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Samsung Unveils Front LCD-Screen and Wi-Fi Cameras

by Thomas Houston on August 13, 2009 at 01:35 PM


Today in New York, Samsung announced three new touchscreen point-and-shoot cameras: the TL225, TL220, and CL65. While the CL65's network-connected capabilities are impressive (discussed below), the TL style's 1.5-inch LCD screen on the front of the camera seemed to be Samsung's biggest announcement.

Going after the social networking crew, Samsung has placed a tap-activated screen on the front of the TL220 ($299.99) and TL225 ($349.99) so that you can frame your self-portraits while holding the camera at arm's length. While it might seem like the seven-blade razor of the camera world, the front screen also displays a countdown for timed shots (instead of a flashing light) in hopes of getting blink-free group photos. In case you just can't keep your kid entertained and focused on the camera while snapping photos, the screen will also display an animated clown (or other downloadable images).

The $399.99 CL65's claim to fame is incorporated geo-tagging and a range of network connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, and DLNA. Positioned as the camera for the connected consumer, the 12.2 megapixel CL65, once connected, lets you upload photos and video to Picasa, Facebook, and YouTube via Wi-Fi, send photos to phones via Bluetooth, and share with TVs and PCs via DLNA. The camera also comes with a 5x optical zoom, 720p HD movie-recording capability, and an HDMI output (for viewing media on your HDTV).

We got some hands-on time with the cameras at the event, and we found that adjusting flash settings, scene modes, and other settings on all the cameras to be surprisingly responsive. While these haptic touchscreens aren't responsive on the level of the iPhone or even the myTouch 3G, they are a significant improvement over the technology found in Samsung's touchscreen phones and other touchscreen cameras. Samsung integrated some action-detection, so a swipe of your finger will move images along in preview mode, and signing an 'X' will bring up a delete dialogue. Cool tech, but it would be laborious to delete multiple photos that way; fortunately, a traditional delete menu is included in the interface.

All three cameras will be available in September.

Samsung TL225


Samsung TL220


Samsung CL65



TL220 and TL225 Video

Tags: breakingnews, cl65, handson, samsung, TL220, TL225

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