Remote Espionage? Sony Ericsson Introduces BT Camera on Wheels

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?ContentId=4195' target='_blank'>http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.a...?ContentId=4195</a><br /><br /></div>"<i>Sony Ericsson’s new Bluetooth controlled camera, ROB-1, can move around freely, steered wirelessly by the joystick or keypad on a compatible mobile phone or the touch screen on Sony Ericsson P900/P910 smartphones. The phone will show on the screen exactly what ROB-1 is looking at. Images can be captured just as it would be on normal camera phones. The ROB-1 can rove around for a distance of up to 50 meters from the user, streaming video to the phone’s display.</i>"<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/sonyericssonrob-1.jpg" /> <br /><br />Wow! 8O I really wonder how this will be received by the general public. A lot of complaints have been made regarding certain individuals and their overly liberal public use of camera phones. On the flip side, this would work well in taking group photos without having to sacrifice someone in the group to take the shot. There also could be certain situations where one might need a "third eye" to get into areas normally unreachable (I think of Martin Lawrence in Blue Streak when he was searching for his diamonds in an A/C ventilation shaft using a mini remote controlled vehicle with a camera attached). Then again, I don't know how often people misplace diamonds in ventilation shafts. :P So what do you guys think? Is this strictly a W?BIC device, a potential public nightmare, or a new wave of digital cameras?

[Don't Panic!]

I think it's a football. How could you resist kicking that thing if it was rolling down the street towards you. :devilboy:

Now for use in a building as a security tool I could see it as being useful.

I uess we'll have to wait for pt to get one to see how it is real world. I can't imagine that he'd be able to resist adding this to his robo-world. ;)

[stayputnik]

i can see this being useful for police operations (seeing around corners before sticking your head into the line of fire), but i really don't see any practical applications for the everday cell phone user. granted, it's an awesome gadget, but one that would spend 99% of its life tucked away in my bag rather than being used. i say my bag because i clearly have to have one... :lol:

by the way, how big is this thing? and could i control it with any bluetooth device (like my ipaq 2110) or must it be a phone?

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

I think it's a football. How could you resist kicking that thing if it was rolling down the street towards you. :devilboy:
Yeah, this is the one time where if you catch someone stealing shots of you, you can just chase the camera down and squash it!!

Now for use in a building as a security tool I could see it as being useful.
At first, I thought the same thing, but if someone's really serious about building security, would they really want to be monitoring things via PDA or cellphone?

[biglouis]

Quite apart from the fact that the quality of photos from most camera phones is ... lets face it ..... abysmal (yes, I know there are people out there who swear by the hokey-kokey 2000 but if you are a serious photographer then camera phones are a joke), what about the issue of the unreliability of bluetooth? I mean you set this little gadget going and hey, it goes out of range and keeps on going and going while you maniclly stab at your P900 to try and control it....

Who dreams this stuff up? An interesting idea with I predict absolutely no market.

LouisB

[Sven Johannsen]

Now had they integrated the camera into the front of my SE BT car...that would be cool.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

what about the issue of the unreliability of bluetooth? I mean you set this little gadget going and hey, it goes out of range and keeps on going and going while you maniclly stab at your P900 to try and control it....
Actually, in terms of control, I don't see this being any different than any RC car. As soon as it drives out of range, it simply stops, but in terms of BT reliability, I've seen that steadily improve over the past few years that I've been investing in BT devices. Additionally, I'm finding that the range on some of these BT devices is often far greater than the 50 feet advertised.

Who dreams this stuff up? An interesting idea with I predict absolutely no market.
You got me there. I'm still wondering if this is a case where the innovation far exceeds the practicality.

[Hrun]

Ignoring the gimmicky remote control thing and imagine the ability to keep an eye on your kid next door on your phone sat on the settee next to you.

This is a must have for me.

[carphead]

I can think of a million uses for it but the trouble is that...

1 - I don't have a P800/9xx
2 - I'm to cheap
3 - Most would get arrested 8O

[Jonathan1]

I soo want one of these. I just wish there was a speaker in it.

*rolls into his IT department with the ROB1* *pans the camera around to see what his employees are doing*

:twisted: GET BACK TO WORK!!

*Spins the camera around and exists the room*

:D :D

[surur]

Additionally, I'm finding that the range on some of these BT devices is often far greater than the 50 feet advertised.

Thats 50 metres, not 50 feet. 3 times more at least. Isn't that about half the length of a football pitch, or about the width of one.

Obviously this is just a gimmick, like the bluetooth car, but that doesn't mean it wont sell as a toy (like the car did apparently).

Surur

[lapchinj]

YEAH strictly a W?BIC device but very COOL 8) There must be some kinda game we could think of that would use this that would end up on the sports page instead of the front page.

Jeff

[Kursplat]

My main concern with this is its ability to traverse the rough terrain of carpet, sidewalk cracks, gravel, etc.

The coolness factor is severely hindered if it only works on top of the conference room table.

[Pat Logsdon]

I soo want one of these. I just wish there was a speaker in it.
*rolls into his IT department with the ROB1* *pans the camera around to see what his employees are doing*
:twisted: GET BACK TO WORK!!
*Spins the camera around and exists the room*
You are not a nice man. ;)

[Kevin Daly]

I only know that I want one. Now. :mrgreen:

[Anjuan Simmons]

Even if the range of this device were 100 meters, I can't see it being able to overcome the already mentioned connectivity problems with Bluetooth. Also, this device looks like it can barely roll over cheap carpet let alone a more rugged surface. Put some treads on this thing, make it Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth, and allow two way audio transmission and you may be close to getting a marketable product.

[Darius Wey]

This is such an expensive geek toy! :mrgreen:

[saru83]

This is one of the great Accessories SONYERICSSON suppies to their customers.

I really Appreciate this company and their mentality, almost all my cell phones were ericsson and then sonyericsson untill i got a JAM...

Finally, this is a neat piece of accessoriy :)

[Jeff00000168]

by the way, how big is this thing? and could i control it with any bluetooth device (like my ipaq 2110) or must it be a phone?

http://www.clubsonyericsson.com/products/accesories/rob1/rob1_p910.jpg

[carphead]

Is it just me or do the camera and P900 look like thier playing leapfrog?

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Is it just me or do the camera and P900 look like thier playing leapfrog?
:rofl:

BTW, great picture Jeff... thx for sharing!

[dMores]

this is definately one of those things i feel like i can't live without but at the same time knowing that i have no use for it.

it's just so cool, but what the heck should i do with it? peep under my girlfriend's skirt?
there are a lot of less expensive ways to do that !

:wink:

[biglouis]

BTW, it is wasting time on cool ideas which have absolutely no commercial viability which lead Ericsson to forfeit the mobile phone market to Nokia.

Nokia invented the press-on cover - which must have taken a helluva lot less time, energy and effort than Ericsson who instead brought us the technically exquisite but completely unnecessary Bluetooth technology (What? You can't lift your phone to your mouth and ear because...?).

This type of development only goes to underline the fact that [Sony]-Ericsson is a technology-lead company while Nokia is a market-lead company.

One approach allows companies to grow and prosper, the other allows them to go out of business surrounded by cool things that don't sell.

Guess which is which.

[Sven Johannsen]

(What? You can't lift your phone to your mouth and ear because...?)..

1) I'm driving my Viper which takes both hands and both feet if you are doing it right
2) I'm typing as I take the call
3) I'm a paramedic and taking instructions as I use both hands to help the victim.

Yes I can do all this with a headset but the wire does get in the way, and I don't have to grab it and insert it and figure out a good place to keep my phone that the wire can access. It can be in my purse, or pocket or backpack, or on the charging cradle on the desk. I can get up and get a reference book without yanking the phone off the desk, or snagging the cord on the chair.

(P.S. I don't really have a Viper, but if I did, I would drive it right ;) )

[bjornkeizers]

I want one because of the sheer naughtyness and general hilarity that would ensue :D

[Jeff00000168]

Is it just me or do the camera and P900 look like thier playing leapfrog?
:rofl:

BTW, great picture Jeff... thx for sharing!

Anytime! :way to go:

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Nokia invented the press-on cover - which must have taken a helluva lot less time, energy and effort than Ericsson who instead brought us the technically exquisite but completely unnecessary Bluetooth technology (What? You can't lift your phone to your mouth and ear because...?).
Actually, just to clarify, SonyEricsson is not the only company using Bluetooth. A large volume of cellphones made by Nokia, Motorola, and other smartphone makers (including those based on both the PalmOS or PPCPE OS) also make use of Bluetooth technology and while the importance of BT headsets is certainly arguable, the market for them has grown leaps-and-bounds over the past year as evidenced by the sheer number of BT headsets available now from a variety of different vendors.

While BT adoption has been really slow here in the US, I'm now more convinced than ever that BT will be here to stay, if for no other reason, because of this increased demand in BT headsets.

[saru83]

While BT adoption has been really slow here in the US, I'm now more convinced than ever that BT will be here to stay, if for no other reason, because of this increased demand in BT headsets.

You are totaly right, another reason that BT will stay is that a new technology for bluetooth has came up and will be built in mobile devices in Q3 or maximum byQ4, this new technology is a new advanced version of the bluetooth we already know but with 3 times the speed :D

Anyways, the ideal bluetooth speed should be around 700kb/s so this improved bluetooth technology should be around 2.1Mb/s, can u imagine that :wink:

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Unless i am very mistaken.
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[Janak Parekh]

BTW, it is wasting time on cool ideas which have absolutely no commercial viability which lead Ericsson to forfeit the mobile phone market to Nokia.
You might want to watch the market closely -- this is a two-year-old comment. ;) It is Nokia's overemphasis on things like press-on covers that is causing them to steadily cede marketshare to Motorola, Samsung and SE. Around NY, the SE T610/630 units are still very hot, certainly more so than most Nokias today. While Nokia's still the leader, they're not doing anywhere near as well as you imply.

--janak

[karen]

I think it would be great to put on the floor and let my cats go after it... perhaps I could put some catnip in it? I would just love to see the pics of my cats attempting to kill it, from that viewpoint. :twisted: :bangin:

[Don't Panic!]

I think it would be great to put on the floor and let my cats go after it... perhaps I could put some catnip in it? I would just love to see the pics of my cats attempting to kill it, from that viewpoint. :twisted: :bangin:That would be so cool. You could call it mouseycam! :)