The Hindu : Indians being wooed with camera phones

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 14, 2003

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Indians being wooed with camera phones

By Anand Parthasarathy

BANGALORE SEPT. 13 . As the number of Indian mobile phone owners crosses 20 millions this month, a new, albeit tiny, niche is emerging: those who fancy a cellular phone that also doubles as a camera. The range offered by almost every major handset-maker now includes at least one model that has a built-in camera — while many mid-range models can take a clip-on camera accessory. And if the experience in more phone-savvy nations like South Korea and Japan is any indication, one in five mobile phones sold in India, too will have built-in cameras, within five years.

Camera-mobile phones trickling into the Indian market include Samsung's V200 and V205; Nokia's 3650, Panasonic's GD88; Sony Ericsson's T610 and Z600. Motorola's T720 has a variant — T720i — which includes an external snap-on camera. Later this month they are expected to launch an integrated model. Customers can expect to pay in the range of Rs. 16,000 to Rs 30,000 for these `talk-n-click' models. However prices can be expected to fall quite sharply when new generation phone chips integrate their function more tightly with the miniature cameras.

Texas Instruments and Japanese electronics giant Sharp recently announced the first such collaboration. The main attraction for camera-phone owners is that one can click unobtrusively and within seconds, send the picture to another mobile phone using the Multimedia Service (MMS) mode. Camera-phone makers also tout the ability of some models to add text and sound — even a short video clip.

Like all digital cameras that depend on a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panel instead of a film to record a shot, camera-phones work with quite low light levels to grab useable if not great pictures. Cell phone owners appreciate the ``dummy's approach'' to picture-taking that such devices encourage. During last month's power blackout in the New York region, many mobile phone owners could not use their handsets to make voice calls since the services were swamped; but those whose subscription included data services, were able to send pictures of themselves as emails to reassure families.

Many also recorded the drama around them and posted them to a new type of public website that is now emerging — the `Moblog' or Mobile Weblog.

A case of instant history created and recorded by lay citizens. And at least, one child in recent months managed to snap and send a picture of his kidnapper that led to his early rescue in the US.

But there is a downside: one can take pictures while seeming to make phone calls — which in the hands of a voyeur is becoming something of a dangerous technology.

Ironically Samsung one of the pioneers (with Sharp Electronics) of the camera-phone has banned mobile phones in its plants unless employees cover the lens of the camera with sticky tape. It fears industrial espionage.

Indian scenario

Indian users who can afford the asking price may find that owning a camera-phone is only half the challenge. One has to ensure that the mobile service provider can enable MMS. This usually costs an extra monthly subscription and quite a few providers offer this only with post-paid accounts. Even with MMS enabled, one cannot easily exchange a picture unless the recipient is also MMS enabled. Many customers have found that it is far easier to send the picture file as an e-mail attachment.

But this requires that the phone is Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) enabled. More recently an always-on connection to the Net has emerged. It is called General Packet Radio Services (GPRS). Many of the camera-phones on the market are WAP-GPRS-enabled. But having the right hand set is one thing: finding a mobile provider who will enable the technology is another.

And this can cost anything from Rs. 100 to Rs. 300 additional every month.

Until providers agree among themselves to offer a seamless MMS service that cuts across competing networks (as SMS messaging now does — almost) camera-phones in India will remain high tech toys whose big day is tantalizingly round the corner — but not yet there.

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