Reiter's Camera Phone Report

Wall Street Journal examines TV, computer, mobile convergence

The Wall Street Journal today has published a technology section that includes an article about the integration of traditional television programs with new media such as computers, portable media players and cellular phones.

The article focuses (although not exclusively) on NBC’s efforts.  This fall NBC will offer a variety of TV offshoots for the Web, cellular phones and Apple iTunes.

Programs for cellular phones will be available for free, assuming you subscribe to your cellular operator’s video package.  NBC will include advertisements, but the type/mix of banner ads and video commercials hasn’t been decided yet, the WSJ reports.

NBC “Black Donnellys” offshoot

One show with Web and cellular offerings will be the "The Black Donnellys," a new show about organized crime. 

“There will be Webisodes with the show's narrator divulging the history of the Donnelly family.  There's also a blog from the executive producers focused on putting the show together,” the article says.

One of the leaders in cellular phone programs is News Corp.’s 20th Century Fox that established Fox Interactive Media to develop and coordinate these efforts. 

Sprint TV “Prison Break”

In addition to creating cellular-only “mobisodes” of the TV show “24,” Fox is developing “Prison Break,” a series exclusively for cellular, the article notes and a detailed press release in April says.

The show is on Sprint TV and since I’m testing two Sprint Samsung phones (a900 and a920), I checked to see if it was available.  Yep, there are 12 “Prison Break” mobisodes (see left) under the Fox menu, that also includes an X-Men trailer.  So I watched the first mobisode of "Prison Break" on the a900 and took a few photos.

Interestingly — and no coincidence, I assume — the first shot of the first episode features a woman staring at a Sprint camera phone and looking an MMS picture message that might set the tone for series (see left).  A guy is in prison and he wrote that he didn’t do it and needs the woman’s help.

I watch very few TV programs.  In fact, the only show I watched regularly was "The West Wing" but that, alas, ended yesterday.  The first mobisode of "Prison Break" looked pretty good and the quality over Sprint's 1xEV-DO network was just fine.

Canon digital SLR + camera phone: Real or hoax?

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."

Kodak to offer WiFi-enabled EasyShare-One digital camera in October

Nine months after Kodak first announced it would offer the four megapixel EasyShare-One digital camera with WiFi capabilities for uploading photos (see below) the camera will finally be available in October, according to the company's press release today.

Kodak has teamed with T-Mobile to offer complimentary hotspot access -- to EasyShare-One users only -- at its WiFi locations across the country.  Kodak also is working with other hotspots providers in other markets.

Kodak's press release says, "All EASYSHARE-ONE camera purchasers receive a complementary, camera-specific trial service in conjunction with major hotspot providers.  In addition to service from T-Mobile USA, with more than 6,000 T-Mobile HotSpots across the United States, EASYSHARE-ONE camera owners will also be able to enjoy public connections in other key world markets.

"Kodak plans to announce further market-specific service providers, as well as retailers that will sell the EASYSHARE-ONE camera, in the coming weeks.

Swivel, touch screen

The EasyShare-One features 256MB of internal memory, a 3x optical zoom lens and a three-inch swivel touch screen that seems to make it easy to organize photos by using the stylus (see left).  You're able to create photo albums within the camera using Macromedia Flash software

I wonder how good the LCD looks in bright sunlight.

Perhaps I'll get a chance to see it during the CTIA's Wireless IT & Entertainment 2005 conference in San Francisco at the end of this month, although I don't see Kodak listed as an exhibitor.  I'm the so-called "master of ceremonies" for the "personalization" mini-track on September 28.

Kodak to offer digital camera with WiFi, T-Mobile HotSpot access

From Glenn Fleishman's "Wi-Fi Networking News" I learned that Kodak will offer an EasyShare-One digital camera that includes WiFi (see below) and will work over T-Mobile's WiFi HotSpot network.  Glenn speculates that Kodak might be including 802.11x authentication, that T-Mobile already has incorporated into its network.

Kodak customers also may upload photos to the Kodak EasyShare Gallery, that used to be called Ofoto, the online photo album.  (It's still called Ofoto on the Web site.) 

Several cellular operators offer Ofoto album and printing services for camera phone users.

More details

I usually don't print large sections of press releases, but this one is worth it.  Here's part of the Kodak press release about the camera's capabilities and arrangementswith T-Mobile:

"Owners of the new KODAK EASYSHARE-ONE digital camera will have integrated access to T-Mobile HotSpot service, available at more than 5,000 convenient locations across the U.S.

"All EASYSHARE-ONE camera purchasers will initially receive a free, camera-specific T-Mobile HotSpot trial (terms to be determined). T-Mobile HotSpot subscription plans will be available for the EASYSHARE-ONE camera beginning later this year (pricing and other terms to be determined).

"The EASYSHARE-ONE camera gives people extraordinary control over how and when they share pictures, whether on the LCD screen, online, or as prints.

"The camera is truly first-of-its-kind, with direct picture e-mailing and online album viewing via a Wi-Fi connection through compatible networks; the ability to hold up to 1,500 favorite pictures for instant display on its high-resolution, 3-inch touch screen; and the capability to take high quality still pictures and video.

"No other digital camera gives people such extensive ability to take, organize, share and print their pictures.

"The camera (US$599 MSRP; US$99 for optional KODAK Wi-Fi card) will begin reaching select retailers this June. An internal software update, permitting direct connections via the T-Mobile HotSpot Wi-Fi service, may be downloaded to the camera in the third quarter of 2005.

"EASYSHARE-ONE camera owners will enjoy high-speed, wireless broadband access at T-Mobile HotSpot locations for sharing and viewing their pictures online after subscribing to the T-Mobile HotSpot service."

Waiting for something like this

I have been waiting to see when digital camera vendors would become more involved in wireless -- both cellular and WiFi.  Nikon has a WiFi-enabled digital camera, but it's very expense.

Cellular works rather well for sending and receiving small files, but the larger files required for two megapixel camera phones and above place a serious strain on network capacity and data rates.

Cellular download speeds are getting faster, such as 250K bps - 400K bps (real world) for CDMA 1xEV-DO, but upload speeds are a fraction of that, such as 40K bps - 60K bps.  WiFi offers superior upload speeds that would be useful for transmitting large files.

No panacea

I'm thrilled that Kodak is offering this WiFi camera, but it's priced out of the mass market.  At $600 for the camera plus $100 for the WiFi card, that's more expensive than the best camera phone.

Yes, prices certainly will go down and, yes, a digital camera offers sophisticated features that are far beyond virtually all of today's camara phones (except for a handful in Japan and Korea).

From the Kodak EasyShare-One fact sheet (see below), I see it's a four megapixel device with a 3x optical zoom, 3.3x digital zoom, video recording capability (VGA) of up to 80 minutes (depending upon the capacity of the Secure Digital), flash and many other typical digital camara features.

Canon to offer 802.11g with 12.7 megapixel digital camera

From Wi-Fi Networking News I found an article in Daily Wireless about Canon offering 902.11g capabilities for its new 12.7 megapixel EOS-1Ds Mark II digital camera.

The $8,000 camera will accommodate Canon's WTF-E1 Wireless Transmitter for 802.11b or g. Digital Photography Review has a great early review of the Canon. The Web site says, "It had to come, in July last year Nikon announced the D2H and the WT-1 wireless transmitter which screws to the base of the camera and is connected by a Firewire cable to the camera. This transmitter provides 802.11/b WiFi transmission of images either immediately or selectively later.

"This has been followed by the WT-2 which now supports both 802.11/b and 802.11/g and hence faster maximum throughput of 54 mbp/s (although we all know that in reality the true rate is almost half this). Along with the EOS-1Ds Mark II Canon has announced its own wireless transmitter, the WFT-E1 which provides 802.11/b and 802.11/g transmission as well as a wired LAN socket.

"The WFT-E1 connects to the EOS-1Ds Mark II via its Firewire port. Another interesting difference between the Nikon and Canon offerings are that the Canon WFT-E1 has its own battery, probably because Canon intend the unit to be backwardly compatible with other EOS digital SLR's and none have power terminals on their base."

Concord Camera's 802.11g prototype

From Engadget I learned that Concord Camera has a prototype digital camera that can accommodate and 802.11g adapter that connects to the camera's USB port.

Nikon offer 12.4 megapixel digital camera with 802.1b/g option

From Glenn Fleishman's Wi-Fi Networking News I saw an article in Daily Wireless about Nikon's new 12 megapixel D2X digital camera (see below) that includes the ability to add 802.11b and 802.11g. In addition, the camera can be controlled remotely via WiFi.

Wi-Fi Networking News also points to a previous entry it posted pointing to an article in the great Digital Photography Review Web site that provides details about the older Nikon D2H that could accommodate 802.11b, with information about using that camera's Wi-Fi capabilities.

In my "Reiter's Wireless Data Web Log" I mentioned the D2H in July 2003 and again in September 2003.

Nikon has details about the D2X on its Web site.