Why do phones come with a camara anyway.....?

S

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I have a V3 and have hardly ever used the camera. I would way prefer a phone with no camera but better other features, such as screen display, keyboard, better reception etc. Most phones that do come with a camera take rather poor pictures anyway.
I have my own really good digital camera that takes way better pictures then any phone ever would. I really think its lame when I see someone taking a picture with a phone.
I think its done by the phone companies to add to the phones "planned obsolescence". In other words a phone with a poor VGA camera HAS to be upgraded to a phone with the latest 3.2 MP camera (until that becomes obsolete).
Privacy is another issue that is raising its head; mark my words that more schools are going to forbid the presence of these phone all together, as students are taking pictures of teachers and other students with-out their knowledge. There are many other examples of where these phone-cameras are causing problems. Maybe in few years it will be "un-cool" to have a phone with camera (heres hoping)!
The best phone that fits my needs (with no silly redundant poor quality camera) is the SONY M600. Only thing is it does not have 850 band commonly used in North America.
End of camera-phone rant!
 
1. There is a rant section for you to post in
2. Camera phones will most likely not become uncool
3. I wouldn't call it planned obsolescence, they could put a 10mp camera in a phone but not only would it be rather large, it'd also be extremely expensive. The mp/quality goes up as the market and technology allow it to.
4. If you would prefer a phone with better features, then get something other than a motorola, especially since you have a V3 which was introduced a couple of years ago.
5. I always think it's funny when someone says a feature is stupid simply because they don't use it. Camera phones can be extremely helpful in a variety of situations, my company uses camera phones to confirm physical delivery of materials.
6. A number of phones no longer allow you to turn off the shutter tone when taking a picture to prevent people from taking stealth pictures. If you're sitting in class taking pictures, someone is bound to notice anyway.
 
There are phones with very good cameras available now, though mostly in Korea. Samsung has one with a telescoping zoom CCD, glass optics, and 8mp, though it is pretty big. I saw it at the Samsung experience in Manhattan. Nokia and Sony Ericsson have really nice cameras with upwards of 3 mp now that take very capable photos. and in the future camera optics on phones will just keep getting better and better. I never carry a camera, it just isn't worth it to me, because I never think about it, but when I had my Nokia N70 (which also has a very decent camera) I snapped maybe ten or eleven photos a week, and was able to post them to my blog. They definitely have a place and are a big feature many people look for in a phone. Thats why it is so nice that there is a variety of different phones people can buy, so we can all get the things we want in them, even though we may have different preferences.
 
its convenient..

i dont take my camera everywhere i go..

I often think "oh, i would like to take a picture of that"

because I have my phone on me, now i can..

and within a few years, I think the camera phone will become most people's sole digital camera.
 
I would agree with you, except for the fact that it's impossible to find a phone without a camera. I feel like an idiot because I have a phone with PTT, instant messaging, internet, cameras, etc. and I don't use any of them. But it's not like I paid extra for them or like I really had a choice.. because there aren't any phones that come without the bells and whistles.
 
Simply for convenience!

I'm a big fan of all-in-one devices. I like to have my gadgets with me, but I don't like to carry them all with me all the time (it weighs down your pockets something shocking). I currently have a W900 and use it as my:

a) mobile phone
b) walkman
c) camera
d) portable gaming device

I don't particularly want to carry my camera around with me wherever I go, but I always want to be prepared to take a photo whenever I need to. For this purpose, a camera phone is pretty much a life saver. These days, I would not be without one.
 
I know you're with Cingular, not T-Mobile, but the Motorola V195 has no "bells and whistles" beyond Bluetooth. No camera, great battery life, nice signal strength. If you can find one that's unlocked, go for it.
 
Its difficult to find a decent phone without a camera. The selection is so limited compared to ones with cameras. Unfortunately I have a job where you can't have a camera phone so I'm stuck....

The M600 looked to be about my best choice (replacing a 7100T).
 
Most PocketPC phones sold through Cingular have camera free versions for that very reason. The Treos, 8525, and of course all Blackberry devices (except for the Pear) are available.
 
In my humble opionion... it was to create a "cool factor" to sell more phones... it caught on, and now they are all doing it...

Now a days, if it doesn't have a camera on it, most people think the phone isn't that "cool" or "useful"

Truth is, we've forgotten that a phone is really meant to talk to people...

But I think this is going somewhere no one really talks about... and that's video-communications.

Notice how some models are starting to come out with a camera that can move, or a screen on the back (/top / flip)? There are reasons for this... as soon as data-rates allow it (or as soon as 802.11b/g/n/wi-fi/?) is available to the masses, it will become a defactor standard for all phones... it is the future, and this is yet one step in the phone's evolution...
 
Maybe it's because I live in NYC (a place where there's always something worth photographing), but I use the camera in my phone on a very regular basis. It's one of the main selling points for me- it allows me to save on buying a real camera (which I don't own), and adds the convenience factor of only needing to carry one of the devices.
 
And that is the whole marketing appeal...

But have you ever tried printing one of the photos out?

Reminds me of the old CGA days (well, not that bad, but... )
 
My point is I would prefer to spend the money that I am being charged for a camera on a $400 phone, on a better screen, keys,(for E-mail and SMS) audio and RF quality etc. Rather then on a poxy camera which I will never use, and even if I did the pictures are of such bad quality they serve no reall purpose at all.
I never carry my digital camera around with me all day, as I dont think I will need to take pictures. I take my excellant digital camera with me when I want to take good pictures of whatever. My cell phone (with useless camera) sits snugly in my pocket at the same time.
Its a marketing ploy, that I cant get my head around. I am not a "ludite", in fact I am quite a gadget geek. But this phone camera thing just smacks of putting something on a phone merely to make a little more money with each sale. It quickly becomes obsolete and we dont really need it.
 
Not all cameras on phones are crappy though, there's a good number of phones with cameras that can create really good looking prints, I've owned a few of them myself

Also, the whole "I'd rather not pay for it" argument can apply to ANY feature. Manufacturers can't make 10 different models of one phone to satisfy everyone. VGA modules have become so cheap that they just throw them in the phones anyway, so you aren't really paying a whole lot extra for it. Someone who doesn't want a memory card slot may end up with one anyway even though they'd never use it, same goes for bluetooth
 
No, of course they can't; but it doesn't seem unreasonable to wish that at least a company or two would have 'just a well-made phone' models. They could spend their development money on maximizing speaker and microphone quality, power usage, and other basic functions.
 
There is a company, at least two in fact.

Nokia and SE.

As I said before, camera modules, especially basic ones have become very very cheap so they aren't spending a significant amount of money putting cameras into phones
 
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