Uploading, Sharing, and Printing Images
Sprint's MM-A800 by Samsung allows you to print or upload the images or videos taken
with the phone to your own photo album on the sprint website (http://www.sprintpcs.com/picturemail/).
You can also print the images directly from the camera to any PictBridge
compatible printer. You cannot, however, upload the images to your PC
directly from the camera. You can transfer them onto the included
32MB Transflash memory card, then upload them using a Transflash card
reader, however this item would have to be purchased separately when available.
Needless to say, this cameraphone is not designed to be used in the
same manner as you would use a traditional digital camera, where you
would snap pictures, then upload them to your PC. With wireless
technology built in to the phone, you really don't have to do this.
Just select the photos and videos you want to make accessible to
your PC then select Upload. The first time you use this feature the
phone will ask you to select a 4-8 digital password, which you can
use online to view and/or download your photos and videos.
The camera side features a sliding lens cover to help protect the plastic lens cover from
fingerprints and scratches. This lens cover was also designed to be used as a
tiny front mirror in case you want to turn the camera around to get a picture
of yourself. This mirror will help you make sure that the lens is aimed correctly.
The front of the camera also features a small flash for low light situations and a
vertical grip that makes it easier to hold on to the camera.
Getting to the camera mode should be easier than it is. To snap a picture you need to
press the "MENU" button, the "Up" navigation button once, the "Left" navigation button
once, the "OK" button, then the "OK" button again to select "Camera mode". If you have
the "keylock" function of the phone turned on, then there are three extra button presses
that need to be done first.
Samsung should have created a dedicated "camera" button that turns on the camera mode or
made the shutter-release a dual-function button that turns the camera section on if held
down for 5 seconds.
When the phone is slid to the closed position (number keypad is hidden), you hold the camera
horizontally, like a traditional camera. The entire LCD screen becomes the viewfinder, which
makes it easier to view your scene. If the phone is slid open, exposing the keypad, then you
would use the camera in the upright "phone" position. The LCD displays a small "live preview"
window that shows the view through the camera's lens.
Upload Times
I had the phone in my possession for longer than Sprint would have liked. One of the
reasons was that I couldn't get the images off of the phone. Samsung didn't design the
phone to be able to connect to a PC to transfer images, so you either have to upload the images
to Sprint Picturemail or use a transflash memory card reader. The pre-production model
didn't include a Transflash memory card, and initially I was not able to upload the images to the
Sprint Picturemail website. It was not until the other day that I actually got the upload
feature to work. When I did, the uploads transferred fairly quickly. Uploading four 2-megapixel
images took about 5 minutes.
Image Quality
I really had trouble with this topic. With a traditional digital camera, 2-megapixel resolution combined
with a decent quality lens can create very nice images, even when printed at sizes up to 5"x7".
When comparing the image quality of the Samsung MM-A800 to those that I have taken using an
older 2-megapixel camera, the Samsung still has a way to go. That said, the Samsung MM-A800, when
used outdoors under optimal conditions, produced decent results - good enough for a near photo-quality
4"x6" print. Colors were rich and deep, but images suffered from too much JPEG compression, which causes
artifacts around edges of images. The camera also had a tough time with tricky exposures (see house photo below).
Fast F/2.8 Lens
The camera features a fast f/2.8 lens and does a pretty good job indoors when there's enough lighting. Even with the f/2.8
lens, when shooting indoors with the Samsung MM-A800, it is very important to keep the cameraphone steady when snapping a picture.
This is more difficult than it may seem because of the long 3-5 second shutter-lag and feather-like weight of the
phone. Most of the shots I took indoors looked good on the phone's LCD but were very blurred when viewed full size on the PC.
The camera section of the phone does feature a built-in flash; however, it's not like the flash on a traditional camera, it's more
like a pen light, casting a dim light only if the camera is inches from the subject.
Photographs taken with the Samsung MM-A800 Camera Phone
Video Camcorder
The Samsung MM-A800 also features a video camera mode, allowing you to take short video clips with sound to email to friends or family.
Since video resolution is very low, this feature is designed more as an email feature. You would not use this in place of a camcorder.
Video clips are recorded with sound, and sound quality was very good.
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Uploading, Sharing, and Printing Images
