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THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS, January 24, 2003 Copyright 2003 The Dallas Morning News The Dallas Morning News January 24, 2003, Friday SECOND EDITION SECTION: TEXAS LIVING; Pg. 3C LENGTH: 653 words No cellphones in the locker room - get the picture?; Clubs don't want members overexposed; by those photo phones SOURCE: Staff Writer BYLINE: ALINE McKENZIE BODY: It's something that might have come out of James Bond or I Spy - tiny telephones with tiny cameras built into them. After shooting the picture, you can transmit it instantly through the air to friends or family. And that has some health clubs worried about surreptitious pictures being taken in their locker rooms - so they're banning all use of cellphones, just to be on the safe side. The combination phone-cameras are extremely popular in Asia and are just hitting the market in the United States. The company Physical, which operates nine gyms in Hong Kong, recently posted signs in its facilities forbidding the use of mobile phones in locker rooms. "It's just some areas that are restricted for mobile phones," Physical spokeswoman Miran Chan says. "Some of these phones can be used as cameras. If someone uses a phone this way and takes a photo and puts it on the Internet, it's not very good for our members and their privacy." In nearby Macau, the use of the new camera-equipped cellphones has also become an issue for the territory's 11 casinos owned by magnate Stanley Ho, says Julie Fernandes, spokeswoman for Mr. Ho's company, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau. In the United States, cellphone providers defend their wares, while health club companies, recently aware of the situation, are deciding how to handle it. "Obviously, the purpose of a combination camera-phone development has never been to disguise the camera," says Mary Nell Westbrook, a spokeswoman for Sprint Wireless' Southwest region. "It's really a consumer-driven need to have a digital camera with them where they take their phone." A friend of hers, on vacation, took a photo of her baby on the beach and was able to send it immediately to her friends, she says. The phone-cameras can also be useful in business; for instance, an insurance adjuster making an inspection. Kenneth Hooper, a spokesman for 24 Hour Fitness, says the company is deciding what to do about the camera issue. "There are no cameras allowed in 24 Hour Fitness anyway, period," he says. "It's an environment where you've paid to be in a private environment." The new phones are just a new twist to that policy, he says. Sara Tollette, a spokeswoman for the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas, says they aren't aware of the potential for a problem. "A lot of times, people here have their phones in their lockers," she says. "We really haven't started looking into it." "We are aware of the new technology," says Bally spokesman Jon Harris. "The security, the privacy and the safety of our members is always uppermost in our minds. If this technology does something to hamper that, then we will have to take steps against it." Lynn Oristano, a senior trainer at the Oasis Mind-Body Conditioning Center, says their main problem with cellphones is people having loud conversations or ringers. "People are usually coming and going, talking on their cellphones," she says. Steven Knuff, a spokesman for Nokia, says of gym pictures: "I was a little shocked that someone would actually do that, but I understand where the health clubs are coming from." Nokia will release a phone-camera in the United States in March, priced at under $ 400. Sprint also has a phone-camera on the U.S. market, going for $ 399. Other phones, which have a port that can take an external camera, go for $ 299.99 and $ 179.99. AT&T has a $ 150 phone with a $ 129 detachable camera. Jeremy Pemble, a spokesman for AT&T, says that in coming years, more and more devices will have cameras or wire transmission built in - for instance, a video camera that can transmit images. "This really all comes down to common sense and common decency," he says. "With any new technology, anyone has to think about how it impacts the people around them." Reuters wire service contributed to this report.

Oh joy...just what I want, so when I'm in the woods taking pics I can call for help if I get lost......all for the unbelievable low price of $400... I'm sorry but this is just a really stupid thing....and I'm imagining web cam quality crap coming out of this thing....

640x480 are what's being put out right now. These things aren't meant for hardcore photography, but internet photo albums are fast replacing traditional albums. With an internet album , pics can be viewed from anywhere at any time, and while the print quality of these pictures is absolute garbage, on-screen display is a quite decent quality. Instead of buying the 400$ 2.2 megapixel fuji camera (where the quality lands on the line between display and print quality), teenagers and business people may very well prefer to have a camera cell phone instead. The cellphones themselves are quite small in comparison to what was out 2 years ago, plus they take pictures that are decent for onscreen display. The popularity of these things is going to skyrocket in the next year and a half. And even with the semingly hefty price tag, cell phones themselves (the higher end ones) don't cost much less anyways, and digicams cost a pretty penny too. For all the features included on these phones, you get a pretty good deal (this is in comparison to other cell phones and individual digi cams, both of which are already overpriced), which means the popularity of these gadgets are going to skyrocket in the next year and a half, especially when they start putting 2 mega pixel censors in them, which you can bet they will as internet and broadband bandwith gets bigger and bigger to transmit the images themselves. That also means older models, the ones coming out right now, will cost even less, and you can bet they will still be sold for a little while to come. No clue where I'm going with all this... but watch out Mitch, the celltographers may be comin to the forum and gallery soon...

I know that the radio manufacturers, and the telco carriers in particular, are hoping these phones "skyrocket" as the Slynkster predicts. They've already moved on from the Internet, it being such a 90's techy thing, to the warm-friendly foto-fone connecting family values. Or something like that... Consumer phones sending still pictures, and preferably full motion video, have been featured at every Research Review and Marketing Show since at least the Jetsons. The Consumer reaction has generally been, "Cool!" I hope Slynky is correct, [maybe my retirement fund won't be completely gone...] It is sure not clear to me why anyone would really WANT one of these, but many folks are convinced these phones will take over at least the point-and-shoot Market within a couple years. [Actually, I wrote a product description once about how such phones could be targeted to the biggest emerging Internet market; wireless pornography. Think of the advertizing possibilities alone at every major city convention center! My report was not well received... Bad attitude.]

Oh I know there's a market for it....and Misha I think you got it about right....I mean where would we be without porn....I know I can't live without my daily dose of it snicker....anyway I still think it's stupid....Oh and Slynky hun, I'll IM you my phone # ok?....LMAO...

Oh they're popular here alright. A lot of them kids take these phones to gigs to get a shot of their favorite rockstars (among other things) LOL... (*

Mi sony takes 640 X 480 and less. So most of the pictures I post are of that quality! HOWEVER, if they ban the phone I will have to resort to the WATCH CAM remember those. Casio about two years ago created a camera that was housed in a normal sized watch. It took 320 X 200 greyscale pics. I think they may have a color version by now. If that does not work, what about the palm piolots with the cameras, or the gamboy attachments which take photos in color? Bsteph

Never mind that, what about that little camera that's only 4cm x 3cm? And the one that's the length of a pen but only slightly thicker? they're been out for a few months now.....perfect for the changing room scenario. Allegedly. (",)