Camera Phones Plaza

If you really want to impress, the Goldvish Illusion is the perfect way. The design of this phone is made by Emmanuel Gueit, the head designer of Goldvish, which is a known name especially in jewelry and expensive watches industry. The handset is hand-made in Switzerland of 18 karats gold (regular gold, white and pink) and decorated with diamonds (of course, they will give you quality certificates for all these diamonds).

The prices for these phones start from 18.950 Euro up to 120.000 Euro (for a version completly covered with diamonds). They also have a special edition of 100 handsets available only at the Millionaire Fair in Cannes of 145.000 Euro.

However, the flag-ship of Goldvish is a masterpiece called "Million de la Nuit". This is covered with over 100 diamonds (D/E color and VVS-1 clarity) and is available for...hold tight...1 million Euro (about 1.3 million dollars). Goldvish will only sell 3 of these handsets and if you want one, you'd better hurry because 2 of them are already sold (to a businessman in Hong-Kong and to a Russian billionaire).



Beside diamonds and gold, the Goldvish Illusion is pretty good at features. It is a quad-band phone, with a 262k 176x220 saphire glass display. It also has GPRS/EDGE Class 10, USB port, bluetooth, MP3 player and a 2 megapixel camera with 8x zoom. The device comes equipped with a 2GB memory card included.

These are the names of two very interesting devices designed by Jaren Goh, which will be soon launched by VIPN, even if initial rumours connected these phones with Sony Ericsson. The color is shiny black, and the materials of which is made impress from the first moment.

Black Diamond is made of titanium combined with policarbonate, with a mirror-style finishing and diamonds. A touch pad is used instead of the usual keypad. The lighting of this touch pad also contributes to the classy look of this phone.

The tech part of the Black Diamond is also great. A quad-band phone (yes, it can be used in the US) with Wi-Fi. It is powered by a 400 MHz Intel processor, with 128 MB of SD-RAM memory (the phone also comes equipped with a 2 GB SD-card) and Windows Mobile 5 OS. The phone comes with a 262k TFT display and a 4 megapixel camera.

The Black Diamond will be available in 2007 at an estimate cost of $300.000. And you'd better start saving money, because there will be only 5 of this phones available.

We also have good news: the Black Diamond will also have a version for the rest of us, "mortals", the White Pearl. As the name says, it will not be black, but white, and of course, no diamonds for this version. The rest of the features will be identical to the Black Diamond. The White Pearl will cost around $1500.

Samsung made a press release today in which announced the world's first super camera phone, the Samsung SCH-B600. The handset features an amazing 10 megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom, 5x digital zoom and a flash unit. The SCH-B600 also has a LED autofocus that automatically determines the distance and utilizes the appropriate focus setting.

The B600 also supports white balance, manual focus, continuous picture-taking, and interval picture-taking functions. Moving pictures can be recorded in QVGA resolution at 15-30 frames per second. It also supports Satellite DMB function which enables TV watching.

Photos taken with the SCH-B600 can be seen on a 2.2" 240x320 16M Color TFT display and can be stored in the internal memory or on the MMCmicro card.

The price of B600 is around $900 in Korea. Unfortunately no news about the chance of a world-wide release, however we don't expect this phone to be available to us any time soon.

The official Samsung press release:
"SEOUL, KOREA, Oct 10th, 2006: Samsung reinforces its technology leadership by launching the world's first 10 megapixel mobile phone (model: SCH-B600) in Korean market.

Samsung reached another milestone in camera phones by launching 10 megapixel camera phone, which was unveiled at CeBIT in March this year. Samsung has been the first to introduce mobile phone with embedded camera in 2000. Samsung has also launched the world's first 5 megapixel camera phone in October 2004 ; 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 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.

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 B600 comes with 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.

Other advanced functions in the B600 include an MP3 player, business card reader, and 128 polyphonic sounds.

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

The French company Sagem announced today a new entry-level clamshell, the Sagem myC5-3. The handset will feature a 128x160 pixel 65,000-color display, a standard VGA camera with video capture.

The phone will also have a second external display that lets you see incoming calls or SMS. It weights 85 g and the press release says that the battery life is 240 hours on standby and 3 hours talk-time.

The SAGEM myC5-3 will be released in October 2006 and no word on pricing yet.


The official Sagem press release:
"Paris, 9 October 2006 - Sagem Communication (SAFRAN Group) unveils the SAGEM myC5-3 clamshell phone designed for those who seeking a high-usability package with contemporary styling.

With the SAGEM myC5-3, you can mix business with pleasure.

SAGEM myC5-3 is the perfect partner with gender-wide appeal, offering stylish shaping in an easy-to-use package.

Practical, hands-on features include a must-have VGA camera to capture those unforgettable moments, shots you can share by MMS or personalize as wallpaper to match your mood. The 128x160-pixel 65,000-color screen completes the package for would-be photographers. With the video function, you won't lose a second of those special experiences.
The built-in day planner won't let you forget important dates, and since it offers WAP mobile internet you can stay informed, do some shopping or even organize a night on the town.

Stylish and functional, the SAGEM myC5-3 has a second external screen backlit in white that combines with an elegantly-designed and seamlessly integrated light signal to keep you discretely informed when a call or SMS comes in.

The battery life won't let you down: 240 hours on standby and 3 hours talk-time.

At a featherweight 85 g, the SAGEM myC5-3 feels sensational, and style-wise it's a step ahead of this winter's crowd. Its pure, clean lines are the sign of the revival in city chic, which means black is back in vogue. Compact and pocket-sized at only 82.2x42.7x23 mm, the SAGEM myC5-3 also stands out by the quality of its finishing, underlined by the ultra-tactile 'soft feel'. Smoothly understated, it nestles snugly in your palm.

The SAGEM myC5-3 will be released in October 2006."

It has been over a year since Sony Ericsson last released a 3G folder. But even still, the new Z610i came with a surprise or two. First off, people did not expect a mid-range 3G clamshell this early. Secondly, people did not expect it to be available on the market so shortly after its launch announcement.

The Sony Ericsson Z610i is not meant to be a successor of the Z800, instead it is targeted towards fashion conscious consumers. Stripping off the style, the device is essentially a folder version of the K610i: both being mid-range 3G devices and sharing virtually the same specifications.

The guys at mobileburn made a review of the phone and here are some of their impressions. The Sony Ericsson Z610i is shiny and sleek. No matter which color your chose, blue, pink, or dark brown, the surface would shine like a mirror. In fact, the curves and the color scheme give the device the look of a drop of mercury over a pebble.

Using the same trick as Sony Network Walkman devices, the external OLED hides itself under the reflective cover surface when it's off, and only shows through the surface when it's on. When it does, it is gorgeous. Of course, the bad thing is that the reflective surface attracts fingerprints like you have never seen before, and it is actually quite easy to scratch, more so than the Nokia 8800. I would suggest protecting the phone with a pouch made for sunglasses.

The main display in the Sony Ericsson Z610i is a 2" 262K color, 176x220 pixel TFD screen. The screen is bright, but more pixilated than the K750i's because of its larger size. The colors also looks less vivid. When comparing it to the Sharp 903, the screen on Z610 looks blue'ish, and the yellows looks muddy (greener). But of course this is not too obvious unless you compare them side-by-side. You will have no problem using the main display under direct sunlight, but the external display will be completely unreadable because of the reflections. Just for the record, the external display is a 128x36 pixel OLED.

Out of the two cameras, only the external one can be used to take pictures. The internal one, next to the earpiece, is reserved for video conferencing. The main camera is a fixed focus 2MP CMOS module. You can turn the night mode on if needed, you can also choose from a list of preset white balances. Time stamp and self-timer can be enabled, and there are also some fun special effects and a panorama mode that stitches up three pictures together. The shutter sound cannot be silenced.

Out of the two cameras, only the external one can be used to take pictures. The internal one, next to the earpiece, is reserved for video conferencing. The main camera is a fixed focus 2MP CMOS module. You can turn the night mode on if needed, you can also choose from a list of preset white balances. Time stamp and self-timer can be enabled, and there are also some fun special effects and a panorama mode that stitches up three pictures together. The shutter sound cannot be silenced.

The conclusion is that the Z610i is a capable midrange 3G phone, though overall it leans a bit more towards "design" rather than "function." The most obvious example of that would be the keypad. In trying to fit into the role of a fashion phone, the price has been raised similar Sony Ericsson handsets, putting it close to Motorola's KRZR.

If you are looking strictly at functionality, the Z610 would not embarrass anyone either. With the excellent reception, full HTML browser, good battery life and multimedia capabilities, this device should be a reasonable companion during your day. The phone does everything reasonably well, but there really is not much that sets it apart other than the exterior design.

If you are looking for even higher specifications, you can look into the Sony Ericsson K800 or Nokia N73. For midrange 3G folders, you can either go for the cheaper LG ones, or devices from Sharp if they're available in your country. For the rest of us, the decision is rather straight forward: it is either the Z610 or the Motorola KRZR. It is simply a matter of taste.

Read full review on mobileburn.