NTT DoCoMo Announces SH900i - 2-Megapixel Mobile Handset

Japan wireless service provider, NTT DoCoMo, announced on March 18

that it will begin selling a new mobile phone, the SH900i, that

features a built-in 2 megapixel camera. While not the first 2

megapixel mobile available on the Japanese market, this newest

addition, according to the company's <a

href="http://www.nttdocomo.com/presscenter/pressreleases/press/pressre

lease.html?param[no]=429">press release</a>, features a 20x digital

zoom and 25-shot burst mode (as well as a Macromedia Flash enabled

XTML browser and support for Microsoft Office documents).<p>

The SH900i joins two other 2 megapixel camera phones released in

Japan earlier this year, the <a

href="http://www.vodafone.jp/english/products/kisyu/v601sh/index.html"

>Sharp V601sh</a> and <a

href="http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/340/C2120/">Casio

A5403CA</a>. Sample photos from the latter can be found <a

href="http://minami.typepad.com/photos/a5403ca_photos/">here</a>.<p>

While camera phones currently available outside Japan are limited

to .3 megapixel (300,000 pixels), mobile phone maker Nokia recently

announced development of its first 1 megapixel handset, the <a

href="http://www.cellular-news.com/story/10861.shtml">7610</a>,

expected to be available outside Japan in the second quarter of this

year.

From last year: <p>

<b> <i> http://neasia.nikkeibp.com/nea/200401/conele_283397.html <p>

Camera-equipped mobile phones have finally entered the 2-million pixel era. The three

major mobile phone carriers in Japan - KDDI, Vodafone and NTT DoCoMo - have all

announced new models boasting about 2 megapixels. KDDI Corp of Japan was aiming to

offer the A5403CA (see Fig), manufactured by Casio Computer Co, Ltd of Japan, from

December 2003. Vodafone KK of Japan was planning to ship the V601SH, manufactured by

Sharp Corp of Japan, in the same month. And NTT DoCoMo, Inc of Japan was planning to

offer the SH505iS from Sharp, from mid- December. With two megapixels and onboard

electronic flash, photography with mobile phones will make major inroads into digital

camera territory. </i> </b>

From this month's ZoneZero magazine: <p>

<b> <i> http://zonezero.com/magazine/articles/fotomovil/fotomovil.html <p>

On the last two weeks of January 2004, I trained journalists Alejandra Polack and Juan

Martinelli of the Argentinean radio talk show �La Cornisa� (The Cornice) anchored by

journalist Luis Majul, in the use of the cameras in their cellular telephones, this would allow

instant publication on-line of the photographs during the program. </i> </b>