Samsung India has launched its 3G-powered and Android based Galaxy Camera in the country for Rs 29,900, which allows users to directly share pictures and videos on social networking sites. This is an attempt by Samsung to create new category between smartphones and cameras.
The Samsung Galaxy Camera supports 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, but does not have calling features. It features a 16-megapixel sensor with 21x optical zoom. The camera is powered by a 1.4 GHz quad-core Exynos processor, as found in the Galaxy S III smartphone. It features a 4.8″ inch S-LCD display with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels.
The most significant feature of this camera is that it is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) OS, so you can run virtually any Android app on this camera. Its voice control option allows users to control a number of functions such as ‘Zoom in’ and ‘Shoot’ through voice.
The camera comes with 8 GB of internal storage with the option to add another 32 GB via microSD. Apart from this, the camera also has 1,650 mAh battery that Samsung claims can last up to seven hours.
Samsung India has tied up with Airtel to offer 1 GB of free data per month for two months and will also bundle an additional battery for limited period.
India is among the first five markets where Samsung has launched the connected camera. “The collaboration between mobile and digital image units has allowed Samsung to create the first connected camera using technology like 3G and marks the next era in the history of camera evolution,” said Asim Warsi, Vice-President, Samsung Mobile. Warsi further aded that the “connected camera” market is still in nascent stages and it will launch more products to grow the segment. “This a totally new category and we are looking at sales of a few lakh units in the first year.”
Earlier this year, Nikon had also unveiled an Android-based camera, Coolpix S800c, priced at Rs 20,950. However, it connected to the Internet using only WiFi.
