New Bluetooth controlled camera - a camera on wheels which roves about and captures images

Taking pictures with your mobile phone is no longer confined to what is visible through the view finder on the phone. Sony Ericsson’s new Bluetooth controlled camera, ROB-1, can move around freely, steered wirelessly by the joy-stick or keypad on your mobile phone or as for P900/P910 with the touch screen, enabling you to see on your phone screen exactly what ROB-1 is looking at. You can then capture these images using your phone just as you would a normal photo.

The ROB-1 can rove around for a distance of up to 50 meters from the user, streaming video to the phone’s display. The device’s three wheels and spherical shape combined with clever camera technology to make it agile and flexible with a wide field of vision. Eleven centimetres in diameter, ROB-1 can move forwards, backwards, look around corners, pivot on the spot or tilt the camera 70 degrees upwards and 20 degrees downwards. An ultra bright light on the front leads the way and allows shots to be taken in dark spaces. Ample onboard memory enables you to snap away for some time before either storing pictures in your phone, or transferring them to a PC via the supplied USB cable.

With ROB-1 Sony Ericsson has produced another fun and innovative ‘first’ for Bluetooth technology pushing the boundaries and firing consumer’s imagination. The company’s Bluetooth Car CAR-100, first seen in the Sony Ericsson stand at CeBIT 2003, pioneered the concept of using mobile phone Bluetooth capability for entertainment purposes rather than practical applications. Now ROB-1, the first device to combines the CAR-100’s steering capabilities with video streaming, continues this tradition.

Ulf Persson, Corporate Vice President and Head of Accessories for Sony Ericsson is enthusiastic about the fun you can have with the ROB-1: “This is a great gadget for people who really like testing the latest technology first hand and having fun with new applications. Just like the Sony Ericsson Bluetooth Car which appealed to a wide range of gadget fans, we believe that ROB-1 will become the ‘must have’ Bluetooth gadget to show off to friends and family.

The Bluetooth Motion Cam ROB-1 will be available during Q3 2005.