The latest scoop from scanR, a service that enables camera phones and digital cameras to scan, copy and fax.

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Sony Ericsson 8.1 megapixel camera phone

Wow! Sony Ericsson managed to get an 8 megapixel camera into a small mobile phone.  Take a look.

Sonyericssonc905

For scanR, this will represent the first camera phone that can capture letter and A4 sized documents at the same resolution as desktop scanners.  A 3 megapixel camera can scan documents at around 200 dpi while an 8 megapixel camera can produce 300 dpi scans.  While this number is only 50% greater, the resulting difference in document quality is substantial.  This means that scanR is inching closer to our goal of replacing the copier and scanner for everyday tasks.

This phone is shipping in Q4 2008 and we can't wait to get our hands on it.

Top phones in April 2008

Here were the top 20 phones used to create new accounts with scanR in April 2008:

Worldwide, excluding Japan

  1. Nokia N95
  2. Nokia N73
  3. Nokia N95 8GB
  4. Nokia 6120c
  5. Nokia E90
  6. Nokia E51
  7. Nokia N70-1
  8. Nokia N82
  9. Nokia E65
  10. Nokia 3250
  11. Nokia N72
  12. Nokia E61i
  13. BlackBerry 8310
  14. Nokia N80
  15. BlackBerry 8100
  16. Nokia 5700
  17. Sony Ericsson K750i
  18. Sony Ericsson K800i
  19. Nokia 6110
  20. BlackBerry 8130

Top phones in February 2008

More megapixels.  That's what we like to see and that's what is happening.  Here were the top 20 phones used with scanR last month:

Worldwide, excluding Japan

  1. Nokia N95
  2. Nokia N73
  3. Nokia N95 8GB
  4. Nokia N70-1
  5. Nokia E90
  6. Nokia 6120c
  7. Nokia N82
  8. Nokia E65
  9. Nokia E51
  10. Nokia N72
  11. Nokia N80
  12. Sony Ericsson K750i
  13. Sony Ericsson K800i
  14. Nokia E61i
  15. Sony Ericsson W810i
  16. Nokia 6630
  17. Nokia 3250
  18. Sony Ericsson K550i
  19. Nokia 6300
  20. Apple iPhone

Nokia is really strong with scanR, reflecting the quality of Nokia's cameras and power of their distribution.  iPhone makes an appearance in the top 20, with its users' heavy browsing offsetting its relatively poor camera.

Japan

  1. au W54T
  2. DoCoMo F905i
  3. au W51CA
  4. au W53CA
  5. DoCoMo SO905i
  6. DoCoMo D905i
  7. DoCoMo N904i
  8. DoCoMo P905i
  9. au W43H
  10. au W44K
  11. au W52CA
  12. au W52K
  13. au W55SA
  14. Softbank 911SH
  15. DoCoMo N903i
  16. DoCoMo P705imyu
  17. DoCoMo SH903i
  18. au W47T
  19. au W52H
  20. au W52T

Nearly all of the Japanese phones in the top 20 have 3.2 megapixel cameras or better.  Take a look at the specs for the au W54T and the DoCoMo F905i to see what you're missing.

Beating the iPhone

With all the excitement, free press coverage and raving fans of the Apple and its iPhone, the incumbent phone companies probably are starting to worry about how to compete.  In particular at the high end of the market, where Nokia, Sony Ericsson, RIM and Palm earn their livings.

Apple is clearly going to take the music and fashion segments.  With a few tweaks, they could take share in the business market.  But for the bulk of the consumer market, there is an opening.

The iPhone is missing two things that appeal to the mass market: a lower price and a good camera.

It's clear from the early reviews that the camera has disappointed.  Take a look at these reviews from the web:

"The one HUGE thing that’s keeping me from getting rid of my Nokia is the camera." Robert Scoble

"Camera: horrible. Really Apple... what the deal!?!?!"  Jason Calacanis.

Even MacWorld doesn't like it: "It's definitely more appropriate for fun shots when no other camera is around than as a replacement for your digital camera, even if your camera is five years old."

No phone can have everything and Apple chose a cheap camera.  This leaves an opening for the next year or so for its competitors to respond.  Music in your pocket is great, but photography is a vastly larger market.

Go get 'em..while you can.

Oh yeah.  The iPhone works great with scanR Whiteboards, but won't work well with Documents or Business Cards.   

Motorola MOTORAZR maxx Ve

If you're a fan of good camera phones, like us, you have to be happy about the new Motorola MOTORAZR maxx Ve available from Verizon Wireless. 

Razr_maxx

This RAZR is the first to have a truly good camera.  The model features a 2 megapixel camera with auto-focus, ensuring high quality digital photos.  The images are quite good.  In fact, the RAZR maxx currently leads all camera phones on the scanR quality score which you can view at www.CheckMyCameraPhone.com.

This is an impressive victory for Motorola which in the past has not produced market leading cameras.  We're looking forward to seeing more from Motorola to help the US catch up to the rest of the world in camera phone quality.

Most popular cameras - Feb 2007

Here's the latest chart of camera phones used with scanR.

Camera_models_feb

Nokia phones still lead the pack, though the Sony Ericsson K800 is coming on strongly.  We're looking forward to the release of the first 5 megapixel models from both of these companies.

A scanR in every pocket

Here's a quick view of the current and forthcoming 2 megapixel and higher camera phones.

Megapixelcameraphones

There are more than 300 models.  The growth is really quite amazing considering that when scanR was started there were no 2 megapixel models available in the US and only one 1 megapixel model.

Most popular cameras with scanR

Scanr_cameras_1

Inspired by Flickr's camera finder, we thought you'd like to see the most popular cameras used with scanR.  While Flickr is dominated by digital cameras, scanR is used most often with camera phones.

Since scanR released an application for Symbian S60 phones in October, Nokia phones have really taken off and now hold 5 of the top 10 slots. 

As Flickr notes, this isn't a complete list as many camera phones don't list their model names in the photos. 

New champion :: Sony Ericsson K790a & K800i

Sonyk790_1

The Sony Ericsson K790 & K800 are the new champions of scanning.  Document photos sent to doc@scanR.com come out clean and crisp, almost like a copier.  Even better, scanR extracts the text and indexes the documents very accurately with these phones.  See the test results at CheckMyCameraPhone.com.

The K790 is a tri-band phone that works with the all-important Cingular 850 Mhz band.  The K800 is a global tri-band phone.  Otherwise, they are identical.

The new leader: Nokia N73

Nokian731

The Nokia N73 has the best camera we've seen so far on a phone.  It scored a 5 on the CheckMyCameraPhone.com test, which means scanR can accurately scan a full page of text with 5 point font using this camera phone.  It's a 3.2 megapixel with auto-focus, but more importantly, it produces very sharp photos.

Samsung A990 business card comparison

Here it is, our first public shoot-out.  Giddy-yup.

The contenders
Samsung's business card reader built into some of its phones
scanR Business Cards beta

The device
Samsung A990 3.2 megapixel camera phone

The challenge
Scan the same business card.  The winner will be determined by the number of steps to complete the task and the accuracy of the results.

Samsung business card reader

Step 1: Start the business card reader

A990_1_1

Step 2: Take a photo of the card

A990_2_1

Step 3: Wait for the scanner to start

A990_3_1

Step 4: Scroll up and down to find the name and select it.

A990_4

Step 5: Scroll up and down to find the mobile number and select it.

A990_5_1

Step 6: Scroll up and down to find the work number and select it.

A990_6

Step 7: Scroll up and down to find the email address and select it.

A990_7_1

Step 8: Click done.

A990_8_1

Step 9: Wait for scanning to complete.

A990_9_1

Step 10: Review the results and save to your phone.  In this case, the Samsung correctly identified the name and mobile number, was incorrect on the work number and email, and did not attempt to find any of the other contact information.

A990_10_2

scanR Business Card beta

Step 1: Take a photo of the business card

A990_2

Step 2: Create a picture message to send the photo to scanR

Scanr_2

Step 3: Upload the photo

Scanr_3

Step 4: Get the vCard in your email.  On this card, scanR got all of the contact information correct and sync'd with Outlook on the computer.

Vcard_1

The verdict

A clean win by scanR.  Perfect scan in 4 steps and 10 seconds of effort.

New 3.2 megapixel phone reduces photos to 2 megapixel

Today we unpacked our new Samsung A990 phone, the first in the US with a 3.2 megapixel camera.  Then we spent the next hour trying to figure out why it only took 2 megapixel photos.  Every time we take a picture, the file would come out smaller than advertised!

It turns out that if you choose the option to send the photo, the phone reduces the resolution of the file to a maximum of 1600 x 1200 pixels, or 2 megapixel. If you choose the option to save the photo, it is the full 3.2 megapixels.  It understandable that the carriers want to save bandwidth if when you send photos wirelessly, but it sort of defeats the purpose of a camera PHONE.

The good news for scanR is that even at 2 megapixels, this phone works great for the new scanR Business Card beta. Tomorrow, we'll post some head-to-head examples with the embedded business card scanner that comes in the phone.

Verizon 3 megapixel phone available

It seems the US mobile operators are tired of lagging the rest of the world in phone features.  Verizon launched the first 3 megapixel camera phone in the US today.  The Samsung A990 is available for $349 with a contract.

It also includes an business card scanning feature. If you pick up the phone, compare it to the scanR Business Card beta and let us know what you think.

The camera phones are coming, the camera phones are coming...

The goal at scanR is to turn paper into useful digital information, helping bridge the gap between your online and offline worlds.  To do this, we need people to have decent cameras in their pockets. 

When we started scanR in late 2004, there was a single 1 megapixel camera phone available in the US. Now, not only are there dozens available, but 2 of the 3 best selling phones at Verizon Wireless also have 1 megapixel cameras.

The next step in technology is 2 to 3 megapixel resolutions and auto-focus lenses. In the past few months, Nokia, Sony-Ericsson and Motorola have announced camera phones in this class.  Now Samsung has announced 2 more: the X820 and D900.

L_0509_3

The Samsung SGH-D900 is a 3 megapixel slim-slider phone.  It will launch in Europe first but is a quad-band GSM phone, and it may reach the US as well.

First 3 megapixel phone in US?

Z710_2

For those of you waiting for a small, high-resolution camera phone in the US, the Samsung A990 might be for you.  According to Phone Scoop, Verizon Wireless will launch this 3.2 megapixel camera phone.  We had a chance to play with it at CTIA two weeks ago, and it is impressive. 

Read the full report at Phone Scoop.

Making every pixel count

Taking a photo is easy—you just push the button.  Taking a good photo involves understanding a little about how cameras work and what their limitations and capabilities are.  Every camera is essentially composed of the same three elements: a sensor which turns light into a recorded image, a lens which gathers and focuses light on the sensor, and a shutter which can open briefly to expose the sensor to light.   These three elements each have characteristics that impact the quality of your photos. 

Sensor

Sensors in digital cameras vary from about 24mm wide in professional “SLR” styles to roughly 5mm wide in camera phones.   Since sensitivity is proportional to the area of the sensor, that means camera phone sensors are typically only 5% as sensitive to light as their larger cousins.  The good news is that silicon sensors have advanced to the point where that 5% still can be very effective.  In fact, Fujifilm has announced a compact digital camera with very high sensitivity (ISO 3200) at 6 megapixel using a sensor only 7.6mm wide.  Still, it's reasonable to expect to need more light for small cameras, and most camera phones require relatively good light conditions to produce a sharp and low-noise image. 

Trend to watch: higher sensitivity with low noise.  All the sensor manufacturs are pushing to produce cleaner images with less light.  Look for these 'high ISO' capable sensors to grow in popularity as consumers see beyond the 'megapixel count'.

Lens

Lenses are the heart of a camera.  No camera can be better than its ability to focus light on the sensor.  Several of the early camera phones advertising 1.3 megapixel resolution were actually worse than their 0.3 megapixel VGA predecessors for lack of a quality lens.  In fact, lenses can be quite complex and the design and manufacture of lenses represents its own art.  A modern wide-range SLR zoom lens such as Canon's 24-105mm has 18 elements (carefully formed pieces of glass) arranged in multiple groups to provide both a broad focus and zoom range with consistent light-gathering ability.  Compact digital cameras have scaled down and simpler lens packages - the Fujifilm F30 mentioned above has a 6-element lens offering a range of 3x zoom with a considerably smaller width (or aperture).  This still enables resolving a autofocus range of roughly 2" to infinity.  Camera phone lenses are even more space constrained and typically have only two to four elements.  Most 2 megapixel camera phones have four elements cameras although some are fixed-focus with one or two elements.   Without autofocus, getting a sharp image requires positioning the camera within the fixed focus range of the camera, which is typically between eighteen inches and ten feet of the subject.  You can test various distances using a test image at http://www.checkmycameraphone.com/

Trend to watch: folded optics.  Some camera makers - Sony and Panasonic for example - are producing zoom lenses which don't extend beyond the camera body.  These 'folded optics' lenses enable thin and compact packaging with a zoom lens.

Shutter

The shutter mechanism isn't as critical  as the time the shutter is open.  A shorter exposure time allows for less light capture but offers less chance of motion to cause blur.  A longer exposure time results in a brighter image but potentially motion blur.  A rule of thumb is that a hand-held camera exposure should be no longer than roughly the inverse of the 'focal length' of the lens - a measure of its light-gathering cone.   For an SLR with a typical 50mm lens, a time of 1/100 of second is pretty safe.  For the much smaller camera phone lens, the '35mm equivalent' focal length is often less, and an exposure time of 1/60th of a second would work well - if there is enough light to capture the image in that time.   On digital cameras you can often see the exposure time the camera has selected in the display.  On camera phones it's often not apparent how long the shutter was open, nor can the time be selected.   

Trend to watch: image stabilization.  By moving a lens element or the sensor to compensate for camera motion, the shutter speed can be significantly longer (over 1/10 of a second in some cases) and a sharp image can still be captured.  This technology is quickly spreading and can have huge impact on shooting in low light.

How to take a good photo

1. Get enough light onto the sensor.  Especially with a camera-phone, try and work in a place with abundant light or use the flash if necessary. 

2. Know your lens.  If using a fixed-focus camera, make sure the entire region you are interested in capturing is within the 'sweet spot' of the lens focus.  If you are two close or too far, you will lose detail. 

3. Hold the camera steady while you capture the image.  Even if you can't set the exposure time, you can maximize the sharpness of the image by keeping the camera still during capture.

Sony Ericsson K800 Camera Phone

This upcoming camera phone from Sony Ericsson is notable, not only for its 3.2 megapixel camera, but also for its "document" camera mode.  This mode sets up the camera for taking pictures of documents, primarily by optimizing focus for a distance of 6-40cm.

K800document









Check out a review at mobile-review.com.

When we have a chance to try this camera phone, we'll post some results with scanR. 

300M camera phones in 2005

Gartner released its latest report on camera phone shipments.  They say almost 300M camera phones shipped in 2005.  This represents 38% of all mobile phones worldwide.  In Japan, where the camera phone revolution was started, 92% of all mobile phones shipped had camera phones, and 78% had at least 1 megapixel.

Is there an upper limit?

Samsung announced an 8 megapixel camera phone today.  Used with scanR, this would provide 300 dpi on a letter-size document without interpolation.  Why have a copier anymore?

Here are some other recent announcements of high resolution camera phones:

Motorola 3 megapixel phone
Nokia 3 megapixel Symbian phone
Pitech 3 megapixel Palm OS phone

New camera phones

Several new high-resolution camera phones launched in the last week. 

LG VX9800.  A 1.3 megapixel camera phone from Verizon.  This one has a business card scanner and a macro mode for close-up shots.  This phone continues the string of good cameras from LG.

PPC-6700.  The first Windows Mobile 5.0 phone available in the US.  Sprint is carrying this phone on its business website and will launch the consumer version later this month.  It has a 1.3 megapixel camera that produces the sharpest images we've seen from any of the HTC-manufactured smartphones.

Nokia 6682.  A Symbian smartphone from Cingular with a 1.3 megapixel camera.  It produces good images and is easy to use.

Best camera phones

We test a lot of camera phones.  Most of the recent phones work well but there are a couple that stand above the crowd.  Here are the best phones we've tested:

LG VX8100.  This is a 1.3 megapixel camera phone that works with Verizon's network.  The camera creates sharp scans and works well in low office lighting.  It is also one of the smallest 1.3 megapixel phones available today.

Sony S710a.  This phone works with GSM networks and is available from Cingular in the US.  It has a 1.3 megapixel camera that produces the sharpest pictures we have seen.  The lens is sharp, compression is low, and low-light performance is good.  It also has a lens cover so you don't scratch the lens.  It is a little bulky but supports all of the latest features.

Sony K750i.  This is a 2 megapixel camera phone available in many markets worldwide and works with GSM networks. This phone has the best camera that we've tested to date.  The auto-focus is fast and accurate, the lens is uniform and sharp, and the JPEG compression is low.  However, on the highest resolution and quality setting, the files are large at 350kb to 500kb.  Most carrier networks won't support sending MMS at this size, so you have to use the "Normal" quality setting or send from the included email client. 

Samsung MM-A800.  Sprint PCS has offered the first 2 megapixel camera phone in the US.  The camera resolution, compression and lens are very good.  Compared to the Sony, however, the camera produces slightly less sharp images and a reddish color shift in low light conditions.  As with most Sprint PCS phones, the camera software is easy to use.  Capture and upload are separated so you may take pictures without interruptions.  When you are ready to send, the software allows you to send any number of images at any resolution, eliminating a big hassle with many phones.  We sent a 30-page fax from this camera (just testing, but wow, it works!).