Motorola, Kodak Unveil 5-Megapixel Cameraphone (TechWeb)
By Marin PerezInformationWeek Mon Jun 23, 3:30 PM ET
Kodak and Motorola have teamed up to create a cameraphone that's designed to allow users to easily take and share high-quality photographs.
The Motozine ZN5 is a 5-megapixel candy bar-style phone that features Kodak's Imaging Technology, and it's the first handset in Motorola's Motozine line of multimedia-optimized devices.
"Today's creative consumers not only want to be the photographer, but also the retoucher, the exhibitor, and the critic," said Jeremy Dale, Motorola corporate VP of mobile devices marketing, in a statement. "The Motozine ZN5 lets them be all the things they want to be."
The camera is activated by sliding the Kodak lens open. The device sports an auto-focus feature, Xenon flash, and optimized settings for low-light environments. It also features multiple capture modes, including a panorama mode that automatically stitches together continuous shots into a single extended image.
The cameraphone comes with Kodak's Easy Share Software to organize, edit, store, share, and find mobile pictures. Users can upload photos to a computer via USB, built-in Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth. Photos can also be printed out wirelessly on select Bluetooth-enabled Kodak printers.
To deal with all these photos, the handset comes with 350 MB of internal memory, and the memory can be expanded up to 4 GB via the microSD slot. The cameraphone has a 2.4-inch screen that can switch to landscape mode when shooting photos.
The handset also features CrystalTalk Technology, an MP3 player, an organizer, and a built-in FM radio. It's expected to be available in China in July, with other markets to follow.
The high-end cameraphone market is becoming increasingly crowded. Last week, rival Sony Ericsson launched the latest device in the Cyber-shot line, with an 8.1-megapixel camera.