Weekend Poll: Do you think Android cameras will succeed?
Revolutionary concepts and ideas are the root of some of the best tools. We have seen “crazy” ideas raise to the top, but it comes with a prize – most of these experimental projects fail. You gotta break some eggs to make an omelette.
Andy Rubin mentioned he would like to see Android running on every screen at an interview in AsiaD last October, 2011. Until this day, that continues to be a dream, but a very possible one. Android currently lives in a plethora of devices; including TVs, refrigerators, tablets, smartphones, cars, airplanes, game consoles and cameras (the list goes on). The latter being today’s Weekend Poll topic.
To this day, I have yet to see someone owning a refrigerator with an Android screen, and I haven’t used tablets embedded in airplane seats yet. I definitely don’t own a car with an integrated tablet, but this is more common as people can simply purchase or make dashboard docks.
Clearly, many of these projects fail to take off. Either they are considered a gimmick or can be too expensive… or simply unnecessary. Regardless of the factors that make a smart device successful, there is always a high chance the company will turn a good idea into an uninviting product.
We are currently seeing the rise of a new market – Android cameras. These photo-centric devices benefit from all the superior specs (compared to smartphones) of a point-and-shoot camera, but with the operating system that makes our smartphones so enticing. Android cameras would bring the photo junkie’s experience to a whole other level, being able to edit, re-touch, filter or share any picture (or video) right after taking it.
I must say that, as a tech writer, one of my greatest pleasures is being able to learn from you. Our readers can many times bring clarity to the simple facts we may overlook while we deluge ourselves in tech news and gadgets. And after reading your comments, I realized there just might be a good market for this.
Many times people don’t want the complexity or features of a DSLR. And most phones’ cameras are not good enough to replace a good point-and-shoot (some are getting close). So what happens at that party? You go around taking pictures with your point-and-shoot only to upload them later on, when you have access to a computer. It simply takes much more time and effort.
The Samsung Galaxy Camera will come with 3G and 4G versions (as well as WiFi), meaning this will be a sharing machine. You can simply set up Google+ Instant Upload and your images will be shared with everyone as you take them. Or back them up to the cloud and pull them off whenever you prefer; even at that moment, with a smartphone.
We can always fire up the debate and go against these ideas, though. “I would rather have a phone with a good cameras,” “I have no rush to edit/share my pictures,” “It is not worth the price.” In fact, I would agree with you, my needs would not justify me spending this much in a point-and-shoot running Android. But that does not mean some of our fellow Android enthusiasts wouldn’t mind paying a few more bucks for a smart camera.
Companies seem to be betting on this idea. We hace cameras coming from Polaroid, Nikon and Samsung. Is it only a matter of time before others realize this is a good market to invest on? You tell us.
[polldaddy poll=6505188]