial to implement, since a DSP that can manipulate jpegs is already in the phone!
- jim 5-11-2004 11:26 pm