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Tiny, Tiny Sony Digicam

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the please-don't-teeth-on-the-camera,-honey dept.

Phil writes: "Check out this new digital camera prototype from Sony, it's just 2.7" wide (about the size of a piece of chewing gum) it's got a full colour VGA sensor (640 x 480) and a 0.55" LCD on the back (like a digital viewfinder)... Got to be gadget of the year if they do release it..." Now, if only it weren't saddled to the proprietary, expensive chewing-gum Memory Stick, this would jump even higher on my wishlist.

11 of 90 comments (clear)

  1. Not Memory Stick by linuxonceleron · · Score: 4
    This prototype is using the new Memory Stick Duo format which Sony designed for smaller devices. Of course (AFAIK) its not compatible with the regular Memory Stick, that's Sony for ya.

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    Shine on, you crazy diamond.
    1. Re:Not Memory Stick by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3

      Actually, if you read the article, it IS compatible with the regular memory stick, you just need a plastic piece to make it as big as one.

  2. Everyone must be thinking this... by The+Iconoclast · · Score: 5

    Q: And finally James... <hands Bond a pack of Doublemint>

    Bond: Gum, Q? But I have Excellent Oral Hygiene.

    Q: No James, this is a highly compact digital camera capable of storing over 100 high resolution pictures.

    Bond: Indeed.

    Q: Oh, and James...

    Bond: Yes?

    Q: No more taking pictures of the female agents and posting them on the Internet, I've been recieveing far too many complaints about that...

    A wealthy eccentric who marches to the beat of a different drum. But you may call me "Noodle Noggin."

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    Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati
  3. Re:Missing the point. by seligman · · Score: 3
    How would you create a camera that small with commonly-available, inexpensive hardware?

    Simple, use CompactFlash cards. These things are small, inexpensive, and made by quite a few people. And with a $10 convertor, they can be used as PCMCIA cards too.

    And comparing the dimensions of compact flash cards and the memory stick it looks like the camera might need to be a little taller to user a compact flash card, but perhaps it could also be less wide (I actually have no clue how the memory stick plugs into the camera, maybe it just sticks out from it).

    Compact Flash: 21.5mm x 50mm x 2.8mm
    Memory Stick: 36mm x 43mm x 3.3mm

    Using compact flash seems to be the perfect answer, you could even go with a bit wider version and use the Type II slot to get the 1gb IBM microdrive.

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  4. Re:Missing the point. by John+Whitley · · Score: 5

    FYI, Compact Flash writes are slower than molasses in January. CF has approx. 60ms (yes _milliseconds_) per 512 byte block write latency. The napkin calculation indicates that at 5:1 compression (assuming 640x480x24bit raw) you're looking at over 20 seconds to save an image down from RAM to flash. This can be a serious impact to the design of an embedded system (such as a digital camera). Yes, you can cache images to RAM (as you must for the image compression) but the more RAM you have (i.e. more snaps before writedown) the greater the cost and shorter the battery life.

    FWIW, Memory Stick has much higher write bandwidth than CF... unfortunately I don't have the figures on me at the moment.

  5. Where'd it go? by Cabana · · Score: 3

    Sooner or later it would end up in the pocket of my jeans...in the wash. So much for that camera. Isn't there a limit to how small things can get before they are seen as unuseful?

  6. Sony corners the perv cam market by spazimodo · · Score: 3

    Whuzzup with Sony? First a video camera that can see through clothes, and now this. Someone needs to restock their engineers supply of tenticle porn.

    -Spazimodo

    Fsck the millennium, we want it now.

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    Fsck the millennium, we want it now.
    Millennium Crisis Line: 0890 900 2000 [calls cost 50p/min]
    1. Re:Sony corners the perv cam market by skoda · · Score: 3

      Theory of Convergence dictates that we must now get a camera that small that can see through clothes.

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      ShoutingMan.com
  7. I know what you mean by CausticPuppy · · Score: 4

    ...and so does this company.
    Looks like it's made for specific camera bodies though. Also, it's been vaporware for some time now :(

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    -CausticPuppy "Of all the people I know, you're certainly one of them." -Somebody I don't know
  8. Bluetooth! by 1010011010 · · Score: 4

    combine this sucker with bluetooth and you can use it to send pics to the PDA in your pocket, or the laptop in your bag, etc. Also use it as remote cameras for, e.g., day care centers!

    Now what would be cool is a pcmcia/compact flash version. Just use it like a camera, then jam it into your laptop to get the pics.

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    Napster-to-go says "Fill and refill your compatible MP3 player", which is a lie. It's not MP3. It's WMA with DRM.
  9. Missing the point. by locutus074 · · Score: 5
    Now, if only it weren't saddled to the proprietary, expensive chewing-gum Memory Stick, this would jump even higher on my wishlist.
    Methinks timothy is missing the point a bit. Open hardware is always a Good Thing, but they set out to create a really small camera, didn't they? How would you create a camera that small with commonly-available, inexpensive hardware? Use PCMCIA cards? That would've at least doubled the size.

    Anyway, let's hope that this new small camera will drop the prices (or at least pave the way for a price drop) on regular-sized, better-resolution digital cameras.

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