Cellphones: say hello - and 'cheese!'

Cellphones aren't just for keeping in touch with friends and family anymore. These universally popular devices have not only turned into mobile computers used for surfing the Net as well as for texting and e-mailing. They're also growing more sophisticated as cameras.

Years ago, when camera phones first appeared on the market, their technology was both primitive and controversial.

"People were concerned about privacy issues," says Bradley Shende, host of the TV show Connected Life. "There were fear-mongering stories about industrial espionage - people would be using them to steal corporate secrets or hooligans and perverts would use them in lascivious ways. Now two or three years later, people have finally gotten over that." 

In fact, many users of camera phones utilize the devices for everything from capturing newsworthy events to snapping fun pictures of family and friends to store on their phone or to upload to social networks such as Facebook and MySpace.

"People use camera phones to capture spontaneous moments," says Stephen Ospalak, vice-president of mobile and FFH devices at Telus. "Snapping time is really what you're trying to do."

And today time is a whole lot clearer. Forget about small, blurry images. Today's best camera phones are capable of producing high-quality images that can be blown up to produce 8 x 10 pictures.

"We have camera phones that rival what $1,000 cameras were years ago," says Shende. "I just had my hands on a Sony Ericsson K850 and this thing is a five-megapixel camera with a flash. It's as good as what a camera was five years ago."

The K850 also boasts high-speed data so users easily can surf the Net using its mobile browsing capability. The camera in the phone features autofocus, video, xenon flash and 3LED video light.

The widely praised Nokia M95 8GB not only features a five-megapixel camera but it also shoots video. It also has a built-in GPS unit, contains 8 gigabytes of internal memory and functions as a digital music player.

The BlackBerry Curve is another popular choice in today's market. The device, which comes in silver and pink, is a consumer-friendly product made for robust e-mail senders who also want to capture images with its two-megapixel camera. "The main focus of this device is to be able to capture images, access Facebook, upload images and do a lot of e-mail," says Ospalak.

Although the BlackBerry Curve is consumer-friendly, Shende says the company was smart to add a camera to its features to target the business sector.

"As much as they say taking pictures isn't a business application - of course it is," says Shende. "Business people use it to take a quick picture of something related to a presentation or a product that they need shipped. Moreover, real estate agents can use it to take a picture of a house and e-mail it to a prospective client. It's powerful stuff."

But it's not enough to just have picture-taking and e-mailing capabilities. Today's mobile devices have to be easy to use and accessible - which is why Apple's iPhone is going to be huge when it is projected to arrive in Canada later this year.

The iPhone boasts one of the most advanced web browsers available on a portable device. It automatically syncs bookmarks from your Mac or PC and it multi-tasks, so you can make a phone call while e-mailing a photo or surfing the Net over a Wi-Fi connection.

"The iPhone has been a huge wake-up call to the industry," says Shende. "It says you have to make these things easy to use. The iPhone only has a small megapixel camera but people are using it because it's easy and it's probably an introduction for a lot of mobile photography for a lot of people."

In addition to the iPhone, Ospalak advises consumers to consider new devices made by Samsung. "Towards the end of this year, we're going to see very innovative products hit the market," says Ospalak. "Telus is looking at a very interesting product that will introduce a lot of different experience capabilities for people. We're going to tap into a more human experience - so sight, sounds, touch - we'll be mixing these senses and combine them with imaging."

Original Article: Cellphones: say hello - and 'cheese!'

© Canwest News Service 2008