Camera phones pack plenty of options, but be sure to check out costs and network
Despite some drawbacks, camera cell phones are a fun way to quickly share life’s moments. That might be why they’re all the rage, outselling digital cameras last year.
Buying a camera cell phone is no different than buying a regular cell phone: Everything begins with the wireless network. You can buy the most powerful phone available, but you won’t get as much out of it if it’s running on a network with poor coverage. Here are some tips to help you get started:
• Check the wireless network’s service ratings with consumer organizations. Consumer Reports ( www.consumerreports.org) and J.D. Power and Associates ( www.jdpower.com) rate national networks. Consumer Reports charges a subscription fee to view its reports, but J.D. Power is free. After you choose a wireless carrier, find out which phones are available on its network by visiting its Web site.
• Try out phones you’re interested in buying. It’s best to handle the phone before buying it. Consider how easy it is to capture, save and e-mail pictures from the phone.
• Know how much it costs to share your images. Once you take a picture, wireless carriers generally charge a fee — on top of your base plan charges — to send it to another phone, e-mail it, or to an online storage site.
• A camera phone won’t replace your digital camera. Camera phone pictures are adequate for sharing over the Internet or for viewing on another cell phone, but they don’t have enough resolution for printing.
A new twist on the Web
Amplify.com thinks it has a solution to the problem of organizing the Web. The free service, which launched recently, lets users copy portions of Web sites and paste them into a page, creating a kind of collage of information. The elements can be photos, text, audio and video. The resulting pages are called Amps, and can be e-mailed. Users can store vacation options, car prices or hotel choices in one place.
Army picks top inventions
A sensor that changes from yellow to red when it detects dangerous pathogens such as sarin is among the Army’s picks for greatest inventions of last year.
Biotech startup Agentase LLC made the Nerve Agent Sensor using technology developed at the University of Pittsburgh.
The Army was looking for a relatively inexpensive and reliable tool to detect harmful agents, said Gary Ryker, Agentase’s chief business officer.
Now in its second year, the competition was started partly to spur interest in developing technology for the battlefield.
Other innovations recognized include a portable camera designed to inspect wells or underground caves and a container that can transport red blood cells without the need for batteries, ice or electricity.
EBay sets sights on Asia
Conceding it made a mistake by not expanding into Japan before Yahoo did, eBay has charted a strategy to become the dominant online marketer in Asia.
“History has shown that the first-mover who executes well wins,” Meg Whitman, eBay’s chief executive, told Reuters. “We were not first to Japan. We wish that were not the case.”
Last year, eBay acquired EachNet, China’s largest cybermarketplace with 4.3 million registered users. Last week, it bought India’s top online auction site.