Camera Phones - Are They The Real Deal?

It's no surprise If you've become interested in the new camera phones being advertised by cellular service providers on television. They have quickly become one of the fastest selling technologies in U.S. history and are well on their way to becoming one of the must have cellular phone accessories. Almost 6 million cellular phone users within the United States now have camera phones. Surprisingly this number is extremely low when compared to Japan where the camera cellular phone has become a trademark in almost all of the cellular phones. Don't be alarmed though, camera cell phones are here to stay in the United States and with the cellular phone providers making it easier and cheaper to mass produce them an estimated 50 to 90 percent of U.S. cell-phones will contain built-in cameras by 2007, according to market research.

Like all new cellular products initially their price was rather high but now many cellular companies are actually giving them away for free when you sign up for their cellular phone service. The ease of use has also sparked an interest among users of the camera phone. In many cases a simple point and click is all that's needed to be able to send a picture of a family member or event to someone else. This ability to capture the moment has helped sales soar on camera cellular phones but will that novelty wear out anytime soon?

Unfortunately there are still a few drawbacks to having a camera phone. The pictures aren't near the quality of what a regular camera can take. There is also the problem of storage space. Until the photo is downloaded into a computer it eats up the cellular phone's memory. There is also the cost factor some carriers, such as Verizon and T-Mobile, charge 25 cents per photo sent or received. Although as in many previous technological advances the few minor problems should clear up and the cost should go down as the technology improves.

There are several camera cellular phones on the market. The Sony Ericsson T6106, the LG VX6000, the Sanyo VM 4500 represent some choices. Additional features can be found on the Motorola V300 and the Nokia 3650.

Whichever camera phone you choose there is no doubt that the technology is here to stay and judging from the current consumer demand and the commitment of the cellular phone providers to supply that demand camera cellular phones will soon be as common place as the current regular cell phone.

By Timothy Gorman