CAMERAS

THE PALMPIX

The Kodak PalmPix slots on to the end of your Palm to turn it into a digital camera that will take VGA pictures at a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. Pictures can be transferred to your PC just like other data. The 1.5-ounce (45g) add-on features a fixed focus lens, a 2X zoom and runs on 2 AAA alkaline batteries.

It's compatible with the Palm III and similar and can also be used with the Palm V/Vx with an adapter which is sold separately. Each image requires 100 Kb so it's better suited to the newer Palms with higher memory capacities.

It sounds like a brilliant idea and it's not unreasonably priced, but I haven't yet seen any proper estimations of its photographic quality. The pictures are, of course, low resolution when compared to other digital cameras. They may be fine for Web use, but for more general purposes it would probably make more sense to invest in a standalone camera. The PalmPix is also severely limited by lack of flash.

1 September 2000

THE EYEMODULE

Sitting in the Handspring's proprietory expansion slot, the EyeModule is a rather more elegant implementation of a digital camera than the Kodak PalmPix. It can store black-and-white or colour images in the Visor and uses the screen as a viewfinder and viewer. It features a fixed-focus lens, automatic exposure and a single- or multiple-image timer.

13 November 2000