Christmas 2008 is set to be a battle between the megapixels in the mobile phone market.
Traditional digital camera companies, such as Kodak and Canon, as well as UK retailers such as Jessops, will feel the pinch even more as the next generation of snap-happy mobiles are released towards the end of this year.
Samsung are set to launch the first 8 megapixel camera phones, beating the present top-end 5 megapixel cameras on the market. The new Innov8 series will be launched on the 1st September and the handset itself will be free on a £35 per month Orange contract.
Many of us have heard of smile recognition features, but this new ‘phone’ will also feature ‘blink technology’ - to stop those shots of us looking half-asleep. Photos can also be uploaded straight away to the internet.
Sony Ericsson will follow suit with its own range of 8MP camera phones in October (with the C905) but Samsung is establishing a reputation for pushing the boundaries in mobile phone technology.
Samsung GT-i8510
This phone, also known as the Samsung Innov8, doesn’t just have an 8MP camera, but records video at 30 FPS at VGA resolution (or 120 FPS as QVGA).
Samsung now have normal headphone jacks in their phones, and the phone has an in-built FM radio with RDS, and the more advanced version of ’stereo’ Bluetooth.
The phone will ship with either 8Gb or 16Gb of internal memory, competing with the iPhone, but unlike Apple’s offering it can also take a memory card packed with up to an extra 16Gb.
The phone also features A-GPS (advanced GPS) meaning that information will be stored alongside your photographs telling you exactly where in the world you took them. Ideal for creating photo map books via Google or other similar sites.
FIFA 2008 and Asphalt are two games that come with the phone.
It’s a big phone, and when it is released on Pay as you Go will probably cost around £600. On a contract though you can get this phone for free with Orange.
Apple today officially unveiled the new 3G iPhone which will be released on the 11th July 2008.
