Palm has just announced two new handhelds — the US$399 m500 and $449 m505 — and Kodak has wasted no time in rolling out PalmPix cameras to match.
The new PalmPix camera packs a color sensor, snaps onto the new Palms, and folds up like a cell phone for easy portability, according to Byron Connell, Palm’s vice president of Product Management and Planning. The new camera offers SVGA resolution that captures color images at 800 x 600 pixels for printing photo-realistic pictures up to 4 x 6 inches, he added.
The new PalmPix also has an adjustable focal range with three settings: macro (4 inches), portrait (2 feet to 12 feet) and landscape (8 feet to infinity). The shutter speed is automatic, 1/15 sec. to 1/500 seconds. The camera gets its power from the handheld so no camera battery is required.
You can transfer any photos you make to your Mac via the HotSync cradle that comes with the handheld. The images are stored as JPEG or PICT files. Images can be accessed as full-color SVGA pictures, then incorporated into presentations, e-mailed, or printed.
The PalmPix camera also features a four-element (f2.8) glass lens that enhances picture quality and a 2X digital zoom, Connell said. Until images are transferred to a computer, they can be stored in the Palm handheld’s internal memory (each PalmPix image requires approximately 160 KB of memory) or on Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMediaCard memory cards. The new PalmPix application software feature lets you convert 320 x 240 images to JPEG files on the handheld. These files are stored on the expansion slot memory card for sharing without using Palm’s HotSync cradle.
Kodak PalmPix application software for the Palm handheld and host computer, as well as a user’s manual, will be bundled with the new PalmPix camera. The Handheld Image Capture Application is designed for use with Palm OS 4.0, which comes on the new Palms.
The US $129.95 PalmPix is compatible with Macintosh OS 8.6 to 9.1. This camera has a small footprint of 1.9 x 0.9 x 3.3 inches and weighs .1 pound. A custom portfolio case and holster are available as separate options. For more info go to the PalmPix Web site.