14 DAY TRIAL // There seems to be a lot of interest for means of turning phones into remote controls, and Panasonic is definitely contributing to the trend.
What the company did this time was launch a piece of software instead of some new device. Said software is an app meant to work with the $300 / 240 Euro Lumix DMC-FX90 point and shoot camera.
All you need is a smartphone running Android 2.2 (or higher) or an iPhone with iOS 4.3 or later.
The small program is available free of charge and is just what the product needed to become more than a standard consumer pocket camera.
Granted, it already had Wi-Fi and a 3-inch touchscreen, but there was not much use for the wireless connection until now.
When the app is launched, owners can look at a”remote view” of the image they are about to take. They can also control the shutter and the zoom.
People will also have the option of transferring photos between the camera and phone/tablet via Lumix Link, a separate app.
Sure, a firmware update will need to be applied to the camera itself in order for all this to work, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem.