Samsung Leaps ahead of Rivals by launching 3G-connected camera for Rs 29,900

Electronics major Samsung today launched its 3G-powered Galaxy Camera
in the country for Rs 29,900, which allows users to directly share pictures and videos on social networking sites.

"... There is a large trend of consumers connecting online and sharing pictures and videos. This product is directed at people who like taking pictures and would want to share them with their friends on the go," Samsung Mobile Vice-President Asim Warsi told reporters here.

Earlier this year, Nikon had also unveiled an Android-based camera, Coolpix S800c, priced at Rs 20,950. However, it connected to the Internet using only WiFi.

The Samsung product uses 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. It features a 16-megapixel sensor with 21x optical zoom. It is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos processor.

"The camera is powered by Android 4.1 OS, so you can run virtually any Android app on this camera. Sans voice calling, one can do everything possible on the device that one can on a smartphone," Warsi said.

Asked about the targetted sales, Warsi said the "connected camera" market is still in nascent stages and it will launch more products to grow the segment. "This a totally new category and we are looking at sales of a few lakh units in the first year," Warsi said.

The Indian digital camera market, which comprises point and shoot and DSLRs, saw sales of about 2 million units last year. Samsung claims to have single digit market share in the space.

Samsung India has tied up with Airtel to offer 1GB of free data per month for two months and will also bundle an additional battery for limited period.