One of the Christmas gifts to the family was a pair of binoculars for each of us. We intend to use them on our trips to Paynes Prairie and other nature spots around town. We took them to a recent trip to the park to look at the birds and squirrels in the pine trees, when I was suddenly struck by the idea of shooting through them.

The process is simple. Point binoculars at subject. Focus on subject. Line up camera phone lens with either side of the binoculars and then shoot. The results are interesting and even a bit voyeuristic, but with a little more experimenting, I might be able to pull something worthwhile together. In the meantime, here’s a sample of the results.

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See a complete photo gallery of the Nokia 6650 at the end of this post.

The Nokia 6650 GSM phone is loaded down with just about every feature you might need on a phone, and then some. This phone is supposed to be a crowd pleaser for the Symbian fans, but I’m not so sure that this goal was accomplished, at least with regard to usability.

After a few weeks with my hands on a 6650, I feel like the it is a square peg in a round hole. The features, aside from running the Symbian OS (3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2), include GPS navigation, a camera, radio, music player, web browsing, Bluetooth, Push-to-Talk (PTT), multi-tasking and much more. Unfortunately, all of this potential functionality is rendered useless due to an improbable design that the 6650 brings to the table.

The Nokia 6650 comes off as a desperate attempt to combine power and features into a sleek, brushed metal case that is reminiscent of my Kitchen Aid® coffee maker (or any stainless steel kitchen appliance). Blending in with my kitchen decor is about all the 6650 does well, aside from finding the nearest gas station.

Camera

Not much to be excited about here. The 2 mega-pixel camera does just about what you would expect it to do, which is take barely acceptable photos. Using the 4x digital zoom is a sure way to instantly ruin the quality of the picture, so I wonder why it’s there in the first place. Attempting to record video is not recommended, but if you do, take solace in the fact that you can record up to 60 minutes (depending on storage availability). Image resolutions for the phone run high at 1600×1200, but it doesn’t help the image quality that much. Major image size reductions improve the quality, but you shouldn’t have to resort to that.

GPS

I enjoyed playing around with the mobile GPS via AT&T Navigator. Most of the time, the directions were spot on and almost as if a local resident supplied it with the shortcuts around town. However, I did notice two occasions where the GPS locked up after losing the mobile signal and then re-entering the coverage area. A complete phone restart was required in order to get things back on track. Finding anything in town - I mean ANYTHING - is easy, however, due to the easy search and “what’s nearby” feature. Like I said before, I found a gas station with no problem, and I even found a few that I didn’t know existed. If you plan on using this feature a lot, I highly recommend getting a dashboard mount - you’ll thank me later.

Mobile web

In a nutshell, don’t bother browsing the web on the 6650. Slow data transfer, repeated stalls/failures and a clunky browser interface. It’s everything mobile browsing shouldn’t be.

Design

It’s unfortunate that such a promising phone would be undermined by such poorly thought out design. Given a few physical tweaks, this phone could be much better. Read on for some high(low?)lights.

The keypad: The smooth surface of the keypad makes dialing, navigating or anything else extremely difficult. I often found myself hitting the wrong key or multiple keys due to the lack of an obvious tactile indicator between keys. There were tiny bumps that I assumed would serve this purpose, but they failed to do so. Additionally, the GPS key is located directly below the main selector, which caused me to unintentionally activate the mobile GPS program at least 50% of the time. While the keypad looks slick, it is an obvious and unfortunate form-over-function design decision made to sell phones.

User interface: The UI is typical of a Nokia mobile phone but not incredibly intuitive. I found myself flipping through menu after menu just to find simple settings. Even when I did find them, it seemed like there was a multitude of sub-menus and extraneous clicking to accomplish a simple task. On the bright side, the AT&T Navigator interface was easy to understand and offers little resistance for even a novice user.

Touchscreen: The 6650 makes use of a tiny touchscreen on the front of the phone when it is in the closed position. It allows for quick access to things like the camera and music player without having to open the phone. This is a great idea, but I think it needs to be revisited. The screen is tiny and the sensitivity was unpredictable. To avoid any false input, you have to lock the phone, which seems to negate the purpose of the touchscreen to begin with. It’s a great concept with a flawed execution.

Phone body: The body itself is a solid design with nice lines and a modern, brushed metal finish accented with flat black trim. Unfortunately, this makes the phone look like a kitchen appliance. The smooth lines may look nice, but they pose a problem when trying to open the phone - it is a two-handed operation every time. The volume buttons were a bit too narrow and in an odd position, but it was something I got used to. The winner of worst button location goes to the PTT button, which was inadvertently pressed many times when opening the phone. Overall, the ideas are good (again), but it seems like there was no real-life testing associated with the final design decisions.

A sad ending

While I dislike bashing a phone completely, I have to say that I couldn’t find anything worth speaking positively about, aside from the GPS. In my opinion, this phone could have been so much more than the placation that it is. A little more effort and thought into usability would have put this phone into the first-tier, but short-sighted design choices completely eliminated that possibility. Additionally, if you’re going to cram so many great features into a phone, why tack on a measly 2 mega-pixel camera? Maybe Nokia will revisit this one in the near future and come up with something that properly showcases the technology rather than miring it in thoughtless and unoriginal design.

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One of the biggest issues with camera phones is the rigidity of the lens. In some cases (like the Nokia 5610), you can get a mechanical zoom or macro, but that’s about it. Well, here’s some good news for the iPhone and G1 photographers.

I found a great feature on Gadget Venue that discusses magnetic camera phone lenses! Seriously, this is huge for photo enthusiasts like myself. Choose from wide-angle, fish-eye and telephoto lenses. The best part is that you can get this incredible upgrade for under $20.

You can save your money and try using some binoculars, but I wouldn’t recommend it. How do I know? You’ll have to come back later and find out the rest of the story.

USB Fever.com lens catalog

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I’ll file this under “extreme endurance testing.” These guys in Russia put an iPhone through a rigorous battery of tests that include freezing, tumbling in a dryer, dunking in beer, dropping and more. The site is in Russian, but the marvel that is Google Translate makes the read worthwhile. For example:

The aluminum lid compartment nutrition allowed to stand the test of honor fall to the asphalt. We threw smartphone flat and at an angle. Before the asphalt was a mini-training on grass, where the phone was left unhurt, even if dropped from two meters, the same situation with the office and carpeting in it. Asphalt is left to the body of a vanishing ink. In addition, the cap has become a bit of waste, has a slight backlash. But it should be noted that other elements are not affected. With pleasure, the screen is not only remained operational, but very slightly scratched.

Can the iPhone withstand the “test of honor?” What about abuse like being rolled over by a car? Watch the video and find out.

I wonder if the Nokia folks would be upset if I tried this with the 6650?

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Apples for the masses
So the news of Apple selling the iPhone at Wal-Mart is being hyped as unbelievable. I mean, really, Wal-Mart? Apple? What is this, the Beverly Hillbillies? You know, I don’t think I would have ever guessed that any schmoe on the street could walk into their local Wal-Mart and buy a 12-pack of Old Milwaukee and an iPhone in the same visit. Really, the huge display of iPods in my local Wal-Mart never made the thought cross my mind. Completely blind-sided I tell you. Contrary to rumor, “everyday low prices” does not apply here. Apple would never stoop THAT low.

Androids will rule…maybe, someday
Google’s method of market-testing beta releases seems to be carrying over into the physical world with news coming out from HTC saying that they expect over 1 million phones to be sold by the end of the 2008. While these numbers pale in comparison to the iPhone (especially since you can now get one at Wal-Mart), the groundswell is growing and it won’t be too long before the market sees an influx of Android-powered devices. Other devices are on the way from other manufacturers and HTC is rumored to be releasing the G2 phone sometime, so we’ll see what happens.

Gas-free zone
Everyone likes lists, so here’s Gizmodo’s take on the best Android apps of 2008. I don’t care how cool those apps are, they still don’t have iFart. Move along, Android.

Photo credit: MShades via Flickr

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And I’m not talking politics.

My GPS Camera Phone has been going strong for well over a year now, much to my satisfaction. I’ve been able to exercise my right brain with photography while feeding my left brain with website management. While this worked for most of the time, I’ve noticed that my mind is looking for more. What started as a hobby has slowly become something bigger, causing both sides of my brain to look ahead for the next big thing. What that big thing is will be revealed in time, but maybe not on this blog.

Given this, I’ll be posting more mobile-related news and events, turning more to industry news, while keeping the original personality of the site intact. In other words, I’ll continue to post photos, albeit more selectively, while posting sarcasm-laden news about iPhones being sold at Wal-Mart. You get the picture. (Wow, a pun! Move along, nothing to see here…)

What does this mean to you? Well, it means that you might notice a little less of a personal feeling, but that’s about it. Even if My GPS Camera Phone did go all corporate, I’d still strive to keep it real. Anyway, look for more changes in the months ahead.

I welcome suggestions and guest posts (in the realm of mobile technology), so if you have something interesting you would like to share, just let me know and we’ll talk. Aside from that, I’d just like to thank everyone for helping me achieve something that I’ll never forget about, no matter what becomes of it.

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There are literally hundreds of mobile phones available to customers these days with more and more becoming available. You could almost compare mobile phones to computers in terms of obsoleteness. As soon as you leave a store your phone basically becomes obsolete!

So what are the best ways to shop for a mobile phone then? First, decide what you can afford. Mobile phones can range anywhere from $0 to hundreds. The price also depends on whether you plan on signing a contract with your mobile service provider. The longer they chain you up to them, the cheaper a deal you’ll get on your phone!

Second, decide what features you want! If all you want to do is chat and text, go for a basic mobile phone – you’ll save money in both the price of the phone and most likely the plan you choose.

If you love music and want to be able to play it on your phone look for a device with an mp3 player built in. Sony Ericsson makes some great mp3 phones, and there is also the iPhone from Apple.

If you need a personal organizer go for a PDA or Smartphones, great little gadgets to help keep your schedule organized. These phones often have the ability to ‘sync’ information easily from your computer. Check out brands like Blackberry who just released their highly anticipated Blackberry Storm model.

And finally, do a bit of homework! After you’ve decided on price range and features hunt around online for reviews. Mobile phones always come with pros and cons. A simple search can yield tons of helpful tips, advantages and pitfalls of almost any mobile device available!

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Generally, fog is thought of as a thing that obscures vision and makes things difficult to see. With regard to photography, it is just the opposite.

Fog actually helps you see better.

Many photos I’ve taken in the past at the Paynes Prairie overlook have been on days with clear skies and no fog in sight. You could see for miles and the sun lit up the green surroundings. Good consditions for shooting the obvious, but not good for highlighting the obscure.

This morning, the fog was incredibly thick - as it is this time of year - with the moisture actually visible to the naked eye. You could see waves of tiny droplets floating by in the breeze, getting caught up in the thousands of spiderwebs, shedding light on one of nature’s invisible masterpieces. The surrounding foliage was covered in spiderwebs, producing a visual as if there was a big net covering the prairie. Had the camera been able to capture this with some reasonable amount of detail, I’d have posted it. Looking at this image, though, should give you a good idea of what it was like.

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Visit the Wordless Wednesday HQ for more.

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While I’ve had some success in the past with taking camera phone photos of the moon, it doesn’t mean I really knew what I was doing. Hard to believe, I know. This time around, however, I think I can say with a slight bit of conviction that the best time to shoot the moon is dusk on a semi-clear evening while the sky is still blue. Having a polarizing filter, as seen in Dan’s example, would eliminate the glow around the moon, but we’re talking about a camera phone here. Instead of agonizing over the inability to get a “perfect” photo, work with what you have and be positive about the potential results.

It goes without saying that a little bit of Photoshop surgery is still going to be required to remove the dreaded camera phone jpeg artifacts that will likely arise from this low-light photo. A little application of the “Reduce Noise” filter and the image is less pixellated, resulting in a smoother blue sky.

I think that the biggest point to remember is to not move. It’s a no-brainer, but seriously, don’t move. If you have to freehand the shot, exhale before the snap and relax. If at all possible, brace yourself against something solid to reduce body movement. In a best case, try to use something as a camera mount, like a wall, fence, car, newspaper stand or anything else. Motion is not the enemy, but it certainly doesn’t help us in this scenario.

Just remember to keep trying and to keep a positive attitude on your results. There’s no film to develop, so delete the bad photos and try again! Before you realize it, you will have captured your subject. Happy shooting!

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