i've been fortunate these last few weeks to have been working on a few projects requiring me to test most of the camera phones in the market, and a number of these phones can also shoot video of various degrees. this is short and sweet, but here's the top four video camera phones to have. caveat: i haven't tested those that don't work in north america.
sony ericsson K700i
the K700i is the next evolution of SE's most popular cameraphone, the T610 - this time they did it right with an amazing screen you can see in the sun, much more memory, and a really good, but still VGA camera. the K700i can shoot 10 second (limited) or what it calls "unlimited" video clips, which are limited by the 32MB of internal memoery. there is a night mode and even a light that be used while taking video. the
sony ericsson P900
the SE P900 has a great video camera, and the time and length of the video you can take is only dependent on the memory available. since you can record on the external memory stick duo (but NOT the duo pro) you can record up to 128 MB of video. there are also various modes available for quality and lighting. see my review here. the P900 is a pen based smartphone, with good PDA functions and email capabilities as well. this phone is not available from any operators in north america, you need to get a GSM account with T-Mobile, AT&T Wireless, or Cingular wireless and purchase the phone from an importer such as expansys or romeo hifi.
toshiba VM4050
if you are into the clamshell profile, and don't plan to leave the U.S., this might be the phone for you. the screen of the VM4050 is one of the best i've seen, and works amazingly well in camera viewfinder mode. Sprint makes it really easy to upload your videos (and pictures) to your online album on their website, or send them as emails to your friends. the "upload all" makes things really easy, and is a feature i haven't seen anywhere else. this camera also has a light that can be turned on to increase the lighting, and although i've seen this feature before, this one actually works. the downside is that you are limited to 14 seconds of video and there is no external storage, which is not so critical given how easy it is to upload your videos to the server on Sprint's fast 1X network. Available from Sprint PCS (review coming soon)
nokia 6600
this nokia phone also limits you to 14 seconds of video, but does allow for external storage on an MMC card up to 128 MB, if you can find them. the modes for quality and lighting are good enough, and the T-Mobile version has some decent capabilities for being able to send and share easily. the nokia 3650/3660 is a cheaper version of this phone that has pretty similar video capabilities. available from T-Mobile, but can also be used on AT&T Wireless and Cingular if purchased the phone from an importer such as expansys or romeo hifi. see my review here.
nokia 6230
if you prefer a small phone that fits easily in your pocket or purse - i think this is the best phone with video capabilities around. nokia packs a lot into this little package. it can record up to 4 minutes of video and again uses an MMC external memory card, and this phone can also play Mp3s and AAC files. the videos are well above average, but not the best you are going to find. this camera's size is what really makes it attractive. (full review coming soon) this phone is not available from any operators in north america, you need to get a GSM account with T-Mobile, AT&T Wireless, or Cingular wireless and purchase the phone from an importer such as expansys or romeo hifi.
