The Motionbox Blog

Cell phones are a unique creature in the world of videos. Their ability to record video might be overshadowed by the quality offered by ultra-compact camcorders. However, the cell phone’s ability to instantly send videos to video sharing sites such as Motionbox allows for arguably the smoothest and most rapid way to get your personal videos seen by the outside world. In the spirit of recognizing this avenue of video distribution, here are five phones that offer exceptional possibilities to the cell shooter:

iPhone 3GS - The latest incarnation of Apple’s wonderphone now adds video recording to its laundry list of features. While it offers no more raw recording quality then the other phones featured here (all offer at least 640x480 vga resolution at 30fps), it does carry forth the iPhone’s knack for slick touchscreen interfaces with its trimmer, which allows users to slide their fingers along a timestrip to select in and end points for videos. And that goes without mentioning the wealth of third party apps which may further the iPhone’s video capabilities. You can view your Motionbox videos easily on the iPhone too!

Samsung Omnia II - Those looking for a little extra cinematic flair may wish to turn to Samsung’s Omnia II. While not true HD, the Omnia gives more width then your standard video-phone, offering a video resolution of 720x480. It also offers an impressive suite of in-phone editing features including trimming, dubbing, and even custom subtitles, all features perfect for those who wish to send their videos straight to the web without wasting time editing on a computer.

Sony Ericsson Aino - Sony’s sleek multimedia phone offers a respectable VGA 30fps quality of recording. Its ace in the hole, however, is an emphasis on syncing with every item of someone’s home network. Aside from wireless computer syncing, it offers users the unique ability to sync with and access Playstation 3 systems. For someone who’s big into interconnectivity, this could be a dream product: a phone that can be effectively integrated into one’s home network.

Samsung Instinct HD - Though Samsung’s Instinct HD offers few bells and whistles in its video package, it arguably doesn’t need them. True to its name, the Instinct HD is the first cell phone capable of shooting video in dedicated 720p HD. Granted, image quality isn’t going to be beating dedicated camcorders anytime soon, but resolution junkies should take note of this initial foray into what will likely become a big trend in cell phones.

Nokia N95 - Though the Nokia N95 bills itself more as a camera-phone, many of the same features used to enhance its photographic abilities can be enjoyed by videographers. A precision Carl Zeiss lens, for instance, will make for crisp videos and photos alike, and an image stabilization system typically used for still shots is also employed in the N95’s video mode as a steady shot mode.