Like every other technology these days, innovations in mobile phones are moving at lightning speed. I still remember when they were the size of a small car and you practically needed a platoon of helpers to carry them around. And the cost was so incredibly prohibitive that only the wealthiest of city boys could afford to use them or be seen using them, which I think was more to the point.

But now it’s a whole new world, everybody has at least one mobile phone. The costs have become so low that many handsets can easily be termed disposable. However, during the course of the last few years as manufacturers compete with newer technology to attract customers, one of the key features that consumers are looking for is an integrated camera.

The next generation is about to be launched and they are truly impressive. We’ll look at a couple of models currently available and then a few that should hit the high street by the end of June.
First up is the Siemens SL75. This phone boasts a 1.3 megapixel camera including flash and a 5X zoom. It has a 52 megabyte internal memory and is Bluetooth enabled, so transferring images to a computer should be easy. It also records video and plays MP3 files. But the best thing about this phone is its size. It’s tiny, a great feature for those who want to travel light.

The Samsung SGH-D500 is a good competitor to the Siemens SL75. It to has a 1.3 megapixel camera with flash and video capability. It’s a little better in the memory department with 96 megabytes of storage. It also offers Bluetooth for sending pictures via email. With an MP3 player and a colourful TFT screen this is an excellent camera-phone for those who to take pictures without the hassle of carrying a camera.

Until very recently camera phones were in the range of one to two megapixels, quite big considering just a few short years ago
professional SLR digital cameras weren’t much bigger. But in the next couple of months a number of manufacturers areintroducing models that will set new standards for mobile phones with cameras.

The Sharp 903 is the latest in this company’s line-up, and accordingly Sharp contends it is powerful enough to allow users to not only give up their digital cameras altogether but any ipods that might be hanging around. It’s an impressive piece of equipment with a 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera with a 2X optical zoom and a 24X digital zoom. It’s bluetooth compatible and features face-to-face video calls. As for memory it comes with a card slot for mini-SD cards that can hold up to two gigabytes of images.

Sony Ericsson is introducing the K800i, not so much as a phone with a camera but as a camera with a phone. Using the same technology as the Sony Cyber-shot digital cameras it features a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, built-in flash and image and video stabilization for better low light photography. It uses Memory Stick Micro for image storage. Coming with all the 3G bells and whistles it allows for image sharing almost instantly.

The last two are from Nokia – the N93 and N73. The N93 is a brute. Weighing in at 180 grams it will be one of the heaviest handsets on the market. It’s features are thus unseen in a mobile phone. Indeed this is more of a camera/camcorder than a telephone. The camera features autofocus Carl Zeiss optics and a 3.2 megapixel sensor and like the Sharp 093 it has both optical as well as digital zoom. It comes with 50 megabytes of internal memory but also has a further 128 megabyte mini-SD card included for the built-in card slot, which can handle up to two gigabyte cards. Being both WiFi and Bluetooth capable this machine should be able to take care of most amateurs picture needs. And when all the photography is done you can still call for pizza delivery.

The Nokia N73 is the little brother of the N93, coming with many of the same features including a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, a slot for memory cards and 3G capable. The advantage this phone has over the N93 is its weight. At 116 grams it is far lighter and small than its big brother. Something that many people will see as a plus.

One last thing on pricing. It’s almost impossible to get reliable quotes on mobile phones. The contracts vary so much the only real advice is to shop around. See what kind of contracts service providers are offering and pick the phone and contract that suits your needs best.

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