A picture may be worth a thousand words, especially if you’re
on the phone trying to describe something. Wireless applications
will allow users to carry or access images that are stored
locally on the device or on a remote server. The number of
photos most consumers are able to carry with them is limited by
the size and fragile nature of printed photos, but digital photos
take up little space and eliminate fear of loss because copies
are easily made.
Since the mid-1990s, low-cost digital cameras are available
that allow customers to capture and transmit digital photographs.
Because digital cameras allow the customer to manipulate
the digitized photos, they can be enhanced to remove
red-eye, aligned, and unwanted areas can be cut out. These
images can be used to create electronic postcards or greeting
cards. Telecommunication network high-speed data transfer,
combined with store-and-forward service capabilities, will
allow customers to transmit and receive high-quality photographs.
Furthermore, many wireless devices already have the
ability to attach a camera to their data port.
Digital camera revenue is expected to surpass that of film
cameras in 2000 for the first time ever, with $1.9 billion worth
of digital cameras sold in the United States. Digital camera
unit sales are expected to grow from 6.7 million in 2002 to over
42 million in 2005.* Figure 4-5 shows a digital camera attachment
offered by Ericsson that can be connected to a phone to
transmit pictures by email.