When phone manufactures make camera phones, they’ve got to deal with limitations in size, shape, and weight, which is why when companies like iFixit tear apart smartphones like the Nokia N8 or Apple iPhone 4, the resulting sensor module is typically the size of a single frozen pea. What LG has done with the newly announced L-03C, for Japanese operator DOCOMO, was shove a phone inside a camera. Not understanding what I’m trying to say? Let’s go through the spec sheet: 165 gram weight, 22 mm thick, 112 mm tall, 60 mm wide, 3 inch 800 x 480 pixel resolution screen, 12 megapixel CCD image that has an ISO range of up to 3200, Pentax 1:3.6-5.5 lens with 3x optical zoom, Xenon flash, 720p video support, 12 day standby time, and barely 3.5 hours of talk time.
Like I said, this isn’t a phone that also happens to take pictures, this is a full blown camera that can also make phone calls. Why hasn’t anyone else tried this? The Nokia N8, for the praise it’s been getting, still doesn’t have things like optical zoom or a CCD sensor. Then again, do you really want to shove a 22 mm thick device in your pocket? I don’t really think so. Real photographers always carry their camera bag around, filled to the brim with at least several different lenses for whatever situation may arise. Devices like the L-03C may be niche, but there’s a market for them.
It’s unclear what operating system this thing runs, but it is controlled via a touch screen. And if you’re drooling, then please stop, because like all awesome Japanese phones, they never leave that damn island and hit European and American shores. We write about them just to give you guys a case of the geek’s blue balls, and to have an idea of what life can be like if you lived in one of the most awesome countries in the world.
[Comprehensive photo gallery at Impress Watch]
[Via: Engadget and Gizmodo]