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FUJIFILM UNVEILS PORTABLE, WIRELESS CAMPHONE PRINTER
Palm-Sized Printer Enables New Markets, Consumer Applications
Valhalla, NY, February 8, 2005 - Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. today announced the next step in printing solutions for today's digital imaging generation. The new Fujifilm Digital Mobile Printer MP-70 - the first portable, handheld wireless printer specifically designed for the accelerating US camera phone market - creates a credit card sized, photo from an infrared enabled camera phone in about 20 seconds.
"The digital camera market exploded before the infrastructure to provide simple, quick prints was ready," noted Bill Drysdale, Vice President, Marketing, Digital Devices Division, Fujifilm Imaging Group. "We're taking steps to make sure that when the next generation of high-resolution camera phones reach mass market levels, the industry is already there."
A Kiosk In Your Pocket
Weighing just over seven ounces (205 grams, without batteries), the compact Fujifilm MP-70 is about the size of wallet. The printer uses two CR2 lithium batteries and Fujifilm patented Image Intelligence™ to transmit and produce a 254 dpi RGB print from an image captured on a camera-phone (up to 3 megapixels, or 900K) anytime and anywhere. A small, USB-based adaptor (IR-100) is also available to connect a PictBridge-compatible digital camera. The MP-70 is expected to be commercially available in the early summer of 2005.
Worldwide unit sales of camera-phones are expected to exceed over 250 million in 2005, (source:Info Trends/CAP Ventures). With the rapid expansion of the camera-phone market and the introduction of high-spec models with image resolution of one megapixel or higher, demand has been increasing for printing of pictures taken with camera-phones.
Operation is simple click and print, and reprints can be made immediately. Because the portability and instant nature of prints from the MP-70 differs from home printers (ink jet) and retail print services, the printer creates a new category for digital printing and a new market for camera-phones.
A new photo pack helps to achieve speedy printing in 20 seconds together with low energy consumption (approx. 130 prints from two CR2 lithium batteries). Fujifilm's Image Intelligence (digital image processing software technology used in Fujifilm Frontier digital minilabs) provides auto exposure compensation for images taken with insufficient light.
Compatible infrared-enabled cameraphones available to date (as of December 22nd, 2004) include:Consumers Demand Choice
- Nokia:
3200, 3205, 3620, 3650, 3660, 5140, 6220, 6225, 6230, 6260, 6600, 6620, 6820, and 7250i
- Siemens:
CT66, SX1, S66
- Sony Ericsson:
K500i, K700i, P800, P900, P910a, S700i, S710a, T610, T630, T637, Z600
The mobile imaging market is very lifestyle driven. Whether printing at home, in retail or now, on the road, Fujifilm engineers are prepared for this, putting several options in place, including services for camphone users to create quick and fun prints from their new devices.
This printer follows several announcements with US mobile service carriers allowing customers to send their mobile images directly to a participating retail photofinisher of their choice for real prints of their camera phone pictures, in sometimes in as little as one hour.
