A digital camera function is increasingly becoming a standard feature on cellular telephones but for all of the advances in technology, the phone's small lens and lack of optical zoom function usually means pictures are inferior to those taken with a standalone digital camera.
A new gadget from Samsung Electronics may change this as it goes at the problem from the opposite angle. Its soon-to-be-launched SPH-S2300 features a 3X optical Pentax zoom lens, just like that found on conventional digital still cameras. It also features a regular camera flash rather than one based on LEDs. The result is a product that is much more like a digital camera with integrated phone function rather than the other way around.
The camera has a resolution of 3.2 megapixels and images can be stored on a removable SD (Secure Digital) memory card. Like a conventional digital camera, users can set the output image size at between 2,048 pixels by 1,536 pixels and 640 pixels by 480 pixels; set ISO control to auto,100, 200, and 400; and adjust white balance. The 3X optical zoom is supplemented with a 4X digital zoom and the lens also features an auto-focus function.
On the Outside
It also looks like a digital camera.
The number pad is hidden away under a panel that is usually closed and the use of an internal antenna means there are few clues at first glance, with the exception of the "Anycall" brand name on the front panel, that there is a phone inside. The phone has a TFT LCD with 176 pixels by 220 pixels resolution on its rear.
The telephone is compatible with the CDMA standard and is due on the South Korean market later this month, says Sophia Kim, a spokesperson for Samsung in Seoul. The price has yet to be fixed but she says it will likely be around $800.
Samsung currently has no plans to launch the phone outside of South Korea although an international launch remains a possibility, she says.
