Mobile Megapixel Monitor Tracks
High-Resolution Camera-Phones
Orlando, Fla. - February 17, 2005 – Today at
the Photo Marketing Association’s annual conference, Future Image announced
an important new tool for marketing and product development professionals in
the imaging and wireless industries: The Mobile Megapixel Monitor (MMM), a
new feature of Future Image’s Mobile Imaging Report (MIR), provides up to
the minute reference information on all camera-phones with megapixel or
greater resolution currently for sale in North America, or announced for
sale in the near term. The information will reside in an online database
accessible at all times to MIR subscribers.
There are currently over 60 different models
of camera-phones on the North American market, most of which are VGA
resolution or lower, making them unsuitable as replacements for primary film
or digital cameras. However, megapixel-class units have recently been
introduced in the U.S. and Canada by all the top-tier carriers, and more are
expected in the coming months. Furthermore, two- and even three-megapixel
units are already commonplace in Japan and Korea, and are expected to begin
appearing in North America this year.
The introduction of cell phones with truly
camera-like features, starting with but not limited to megapixel resolution,
is expected to drive profound changes in user behaviors, and therefore in
the competitive landscape for imaging products and services. Executives and
companies involved in the field can use the MMM to know, at any time, which
models are available, compare the lineups of different manufacturers and
carriers, and observe/quantify developing trends in key feature areas. Some
of the information in the MMM can be found nowhere else — not in press
releases, not on carrier web sites, not on manufacturer web sites, not even
in owner’s manuals.
The MMM includes all the key imaging-related
specifications for tracked products, including:
·
Manufacturer
·
Model
·
Carrier
·
Price
·
Availability – shipping or
not, date promised
·
Style (form factor)
·
Dimensions (inches & ounces)
·
Dimensions (metric)
·
Sensor type (CMOS or CCD)
·
Sensor Resolution (pixel
count)
·
Optical zoom factor
·
Digital zoom factor
·
Flash
·
Video capture capability
·
Display type
·
Display size
·
Display color capabilities
·
Additional camera features,
such as rotating camera or lens cover
·
Support for removable memory,
and format
·
Connectivity options such as
Bluetooth, USB, IrDA
·
Photo of the device
The MMM is available immediately to MIR
subscribers. It currently tracks 12 camera-phones, and is expected to double
within the next few months.
Full or partial listings of the MMM are
available to journalists upon request at Future Image’s discretion, and
provided that full attribution will be given in the publication. Under the
same proviso, journalists seeking answers to questions such as: How many
megapixel camera-phones support removable media? or Which camera-phone has
the best video capture capabilities? are welcome to submit their questions
to
[email protected] for a prompt response based on the data
in the MMM.
About Future Image:
Future Image Inc., the leading independent
center of expertise on the convergence of imaging, technology, and business,
hosts the hugely successful Mobile Imaging Summit executive conferences (www.gmedication.com),
the Mobile Imaging Learning Center in the Mobile Imaging Pavilion at PMA,
and the Mobile Imaging Perspectives conference at CTIA (http://www.gmedication.com/CTIA.htm).
Future Image’s Mobile Imaging Report
continuous information service is the definitive resource for companies and
executives with a stake in the explosive Mobile Imaging phenomenon. In
addition to the new MMM, the MIR includes:
·
MIR Weekly News: a
comprehensive newsletter covering all the news that impacts the Mobile
Imaging industry worldwide, from the announcement and release of new mobile
imaging devices, to developments in imaging components such as sensors,
lenses, processors, displays, drivers, and software algorithms, to new
service and content offerings and wireless operator news, to stories about
new and unexpected uses for mobile imaging. All forms of wireless are
covered — WPAN, WLAN, and WWAN — as well as all geographies from North
America to Europe to Asia Pacific, as well as emerging markets like Russia,
South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Every week, the MIR
covers Wireless deals — acquisitions, mergers, fundings — and Mobile People
— hirings, firings, promotions, and resignations.
·
MIR Reports: Six in-depth
reports per year on key issues, delivered to subscribers as site-licensed
PDF files. Recent reports include “The Camera-Phone Phenomenon – A New Deal
for Imaging,” “Will Camera-Phones Replace Digital Cameras?,” “4 x 6
Shoot-Out – Are Camera-Phones Ready To Make Consumer Prints?,” “Sending
Photos Phone to Phone: Challenges & Opportunities,” and “Turning Push into
Pull – A Report From the Mobile Imaging Summit.”
·
The MIR Archives: Every news
story, dating back to Future Image’s initial coverage of Mobile Imaging in
June 2000 — more than 4,100 at present — and every report, including the
benchmark “Wireless Imaging – Overcoming the Challenges” — is part of a
web-based, keyword-searchable archive that is the single most complete
source for research on the Mobile Imaging industry. The archive currently
contains more than 5,000 keyword-searchable pages and 1,750 illustrations
covering every aspect of Mobile Imaging.
·
MIR Consultation: Subscribers
get personal, private access to the leading independent expert on Mobile
Imaging — Tony Henning, senior analyst and managing editor of the MIR.
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