A friend of mine was explaining to me the wonderful features of his new cell phone… it has Lotus Notes, games, internet connection and a 3 megapixel camera. I asked him how the reception was on the phone and he had no idea… he hadn’t actually received or made a call with it yet. So he paid close to $500 for an “amazing” cell phone with no idea of how it works as a cell phone.

Why are we adding so much garbage to the phones instead of improving the phones themselves? As a published photographer, I look at these camera phones the same way I look at those Fisher Price phones that have the rolling pictures in them… these are toys and serve no real purpose other than to make the phone more expensive. I’ve heard the argument that you can take a picture in an emergency… and do what with it? It’s a tiny image, usually blurry? “You’re Honor, we’d like to pass the plaintiff’s cell phone to the jury as exhibit B.” I don’t see that happening.

Now, the concept of combining a PDA and a cell phone makes sense to me. Blackberries and Treos have their place and I’m all for that. Hell, I’m still waiting for my Dick Tracy communication watch… but when I can drop my 5 megapixel Canon Power Shot SD400 in my pocket through an entire convetion, why would I possibly need a camera attached to my phone?

You want to impress me… put a GPS system with maps in it that can be voice controlled so when I’m trying to find a used bookstore in downtown all I have to do is say the name of the store and the city. Or put a camera in the phone so you can look at the person you are talking to… that would be nice.