Two decades ago, cell phones didn’t have the adjective “smart.” They were just phones for making calls, texting, and playing games. viborite.
But at the turn of the century, major cell phone makers, many of them completely forgotten, such as Nokia, are looking for ways to increase sales by adding new features.
So, as technology advanced at the time (remember, the iPhone was only six years old), engineers added cameras to cell phones that allowed users to send low-resolution photos.
It was a complete innovation. So much so that the BBC reported on the milestone in 2001:
When the BBC reported on camera phones in 2001 pic.twitter.com/FdJctyydVW
— Historical videos (@historyinmemes) February 8, 2024
“Allowing users to capture images, send and receive them not only in color, but along with a text or audio message, simply adds a new dimension to the mobile phone industry,” said a BBC reporter.
This new dimension began in the US market with the Sanyo SCP-530, sold in 2002 for $400. It was a flip phone with a 0.3 megapixel camera, fantastic for its small screen. It had flash, white adjustment, timer, digital zoom and sepia, black and white and even negative filters.
Sales of cell phones with cameras were successful, with more than 80 million units sold by the end of 2003. We remember models such as Sony Erickson W580 or Nokia 3220.
And as you probably know, in 2006, a certain Steve Jobs introduced a device called the iPhone, and then everything changed.
Source: Digital Trends
