Cellular phone-cameras gaining in popularity

Yasuko Soutome Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

Cellular phones that include digital cameras are growing more and more popular among young users. The new tool that allows pictures to be sent as e-mail attachments apparently suits the communication style of the digital generation.

"I can show my facial expression using the digital camera. The person on the other end would not know if I was angry or smiling just by receiving e-mails," said Takashi Yamaguchi, 23, who works at a restaurant in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.

Yamaguchi uses a J-Phone Group cell phone with a built-in digital camera.

By sending e-mails with pictures, he can better illustrate what has been going on in his life to friends with whom he has not been in contact for a while.

In October last year, J-Phone began marketing a new type of cell phone that can take digital photos and send them attached to e-mails via the Internet.

The number of subscribers for the service soared to 2.17 million as of the end of September, according to the company. More than 50 percent of the cell-phone operator's new subscribers now purchase hardware compatible with the digital photo service called Sha-Mail (image mail), a company official said.

Users of regular cell phones can also send digital images by connecting their phones to a digital camera, but the types of digital cameras that can be connected to cell phones are limited, and it is often difficult to manage two connected devices at once, even with both hands.

In contrast, to use a phone that has a built-in digital camera you only need one hand.

According to Takayuki Horin, a writer specializing in mobile electronic products, phones with digital cameras quickly gained favor among young women who had been accustomed to Purikura (Print Club or instant photo stickers).

Web sites catering for female Net surfers suggest various ways of making use of phone-cameras. Examples include e-mailing reports on their pets to friends and showing items they intend to give away at flea markets. One girl showed her new hairstyle to her boyfriend by attaching photos of herself to an e-mail she sent him.

For those who want print out the images, a mobile printer specially designed for use with the Sha-Mail service is available, enabling users to create photo stickers just like Purikura.

Kyocera Corp. sells miniature cameras compatible with DDI Pocket Inc.'s personal handiphone system, called feelH". The ultralightweight camera, carried attached to the phone's strap, plugs into the phone's input jack. The small size and weight of the camera makes it as convenient to use as as phones with built-in cameras.

There are Web sites that print out images for feelH" camera users.

Many users of phone-compatible ultrasmall cameras use them to take photos of their family and children, according to DDI Pocket's technology-planning department.

Tu-Ka Cellular Group jumped on the phone-camera bandwagon in October.

With either a built-in or attachable camera, transmitting an image takes only a few seconds and costs less than 20 yen.

Although the image quality is not as good as regular digital cameras, it is good enough for everyday use.

Photo e-mails can be sent not only to other cell phones using the same service operator, but also to some models on other service providers and to personal computers.

Although the largest mobile phone service operator, NTT DoCoMo Inc., has not marketed a product equivalent to the phone-cameras of other companies, an official of the public relations department said the company would consider it if the demand for such devices proves to be high.

Michiko Oishi, a research analyst for high-tech market research company IDC Japan, expects a further increase in demand for phone-camera devices, predicting that third-generation cell phones that enable high-speed communication will widen the usage of cell phones with digital cameras.