Smartphones on the Farm: Part II Review of Samsung’s Omnia i910

Part I:

Smartphones on the Farm: Part I Review of Samsung’s Omnia i910

Part II:

Part I review of the Samsung Omnia i910 covered a few ‘nuts and bolts’ of this smartphone/PDA and how it fits into an agricultural operation.  For Part II, I will focus exclusively on reviewing the 5.0 megapixel camera that is integrated in the Omnia i910.  As a benchmark, I will compare the Omnia i910 5.0 megapixel camera to my Nikon Coolpix S50 7.2 megapixel camera.  I am focusing this post exclusively on the camera feature because MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) messaging with pictures can be a great way to convey information. On to the comparisons!

Nikon Coolpix s50: Tillering wheat taken 03/21/09. This is the standard that I’ll compare to the cameraphone.

 

Samsung Omnia i910 cameraphone: Tillering wheat taken 03/21/09 (same plant as shown in image above).

 

Closer look . . . 

 

 Nikon Coolpix S50: Closeup of normal wheat yellowing and necrosis.

 

Samsung Omnia i910 camperaphone: Closeup of normal wheat yellowing and necrosis.

 

Conclusions: As much as I hoped a camerphone could supplant the need for a separate camera, you can see from the above photos that the technology (at least with the Omnia i910) is not quite there yet.  However, I was surprised that the closeup photos of the wheat were similar.  I can see the utility of taking a picture of an insect or an unusual leaf spot with a high quality cameraphone and instantly sending it via MMS to a pathologist or entomologist for quick ID.  

 

Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation for writing this review. I reserve the right to modify this review at any time. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of The Ohio State University, Ohio State University Extension or of any other individual university employee. This review is provided for educational purposes only and not an endorsement of any product mentioned.