Android returns to Nikon Coolpix lineup with S810c
Depending on who you ask, putting Android in a camera is either a perfect combination or a complete head-scratcher. That could be why Samsung and now Nikon with the new Coolpix S810c are the only camera manufacturers offering the option.
This is actually Nikon's second go-round with an Android camera. The S800c, which came out in September 2012, was running on Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread. That might not have been so bad if smartphones at the time of its release weren't running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
With the S810c at least you're getting Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Not exactly KitKat or even Android 4.3 Jelly Bean that Samsung's Galaxy Camera 2 is running, but at least it shouldn't feel as dated as the S800c did at the time.
The key benefit to having Android is the apps, of course. It means not only can you shoot with a number of different camera apps as well as Nikon's camera app, you can edit with whatever tools you want, and share them to whatever site you want -- right on the device.
You can use the camera's built-in Wi-Fi to upload to a cloud service, email shots to friends and family, or send shots directly to an Android or iOS device and upload them from there. Plus, since it has a stereo headphone jack, you can use the S810c as a media player as well.
Other than its 3.7-inch, 1.2-million-dot-resolution touch-screen LCD, the camera part of the S810c seems to be the same as the $219.95 Nikon Coolpix S6800 with a 16-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor and 12x f3.3-6.3 25-300mm lens. The S810c also has built-in GPS for geotagging your shots or whatever else you want to do with it.
The S800c felt a bit cobbled together so here's hoping the Coolpix S810c is more polished when it arrives in early May in black and white versions selling for $349.95.
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