Toshiba Launches New Touch Screen DigiCam
By Greg Scoblete -- TWICE, 5/27/2002
Irvine, Calif. — Toshiba announced a new digital camera last week that features a touch-screen LCD that allows users to navigate the camera's menu options. The new "button-free" Toshiba PDR-T10 incorporates two Toshiba firsts and will ship at the end of May and will carry a suggested retail price of $299.
The PDR-T10 features a high-resolution 1.6-inch touch-screen LCD with a stylus that offers the camera's menu options on screen, rather than buttons on the body of the camera. Users are presented with icons to select from a host of controls, including flash and zoom options, to instantly review their photo or to launch the downloading of their pictures to a computer.
The camera comes with its own stylus, but can also be controlled by a standard PDA stylus or even a fingernail.
Another Toshiba first is the incorporation of an SD memory slot in the T10. The camera will ship with an 8MB card and is compatible with cards up to 256MB.
Outfitting the 2.2-megapixel PDR-T10 is a collection of interchangeable, snap-on faceplates, including zebra stripes, polka dots, and "retro orange," that let the fashion-conscious user alter the look of their camera on a whim.
Three faceplates come with the camera, with eight more available to be purchased separately. The additional face plates will ship concurrently with the camera in packs of four for a suggested retail price of $30.
On the performance side, the fully automatic PDR-T10 captures photographs at resolutions up to 1,600 x 1,200 in JPEG format at three quality levels. It sports an all-glass lens that is equivalent to f=38mm on a 35mm camera. There's also a Macro mode that allows picture taking as close as 3.5 inches from the subject.
Other features include a 4x digital zoom, user-selectable white balance, exposure control and flash, and a USB interface.
