Future video chat camera options?

[froboebel]

Video chat may or may not become a new trend with smartphones, with front facing cameras being incorporated by new iPhone and Android phones alike. My question is, how long until accessory companies catch on and start making front facing cameras as accessories for other Android phones, either mounted on microUSB or mounted anywhere and transferring data via Bluetooth?
I figure it is only a matter of time, assuming these aren't already in production.

 

[froboebel]

I bump this now because maybe people will be more interested now that video chat has been around for a little longer. Any ideas?

 

[mistyinca]

I was thinking the exact same thing. I don't suppose something that snaps on would be hard to fashion.

 

[froboebel]

That's what I was thinking too. I'm surprised it hasn't been done already honestly so I'm thinking there must be some sort of hangup that makes this implausible.

 

[Kyle Gibb]

The problem I see is power, I am not sure if the phones are even designed to put out enough (or any) power through the microUSB to power a camera. Also, we will see more and more phones get them built in, so I don't think the market is there.

 

[froboebel]

Hmm, interesting points. Luckily I opted into a one year contract on my Incredible.
Now hopefully not all the android phones of the future that have this are Evo-sized. I like my 3.7" display.

 

[jdbower]

The problem I see is power, I am not sure if the phones are even designed to put out enough (or any) power through the microUSB to power a camera.

The more serious issue is that USB ports are directional. The USB port on a phone is generally just a client device, it doesn't act like a computer. For example, if you could cobble together the proper cable you wouldn't be able to put a USB flash drive onto the phone and have it do anything. Even if you could, for a camera you'd need drivers and if they're not already in the OS you may have a hard time installing them. This is the same problem with the more feasible idea of a Bluetooth camera, you need the drivers.

All-in-all even if it's feasible it's probably going to be almost as expensive to buy a new phone with a front-facing camera and, as mentioned, I don't think the market will be around long enough to get economies of scale to bring the price down.

 

[Fexone]

There was a external camera for the very 1st Sidekick. I still have that camera that attached threw the headphone jack. Why cant we get something like this....... Just make the driver for something like this..... Like everything it all comes down to money.....

 

[jdbower]

Actually in that case it comes down to pre-planning. The wires to the headphone jack need to be able to talk to something that can decode the video. For devices designed to use an add-on camera the camera is generally available (or announced) beforehand, if it's not designed to have an add-on camera we need to work with what we were given. Otherwise it's like plugging a camera into a tape recorder and expecting it to turn into a video camera.