Samsung announces 1080p in-bezel CMOS sensor, webcam spying going HD

Next time you hit your local electronics emporium, you might just find the HD moniker attached to an unfamiliar category: bezel-integrated webcams. Samsung's newly announced S5K6A1 CMOS sensor can perform 720p video recording at 30fps or shoot 1.3 megapixel images, while its senior sibling S5K5B3 elevates those values to 1080p / 30fps and 2.1 megapixels, respectively. Touting an autofocus feature that helps with reading barcodes and business cards as well as improved low-light performance, Samsung tells us these new must-have laptop parts are set for mass production in the second quarter of this year. Samples are available today, so if your name's Michael Dell or Arimasa Naitoh, why not give Sammy a call?

[Saad Posted Apr 9th 2010 7:16AM]

This could accidentally the whole world!

[Massive Poop Posted Apr 9th 2010 8:54AM]

@Saad engrish?

[owen66 Posted Apr 9th 2010 9:23AM]

@Massive Poop meme.

[mrqs Posted Apr 9th 2010 7:18AM]

anyone here ever use that camera on the top of their laptop screen?

yeah, me neither

[DAZA Posted Apr 9th 2010 8:01AM]

@mrqs ChatRoulette?

[ariarinen Posted Apr 9th 2010 8:19AM]

@mrqs
Yes, but only by mistake.

I don't see much of an point in having a camera there in the first place, quality (720P) ain't that good due to the optics.

[owen66 Posted Apr 9th 2010 9:22AM]

@DAZA you mean "Penis Plaza"?

[Deadcat Posted Apr 9th 2010 7:20AM]

is this really a breakthrough? My el cheapo Acer laptop has a 720p webcam, and its not exactly new...

[Slygathor Posted Apr 9th 2010 7:23AM]

Neato. But It has been done before.

[yakapo Posted Apr 9th 2010 7:39AM]

I think the largest manufacturer of glasses in the world is paying Engadget to post these ever so slightly out of focus pictures.

[TotallyNerd Posted Apr 9th 2010 7:39AM]

Ah, nice for making timelapse videos :D

[kimatg Posted Apr 9th 2010 7:58AM]

Now I'm going to be REALLY impressed when cameras get inside the actual screen.

[paul34 Posted Apr 9th 2010 10:22AM]

@kimatg

Winston! Stand up!

[techlord Posted Apr 9th 2010 12:06PM]

About time, most today consume survillie camera is total joke.

[JS Posted Apr 10th 2010 1:04AM]

Stick this as the front facing camera on the iPad and iPhone.