Sony has announced its first wireless digital camera in the form of its new Cyber-shot DSC-G1, combining over-the-air photo sharing and transfer with a big viewfinder and massive internal storage.
“This is a step towards realizing a platform for networked photo communication,” said Phil Lubell, director of marketing for digital cameras at Sony Electronics, in a release. “We will continue to explore the possibilities for networked digital imaging as broadband Internet becomes more pervasive in American homes.”
The DSC-G1 can share photos using 802.11b/g Wi-Fi with other cameras, PCs, and devices which employ the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) spec, theoretically letting it connect to both existing Wi-Fi hotspots and using peer-to-peer ad-hoc connections with other DLNA devices—say, a camera-to-camera network—handy for uploading or transferring photos when you’re on the go and have, perhaps, left your USB connectivity cable behind.
The DSC-G1 also sports a big 3.5-inch LCD viewfinder screen, which makes it the largest LCD screen in a point-and-shoot camera at the moment; however, it’s does not offer touch-screen capabilities like some other members of Sony’s Cyber-shot line, so users will have to navigate the camera’s interface using on-box controls. The DSC-G1 offers a 6 megapixel resolution, 3&tims; optical zoom, and packs a truly mammoth 2 GB of internal memory, saving users from swapping media cards while they’re traveling. (Of course, the camera also supports Sony’s Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick Pro Duo cards, with available capacities up to 8 GB.) The DSC-G1 can manage photos up to ISO 1000 sensitivity, and features on-board keywording, playback, and slideshow capabilities so you can show off your snapshots. Want music with those slideshows? Just side-load your favorite accompaniment tracks. The camera will also shoot VGA-resolution video at 30 frames per second.
The DSC-G1 should be available at retailers this April at prices around $600; pre-ordering is apparently available now via Sony’s SonyStyle site.
