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"The RDC-i700 is an innovative device," notes Christopher Chute, analyst at the high-tech market-research firm International Data Corp. "For the first time, a camera manufacturer has attempted to offer an all-in-one solution for digital-image capture, transmission and display and storage." Such an invention opens up all sorts of possibilities. Cross-country travelers could wirelessly update their home pages on the road with pictures from their trip. Guests at a family reunion or wedding could post images online just minutes after snapping them, so everyone who couldn't attend could see the action as it unfolded. Relocating couples could split their house- or apartment-hunting chores and keep each other up to date on their efforts: find something you like, snap a few pictures and let your spouse log on at the office or at home to see what you've discovered.
Because of the i700's relatively high price (competing digital cameras with the same resolution sell for as little as $800), Ricoh expects its first U.S. customers to be business users, such as real estate agents making Web pages for new listings or news organizations posting photos of fast-breaking stories from the field. In Japan, the government-contracted information service Hokuriku Kensetsu Kosaikai uses the cameras to collect pictures from scenes of natural disasters to help repair workers and rescue teams prepare for the task ahead of them. "We used to use a PC, but not all the workers at a disaster scene are familiar with computers," says the service's manager, Hirokazu Kimura. "[The i700] is very useful for us."
LEADER OF THE PACK
While Ricoh was first to market with a Web-enabled digital camera, the competition is coming on strong. Two California software companies, FlashPoint and ActiveShare, are working to make Web-coding capabilities standard features on the internal operating systems of digital cameras. The companies have begun testing wireless solutions with insurance companies and Web auction houses. By next year, Internet-ready SprintPCS phones will be able to hook up to a Kodak DC290 digital camera and send pictures to a Sprint website. Polaroid is developing a $350 digital camera with a built-in modem for release next spring. The first version will require a regular phone-line connection, but future versions could be wireless.
Research firm InfoTrends in Boston estimates that more than 80 million people worldwide will be transmitting digital images on the go by 2004. While some will do this using cameras like the i700, others will use cell phones with built-in lenses or handheld PCs with camera attachments. Low-cost camera sensors can be added to a cell phone for as little as $30. In Japan, a cell phone released by J-Phone this fall includes a built-in digital camera that lets users snap low-resolution photos of themselves, then e-mail them to friends. In the U.S., people can buy for under $100 add-on camera cards that insert into PocketPC, Palm and Handspring handheld PCs.