Cutting Digicams Down to Size

Posted on June 30, 2003

Now this is a good idea. It’s a 1.3 megapixel digital camera, stripped down to the bare essentials, so that it’s the size of a credit card. And, since it’s stripped down, they can sell it for $69. How cool is that??? Finally a camera small enough to carry with you all the time, and cheap enough to not be a big deal if you lose/drop/break it.

Of course, it’s very simplistic — no zoom function, and you can’t swap memory cards, since the camera is basically built around the internal card anyway. But for many people, its 8MB capacity will be more than enough; the thing would work best if you’re in a situation where you can frequently sync the camera with your PC, and since the biggest use would be for quick, impulsive picture-taking I imagine that wouldn’t be a problem. Plus, every time you sync it recharges the camera using power from your PC, so no more toting around batteries for the camera — a nice touch.

They’ve also got a CardCam Value model for $20 less, but since it only comes with 2MB of memory and is limited to 320×240 resolution, I’d recommend shelling out the extra cash unless you out selling pencils on the street, in which case I’d question your need for a digital camera in the first place.