Interesting Design On Camera Phones

[Ed Hansberry]

Hey! I just figured out what that silver looking button thing is for on the back of my PDA2K and some other camera phones next to the camera lense. It is to accurately aim the camera at yourself for those important self photographs! Kewl....<br /> 8)

[Craig Horlacher]

I have a Sony/Ericsson T637 that I love. The "viewfinder" mirror does help but it depends on the resolution you shoot at. I forget which way is which for sure but I think that at the middle and "high" (it's actually just interpolated at this setting) I think the mirror is correct. At the low resolution setting it cuts off a lot of the picture that's shown in the "viewfinder" mirror.

Anyway, you may want to play with your device at different settings so you know how it will act.

It sure is much better than nothing. Otherwise it's almost impossilbe to line up - at least for me:)

[Craig Horlacher]

I spelled "accurately" wrong! :) It's late - and I can't spell anyway!

[ctmagnus]

Hey! I just figured out what that silver looking button thing is for on the back of my PDA2K and some other camera phones next to the camera lense. It is to accurately aim the camera at yourself for those important self photographs! Kewl....
8)

You mean nothing happens when you press that button? :bad-words: aesthetics... :grumble: What good is a button that doesn't do anything when pressed?

;)

[dma1965]

Oh man !!! All this time I thought it was there to direct the sunlight into the eyes of people I wished to annoy at outdoor events. Now I feel stupid! :oops:

[beq]

Hey, I didn't know that either 8O

[bjornkeizers]

I am severely disappointed in those of you who didn't know that - I mean, if you can operate a PPC, you've probably seen a mirror right? (well - we *are* geeks, so that's debatable, but still...) ;-)

I'd never seen one and I immediately figured out what it was for. A mirror is for looking into, and a camera takes pictures. So if I look into this, I can take a picture of me! A very simple, elegant, cost-effective, low-tech solution - brilliant engineering!

But considering Ed's just figured this out (we've had these since the first cam phones) - it makes you wonder and cringe at what other, less evolved people do with it. 8O

[OneAngryDwarf]

Oh my oh my!!! You mean that silvery thing in my bathroom is for looking at myself? Woah all this time I've been avoiding my bathroom cuz I thought somebody else was in there. I discovered that when necessary I can usually crawl under this "mirror" do-hickey and he doesn't show up. Now I can use the bathroom and my camera phone anytime I want now that I know it's just me.
Come on Ed... next you are going to tell us that you always thought that your PPC and phone actually had a blue tooth or something. Some medicines (cycline or at least one in the family) can tint your teeth kind of blue just in case you were wondering. So I guess that was the original blue tooth... ok i know... that was lame.

[Dinosaur]

Oh my oh my!!! You mean that silvery thing in my bathroom is for looking at myself? Woah all this time I've been avoiding my bathroom cuz I thought somebody else was in there. I discovered that when necessary I can usually crawl under this "mirror" do-hickey and he doesn't show up. Now I can use the bathroom and my camera phone anytime I want now that I know it's just me.
Come on Ed... next you are going to tell us that you always thought that your PPC and phone actually had a blue tooth or something. Some medicines (cycline or at least one in the family) can tint your teeth kind of blue just in case you were wondering. So I guess that was the original blue tooth... ok i know... that was lame.

My, my, you really are one angry dwarf, hmmm? 8)

[altermind]

unfortunatly.. I know alot of people who never knew what is.... including phone salesmen

not everyone is observent to the "socalled" obvious :devilboy:

[benyeap]

I knew it since the 1st day I saw a device with the self-potrait mirror

[JPD6825]

I would think that most camera phone owners figured this out fairly quickly -- I guess that this just means that Ed has not had a camera phone before this. So did he catch as quickly as the average cam phone owner? Who cares.

So what do we learn from this? Go back to an old lesson?

RTM.

[adamz]

The XDA II has one on the front too....

http://www.pocketnow.com/html/portal/reviews/0000000297/review/XDA2/iMATE_8_small.jpg

"The shiny silver parabolic mirror covering the speaker is great for making sure no one is sneaking up behind you."

http://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&amp;t=reviews&amp;id=297

[dMores]

RTFM !!

;)

actually, i didn't know my phone could do that, but since i'm not ashamed to admit i do read the instruction manual (sometimes, like after i fiddled with everything and need to reset it to factory defaults) i noticed that they described that shiny no-good-button as being a mirror.

dinosaur ... you don't you let people express their astonishment?
if it weren't ed, you wouldn't have posted your comment.

you remind me of those people who are so terrified of the police that they let them pass or give up their right of way. something they wouldn't do if it weren't the cops.

anyhow ... glad you figured out how to use your phone even more efficiently and acurately.
my only gripe with the mirror is: it's too small.
usually, when you're doing arm-stretching and wrist-dislocations, you can't see what's in the mirror anyways.
at least when i'm doing it. i end up cutting SOMETHING off. either me or the companion.
why don't they add a back-cover-exposure-button, so you don't end up pressing the INTERNET button instead ?
(happens ALL THE TIME on my p900. the camera button is right above the internet button.)

and while we're sharing grand new inventions: i figured out i don't need to press the camera button all the time, i can just press "ok" to get the picture taken.
it's easier on the wrist :)

my ... what a lengthy post when all i wanted to do was write
"RTFM :)".

[griph]

Hey! I just figured out what that silver looking button thing is for on the back of my PDA2K and some other camera phones next to the camera lense. It is to accurately aim the camera at yourself for those important self photographs! Kewl....
8)
Sfx: Twilight Zone Music plays in background!
No! Its a mirror? Hey, how clever is that? :roll:

[bnycastro]

@Ed: Hey the bright side is atleast you learned something new :mrgreen: better late than never.

[beq]

Actually I'd already read/heard that that little shiny do-hickey is supposed to be a "mirror", but I'd always wondered how useful it really is as a general purpose mirror (to check yourself out) :D Somehow I didn't connect in my mind that the mirror is supposed to be used as a guide for self portrait with the camera...

[Ed Hansberry]

No! Its a mirror? Hey, how clever is that? :roll:
If it was a mirror, I would have known instantly. On my PDA2K it looks like a silver thumbtack, and since I have never taken a picture of myself with it before, until a few days ago, I just assumed it was a nice cover for a screw or something.

I am glad so many of you are so much more intelligent about such things. :roll: It is always nice to share something new with people and some jump up and essentially go "Well duh you moron. You didn't know that?"

[Janak Parekh]

@Ed: Hey the bright side is atleast you learned something new :mrgreen: better late than never.
When I first saw Ed's post, I was a little surprised he didn't know it, but the fact of the matter is that if even 20% of the readers didn't know about it (and the comments indicate a proportion like that), it's a useful tip.

There's lots of things we post on that are obvious to some cross-section of our readers, but it doesn't hurt to mix it up at times. ;)

--janak

[adamz]

You should've posted a picture of the mirror in a mirror taken with the PDA2K's camera!

[Damion Chaplin]

Ed, didn't you wonder what they were talking about when they said it included a 'preview mirror'?

http://www.clubimate.com/t-details_pda2k.aspx

[Ed Hansberry]

Ed, didn't you wonder what they were talking about when they said it included a 'preview mirror'?

http://www.clubimate.com/t-details_pda2k.aspx
No. Because I didn't read that, or anything else. I knew the specs based and that was it. Don't think I've cracket the manual.

[griph]

It is always nice to share something new with people and some jump up and essentially go "Well duh you moron. You didn't know that?"
steady on Ed. Didn't mean to hit a nerve! As my sig says "I know I'm strange - so don't take me seriously!" You are an unfortunate victim of your own reputation. You are recognised as an expert bar none, and I guess we were all expressing our surprise in various ways. Sorry if I inadvertantly upset you

[Damion Chaplin]

No. Because I didn't read that, or anything else. I knew the specs based and that was it. Don't think I've cracket the manual.

Soo... You didn't read the manual or the spec sheets and you're surprised you ran across a feature you didn't know about? RTFM, man! :)

Sorry, not trying to give you a hard time. Griph is right: it's just shocking sometimes when you realize you knew something the teacher didn't. :wink:

[ukexpat]

...duhhhh...

And it's lens...

[Fishie]

No! Its a mirror? Hey, how clever is that? :roll:
If it was a mirror, I would have known instantly. On my PDA2K it looks like a silver thumbtack, and since I have never taken a picture of myself with it before, until a few days ago, I just assumed it was a nice cover for a screw or something.

I am glad so many of you are so much more intelligent about such things. :roll: It is always nice to share something new with people and some jump up and essentially go "Well duh you moron. You didn't know that?"

No wonder you hate Palm´s, they are far too simple for you to figure out.

[sofene]

Soo... You didn't read the manual or the spec sheets and you're surprised you ran across a feature you didn't know about? RTFM, man! :)How many geeks do you know that ever read manuals? The popular quote says "When all else fails, rtfm". And that is how it is with most of us.

Actually, the mirror thing is rather ingenious and at the same time a cheap dumb walkaroud for manufacturers. Not good enough to be really useful, IMHO. My mpx220 uses the external lcd as a viewfinder for self portrait.