Consumers Want to Share Camera Phone Pix

Published: 5/8/2007 9:35:07 AM

As the consumer shift toward mobile camera phones becomes more apparent, so does the consumer’s expectations of a sharing service for the images captured on their phones. According to a survey of 500 U.S. consumers conducted by mobile imaging technology provider Ontela, consumers are frustrated by the difficulty in accessing their camera phone pictures and putting them to use.

Ontela ran a test to determine users’ ability to transfer photos from their camera phone to a popular online photo sharing service, and a whopping 75 per cent were unable to accomplish the task using their current phone!

The Seattle, WA-based company reported that 40 per cent of respondents said they would consider changing wireless service providers if the new carrier offered a seamless photo sharing experience. Eighty-six per cent said they would search for a carrier-based photo sharing service that offered a “seamless, click-free sharing experience”; and 90 per cent expressed interest in a service that would let them upload images to the PC. Surprisingly, many also said they’d have no issues paying for the service.

Ontela says this leaves the door open for carrier-based photo sharing services that could deliver images to the PC, as well as popular photo sharing Websites like Windows Live Spaces, Facebook, Snapfish and Flickr. Although 87 per cent said they would want to upload camera phone pictures to a photo sharing Website, there was no single destination unanimously selected.

Still, Ontela discovered that mobile phone data feature usage remains low outside of standard text messaging: over 80 per cent of those surveyed said they don’t use MMS or Internet browsing; and two-thirds noted that they had never purchased games or photo wallpapers for their handsets. Nearly half of respondents claimed that camera functionality was not part of the buying decision for their current handset, but 85 per cent said they’d prefer that their next phone include a camera.

The survey was conducted online, and consisted primarily of respondents between the ages of 18-49. The sample was representative of a wide range of income and education levels and demographics.