August 25th, 2005

Tokyo Edge: Digicams Dominate

Martyn Williams
Tokyo Bureau Chief IDG News Service

With the release of a broad selection of cool new digital cameras,
camcorders, and camera phones, August is turning out to be a treat for
digital photography fans. Sony and Panasonic have unveiled digital
still cameras; Canon has a couple of DVD camcorders; and LG
Electronics has announced a compact mobile phone with a 5-megapixel
camera.

The pace at which new products are coming out is testimony to the
vibrant competition in the marketplace, and that's good news for
consumers because it's having an impact on prices. Consider this:
Sony's top-of-the-line digital still camera in 2001, the fixed-lens
DSC-F707, cost more at the time than a digital single-lens reflex
camera from Canon or Nikon does today.

This competition is leading to consolidation and alliances in the
market, such as the partnership announced in July between Sony and
Konica Minolta, which said they will work together to produce digital
SLR cameras. The first jointly developed products are expected in
about a year. They will use Konica Minolta's Maxxum/Dynax lens mount
system and anti-shake technology, and some of Sony's image sensor,
image processing, and battery technologies. When those products
appear, look for competition to step up another level.

Sony DSC-T5 Digital Still Camera

Sony is adding a new model to its T-series line of thin digital still
cameras. The DSC-T5 has several features in common with its siblings,
including 5.1-megapixel resolution, a 3X optical zoom lens, a 2.5-inch
LCD screen, 32MB of internal memory, and a slot for Memory Stick
media.

So what's new? Its battery life is better--it will last for 240 shots,
according to Sony. It is thicker than the top-of-the-range T-series
camera, the DSC-T7, but it is also cheaper. The camera will go on sale
in the U.S. in September priced about $350. It's expected to hit other
markets at around the same time or soon after.

For a review of the DSC-T7 and similar cameras, read "Compact Cameras
Get Faster, Smarter, Thinner":
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/...,tk,grx,00.asp

Panasonic Lumix Digital Still Cameras

Panasonic, formally known as Matsu****a Electric Industrial, launched
several new models in its Lumix digital camera range that are notable
for their unique features.

The DMC-FZ30 has a 12X optical zoom, which is considerably more
powerful than most other cameras, while the DMC-LX1 has a 16:9 aspect
ratio image sensor for better-quality wide-screen images. Both cameras
have 8-megapixel image sensors. They'll be on sale in late August in
Japan and soon after in international markets. The DMC-LX1 will cost
about $560 in Japan and $600 in the U.S., and the DMC-FZ30 will cost
around $670 in Japan and $700 in the U.S.

For more digital photography news, visit PC World's Info Center for
Digital Cameras:
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/info...,tk,grx,00.asp


Sharp Dolce Cell Phone

Writing and reading e-mail with a cell phone is common on trains in
Japan, but the crowded rush-hour conditions mean it's relatively easy
for people around you to read your e-mail, too. To protect their
privacy, users have resorted to stick-on filters that make it
difficult to see the screen from an angle. A new phone from Sharp is
the first to have such a feature built in.

The phone uses a new LCD panel developed by Sharp that can be switched
to make it difficult to see from any angle other than in front. Sharp
hopes the screen will find other uses too, such as in cash dispensers
at banks. The Dolce is a 3G model for NTT DoCoMo's network and comes
with all that's standard in cell phones today. It costs about $268 and
is currently available in Japan only.

LG Dica Phone

With the Dica phone, LG Electronics has managed to cram a 5-megapixel
camera and CDMA phone into a very compact case.

The phone's body is divided into two parts; one half can be swiveled
through 180 degrees so that the 2-inch TFT LCD faces the photographer
for self-portraits. The phone isn't that much different in size from
Sony's new DSC-T5 digital camera but has no optical zoom. Other
features include an MP3 player, VGA-quality movie mode, and photo
flash.

The Dica will be available in South Korea through all three major
cellular carriers at a price yet to be announced. There are no plans
to sell it overseas.

Pantech Smart Phone

South Korean cell-phone maker Pantech has developed a Windows
Mobile-based handset.

The PH-S8000T is based on Microsoft's Windows Mobile 2003 Second
Edition and runs on Intel's XScale Bulverde processor. Its features
include a 1.3-megapixel camera and an MP3 music player. It measures
3.6 by 1.9 by 1 inches and weighs 5 ounces.

The cell phone went on sale in late July in South Korea under
Pantech's Curitel brand name through SK Telecom. It costs about $434
to $482, Pantech said. There's no word on international sales.

For more new mobile phones, visit PC World's Info Center for PDAs &
Cell Phones:
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/info...,tk,grx,00.asp


Canon Network Camera

With Canon's latest network camera, aimed at security and industrial
applications, you can have an online monitoring system set up in
seconds. The VB-C50FSi network camera draws its power from its
Ethernet connection, so users need only plug it into the network.
Power over Ethernet requires a compatible hub and sends power down the
networking cable, so separate power cords aren't required.

The camera has a built-in server and can send VGA-quality (640 by 480
pixels) images at 30 frames per second. It also has a 19X optical
zoom.

Canon will begin sales in Japan in late August. The camera will cost
$1410. The company has not yet announced international sales plans.

Canon DVD Digital Video Camera

Canon will enter the DVD camcorder market in September with two
models, the DC10 and the more expensive DC20. There's about a $100
price difference between the two models. What do users get for the
extra money?

The main difference comes in the resolution of the image sensor. The
DC10 has a 1.3-megapixel CCD while the DC20 has a 2.2-megapixel CCD.
(Note that while this affects still images, it won't affect video
recordings.) Both camcorders have a 10X optical zoom, take still
pictures, and can record to an 8-centimeter DVD or a MiniSD memory
card. Each measures 1.9 by 3.4 by 4.8 inches and weighs 16.4 ounces
with battery pack, DVD, and memory card.

Both camcorders will be in shops in Europe in late October; the DC20
will be priced around $1000 and the DC10, $900. The company hasn't
announced pricing and availability for the U.S.

For more information, read "Canon Launches First DVD Camcorders":
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/...,tk,grx,00.asp

R&D Corner: NEC Organic Radical Battery

Researchers at NEC have developed a new type of rechargeable battery
based on organic compounds and say it could be useful in a wide range
of IT-related applications.

The battery is based on a similar cell structure as the common lithium
ion battery but with one significant difference: Instead of using
poisonous ingredients like lithium and cobalt, the battery uses an
organic compound called PTMA. This makes it both environmentally
friendly and also makes possible some key performance features,
including the capability to deliver a large current over a short time.
NEC tested the battery in a PC and found that it can deliver enough
power to keep the system running for about 20 seconds. Should the
power fail, the battery would let the PC back up data and shut down
properly.

The batteries are cheap to produce, so they could become common in PCs
when they are sold commercially, which could be several years from
now.

For more information, read "NEC Develops Organic Battery For IT Use":
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/...,tk,grx,00.asp

For more on the latest gadgets and technologies, visit PC World's
Digital Entertainment Info Center:
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/info...,tk,grx,00.asp


Read Martyn Williams' regularly published "Tokyo Edge" columns:
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/colu...9,tk,gr,00.asp


===
"In a world where more than 10 million americans live with cancer -- we believe unity is strength, knowledge is power, and attitude is everything!"
-- Livestrong, by Lance Armstrong


› See More: Gadget Report [Tokyo Edge: Digicams Dominate - 08/25/2005]