A style-conscious Samsung digital camera and personal media player (PMP) is built on a MontaVista Linux platform, it was revealed by a reader. Shipping since last year, the Samsung i70 features 7.2-megapixel resolution, 3x optical zoom, and Samsung's ASR (Advanced Shake Reduction) technology.

(Click for larger view of Samsung i70)

On a Samsung open source download page, Samsung lists the following pedigree for the i70: u-boot, ffmepg, and Montavista Linux Kernel 2.4.20. The remainder of the page refers to the camera's GNU GPL license. The page does not actually include a download link, however, suggesting that Samsung may no longer be distributing the device, which appears to remain available from many distributors.

The Samsung i70 offers a sliding cover
(Click on either to enlarge)
Touted as having “a restrained beauty reminiscent of an antique cosmetics case,” the i70's sliding-cover case comes in pink and gold colors. The camera features a 3-inch, 230,000-pixel wide TFT LCD, a 1/2.5-inch CCD sensor, and “about 10MB” of internal memory, says Samsung. The i70 supports SD/MMC/MMC Plus/HSMMC memory cards holding between 32MB and 2GB. With memory installed, the i70 supports MPEG-4 movie capture and playback with resolution at up to 640 x 480 and frame rates at up to 30fps, says the company. The camera also supports MP3 playback and voice recording.

Measuring 3.5 x 2.4 x 0.8 inches (89.7 x 61 x 21.5 mm), the i70 is equipped with a USB 2.0 port, Mono audio interface, Video Out, and a 4.2V DC power input connector. The camera's sliding cover opens to reveal a nine-key button interface as well as an aspherical lens, which is said to compensate for lens distortion by gathering light to a single spot.

Samsung i70 (side)

Additional features include Samsung's ASR technology, touted as an alternative to flash illumination for reducing bluriness in low-light environments. ASR is said to prevent the degradation of image quality from “camera shake,” and to detect up to nine faces for automatic optimal focus, says the company.

Availability

Samsung does not provide a suggested retail price on the camera, but it is available on web shopping venues for as low as $270. It appears to be marketed primarily at the Asian market. More information on the i70 may be found here

Thank you to “a godshall” for bringing the Linux connection to our attention.

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