Samsung Elec Unveils 7-Megapixel Camera Phone
amsung Electronics Co. Ltd. unveiled the world's first mobile phone
with a powerful 7-megapixel camera on Wednesday, providing a potential
competitive threat to manufacturers of digital cameras.
Samsung has been stepping up development of increasingly sophisticated
phones for high-end users looking to access games, music and movies on
their handsets. It launched the world's first 5-megapixel phone in October.
But while top digital camera makers such as Japan's Canon Inc. and
Sony Corp. are likely to see the model as a new threat, its popularity may
depend on how much of an improvement the camera can deliver over
existing units.
There is a growing consensus among consumers that 3 or 4 megapixels,
the measure of how many million picture elements are captured in a digital
snapshot, are enough for a decent shot.Some of the best-selling digital
cameras feature 4 or 5 megapixels.
The new phone, which also has an MP3 player and business card reader,
would go on sale as early as the first half, though a price had yet to be set,
Samsung said in a statement.Samsung aims to sell 100 million mobile phones
this year, up 16 percent from 86 million sold last year.
The SCH-V770 phone will make its international debut at CeBIT, the world's
biggest tech and telecoms trade show, in Hanover, Germany on Thursday.
Shares in Samsung, Asia's most valuable technology company with a market
value of $81 billion, ended down 0.4 percent at 500,000 won, versus a 0.85
percent rise in the broader market.
