BenQ has introduced a VGA camera phone (S670C) in India that features face "morphing" software enabling users to edit photos to create 12 different expressions, such as happy, angry and goofy, according to an article in rediff.com.
The software also features five "magnitude" settings according to the article, but it doesn't say what that means.
The business manager for mobile for BenQ India, G Prasanna, says this type of 3D image processing and 3D engine will be a core technology enbedded into the company's cellular phones.
Another cameraphone opportunity
The article doesn't say whether the S670C is available in other parts of the world, but a quick search on the Web indicates that it's available elsewhere. I don't know whether the morphing software is incorporated into S670C phones in other countries.
We're seeing just the start of a huge business opportunity for including image processing, enhancement and editing software software in the handset, either as a standard, embedded feature or as optional (free or paid) downloads. I wrote about this back in October 2003, shortly before I started Camera Phone Report, and discussed other companies offering camera phone imaging software.
This type of software creates opportunities not only for software developers and handset manufacturers but also for Weblog and moblog companies, online photo album/film processing companies and cellular operators. These companies will offer the software either for free as a competitive differentiator or as a paid download or service to generate additional revenues.
Paid versus free
I suspect that once one of those companies begins offering image enhancement software for free, you'll see other companies jump on the bandwagon. The challenge for me, as a wireless data consultant, is to ponder the ways my clients can make money with this software.
For that information, you'd need to pay me! You could also attend my three-hour Wireless Data University camera phone tutorial on March 22 in Atlanta, the day before the start of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association's Wireless 2004 conference and exhibition.
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