mediajunk

Picture phones are soooooooooo dated. Haven’t you, like, upgraded to a video phone? Well, maybe not just yet. But mobile phones that can send live video streams, or recorded segments, will be with us in the not-too-distant future. Already, the BBC has been testing just such a phone, says a report today in Cellular News: “Simply using their mobile phones, which are equipped with Philips' multimedia camcorder software, BBC journalists can conveniently and rapidly record video clips, up to 15 minutes in duration, and transmit them instantly to the studio for public television broadcast ... even from difficult or remote locations. Added to this are the considerable savings in equipment and time. The BBC has carried out a number of news broadcasts using video captured and sent with the new mobile technology, including a bulletin from a tugboat maneuvering in harbour.” Meanwhile, the growth of camera phones, and moblogs, continues to accelerate “after a sluggish start,” according to a recent report on (co-incidentally) the BBC news site: “Their popularity has been boosted by more users to send images to and people finding novel uses for them. These include snapping broken plumbing fixtures to send to plumbers and taking pictures of car number plates after hit and run accidents. … Hairdressers have been getting in on the act too by letting customers download shots of possible hairdos to show their friends before going for the chop.” The rapid spread of the phones has given rise to privacy concerns. When posted to moblogs, images become accessible to a worldwide audience within seconds of being taken. “Around the world, gyms, cinemas and offices have banned the use of camera phones after complaints about invasion of privacy.” There you have it: a thoroughly modern excuse to avoid going to the gym!