Camera Cell Phones – Connecting Your Voice With Your World!

It was circa 1989 and the conversation was becoming a bit frustrating. I was attempting to describe a scene in Arizona in mid-February via cell phone to an un-interested friend. Not even Mark Twain could have described the brilliance of what a camera could capture in a second. With a camera cell phone the process would have been simple: “You have to see this view! The mountains are literally pushing into the clouds. Hey, let me send you a pic of this.”

Conversations can gain power and become more meaningful because of the invention of camera cell phones. Voice no longer has the control grip it once did.

How a cell phone camera works

Point click and send. That is the basic operation for most phone cameras. Understand that the service and features depend on what your cell phone service allows. Some providers will give you the ability to store your pictures on a web page. However, the point click and send (via email) process is about as complex as it gets until you move into video phones.

Video phones utilize a cheap video technology (meaning lower quality to help with battery time on the phone) to take the camera concept to the next level.

Again, point click and shoot is the basic premise. We are not talking professional quality photo shoots. The digital quality, while good, is made for the computer not to be hung in an art gallery.

Who the camera phone players are

As usual, all the big cell phone names are in the game. Sprint and Virgin mobile are pushing “hip looks” while Motorola introduced the Motorola t7201 for the techno-savvy geek. T-mobile was one of the first players in the market and they that combined the Internet with its digital imaging.

Service providers for a cell phone camera remain the same as providers of cell phones. Verizon, Cingular, and others have opened up digital picture sending as a sales hook for their services.

How to pick a camera phone

The most important part of the phone is still how it sounds. So, when going after a picture taking phone you will want to cover the basics of a cell phone first. Get one you will like talking on.

Some other things to consider are:

Portability
Customizing-faceplates, skins and color changing helps make camera phones “your brand”
Camera phone quality of pictures

Where to get one

Gone is the day where you are dependent on your local cellular phone company to provide you with your phone. The Internet has made it possible to grab the latest gadgets at great prices. (The buyer's guide here outlines a review of various camera cell phones and links to some of the best deals out there.)

Since most of the cellular/phone camera companies are now national (many are worldwide) the net is probably your best option for catching the best deals.

About the Author

Gareth Marples is a successful freelance writer providing valuable tips and advice for consumers about where to find a collection of the best free cell phone offers, GPS cellular phones and the latest in cell phone comparisons. His numerous articles offer moneysaving tips and valuable insight on typically confusing topics.