Camera Phones

On the surface, the idea seems nice. Grab your phone, snap a picture. Very useful. Very fun.

But wait! Some people don't want their picture snapped. People in gym changing rooms, for instance. And some employers aren't too hot on having their employees taking pictures of important documents while at work. All legitimate concerns. So, gym owners and certain employers ban camera phones.

The purpose of a cell phone is to allow people to communicate anytime, anywhere. The more places the phone can be used at, the better it achieves its purpose. Network operators try to increase coverage at best they can. I have had my phone only since December, and my coverage has improved since then (to include the hallways of our building). If a certain class of phones is banned somewhere where coverage is otherwise possible, well then, it does not achieve its purpose very well, does it? And people who want a phone for the purpose of communication are forced to go to the extra trouble of weeding out the candidates that are banned in certain places.

To be sure, the idea of snapping a picture and sending it to someone right away is great. Why not go the other way? Why not attach a transmitter to a camera? Or come up with a small, removable camera for the phone?