ShareLife, Making It More Fun (NAPSA)—Anew breed of stylish mobile phones with built-in digital cameras is being used for dating, shopping, and staying connected with friends and family. Kimberli Burwell shops without her husband and often wants his opinion before buying. With her camera phone she instantly sends photographs from thestore. Sven Bocklandt sent pictures of a Washington, D.C. snow storm to his parents in Belgium. Suddenly they didn’t seem a world apart. Mobile phones with built-in digital cameras allow people to keep in touch and share moments by taking, viewing and sending photos anywhere. People can send snapshots of live concerts, showcase vacation experiences as they happen or share fun times at dinner with others not there. Sending silly sentiments or capturing youhad-to-be-there moments are favorite pastimes. “Camera phones allow people to share moments in their lives that are otherwise indescribable,” said Nick Sears, vice president of consumer product marketing for T-Mobile, the first major wireless carrier to offer camera phones to U.S. consumers. “Whether they are teens, parents or trendsetters, camera phones help people communicate instantly, share experiences as they happen and have more fun.” About 10 percent of all U.S. cell phones today are camera phones, according to Gartner Dataquest. Strategy Analytics forecasts 100 million camera phone users worldwide by 2005. The trend is spurred by today’s on-the-go lifestyles and the ability to spontaneously take simple snapshots of candid moments. “I like that I have a camera on me in all situations,” Bocklandt says. Lowerprices, less than $100, also make camera phones popular as stylish fashion accessories and gifts. Though not meant to replace traditional digital cameras, camera phones produce quality images at affordable prices. Pho- The newest miracle of camera phones now allows you to share instantly in the experiences of friends and family. tos of those wish-you-were-here moments can be stretched to any dimension but are best viewed at about the size of a post card. The newest phones are easy to use. The Samsung e715 camera phone, sold by T-Mobile, has a flash light, a brilliant display screen capable of showing 65,000 colors, and a 2X digital zoom for close-up images from afar. The Motorola V300 cameraphone, also available from T-Mobile, offers fine detailed photo resolution and a 4X digital zoom for just $99. T- Mobile sells the Sony Ericsson T610, which costs $99 after rebate and allows users to snap and save photos with just three clicks of a button. Some new innovations are helpful and cool. Phones can attach photos to caller ID to help people remember someone they just met. Those who bought camera phones at http://www.t-mobile.com/ products or 1-800-TMOBILE say they have more fun dating, traveling, maintaining long-distance relationships and creating communities of likeminded friends. Kimberly Geddes, a Georgia insurance agent says: “Crazy things are always happening to me and I wanted a camera to capture the moments.”
