Sunshine Avenue

Presenting the new batch of camera phones out to hit the market worldwide! With an awesome 8-megapixel built-in cameras, these phones are said to render most of the digital cams obsolete. And these cameras aren’t just for picture-taking; they’re also bundled with special functions such as face detection and panoramic shooting, as well as on-board editing and direct-to-blog sending.

Let’s take a look at these cool new gadget phones produced by the leading manufacturers:

(contains reviews from CNETAsia.com and GSMArena.com)

Samsung INNOV8 (i8510)

Pros: GPS; HSDPA; Wi-Fi; 16GB on-board memory; 8-megapixel camera with cool panorama mode!

Cons: Touch-sensitive navigation pad is fiddly to use at times; lack of xenon flash on the camera; screen could be sharper

Imaging features: Dual-power LED flash; smile shot; blink shot; panorama shot; macro shot; face-detection; anti-shake; wide dynamic range; geo-tagging.

CNET says: “a high-end handset with almost every feature currently available”

Rating: 8.9 out of 10

Full tech specifications

LG KC780

Pros: new camera features such as face detection, smile detection, and smile shot

Cons: no 3G, GPS, and Wi-Fi

Imaging features: Face detection; smile detection; smile shot; ISO 1,600; image stabilizer; Bluetooth Webcam.

Rating: not yet rated

Full tech specifications

Samsung M8800 Pixon

Pros: new camera features such as smile shot, panorama shot, and face-detection; slimmest 8MP phone so far

Cons: No Wi-Fi, GPS for geotagging only

Imaging features: Dual-power LED flash; smile shot; panorama shot; face-detection; face link mode (allows users to tag faces in pictures and hotlink to a phonebook entry); scrapbooking tool; wide dynamic range; geo-tagging.

Rating: not yet rated

Full tech specifications

Sony Ericsson C905

Pros: Wi-Fi, HSDPA, GPS, UMTS, TV-out port; camera features such as face detection and smart contrast

Cons: thick and bulky like a smartphone

Imaging features: Xenon flash; face detection autofocus; smart contrast; image stabilizer; geo-tagging.

GSMArena says: “true wireless networking on a regular feature phone”

Rating: not yet rated

Full tech specifications

LG KC910 Renoir

Pros: HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, support for DivX and Xvid formats

Imaging features: Xenon flash; ISO 1,600; image stabilization; manual focus; face tracking; touch shot (allows users to focus on any object by touching the screen); smile shot; blink detection; geo-tagging.

GSMArena says: “the latest and greatest of the cameraphone breed”

Rating: not yet rated

Full tech specifications

What about Nokia?!

Surprised about not hearing from the most famous cellphone brand here in our country? I was, too, but I got a very promising scoop about what’s cooking in Nokia’s magic kitchen. Check it out @ Amit’s tech blog.

If you ask me, my personal favorite would be SE’s C905. I’m a big fan of SE phones because of its awesome display and crisp screen, durability, and of course, its unsurpassed camera technology. Undoubtedly Sony, and I love it!

Vote for your favorite 8MP phone!

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