A Wider Net

The blogs are busting about a pair of new cameras from Sony. These new teeny tiny digital cameras have several remarkable things going for them. First, they sport giant wide-screen touchscreens on the back for easier camera control, photo manipulation, and custom focusing. If you’re a gadget freak, you may find it amusing that Sony would be early to market with a touchscreen camera when they couldn’t manage to place a decent touchscreen experience into their phones, music players, or hand held game consoles. Instead, they let themselves get flogged by the likes of Apple and Nintendo. But Sony clearly has something here.

These cameras are beautiful. Sleek, tiny, and well-designed - clearly a sign that manufacturers are taking design more seriously now. By adding a touchscreen, Sony has managed to pack incredible features into a tiny device without the typical “button overload”. This is especially helpful if you’re looking for a special gift this holiday season as it looks like these devices will not only be attractive, but they should be easy to use by anyone.

The most innovative feature, and the reason for my posting it here, is the smile detection system. Face detectors have been present in cameras for a while, and they help the camera decide what type of exposure and flash to use in many situations for optimal pictures of people. This camera builds on that facial recognition technology by actually detecting when people smile. The camera can be placed in a mode where it waits for a smile to appear then it quickly snaps a picture. The skeptic in me thinks that simply advertising this feature will sell cameras, even if it doesn’t work well - and Sony knows how to market useless features better than anyone (disclosure: I own two Sony TV’s, a Sony monitor, a Sony camera, and a Sony Playstation2 - I may not appreciate Sony’s method of foisting proprietary storage formats like on us consumers, but I admit they make great stuff). If this feature works as advertised, however, it should make these cameras incredibly fun to use.

And there’s also one or two business uses for smile detection I might mention. The first is obvious - on an event, when you’re taking candids, you’re more likely to catch those elusive smiles that make an event more appealing when looking back at the photos. The second is a little more “out there”. Smile detection cameras would be great at customer service points as a way to measure the friendliness of the service team. You can set a measurable goal of “smile percentage” and have a camera snap pictures only if it detects the customer smiling on the other side of the counter. It would encourage, if not demand, service reps to be friendly and strive to make the experience enjoyable for each customer. A camera never lies.

I guess you could also use this technology at a Registry of Motor Vehicles, a passport office, or at a warehouse club whenever an identification photo is needed. It could save time by snapping the moment it detects a smile, reducing retakes. The problem is, it can’t seem to make sure your eyes are open (that has to be easier than detecting smiles, Sony!) and it can’t save your hair.

e-Photographia seems to have hit it first.