Camera Cellphone Users Offload Their Pictures with SnapMedia Software

Aug. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- With megapixel camera cellphones now taking pictures rivaling those of traditional digital cameras, more people are starting to take advantage of these capabilities. Typically, wireless carriers would charge consumers for storing and exchanging camera cellphone images over their networks. The only choice for users was to pay these fees or delete the photos to make room for taking more.

Consumers have not been aware that they can now download pictures from their camera phones to their own computers for archiving, printing or sharing with others. A startup in California is helping people enjoy greater freedom with their camera cellphones.

Sunnyvale-based FutureDial Incorporated has developed SnapMedia Software, a PC-based program that allows camera cellphone users to download pictures from their phones to the PC for archiving and sharing with others. This frees up the memory on the phone, just like a digital still camera, allowing the user to take even more pictures. And storing the pictures on one's own PC, rather than on a faraway server or network, ensures greater privacy and control.

"Camera cellphone users want greater freedom, privacy and control over how they archive and share their pictures," notes George Huang, President and CEO at FutureDial. "Unloading pictures from traditional digital cameras to the PC is now commonplace, and so camera-phone users also want the same convenience of downloading camera phone pictures to the PC for storage or sending to others. It's no surprise that interest in our SnapMedia Software is growing."

In addition to extracting pictures from camera cellphones to the PC, the software also enables users to personalize cellphones with favorite personal pictures and musical tunes as ringers. Music files on the PC can be cropped to desired lengths and exported to the cellphone as unique ringers. Personal pictures on the PC can likewise be cropped, resized or rotated, and then transferred to the phone. Pictures and ringers can be assigned to specific names in the phonebook so that when someone calls, a personalized picture and unique ringer will be used as a visual and musical "Caller ID."

FutureDial's SnapMedia software is available at RadioShack, CompUSA and Fry's Electronics stores nationwide, and retails for $29.99. The software is compatible with 18 camera phone models of Sanyo, LG, Nokia, Samsung, Audiovox, Kyocera, Motorola and Sony Ericsson, available at Sprint PCS, Verizon Wireless, AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless and T-Mobile. 35 other non- camera cellphone models with color displays and polyphonic ringers are also supported for picture and ringer personalization. A list of phone models and functions supported by SnapMedia Software is posted on the FutureDial website, at www.futuredial.com

Source: FutureDial, Incorporated