RIM used to make different models of its smartphones with and without camera module as some of its clients, namely corporations and government entities, required that the phone ships without the ability to take photos. That, however, may not be needed soon with the Canadian company patenting a technology that would disable the camera in certain facilities. The capability will allow IT admins to do that when for instance an employee enters some facility. The patent at the USPTO filing describes it as: “the camera restriction prevents a user from taking a picture of a subject if the device has not been steadily focused on the subject in question for a predetermined period of time.”
I would say something like this will fly in this world where more and more companies are taking advantage of the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend with most of those devices coming with a built-in camera. Yes, it’s restricting but it’s much better than shipping phones without the camera module at all.
[Via: Engadget]