Mobiles push storage and imaging boundaries

Samsung got mobile phone enthusiasts at the CeBIT trade show in Hannover buzzing on Thursday when it unveiled a handset capable of taking seven-megapixel images, and a second containing a 3GB hard drive.

The SCH-V770 is thought to be the first ever seven-megapixel camera phone, and has a higher resolution than many dedicated digital cameras. It can record video clips as well as single images and includes a business card reader, so could be attractive to a mobile worker who needs to record high-resolution images.

Designed to look like a standard digital camera, the SCH-V770 offers advanced features such as focus, user-controllable focal length, shutter speed and shutter priority, aperture priority and fully manual shooting modes.

Samsung also launched a phone with a 3GB hard drive, the SCH-i300. It runs on Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system, and its launch is an indication that mobile operators are moving towards solid state memory over flash. The SCH-i300 will be marketed as a music phone, aimed at the lucrative iPod market, but suggested that the device could also be used for serious tasks such as transporting large presentations.

Pricing and launch details for the two phones have not been released. The SCH-V770 will initially be targeted at Asia and the US, as it supports CDMA rather than Europe's GSM networks. The SCH-i300 supports both GSM and GPRS.