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Nikon unveils its first Android smart-ph-pho... camera!
Nikon turns to Android for a new generation of connected COOLPIX digital cameras
This unassuming-looking COOLPIX S800c camera could herald a revolution in compact camera evolution
If, like me, you have marveled at what your smartphone can do, including its camera-related enhancements compared to a standard compact digital camera, then Nikon's announcement of the new COOLPIX S800c could be inspirational. It's a digital camera that runs using Google's Android operating system, more usually associated with all-singing and all-dancing smartphones. In fact Google Android is the best-selling smartphone OS.
Perhaps you are still a bit confused as to the relevance of a smartphone OS with a digital camera, let alone a Nikon. While photo purists laugh at the purely photographic capabilities of the tiny cameras integrated into smartphones (a luxury that should be used with caution, I hasten to add), no matter how rubbish your smartphone might be, it can end up on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, or wherever, online, in minutes, and geo-tagged, something the vast majority of conventional digital cameras simply can't do. Even those that do have wifi or bluetooth connectivity are relatively clunky in operation and may even need a smartphone as the interface to the cloud and social networking sites.
So Nikon has done something which, on reflection, is blindingly obvious and transplanted Android into one of its own cameras. The COOLPIX 830c has wifi connectivity to the Internet, including a GPS receiver for geo-tagging and, presumably, the camera's accelerometers needed for its image stabilisation (VR or Vibration Reduction) can be used for Android App requirements, too. There is also an obligatory touch screen - a high resolution OLED one at that.
Being an Android device, you will be able to download all manner of photographic and non-photographic apps from the Google Play store. I have a vision of reading a book via Kindle on a COOLPIX S800c. Or playing Angry Birds - but I digress!
My only wonder now is just when one of Nikon's camera rivals follows their example with an Android camera of their own?
Total Comments 2
Comments
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Technological convergence is inevitable as "Black Box" electronics provide multi-functionality. Considering smartphone technology is being incorporated into satellites in place of bespoke electronics, the "spinoff" and cross product applications are, for me, exciting developments.
Ultimately as long as the end product improves, I don't really care how it's done.Posted 22-08-12 at 05:14 PM by Graham_of_Rainham 
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Here we go - another Android-powered compact camera, this time from Samsung: http://dpnow.com/8861.html
Posted 29-08-12 at 11:17 PM by Ian
