LAS VEGAS – Polaroid is answering the encroachment
of smartphones into the digital camera space here Tuesday by unveiling the
first Android-based camera combining a 3G-ready Android smart-connect platform
with an advanced digital point-&-shoot.
Called the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Android camera, the
smart-connect camera is due to ship in the second quarter at a price to be
announced. It is the first Polaroid-branded camera incorporating the Android
platform.
The smart-connect camera
measures 111.9mm high, 56.9mm wide and 15.5mm deep and weights 140g with
battery. It is based on the Android 2.3.4 or above platform, and is listed as supporting
the WCDMA/GSM/HSDPA/HSUPA (3G) cell services and Wi-Fi.
The company said that as of now, “the product is a smart connect
Android camera with no voice capabilities. The retail and marketing strategy,
including timing and price, is to be determined.”
Listed specs would be compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile
services, but no carrier deals were announced as this went to print.
The device features a 3.2-inch (800-by-400 resolution) capacitive
touchscreen LCD, and like most Android phones has built-in Bluetooth and GPS
features. It also includes FM radio tuning.
It features 16 megapixel still resolution and will store images
and multimedia files to 512MB of internal RAM/ROM, and adds an expansion slot
for microSD memory cards (up to 32GBs).
Of course, what makes the phone unique is the level of
sophistication of its built-in camera. The unit includes a Sunny9P image
processor, 1/2.33-inch CCD image sensor capable of producing “an effective 16MP”
(native 4608-by-3440 pixels) resolution in JPEG format, a 3x optical and 5x
digital zoom (6.5mm-19.5mm focal length) and f/3.1-5.6 aperture range.
It will take macro shots as close as 5cm, offers a maximum
shutter speed of 1/1400 sec., and includes a maximum ISO setting of 3200.
Also included is an anti-shake system, self-timer support, a
built-in Xenon flash and AF assist lamp.
The phone will capture up to 720p HD video in MP4 (H.264) format.
Also included are a host of auto program modes including: Smart
Scene, program mode, smile shutter, swift panorama, handheld night shot, scene,
self-portrait, touch shot, face detection and 18 scene modes.
Geo-tagging support is also included for photos.
Key consumer features include one hot key image/video uploading
for device albums and online-photo albums through Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, and
YouTube; photo editing features including cross filter (starburst), adaptive
lighting, digital filter, brightness filter, red-eye compensation, frame
composition, cropping, resizing and rotating.
The phone will also support other multimedia file formats
including MP3, AAC, HE-AAC, WMA, MP4 and 3GP.
Other features include a G-sensor, digital compass, proximity
sensor, Micro SIM, Micro USB and 2.5 mm earphone jack. It is powered by a
1020mAh rechargeable Li-on battery.
