Camera cell phones keep getting better<\/p>\n
Zatni Arbi, Contributor\/zatni@cbn.net.id<\/p>\n
Contrary to what some might think, I don't change my cell phone
\nvery often. My current cell phone is a Nokia 6800, which, at one
\npoint in the past almost got crushed by a cab I had just ridden
\nin.<\/p>\n
Luckily some passerby saw the cell phone fall out of my pocket
\nas I alit from the taxi. It landed just in front of the rear
\ntire. Her shouts were loud enough to stop the taxi driver in time
\nbefore the cell phone was turned into a pile of scrap plastic and
\nmetal.<\/p>\n
I like my N6800 very much, and have been using it since it the
\nmodel was first launched. It has one half of a QWERTY keyboard
\nthat I can flip out. The keyboard lets me send an SMS with ease
\nand accuracy. Being a writer, I will never let myself become
\naccustomed to using the cryptic SMS language, such as \"u\" for
\n\"you\". I know that using standard Indonesian or English in an SMS
\ncertainly costs more, as sometimes one message has to be sent in
\ntwo transmissions. Besides, it takes more button-pressing to
\nenter \"you\" as opposed to just \"u\". Still, this is a habit that I
\nwill certainly keep.<\/p>\n
Another thing that I like about the N6800 is the clarity of
\nthe characters on its screen. For someone with rather weak
\nvision, it helps a lot. When I am in a dark room, I can switch on
\nthe keyboard backlight just by pressing a hot button.<\/p>\n
A newer version of this model, the 6820, comes with a camera.
\nI have not bought one yet, as I am still waiting for Nokia -- or
\nanother cell-phonemaker -- to come out with a really good imaging
\nand messaging handset.<\/p>\n
There have been a lot of times when I really wished I had a
\ncamera with me. Like when I saw a policeman leisurely riding his
\nmotorcycle against traffic in a one-way street. Or when a very
\nold city bus was spewing out really thick, dark smoke. Or when a
\nwoman was walking along a busy street -- with her small child
\nwalking next to passing vehicles. Or when a driver carelessly
\nopened wide the door of his parked car and a passing car almost
\nrammed into it. Or when an 18-wheeler got stuck when it tried to
\nmake a U-turn in a narrow two-lane street.<\/p>\n
If you live in Jakarta for a long time, you see a lot of
\nabsurdities such as these. The only explanation we can give is
\nperhaps these are the result of the ever-broadening gap between
\nculture and the technology that we have.<\/p>\n
Like most cell phone users, I have become so dependent on this
\nmodern-life necessity that I will not leave my house without it.
\nSo why do I think I need one with a good digital camera?<\/p>\n
If I had a good camera cell phone, I would also have the
\ncamera with me most of the time. And then, each time I
\nencountered an utterly absurd moment -- like when I saw that
\npoliceman breaking a regulation that he gets paid to enforce -- I
\ncould just grab my cell phone and capture the scene. Although I
\nmight not be able to sell photos of these absurdities -- people
\nseem to have accepted such absurdities as normal occurrences in
\nlife -- at least I could keep the photos for my own amusement.<\/p>\n
The good news is that cell-phonemakers have been racing to
\nimprove the capabilities of the cameras on their cell phones.
\nSharp, for example, has made the first cell phone with a camera
\nthat has optical zoom capability. As you know, optical zoom
\nproduces a much better result than a digital zoom, as the lenses
\nare moved further from the image sensor to produce a larger image
\nwith more detail.<\/p>\n
What about image resolution? This is also improving rapidly.
\nThe Sharp V602SH, which is sold exclusively in Japan, is also a 2
\nmegapixel camera phone. In the U.S., Sprint launched the first
\n1.3 megapixel camera phone. In Europe, LG became the first with
\nits 1.3 megapixel LG T5100.<\/p>\n
Nokia, which has not always been in the forefront when it
\ncomes to camera features, has recently launched the N7610, which
\nis a one megapixel (1152 x864 pixel) cell phone. Courtesy of
\nNokia Indonesia, I was also able to play around with another
\ncute-looking cell phone that once again breaks away from the
\nconventional design.<\/p>\n
What the N7610 may lack -- the optical zoom and a higher image
\nresolution -- it certainly compensates with the quality of its
\nimage and video. During the launch, they took a picture of me
\nusing this camera and printed it out with an HP photo printer.
\nThe result was so good that it would lead you to believe that it
\nhad been taken with a digital camera instead of a phone camera.<\/p>\n
As can be read in the list of specs, the N7610 can also record
\nup to 10 minutes of video. Do not try to send them on Multimedia
\nMessaging Services (MMS), though, because you will pay dearly for
\nit. Other details in the specs include eight megabyte internal
\nmemory and a slot for a reduced size Multimedia Card (MMC). Nokia
\nthrew in a 64 MB MMC in the box. Of course, it already has
\nBluetooth for image printing and file transfer.<\/p>\n
The other features of the N7610 that I like include the large,
\nbright screen. The keyboard is not truly easy to use, though, as
\nit follows the contour of the N7610's body design. Fortunately,
\nunlike the discontinued Nokia 3650, the arrangement of the keypad
\nfollows the standards of the International Telecommunications
\nUnion, so after some time one gets used to it. The N7610 also
\ncomes with Movie Director, the video application software that
\nallows editing, adding effects and combining video clips.<\/p>\n
So, will I run to the nearest cell phone store to grab a
\nN7610? I might. But I guess I'll just wait until Nokia comes up
\nwith what I would personally consider the killer combination: a
\ncell phone with a wing-like keyboard and a quick but high-quality
\ncamera to capture those incredible human stupidities I see around
\nme.<\/p>\n
But, if what you need is yet another cell phone with a very
\nhip design and most of the latest features, go for it.<\/p>",
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