Altek's Leo in the wild: point and shoot, Android phone, or both?
By Chris Ziegler 
posted June 16th 2010 4:42PM
posted June 16th 2010 4:42PM
Altek Launches "Leo", the World's Newest, Smartest
14 Megapixels, 3.5G Professional Camera Phone at CMMA 2010
Powerful Optical Zoom Lens Takes the Camera Phone to the Next Level
Altek Corporation, a global leader in the design and manufacture of digital cameras (TWSE: 3059) announced today at CommunicAsia (CMMA) 2010 Singapore the launch of Leo, the world's first 3.5G professional camera smart phone. Operated via its generous touch screen panel, Leo delivers 3.5G (HSDPA) functionality and features a 3x optical zoom and 14 megapixels CCD, delivering a true 3-in-1 product that integrates full digital camera, digital video and mobile phone functionalities. Leo's introduction at CMMA electrified the exhibition floor and made it the biggest mobile phone event of CMMA 2010.
Alex Hsia, president and CEO of Altek, notes that, "picture taking has already risen to become one of the most important mobile phone functions for consumers. Phones able to capture high definition, high quality images and video are a win-win for users as well as telecommunication service providers, as the latter can anticipate rising bandwidth usage rates when users share images remotely."
"The Leo mobile phone," Alex continued, "is the product of our accumulated advances and breakthroughs in imaging technology as well as Altek's continued refinement and improvement of optical technologies. Stylishly designed, Leo plugs users into a wireless world of excitement and fun. Its high-end digital camera and video functions means Leo users need never again let a special moment pass by unrecorded. Leo's high definition digital images (14MP) and video (720p HD) can be uploaded instantly to the Internet via onboard Wi-Fi and 3.5G connectivity for sharing with friends and family."
Brilliant High-Definition Camera in an Elegantly Streamlined Mobile Phone
Leo's clean, streamlined look and brushed metallic exterior exudes a highly refined fashion sense. Its front face displays a highly polished varnish, and the entire presentation whispers style, quality and precision craftsmanship. The 3.2" TFT, with 480x800 (WVGA) resolution and 16.7 million colors, ensure brilliant, high definition onscreen images that remain true and clear from most any angle. From whatever position you need to take your shot, and no matter how many people gather around the screen to enjoy pictures, onscreen images remain crisp and visible across a wide viewing range. The multi-layer coating over the TFT screen helps reduce screen luminosity in bright light environments to improve viewing quality.
With its high-speed processor and powerful, simple-to-use Android user interface, Leo is easy and intuitive to use. The glass-panel touch screen offers a smooth feel with multi-touch functionality. Scroll through web pages or pictures with the flick of a finger, and use your thumb and index finger to expand or reduce onscreen images. Leo delivers the full excitement and satisfaction of full touch-screen controllability.
Share Life's Best Moments, with Wireless Connectivity Anytime, Anywhere
Staying in touch with the world via mobile phones and the Internet is a ubiquitous feature of our current age. A diverse and growing array of communication options, including the telephone, text messaging, e-mails, blogs and social networking websites such as Facebook, are available. Leo integrates these communication channels to help users better manage and maximize their personal networks.
Leo supports the high-speed HSPA (HSDPA 7.2Mbps & HSUPA 5.76Mbps) protocol for data up/downloading. Browse the Internet, update social networking information, check up on friends and share high quality pictures and video anytime, anywhere.
Leo also supports the latest Wi-Fi 802.11n wireless Internet protocol, letting users go online and access a full spectrum of Internet-based multimedia entertainment, whether outdoors, at home or in the office.
Capture Just the Right Moment with Altek's Advanced Optics Technology
Altek's official spokesperson expressed that, "Most of life's most memorable moments happen unexpectedly. Light weight and exceptional handling make it easy for users to take Leo wherever they go and capture, recall and share every special moment. The exceptionally high resolution and clarity of Leo images can help enhance those moments even further and infuse more fun and convenience into life."
Leo features Altek's latest self-designed image processor, the Sunny 9. This state-of-the-art processor further reduces image noise, supports high-precision lens focusing, adjusts exposure and optimizes white balance automatically to achieve optimal exposure and capture truer colors. Leo is also packed with many 'smart' photo functions that make photography even easier and more enjoyable.
Understanding that consumers want a camera phone ready to take pictures or capture video at a moment's notice, Altek designed Leo with quick-response camera power and shutter release buttons. Turn the camera on and Leo goes immediately into camera mode, ready to take digital pictures or video. Users no longer face losing special moments while scrolling through a mobile phone menu trying to activate the camera function.
Leo's high quality 3x optical zoom lens greatly expands users' photographic possibilities. Whether shooting close up or at a distance, images remain sharp and vivid. The onboard xenon flash and AF assist lamp help capture in-focus, vibrant images under low light conditions. Leo's 14 million effective pixels are the icing on the cake, helping ensure exceptional resolution even when viewed in large formats.
In addition to taking brilliant photographs, Leo takes high resolution video in 720p (1280 x 720) and 30FPS formats. The video function uses H.264 compression to retain the highest quality images for playback.
Leo incorporates the latest advances in blink and smile detection functionality as well as integrates a large suite of innovative and creative photo editing functions - including popular "fish eye" and "skin enhancement" options. Edit photos "on the fly" either to add interest or adjust pictures to perfection. Use the editing options appropriate to each occasion to create masterpiece after masterpiece and get more fun out of your pictures.
"Leo's distinctive aesthetics," Altek's spokesperson continued, "integrate powerful digital camera and mobile phone functionalities into one easy-to-use product that delivers functionality and fun in a highly innovative design. We have every confidence that Leo will give users an experience that is smart, savvy and entertaining. The new Leo clearly reflects Altek's product development goals and strategy, embodied in the slogan, "To Bring Good Memories for Everyone."
@versp
Please, if you have nothing good to say, then say nothing at all.
This could prove to be a very usefull product.... considering Altek's bakground this might be a great cameraphone, with smartphone software and optical zoom, there are a lot of people out there that could really want something like this.
The people that want to replace a compact camera. this will proabably be as good as most compact cameras.
And then you have the photo interested people, sure, they prefer their highend cameras, but a mobile that could capture the moment at least OK, is better than missing the moment, just because they didnt bring their highend camera.
This won't sell squat. And with 14 MP in a small sensor, the photos are going to blow in anything other than excellent light. Too bad that companies keep succumbing to the MP race.
@rocketrob
Obiouvsly you don't know squat.
Altek is digital camera company, the imaging sensor packing in this phone, is several times bigger than your average camera phone because its a TRUE camera phone (thus the 3X optical zoom lens).
The sensors that's going to be use here is CCD (charge-coupled device), not your crappy miniturized CMOS sensors that 99% of the mobile phone camera use (which makes noisy, dim pictures).
@DeeeCoder
yeah, he didnt really get it.
This has a big sensor, not a small one, like he thought.
But he was right on one point, there is no real use for putting 14 MPs in there. 8 is really enough for most, so latest generation of sensor at 8MP resolution would be better... but most 8MP sensors are not latest generation, and wont really do better than this.
Too bad they didnt get the sensor Nokia N8 will have, an even larger sensor at 12Mp, sure, still a lot of pixels, but it probably has better potential than this. (and if they had to make the phone somewhat bigger, they could have compensated with a bigger display... 3.2 on this device isnt really that great use of surface, but i hope its because theyve packed a lot of things under the hood, and they really coulndt fit anything bigger... 3.2 Wvga is still good, although not perfect for a device of this size)
Yeah, well, does it have Schneider lens?
If this is decent, that's two of my everyday gadgets in one device! Seeing as in-camera zoom is possible in compacts, that a phone wouldn't have to have the extruding lenses.
@Ritualnet
well, in house zoom is often based on vertical zoom, an there isnt really a benefit here for using that.
And since Altek are used to making digital cameras, Im sure, they went for this solution since it was either better, or easier to get good results with.
This is very interesting. I think Google should be talking directly with Canon and Nikon to see if they could work something out for their camera's. If you were to take image quality of a Canon and Nikon and then combine that with Andriod......I think we would actually have something "Magical"
Oh and if they ever considered to put this on a DSLR, please make it so we can turn it off when needed. A touchscreen DSLR would stink, I like my actual switches!!
@mjkxxl
Sure, you want manual control withouth touchscreen on a DSLR, but the manual control, is really just controlling parameters in software so there should be no problem having both
It is a good sign.
But I would trade the zoom on such a device for a nice clear, fast wide angle.
Like a 1.4f 22mm equivalent or so....
Sweeeeeeeet......
One-day... that's what I tell myself.
For those who don't already know - Altek is the biggest digital camera ODM in the world with brand name clients such as Fuji, Kodak, Sanyo and Pentax. So the picture quality of the phone should be similiar to consumer pocket camera and in theory much better than usual cameraphones.
@(Unverified)
I think it will beat all cameraphones except perhaps N8 on all parameters. N8 might win one or two rounds, due to the larger sensor, but loose some, due to using lesser optics.
due to unknown details about the hardware, we dont really know how this will compare in other features compared to highend devices.
But lets get our fingers crossed that they will deliver on all, but, ofcourse display size, that we already know is not really great for the size of the phone. Or at leat we can hope that it will be good enough to do most (the CPU is probably quite good, since its supposed to record 720p, snapdragon or Arm cortex a8 600mhz, probably at least 256MB ram because of HD recording, GPS should be onboard, as this is an Android device, rumors talk of HSPA, Wifi and WVGA screen, android 2.2 with memorycard installation of programs the onboard storage will be enough even if its quite small, so that is good, I guess my biggest worry is the battery, and the avalibility in europe/USA)
I hope they didn't forget to rewrite relevant parts of Android, especially the camera app …
@AceMcLoud
It seems like they wrote their own camera apllication, as it seems more capable than the stock android one.
Other parts of android i dont really see what they should rewrite.. its said to get android 2.2... dont ge me wrong, there are still things missing in android 2.2, but those things, can either be solved with applications, or not at all, except just camera application, and they seem to have that covered.
that looks absolutely fantastic
Seem like a really good device.
there are some questionsmarks still.
CPU? but rumors talk of snapdragon, and its either that, or something stronger than Arm corte A8 600mhz, since its suppose to record 720p.
Ram? I guess its atleast 256MB, since other 720p recording phones use that, even the now aged Omnia HD.
Storage? Its said to get Android 2.2, so it should be enough for that,, and then most of your storing will be done on memorycard, so that should be no problem.
Screen resolution? Even this article mentions WVGA, and that is good.
HSPA? This article mention it
Wifi? seems like good support, perhaps even n standard as this article suggest.
USB? Should be there 2.0
BT? Should be at least 2.1, and that covers most of your needs
Headphone connector? well why wouldnt it have 3.5mm or at least something with an adapter for that
Sound quality? well using mp3s, that really isnt that big of an issue, you dont get great sound anyway. most can live, even with the worse sounding phones out there.
GPS? well its an android, so I do think so
Picture quality? better than all others or perhaps in close competition with Nokia N8.
Screen quality? well direct sunlight might be a letdown... although devices are to a large majority used under conditions where you dont have that problem, taking pictures in the sun, might be a problem on this unit... lets hope not
Battery? This is my biggest worry, this is a tough nut, and xeon flash will use a lot, so taking a few pictures might drain your battery fast, despite the screen beeing only 3.2"... the resolution of the screen is still quite high, as well. Really lets hope they done some good power conserving or that they've put a capable battery inside. I expect nothing more of it than that youre bestof recharging every night, but it has to last all day, despite xeon photos being taken.
This is not your usual mobile phone company slapping on a cheap camera - it is the OTHER way around -
The REAL question needs to be ask here is NOT if this camera phone can take good picture, since this is made by one of the world's largest and best digital camera ODM (Original Design Manufacturer), but can this phone make good quality phone calls??
@DeeeCoder
as they will probably order pretty standard components, there should be a large base for drivers and optimisation out there for android.
So it will probably be decent at that... Im not expecting best sound quality ever, but ok enough.
I would say, a good quality microphones ("s" because 2 mics for noise cancellation), good speakers; and antenna design for excellent cell phone reception should be the REAL focus here. I would also wish it would come GPS (now a standard) and WiFi/3G/BlueTooth capabilities.