Reiter's Camera Phone Report

RIM says no camera in BlackBerry 8800 is a "feature" for corporations

Mike Lazaridis, the president and co-CEO of Research in Motion (RIM), says the lack of a camera in the new BlackBerry 8800 (see left) is a "feature" for corporations, according to an article in The New York Times.  The 8800 is similar to the BlackBerry Pearl 8100 -- with a trackball rather than the scrollwheel, an MP3 player, microSD card and video viewing -- but without the 8100's 1.3 megapixel camera.

The article reports, "...Mr. Lazaridis said that corporate users concerned about security made it clear that they did not want a digital camera, which is not to be found on the 8800.  'There’s a very strong demand out there for BlackBerrys without a camera,' Mr. Lazaridis said.

"'Not having one, that’s a feature.'"

Disabling features not good enough

The Times' article points out certain features of the 8800 (like the 8100) -- the microSD card, MP3 player and video player -- can be disabled via a corporation's BlackBerry server software, as I've previously written.  The Times doesn't note that the 8100's camera also can be disabled but, apparently, that's not good enough for many corporations that don't want a camera -- period.

As I've written many times, although some corporations have legitimate security concerns, some corporations simply are concerned about being sued because of the possibility of an employee (or employees) taking inappropriate camera phone photos or videos of other employees.  As I've also written, the wireless industry -- both cellular operators and handset vendors -- have refused to market the value of camera phones for business applications.

As a result, this lack of marketing helps foster a one-sided (i.e., negative) view of camera phones because corporate executives often don't see the corresponding positive side.  Cellular operators and handset manufacturers that don't promote the value for business -- on the Web sites and in marketing materials -- are doing themselves and their customers a disservice.

Another QWERTY keyboard with camera?

RIM's first entry into the semi-consumer, multimedia, handset market with the 8100 was a very good initial effort.  The phone is not quite a true multimedia powerhouse because, among other things, it doesn't offer video recording capabilities.

RIM a few months ago was nice enough to send me the 8100 to test, and I like the camera.  I haven't yet posted photos I've taken with the handset (shame on me), but for a 1.3 megapixel resolution, the images are some of the best in its class.

I like the 8100.  It's a sleek, lightweight device that feels good in the hand and many people prefer its slim form compared to the wider BlackBerrys.  But I'm really a fan of the 8700 (see below) because of its full QWERTY keyboard that makes entering text much easier and faster (at least for me) than the two-letters-per-key 8100.

Hope springs eternal

There have been rumors of a QWERTY keyboard-based BlackBerry with a camera and other "Pearlized" features.  I guess we'll have to wait for a while to see whether that will be a reality.

Los Angeles Times examines camera phone videos taken in California schools

Thanks to Edward Goto for sending me the link to this Los Angeles Times article about the ramifications of California high school students using camera phones to record their teachers and posting the videos on YouTube and elsewhere.

As an example, the article points to a camera phone video of Vincent Bernota, a substitute teacher at Malibu High School who "loses control of the class and raises his voice while students laugh at him" (see below).

The article examines the debate among students, administrators and parents about the problem, trying to balance the value of cellular and students' rights versus the negative aspects of secretly video recording students and teachers as well as the potential for cheating.

Free speech versus disruptions

Mark Kelly, the principal of Malibu High School says, "We want to recognize our students' free speech rights, but on the other hand we have to assess the educational impact to the students and our school.  Is this going to disrupt the education process of the school day?"

Kelly's statement is much more "liberal" than most of what I've read in the press from school administrators.  Basically, a principal will say, "We ban cellular phones" -- and that's the end of the discussion.

To be fair, safety and parental concerns do figure into a school's and school board's discussions about the use (or non use) of cellular phones on the premises.

Video recording for educational purposes

Although students aren't supposed to use cellular phones during class, as one student says in the article, it's easy to hide a handset on your lap, between books and covered with a sweater.

Interestingly, a Malibu High School English teacher and journalism advisor says students might have legitimate reasons for using phones in class.  Nancy Martinez says students might be video recording a lesson in order to review it later.

As a result, some teachers might be reluctant to tell students to turn off their camera phones during class, the Los Angeles Times says.  Hmm, that's an interesting point.

I went to school so many millennia ago that cellular phones, let alone camera phones or anything "digital" weren't even much considered.  (Although I did take a computer course in high school where I did fascinating things like enter the Pythagorean theorem on punch cards -- that completely turned me off of computers until I bought an Apple II.)

Contacting Web sites, parents

Lisa Soronen, a staff attorney for the National School Boards Association says videos are "another way for teenagers to torture people.  She says YouTube and MySpace generally will remove videos if the school board asks them to.

"And the easiest thing to do is contact the parents and tell them what's going on.  In most cases, they'll put a stop to it," she says.

Another article....

Update (2/13/07):  For another look at kids using camera phones and taking videos in schools and elsewhere, check out The New York Times article, "Teenagers Misbehaving, For All Online to Watch."  Trying to become an online star through videos.

Russian hospital patient's camera phone video highlights "gagged" babies

Russians are shocked over reports of a nurse who put tape over babies' mouths and also taped pacifiers to their mouths to prevent their crying.  The situation is undoubtedly generating more publicity because of a woman patient in the hospital who used her camera phone to video record a baby in a cot with tape over his mouth (see left).

According to the many news reports, some of which posted the video (such as BBC News and CBS), the woman at the hospital in Yekaterinburg (Russia's fifth largest city) heard the muffled cries of babies and went to see what was going on.  When she saw babies with tape over their mouths, she demanded a nurse remove the tape.

The nurse said the crying was disturbing the staff from doing their work and told the patient to mind her own business, according to the BBC News.  When the patient insisted, the nurse removed the tape, but later placed it back on.

Russian hospital problems

Apparently this isn't an isolated incident.  The Guardian reports, "The case has provoked outrage in Russia and drawn attention to the country's overstretched health system.  Nurses are badly paid and are often responsible for large numbers of patients."

The Guardian says the nurse was responsible for caring for 25 babies, many or all of whom were orphans (news reports aren't sure about that).  Hospital officials have said the tape doesn't completely cover the babies' mouths and it's done not to stop crying but to prevent the pacifier from falling on the floor.

The nurse responsible has been suspended, the head of the hospital has been reprimanded and Russian prosecutors are reviewing the situation.

Camera phone's value

As Dan Gillmor, director of the Center for Citizen Media, writes in his weblog, "And once again, we’re seeing the power of the citizen journalist to force things into the open that institutions don’t want to have the rest of us know about."

Also once again we're seeing the power of camera phones -- devices that are affordable for much of the world and that are carried in situations where a regular camera or video recorder would never be available.

University of California engineers develop thin digital camera, telephoto lens

Engineers at the University of Californa, San Diego have created a very thin digital camera with a unique telephoto lens that folds up like an "origami" (see left), according to an article in What Digital Camera.

The engineers believe the technology could be used for camera phones as well as for unmanned surveillance aircraft and infrared night vision applications.

Eric Tremblay, a Ph.D. candidate in electrical and computer engineering at the university's Jacobs School of Engineering, says the imager (sensor?) is seven times more powerful that other lenses with comparable depth, the article reports.

Applicable for camera phones

Joseph Ford, a professor of electrical and computer engineering who oversees the project, says, "This type of miniature camera is very promising for application where you want high resolution images and a short exposure time.  This describes what cell phone cameras want to be when they grow up."

Tremblay doesn't know whether the product will be available for camera phones, although he says he's "hopeful" and thinks there's "a good possibility."

How does it work?

The article says the concept of an origami type of folded lens has been around for hundreds of years.  "It employs the use of mirrors to reduce camera thickness yet retain good light collection and high-resolution capabilities.

"Instead of bending and focusing light as it passes through a series of separate mirrors and lenses, the new folded system bends and focus's light while it is reflected back and forth inside a single 5mm thick optical crystal.  The light is focused as if it were moving through a traditional lens system that is at least seven times thicker."