Altek Leo Worlds First 14-Mp 3.5G smartphone

 

AT 111.9x56.1x18.5mm, the Altek Leo - equipped with a 14-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CCD sensor (known to have good low-noise performance) and 3x optical zoom - is sized like most compact digital cameras.
But the Leo's not a compact digicam. It's a prototype 3.5G smartphone running on a Samsung 800MHz processor and the Android 2.1 OS. Unveiled by Taiwanese manufacturer Altek at CommunicAsia, the Leo touts a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen with 480x800 WVGA resolution.
On the silver brushed-metal back of the phone rests the collapsible camera lens with a focal range of 6.5mm to 19.5mm (36mm to 108mm on a 35mm equivalent), apertures ranging from f3.1 to f5.6, and a maximum shutter speed of 1/1400. A Xenon flash and an auto-focus (AF) assist lamp reside near the lens. On the bottom edge of the phone lies a shutter button, zoom slider and camera shortcut key.
The Leo might appear to suffer from an identity crisis, but it's a good crisis, really. As a phone, the Leo benefits from a robust and complete set of digicam utilities - face detection, smile and blink detection, touch to focus, 21 scene modes, 5x digital zoom, ISO sensitivity up to a maximum of 3,200, anti-shake technology, as well as self-portrait and auto-panorama modes.
Photo enthusiasts will also appreciate the histogram and the AF assist lamp - features usually absent in handsets.
And as a digicam, the Leo trumps its competitors with features such as GPS geo-tagging and easy-sharing options - you can send pictures and videos as phone messages or upload them to Facebook or Flickr. According to Altek, integration with more social networks is forthcoming.
Altek claims that its Sunny9 image processor not only makes for better pictures, but also allows for a suite of quick editing options, such as crop and resize.
In addition, the Adaptive Lighting feature is similar to Nikon's D-Lighting technology, increasing brightness only to dark shadowy areas of the photo. Altek added that HD 720p video capture will be included in the production model.
The Altek Leo is slated for release in the fourth quarter in the Greater China region and Taiwan at an estimated price of US$499 ($700). Altek also plans to talk with carriers to release the Leo in South-east Asia. Sim Cheng Kai