Lenovo ET-980: Pocket PC Phone or Pocket PC Camera?

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pconline.com.cn/zt/2005pt/pic/0510/711666.html' target='_blank'>http://www.pconline.com.cn/zt/2005p...510/711666.html</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20051021-LenovoET980.jpg" /><br /><br />PConline.com.cn has a set of pictures of the Lenovo ET-980 -- a Windows Mobile 5.0-based Pocket PC Phone Edition that will probably never make its way outside of Asian soil, but that's not going to stop you from drooling over it. Specs are pretty standard (an Intel PXA270 312MHz processor, 64MB RAM and 128MB ROM), except for that whopping 4-megapixel integrated camera. It's definitely not the highest quality camera to feature in a phone, but it is for a Pocket PC Phone. 8O

[surur]

Of note its that it has a CCD sensor, vs the poor CMOS sensors in most camera phones.

Surur

[ricksfiona]

Wow! A 4MP CCD camera on a PocketPC Phone Edition? That can totally make a believer outta me! I would totally pay a slight premium if my future PE device had one. Very cool. Would be great for vertical markets and would totally solve those situations where I wish I had a camera for that once in a lifetime picture.

[martin_ayton]

What about the lens people? There's absolutely no point (IMHO) in having a 4MP CCD behind a crappy, fixed focus piece of glass they picked up from Joe's Glass Grinders. Does this have autofocus? Based on how many sample points? What about optical zoom? And which reputable optics manufacturer supplies the lens?

I'm all for convergence but only if the converged devices come close to being able to do the same job the non-converged ones can. I have yet to see a camera 'phone offer camera facilities that come anywhere close to what I can get on a non-converged camera.

Darius, if you ever get a chance to try one of these out, I'd be really interested in your opinion - I've been to your Cafe and it was more than enough to convince me you know something about photography.

[PDANEWBIE]

Best way to pedal removeable media though!

I mean your looking at file sizes probably in the high 2 to low 2 megabyte range instead of the under 1 megabyte for a 2 megapixel camera.

I can't believe they keep adding more and more features into these devices without bumping up the memory to be able to store the stuff internally.

You add a couple of programs, store your work data on there and take 10 pictures and all of a sudden your out of space :P I sure hope they put enough picture features on the phone so you can at least disignate the file size you WANT to take pictures at.

[Darius Wey]

Darius, if you ever get a chance to try one of these out, I'd be really interested in your opinion - I've been to your Cafe and it was more than enough to convince me you know something about photography.

I hope to be able to check it out. This device will most probably remain in South-East Asia only, though I am heading there toward the end of the year, so I might catch a glimpse of it.

[netboy]

i dont really care about the keyboard! i have a verzion vx6600 and i rarely use the keyboard. just give me a **VGA** screen pocketpcPhone with EVDO or UMTS!

[155]

I think that these keyboards might help them sell the device to non-techies that don't understand that Microsoft Voice Command is the way to go. The most common question I get about my phones is..... "How do you dial on that thing?" Most of us know about voice command, but I bet a lot of people who go into Cell phone stores not familiar with the product don't understand.

I guess what I'm saying is that this won't sell to power users, but to newbies.