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Samsung ST500 and ST550: Screens front for maximum lolz

It's not often a gadget comes along that makes us actually lol, but the Samsung ST500 and ST550 -- with their MySpace-friendly self-portrait touchscreens -- made us rofl

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
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Richard Trenholm

We thought we'd seen everything. Cameras with 3D, cameras with projectors in, cameras you can drop in your pint -- even cameras that photograph your party for you. But even we were dumbfounded by the new Samsung ST500 and ST550.

We spotted the ST550 a couple of weeks ago on the company's 'Tap and Take' teaser micro-site, which hinted at webcam-style self-portraits. As well as the usual live screen on the back, the cameras feature a small touchscreen at the front that displays shooting information and allows you to compose pictures of yourself and your mates, and snap yourself by simply tapping the screen. Perfect for those MySpace/Bebo/Facebook pouty self-portraits. Lol, etc.

Samsung

The cameras also give phone-style haptic feedback, vibrating slightly when you tap a function.

Samsung ST550

Both cameras pack 12.2-megapixel resolution and decent-sized 4.6x optical zoom. They both shoot 720p high-definition video. The main difference between them is that the ST500 has a 76mm (3-inch) touchscreen on the back, and the ST550 sports a whopping 89mm (3.5-inch) display.

Samsung

Prices have yet to be revealed, but we'll definitely be keeping an eye on these dafter-than-a-drunk squirrel cameras. We're off to work on our MySpace pout. Lmao, or something.