Herself and I have been trying to learn something any 10-year-old knows — how to send multimedia messages from our AT&T cellphones.
I’ve been wanting to take pix on rides, but didn’t want to lug a camera along. Even my little Canon PowerShot SD600 fills up a jersey pocket, once in its carrying case, and there’s always the chance of yard-saling and destroying the shooter. Then I remembered I always pack a cellphone, and that cellphone has (wait for it) a camera, built right in. Duh.
But how to get the pix out of the phone? My old Samsung SGH-c417 doesn’t have a USB port, so the only exit is via e-mail, and I couldn’t find the door. This meant I faced a call to the dread tech support, probably a Hindu robot linked to a Chinese satellite phone in Spaminacanistan.
Imagine my surprise when I got a series of pleasant, helpful English speakers who walked me through the laborious process of reconfiguring various factory settings, changing the IP address and finally resetting the phone. It took about 45 minutes, but that was partly because it was a lengthy procedure and partly because I only use this phone as a phone. I don’t download tunes, text my peeps or IM; I ring ’em up. Hell, I didn’t even know how to toggle the keypad from numbers to letters and back again.
The procedure is not error-free; sending this pic of Mia atop the refrigerator took three tries and two reboots of the phone. And the pictures suck, frankly. Still, I suppose it’s better than packing a real camera and taking the chance of waking up trailside in a pile of prickly pear with the damn’ thing embedded in one lacerated kidney, busily snapping pix of your ruptured spleen.
Mad Blog Media 
Truthfully, the photo of Mia isn’t all that bad. The best “Phone” photo I’ve seen was taken with my son’s iPhone. (Yes, I had to jerk your chain by mentioning that dreaded word, iPhone.)
I used my Moto Razr to take one photo of my grandson to use as wallpaper on the phone. I’ve had Verizon disable text messages, so the photo lives only on the phone. Anyway, I guess that’s why all attempts to send it to my wife’s phone failed. Oh well.
Patrick, truthfully, you should stop to take photos, even with your phone! Your faithful readers don’t want you typing one handed from a hospital bed.
‘Spaninacanistan’, ‘text my peeps’….You’re in rare form today, Patrick. I’ve never laughed so hard at one of your posts. Thanks for the comedy relief.
Hey Pat,
This might sound terribly “old school”, but I keep a Kodak one time use camera in my seat bag, because you never know what you might come across on a ride. When I turn it it for development I get a CD made at the same time, and the photos are 35mm so they are better than any cell phone. If the camera is stolen or destroyed who cares? Seriously though, I agree with Bruce, STOP to take your pictures. We really don’t want to have you find out how good you medical insurance really is or isn’t!
Doug
I’ll second Doug. I’ve used the Kodak disposables. The quality is quite good. The CD is an excellent idea.
And, if I remember correctly, Patrick, you said you don’t have medical insurance. Be careful.
Mia is likely thinking of the foodness of the phone.
Never fear, loyal readers . . . I always put at least one foot down before engaging in photojournalism. I have seen a nifty clamp on Amazon.com that lets a guy attach his Flip Video camera to the handlebars, but I’m not certain anyone is champing at the bit to see online videos of a 50-something retired cyclo-crosser burning up the bike path at 15 mph.
Patrick,
I got a new Palm Treo 755p about three weeks ago for work. Turns out it has a camera for both stills and video. I finally got out for a road ride today–for the first time in a month. I had the phone with me (in case of emergency) and totally forgot it had a camera. I missed a chance to take a picture of an alligator on a creek bank. Thanks for the reminder. Tomorrow, I’ll try to remember to take a picture of the beast.
Good point about puncturing one’s kidney and getting excellent closeups of one’s spleen. I think I’ll keep the phone in the pocket under the saddle.
Have a great weekend!
Jeff in the PetroMetro
umm video of 50 somethings on bike paths in the middle of winter… Sounds like a unfilled niche to me.
Looks like your comment graphic is a close up of your glasses and mustache.
The Kodak disposable is a workable approach, but the group I ride with is so rewards focused that waiting for the roll to be used up, developed and delivered as a CD was just too frustrating. A jersey pocket sized digital camera gave as good as and now better photos with less hassle and faster turn around.
With the iPhone I am working on a plan to have a group ride photo on the club site before we return, but I usually ride with the webmaster. Maybe a small accident, nothing serious, just keep him off the bike for a couple of weeks?