Face Recognition on Camera Phones

Face recognition may just be the next "in" thing with camera phones. As manufacturers of digital cameras and camcorders have already incorporated face recognition technology in their products, it really isn't surprising that manufacturers of camera phones are following suit and power packing their camera phones with that feature.

One of these cell phone manufacturers is Samsung. The Korean electronics manufacturer already has cell phone camera models with built-in face recognition technology. These models are the Samsung G800 and the Samsung F480 Tocco. Samsung's phones may actually be just one of the few camera phones in the market with face recognition.

Although it is dubbed the successor of the Samsung G600, the Samsung G800 is definitely a class of its own. It is a tri-band 3G phone that is equipped with HSDPA, GPRS, and EDGE technology so you can connect to the internet at faster speeds. You can also play media files and watch television with this phone. For serious office workers, the G800 has PC Suite Software that is compatible with personal computers and laptops. You can connect the phone to a computer using a USB or Bluetooth.

With such a power-packed phone, it would be easy to overlook the camera. But look now, this phone's camera is actually a decent one with its 5MP resolution and face recognition feature. So what you get are crisp portraits that stand out from the crowd.

The Samsung F480 Tocco is another 3G phone with a 5MP camera that automatically detects faces. Like the G800, this touchscreen phone is also packed with features - a 7.2Mbps HSDPA for high speed access of data. Other features of this phone include stereo Bluetooth, an FM radio with RDS, a digital organizer, and web browsing. The F480 Tocco's 5MP camera has auto focus and video stabilization features aside from face detection.

Face detection is a fairly new technology that allows digital cameras to automatically detect faces. Once it detects a face, a camera automatically focuses on it, optimizing flash output and exposure in the process. Just like in a digital camera, face detection in a camera phone is not automatic - you have to turn it on. Face recognition works best when you are shooting a group of people or when you are shooting a person against a lush background. With Samsung in the lead, face detection is expected to be featured in the other brands of camera phones as well.