Firms in Camera Phone War

Firms in Camera Phone War

2005-01-11

The camera phone pixel count competition accelerates as Korea¡¯s three handset makers are gearing up to crank out super high-resolution models this year.

SCH-B100, a satellite DMB phone
Their efforts stem from the current craze for the 5-megapixel phone, which was unveiled by the world¡¯s second-largest handset provider, Samsung Electronics, in November.

The SCH-S250 model has sold around 40,000 units last month alone despite its hefty price tag of 980,000 won through the nation¡¯s top mobile operator, SK Telecom.

``We didn¡¯t expect the phone¡¯s popularity to be so explosive because of the model¡¯s prohibitively high price. We think the phone hit the right chord with trend-sensitive customers,¡¯¡¯ a Samsung official said.

As the demand outstripped the supply, SK Telecom began to make waiting lists for the model, of which mass production is delayed due to the lack of camera modules.

The cutting-edge model, with a 16-million-color liquid crystal display monitor and 92-megabytes of embedded memory, also offers a range of functions, including four-hour video recording, an MP3 player and text-to-speech conversion.

After witnessing the potential of high-resolution phones via Samsung¡¯s example, the outfit¡¯s local rivals scrambled to churn out similar or more advanced gadgets.

LG Electronics aims to release a 6-megapixel phone equipped with Japan¡¯s Sony module as well as a 7-megapixel one this year.

The Pantech Group, comprising Pantech and Pantech & Curitel, also looks to come out with 3-megapixel and 4-megapixel phones during the first quarter of this year.

``Camera pixel count seems to become a status symbol for Korea¡¯s younger generations and because of this, higher resolution means higher sales,¡¯¡¯ a Seoul analyst said.

Other Star Gadgets-in-Waiting

Today, phones with digital cameras and MP3 players are a must inside up-to-date gadgets and unique functions are necessary for a new model to emerge as the best of its kind.

One such unique function is watching TV programs through the phone, such as satellite digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB), which features high-quality video and audio beamed from a satellite.

Satellite DMB debuted this week and now only one terminal is available at Samsung¡¯s SCH-B100 model, but the number would increase substantially timed with the full-fledged commercial service in May.

Another version of mobile broadcasting, terrestrial DMB, will be also embark in April and the above-mentioned three handset vendors plan to turn out terminals in line with the schedule.

In particular, Samsung and LG strive to develop a sophisticated phone, which can play both versions of DMB in a single terminal.

Another technology, which will be incorporated into cell phones this year, is the ultra wideband (UWB), which allows people to move huge files over short distances.

With the UWB phone, 1-gigabyte video data can be transferred in as short as 10 seconds from cell phones to personal computers or portable multimedia players (PMP).

The UWB phone boasts a theoretical throughput ranging from 100 Mbps to 500 Mbps, more than 500-fold faster than the conventional Bluetooth phone.

Samsung and LG plan to embed UWB chips into their cell phones within this year and Pantech will also shoot to develop the cutting-edge phone.

Pantech has a lock in the market of next-generation models as demonstrated last December, when the company disclosed the world¡¯s first Zigbee phone.

The high-end phone, equipped with a small sensor called Zigbee, allows users to activate electric switches and control electronics devices from a distance.