Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-G3 Offers Rich Wireless Experience

Several companies have tried integrating Wi-Fi into their cameras and SD Cards  in an attempt to make uploading on the go easier. So far, though, they’ve presented several compromises. The Nikon Coolpix S610c, for instance, only connects to myPicturetown, Nikon’s sharing site. This, along with the Eye-Fi Explore, works only at Wayport hotspots, which means you need a subscription. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-G3 ($499), announced today, aims to change that. Users can upload their photos to a variety of popular sharing sites, including Picasa. They can also upload over any connection—secured or unsecured, public or private. Sony accomplished this by installing a browser in the device, so you can navigate even to sharing sites not listed in the main menu. With a browser, splash pages won’t be a problem, either. In addition to uploading photos to any site, users can view existing Web albums on their LCD (they cannot, however, download photos to the camera). It will include a year of complimentary hotspot service, although the provider has yet to be announced. Other than that, the 10.1-megapixel shooter has a 3.5-inch touchscreen, 4X optical zoom, optical image stabilization, face detection, Easy mode, Smile Shutter, Intelligent Scene Recognition (iSCN), 4GB internal memory for storing photos (that’s enough space to store about 1,000 10-MP shots). Although it has HDMI output, it does not record high-def movies.