Handhelds with autofocus cameras

Whether you love them or hate them, digital cameras in mobile phones are here to stay. It's the same story for PDA-phones. Not only can you use them for personal snapshots of your family and friends, the image capture feature in many cellular handhelds is also helpful for work.

Megapixel count may be a big consideration for many users, and it's a specification that manufacturers like to advertise. But quality is not just about the number of pixels in your image.

The autofocus feature, which is currently present in high-end mobile phones such as the Sony Ericsson K810i as well as selected PDA-phones, is also an important feature to look out for. It typically helps to give sharper images, reducing the fuzziness often seen in photos taken by camera-phones. Autofocus is also a great feature to have when using the camera with a namecard reader application as it does make text recognition more accurate. So if you are in the market for a good handheld that takes sharp images, take a look at these five PDA-phones with autofocus lens.

Click here for a feature comparison table.

	1.	Asus P735   CNET Asia rating: 7 out of 10 The good: Attractive metallic design; 3G; Bluetooth 2.0; encrypted document folder for security; camera with autofocus and LED; many addon applications for improved user experience. The bad: No HSDPA; stiff navigation pad and buttons; no GPS; camera shutter slow by default. The bottom line: A handheld with good features for the business user, but those who want the latest HSDPA and GPS options may have to look elsewhere. Shutter facts: We found the shutter slow, resulting in some blurred shots when using its 2-megapixel camera. The colors produced were decent, though. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	2.	HTC TyTN II   CNET Asia rating: 7.9 out of 10 The good: A host of data connectivity options including HSDPA; GPS with bundled maps; good battery life; 3-megapixel autofocus camera. The bad: Heavy and bulky; still QVGA display; no camera light; no audio mini-jack. The bottom line: It may not be a quantum leap compared with the 838 Pro, but the TyTN II maintains what power users loved in the previous iteration--with a few extras. Shutter facts: As far as cameras in phones go, the TyTN II's is decent. It's a pity HTC decided to leave out the LED flash found in its predecessor, the Dopod 838 Pro. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	3.	O2 Xda Flame   CNET Asia rating: 7.4 out of 10 The good: VGA display; FM radio; Nvidia GoForce 5500 GPU; 2GB flash memory built in; USB On-The-Go; TV-out connector; decent stereo earphones; O2's extra applications. The bad: No HSDPA; no GPS; display slow to turn on; fuzzy video during video calls; small stylus. The bottom line: The Flame's design won't set the style-conscious user's desire on fire, but its great set of features including a VGA display makes it a useful business and entertainment tool. Shutter facts: The Flame comes with a 2-megapixel camera. Having a huge VGA display makes framing shots a joy. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	4.	Mitac Mio A501   CNET Asia rating: 6.7 out of 10 The good: Tons of GPS features; good GPS tracking; compact and light; full SD card slot; car cradle and charger included; autofocus camera and LED light. The bad: 3G; no Wi-Fi; awkward joystick placement; needs an OK button. The bottom line: Without the wireless options many users find essential these days, the Mio A501 will have a limited audience. For those who value having GPS, this little PDA-phone won't disappoint. Shutter facts: You can use the photo LED as a flashlight on the A501. We found images slightly overexposed, but at least they were sharp. Review | See full specs | Rate this
	5.	E-Ten glofiish X800   First take The E-Ten glofiish X800 was first unveiled at CeBIT 2007. It created quite a stir among handheld enthusiasts because of the sheer number of features it managed to pack into its compact form factor. We managed to get our hands on a non-final unit. Here are our thoughts. Shutter facts: The camera application on the X800 is quite user-friendly with large buttons. We did find the shutter lag quite bad on the prototype. Hopefully, that will be improved in the final version. First take | See full specs | Rate this