Motorola Releases MOTOZINE ZN5 5-Megapixel Camera Phone for T-Mobile

As the cell phone increasingly becomes much more than just its original self, the more it emulates other consumer electronics. The cell phone today is especially interested in becoming a better point-and-shoot camera.

When most cell phones with cameras say they come with a 1- or 2-megapixel camera, though, the manufacturer is merely telling you a camera is on board as a side feature just like a calendar or calculator.

That kind of camera on a cell phone just barely gets the job done in the quality department, often doesn’t have the ability to zoom and typically won’t even have a flash. Forget about snapping photos in low light.

I wrote on Sept. 29, 2008 about 8-, 9- and 10-megapixel cell phone cameras. Now we’re talking, eh? Still, consumers want optical zoom (rather than digital zoom) and a xenon flash (rather than a LED flash).

Motorola on Nov. 3, 2008 announced the retail availability of the new MOTOZINE ZN5 cell phone for T-Mobile, which features a 5-megapixel auto-focus camera with a xenon flash.

The new MOTOZINE ZN5
Image © Motorola

While the ZN5’s Kodak imaging technology with Motorola’s ModeShift technology may not mean much to you, this means you're being promised the quality, convenience and mobile imaging connectivity you’d expect from a higher-quality cell phone camera.

The MOTOZINE ZN5 is now available in select T-Mobile retail stores and online for $99.99 with a two-year service agreement.