Altek reveals GPS-enabled 8MP point-and-shoot

Picking up a camera with built-in WiFi not good enough for you? How's about a point-and-shoot with integrated GPS? DigiTimes has it that Altek, a Taiwanese ODM / OEM maker of digicams, has just unveiled a camera with an 8-megapixel sensor, 3-inch touchscreen and GPS. The latter will enable users to "automatically record the longitude and latitude of where a picture is taken," giving the geotagging crowd one gigantic reason to take notice. Reportedly, the firm is already negotiating orders with potential clients in Europe and the US, and shipments could start heading out as early as this quarter.

[Kerrick @ Apr 17th 2008 8:51AM]

That's going to have one hefty price tag! And, will it have features
such as face recognition, etc? Also, the touch screen may imply some
way to edit the photos on the camera, if not very basic. I'm looking
forward to it!

[lao.soup @ Apr 17th 2008 8:58AM]

Lets hope they have capable software, i'd want a name of a place not longitude and latitude coordinates.

[Johnny Bravo @ Apr 17th 2008 9:42AM]

Those are called "notes" dude, and it's just EXIF data on the file like everything else.

[bloggersmosaic @ Apr 17th 2008 9:10AM]

awesome post like always

BLOGGERSMOSAIC

[Ogo @ Apr 17th 2008 9:14AM]

I hope this catches on.

I think this would be cool on video cameras too, so you can track exactly where video is shot.

[Thiago Prado @ Apr 17th 2008 9:25AM]

This type of gadget never works properly because every gadget has to do something specific. most of the time one you mix it up in one device the features doesn't work or when work it's really poor.

[Johnny Bravo @ Apr 17th 2008 9:57AM]

That's a ridiculous statement... does having a digital map in a car make the car run less effectively?

This is one of the most natural combined apps I can think of in the current market, and the only surprising thing is that camera makers were too stupid and short-sighted to see it ahead of time.

Here's what's going to happen. First, by years end every camera maker will have at LEAST one GPS point and click shooter. Second, within 2-3 years you'll see a fundamental shift in how people relate to digital photographs, and a primary social media offering will be goetagged photograph sharing on personalized "Google Earth" globes. Lots of folks already have it (Flickr, etc.), but once the hurdles to tagging are removed use will skyrocket.

[Johnny Bravo @ Apr 17th 2008 9:28AM]

It's about goddamned time! I've been looking for this camera for the past two years.

[deRost @ Apr 17th 2008 9:58AM]

Integration with GoogleEarth? :)

[Jamus @ Apr 17th 2008 10:25AM]

I am just not into the whole "let's shove a GPS unit in everything" phase of tech now. It still freaks me out at the idea of everything being tagged with my location. There I said it. Now pass me my foil hat...

[Matt @ Apr 17th 2008 11:09AM]

This makes sites like www.treelz.com so much more interesting. Adding geo information by hand is work not meant to do by humans.

Hope we see this showing up on a canon so I can replace my ixus.

[abward @ Apr 17th 2008 11:56AM]

Yeah, I submitted a patent for this idea maybe 6 or 7 years ago, but someone had beat me to it. ;-(

[cmariotti @ Apr 17th 2008 2:23PM]

This is what I have been waiting for... been holding onto my current digital hoping Canon would release this in their Elph and Rebels... will pickup one of each.

I tell you would be absolutely awesome to have my photos geotagged and integrated into Google Earth. Follow the photos of a trip in order... on a map. Awesome.

Come on Canon, get off your ass. and no, I don't want to carry around another device to do this.

[aoi tsuki @ Apr 18th 2008 3:02PM]

When the big boys like Canon, Nikon, Sony, and even Kodak haven't bothered to put GPS receivers in their consumer cams, i think it's more of a case of demand not being there, at least not yet. Geotagging is very niche simply because there hasn't been a mainstream doesn't know it exists and hasn't been convinced it's something they want. i'm sure if Apple put a GPS receiver in the new iPhones and updated iTunes/iPhoto with some slick photo presentation utilizing geotags that we'd see more cameras with built in GPS.

[SteveyK @ Apr 25th 2008 8:47AM]

Wow...This is awesome, it has been a long time coming too.
Looks the part as well, defo gonna grab me one of these when they come out.....can't believe the other manufacturers have been so slow on the pickup, there is a big market out there.