Gizmodo has an article about a Canon digital SLR combined with a camera phone (see below), based on an entry in "BIOS."
The camera + camera phone combination is huge and looks so ridiculous that both Gizmodo and BIOS assume it's a hoax.
Here's what BIOS writes:
"'I got the idea out on a photo safari in my local park when I needed a friend’s advice,' Alana Harford, Chief of Engineering at Canon, explained. 'But when I wanted to call him, I realised that I had -- once again -- forgotten my cell phone at home.
"'At first I thought about duct taping the phone to my camera -- which I’ve always got on me. Then it occurred to me: 'Hey, why not combine the two?'
"The first mobile phone-capable camera from Canon will be the Digital Rebel XCP. Mechanically, it is similar to Canon’s popular entry-level digital SLR, the Digital Rebel XT.
"However, the controls on the back have been changed to make room for microphone, speaker and dial pad.
"Also, the added phone capability allows the photographer to send pictures to other cameras - or phones. Using the latest third-generation mobile technology, the XCP can transfer its 8-Megapixel images in both JPEG and lossless RAW format.
"The product was not universally lauded by certain professional photographers. Some nature photographers complained the phone has rung and scared off wildlife, and setting the phone to vibrate can blur pictures.
"'I think we’re on to something here,' concluded Alana Harford. 'In a few years, I bet you can't find a camera out there without a built-in phone.' We’d like to bet otherwise."
nobody seriously thinks this is real, or even remotely plausible, do they??! of course with PMA just around the corner, it's silly season on all the camera forums.
BTW, there's been some Nikon owners having some fun with Photoshop over on dpreview.com forums, "announcing" the next new Canon DSLR, for example
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=16666098
This DSLR + cellphone in the BIOS article just looks like a poor imitation of the well-done example above.
I used to look forward to informative articles here on the Cameraphone Report! what happened?
Posted by: ABC | Monday, January 23, 2006 at 06:13 PM