OmniVision Technologies and Scalado (News - Alert) have announced a technology collaboration poised to significantly improve the camera phone user experience. OmniVision has added a unique hardware feature to its new 3-megapixel OV3640 CameraChip. This has enabled cameras to take optimal advantage of Scalado’s SpeedView technology, allowing faster picture taking and faster photo viewing on camera phones.

 

Built on OmniVision’s newest OmniPixel3 architecture, the OV3640 is a sensor that is completely compatible with Scalado’s SpeedView technology, creating a much improved image capturing experience.

 

Producing a unique what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) experience, SpeedView technology in the sensor allows users to capture what is actually seen in the viewfinder and instantly replay the captured image, instead of capturing a photo several frames later.

 

SpeedView technology also enables real-time viewing, zooming, and panning of the captured images (10-20 images per second) in the phone’s image gallery without additional hardware, which is critical for capturing spontaneous moments or a quick sequence of events.

 

“Long capture and shot-to-shot times have been a constant complaint ever since the megapixel race began,” said Sami Niemi, CTO for Scalado in a statement. “The WYSIWYG Capturing technology makes it possible to really capture the moment, which is the true essence of any camera phone.  Add to that instant photo file maneuvering, so users can find and share pictures quickly and easily, and we have addressed another major complaint cited by the majority of camera phone users.”

 

According to James He, chief operating officer at OmniVision, his company focuses on improving camera performance and user friendliness, both through sensor-level improvements and the addition of new features.  He said that the OV3640’s image stabilization function allows camera phone users to take better pictures, and adding a faster (MIPI) interface eases the sharing of images.

 

“Now with the addition of the Scalado SpeedView technology, we can extend our improvements beyond the sensor,” he concluded.