Point-and-shoot digital cameras have been struggling. According to NPD's Retail Tracking Service, in 2010, the highly penetrated devices declined 5 percent in units.
On March 16 at the Samsung Experience product showcase in New York, the digital camera market took a baby step toward addressing the Web-based photo-sharing capabilities of smartphones when Samsung formally introduced the Wi-Fi-equipped, social network-savvy SH100 that was first announced at CES. Within a week, though, digital cameras were back to feeling the heat.
At a CTIA Wireless expo event punctuated by the repeated wearing and removing of 3D glasses and market information from DisplaySearch and In-Stat, Sprint and HTC announced the EVO 3D. The handset marks a significant upgrade to the very successful EVO 4G, the first WiMax smartphone announced at last year's CTIA.
NPD recently cited the EVO 4G as the best-selling large-screen handset in 2010. The EVO's 3D auto stereoscopic display can accommodate the relatively rare 3D movies and the even more rare 3D Android games, but what partners HTC and Sprint talked up was the potential for the smartphone's dual lenses to capture 3D photos and videos, an area of high interest to consumers, according to NPD's 3D 360 Monitor.
There are some significant limitations imposed by the handset's parallax barrier display overlay enabling the 3D. For example, the effect disappears when the phone is in portrait mode. However, unlike other cameras that can generate 3D photos with a single lens, the EVO 3D can capture HD video in 3D. And while Sprint did not announce subsidized pricing for the handset, it is likely to come in closer to the $200 of the original EVO 4G than the $400 or more many retailers charge for the Fujifilm FinePix REAL 3D W1. According to NPD's 3D 360 Monitor, only 2 percent of consumers are aware of the existence of 3D digital cameras. … Read more
Manage updates with the Download App
