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Mobile phone manufacturers are always adding new features to their
phones, but there's one feature that's worth upgrading your phone for: a built-in camera.
Because you carry your mobile phone with you everywhere, having a
built-in camera will allow you to capture both the planned and unplanned events taking place around you. A big advantage camera
phones have over digital cameras is that you can instantly e-mail photos to anyone no matter where you are.
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Note: Depending on your service plan, picture messaging fees may apply. |
What can you do with a camera phone?
You can do some fun and amazing things with camera phones since you'll
have a camera with you at all times. The following reasons may convince you to upgrade your phone:
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Keep others updated as you travel. People won't miss you when you're
on vacation—they'll be jealous when you start sending them photos from the road. You can also stay close to your loved
ones while on a business trip by using your camera phone to take a picture of yourself and then instantly e-mail it to friends
and family.
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Take spontaneous pictures. Whether it's a funny street sign, an athlete
at a sporting event, a friend acting silly, or a child just being cute—a camera phone is perfect for snapping those
unexpected moments. |
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Record important images. Ever forget where you parked your car, particularly
at the airport or shopping mall? Take a picture of the sign near your car and you'll never search the parking garage again.
And when you're at the airport, and you see that celebrity your friends will never believe you saw, snap a photo to prove
it. |
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Blog from anywhere. Moblogging, a shortened form of "mobile
Web logging," is the practice of adding an entry to a blog while you're away from your computer. Camera phones let you moblog
with both pictures and text. To use moblogging with your camera phone, set up a blog at MSN Spaces, and then set up e-mail publishing from your mobile phone.
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Phone features
Many of today's camera phones shoot pictures at one or more megapixels,
which is high enough quality to make 4x6 prints. Some camera phones have a flash built in, and some are even capable of shooting
short video segments. Shop around to find the features that you need, and start enjoying some impromptu picture-taking. Camera
phones aren't designed to replace your digital camera, but you're sure to get some pictures that you might have otherwise
missed.
Getting the pictures off your phone
If you copy pictures to your computer, you can share them with others,
make prints, create a collage of your best shots, and so much more. You have three ways to copy your photos from your camera
phone:
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E-mail the picture to yourself using your camera's messaging features. |
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If your camera supports Bluetooth wireless technology, copy the pictures
from your camera wirelessly. |
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Copy the pictures from your camera using a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable. |
The following sections describe each of these methods.
E-mail pictures from your camera phone
Most camera phones support sending picture messages to e-mail addresses.
This is the easiest way to copy photos from your camera because it does not require any additional hardware or software. However,
you might be charged a fee for each message you send.
The exact steps will vary depending on the type of camera you have—typically,
you will follow these general steps to send pictures.
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Take a picture, and then select the option to send the picture in a message.
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2. In the To field, specify your e-mail address, and send the message.
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Within a few minutes, the message will arrive in your inbox with the
picture attached.
Copy pictures from your camera phone with Bluetooth
If your camera phone supports Bluetooth, you might be able to copy
photos wirelessly—that is, without any cables. The exact steps vary depending on the phone you're using; however, these
steps work with many phones.
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If your computer does not support Bluetooth, add a USB Bluetooth adapter. If necessary, upgrade your computer to Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, which is required if you want to use Bluetooth. |
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Follow the instructions included with your phone to initiate a Bluetooth
connection to your computer. Your computer will prompt you to allow the phone to connect and to enter a security code. Enter
the same security code on both your camera and your computer. |
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On your computer, click Start, and then click My Computer.
Double-click My Bluetooth Places.
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In My Bluetooth Places, under Bluetooth Tasks, click View
devices in range.
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5. |
Double-click the icon for your phone. |
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Double-click the icon for transferring files. If you are prompted to enter
a security code, refer to your camera phone user manual for the code required.
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If you can copy photos directly to and from your phone, you will see a folder
for pictures (the exact folder name may vary). Double-click this folder.
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Drag your pictures from your camera phone to a folder on your computer. Once
you've copied the pictures, you can delete them from your camera phone to save space. |
Copy pictures from your camera phone with a USB cable
Most camera phones support USB connections, but they may not include
a USB cable. If your phone did not include a USB cable, contact your wireless service provider, and ask if they have a USB
accessory cable available for your phone. If not, you might be able to find one by searching the Web.
The exact steps you use to copy pictures from your camera phone to
your computer will vary depending on what type of phone you have, but typically, you will follow these steps.
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On your computer, install the driver software for your phone. The driver
software might be included with your phone or with an accessory USB cable that you've purchased. Alternatively, you might
be able to find the driver software by searching the Web. |
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Install software on your computer to communicate with your phone. Contact
your wireless service provider to see if you can download the software from their Web site or purchase the software from them
directly. If not, you might be able to find software for your camera phone available on the Web.
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Tip: BitPim is free software that you can use to copy photos to and from some LG and Sanyo
phones. The iDEN Media Downloader supports some Motorola phone models. BVRP Software's Mobile PhoneTools is not a free download,
but it does support a wide variety of mobile phones. |
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Once you've installed the software, connect your phone to your computer,
and use your software program to copy the pictures from your camera. After you've copied the photos, you can delete them from
your camera to save space. |
Conclusion
If you don't yet have a camera phone, now is a great time to buy one
so you can get in on the fun. Contact your wireless service provider to find out what options are available on your current
plan. Be sure to ask for a camera phone with one megapixel or more and a flash, if available. Consider signing up for a picture-messaging
plan as well so you won't be charged each time you send a photo. If you plan on copying your pictures from your phone to your
computer, ask your service provider about a USB cable and available software.
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