EOTO:First Camera Phone

In June 2000 the first camera phone was released by Samsung to South Korean consumers, the SCH-V200. It featured an internal camera that was technically separate from the cell phone components, so after taking the pictures you would have to connect the device to a computer to view them. The phone was able to take up to 20 photos before the user would have to hook it up to a computer and export the photos for more space

Some argue, however, that the real first camera phone was the J-SH04 by Sharp in Japan later in November of the same year. The only significant different between the "J-Phone" and its competitor was the ability to send photos directly from the device without connecting it to an external computer. That ability sparked arguments about which phone was the first real camera phone and BBC covered much of the discourse here back in 2001. The comments in the article really show its age and are a fun blast from the past to scroll through. 

For the following years cell phones continued to improve in camera quality and functionality, no longer requiring computers to view, send, or sometimes edit photos and picture quality was improving. Of course cell phones improved in other ways simultaneously, with entire keyboards able to slide out and increased memory among other things. 

Samsung released the first 5 megapixel camera phone, the SCH-S250, and remains one of the leading names in cell phone technology today. The SCH-S250 was announced in South Korea in 2004 and though it was the first of its kind, the most popular and widely known 5 megapixel camera phone is the Nokia N95, a name still associated with early cell phone technology but that has not remained relevant in United States technology media.

                        

Improvement and development of camera cell phones was drastically slowed by the release of smartphones like the iPhone. Smartphones brought focus to the importance of other potential software features and a smaller, sleeker design. As the pictures above all tell, cell phones with any power were chunky and large. Early smartphones had a goal of being slim and attractive to consumers while maintaining the power of a "clunky" device. 

In more recent years we are again seeing a focus on camera quality and capability as a major selling point when deciding between major brands. Maybe we'll even see older designs come back. Only time will tell.

References

Hill, S. (2013, August 11). A Complete History of the Camera Phone. Retrieved October 14, 2020, from https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/camera-phone-history/