Samsung Launches World’s First 10 Megapixel Camera Phone

Samsung marked another milestone in camera phone history with the launch of its 10 megapixel SCH-B600 camera phone, which was unveiled at CeBIT in March this year.

Samsung was first to introduce mobile phones with an embedded camera in 2000. Samsung also launched the world’s first 5 megapixel camera phone in October 2004 and the world’s first 7 megapixel camera phone in July 2005.

Samsung’s 10 megapixel camera phone (SCH-B600) is 6mm thinner and 10g lighter than the 7 megapixel camera phone (SCH-V770) and sets itself apart from its previous megapixel camera phones by combining mobile TV capability in Satellite standard.

The Samsung B600 has a design reminiscent of a real digital camera. The front is designed as a bar-type mobile phone, while the back side is used as the digital camera.

The B600 offers the same level of picture-taking sophistication that a 10 megapixel digital camera offers. The camera function includes 3x optical zoom and 5x digital zoom. It also has auto focus and a flash unit that performs optimally for 10 megapixel photographs.

Also, the B600 comes fitted with a LED autofocus feature which assists users to capture clear, crisp photos even in dark settings. Located next to the lens, the LED autofocus automatically determines the distance and utilizes the appropriate focus setting for optimal photo shooting.

The B600 also supports white balance, manual focus, continuous picture-taking, and interval picture-taking functions. It also supports Bluetooth which enables users to send pictures wirelessly to other mobile phones, printers or to Bluetooth headsets.

The high color Reproduction TFT-LCD produces the highest possible display for its size. The photo-fine chromic LCD can reproduce 16 million colors, virtually any color found in nature, earning it the "True Color" appellation. Moving pictures can be recorded in QVGA resolution at 15-30 frames per second. Users can watch live TV in crisp picture through Satellite DMB function.

Other advanced functions in the B600 include an MP3 player, business card reader, and 128 polyphonic sounds. It also supports external memory (MMCmicro) in addition to its internal memory. The mobile phone supports a TV-out function where users can connect their phones to view still or motion pictures.

The price of the B600 is around 900,000 won (about $900) in Korea.