NEW YORK (Money Magazine) - Let's face it: The novelty of hearing your cell phone play Fur Elise -- or even a riff from 50 Cent's "Wanksta" -- wears off pretty fast. Ditto for most of those video games you can play on your handset.
But the latest cell-phone feature to gain traction in the United States actually enhances the device's true purpose: communication. Digital cameras, which are built right into the body of several new cell phones, allow you to instantly send color snapshots to e-mail addresses or other cell phones. Some models even send video clips.
| More tech stories
|
|
|
|
|
The practical applications readily present themselves. Imagine being able to show your spouse exactly what that sofa at the clearance sale looks like so you can make a decision before someone else snaps it up, or getting a second opinion before you buy that shirt at Banana Republic. And because many people carry their cell phones everywhere they go, this new feature means you're more likely to have a camera with you in a pinch -- when you need a record of a fender bender, say, or you see a celebrity on the street.
But there's a reason that the ads for this new generation of cell phones focus less on their practical uses than on wacky you-had-to-be-there scenarios. In one, for example, a woman sends her husband a picture of their dog, the recent victim of a horribly inexpert haircut by their child. Another involves a huge potbellied pig drinking from a teacup. Point being: As useful as camera phones may turn out to be, their biggest appeal is the way they make people who are far apart feel connected. It's similar to the enormous impact instant messaging has had on text communications: This new technology has the potential to increase the intimacy and immediacy of cell-phone use.
 |
|
| Samsung V205 |
Camera phones aren't brand-new, but the generation of phones released around the beginning of this year shows a major improvement over previous phone-camera combos, which produced grainy, dark pictures that were hardly worth a thousand words and required a separate camera attachment. You'd have been better off carrying a separate digital camera. The cameras in the latest models are nicely integrated into the bodies of conventional cell phones, some of which are no bigger than a pack of cigarettes. And the image clarity has been significantly improved.
Even more impressive is how easy it is to send images from the three phones that we were able to test extensively -- the Nokia 3650, the Samsung V205 and the Sanyo SCP-5300. After you snap a picture in much the same way as with a conventional digital camera, the phones lead you through an easy step-by-step procedure for sending it to another phone or an e-mail address. It's also easy to attach text messages, and in some cases a brief audio clip, to the images.
The technology does still have some shortcomings. We experienced glitches when trying to send images and text between two different kinds of phones. And while the built-in cameras are powerful enough for casual photo swapping, none offer resolution that would be acceptable on a stand-alone camera. But those are quibbles. In general we had a great time sharing photos, and laughs, with friends and family.
 |
|
| Nokia 3650 |
So which of the camera phones is the best? Unfortunately, there's no clear winner. The Samsung has the crispest, clearest screen and a distinct design edge. Its small clamshell-style design features a pivoting camera, so you can take photos with the lens pointing at or away from you and still see the screen. On the other hand, it has the most limited storage space. The Sanyo, meanwhile, has flash and zoom capabilities, giving it the most picture-taking versatility. Nevertheless, it created dull and grainy images. The Nokia is by far the easiest and most intuitive to use, is capable of sending video clips as well as still images, and would be our clear favorite if the overall design weren't so big and clunky.
Ultimately, your choice may come down to which network you use, because you can't send pictures between networks. (The Sanyo works on Sprint PCS, the Samsung on T-Mobile and the Nokia on Cingular, T-Mobile and AT&T.) In any case, another wave of new models was set to be released this spring with some minor enhancements.
Every one of them will, by the way, play a choice of tunes when a call comes in--but once you send off your first photo, those clever ringers will sound as stale as last year's pop hits.
|
