"The BBC Deploys Video Cell Phones" (Forbes.com)

As readers of my java.net blog know, I’ve become very interested in cellcams during the last year. I’m always looking for news on the latest cellcam developments, especially when it pertains to real world uses.

Reiter’s Camera Phone Report made me aware of a recent Forbes article on The BBC deploying video cell phones to reporters. The “Beeb” in fact has taken Nokia’s off the shelf 3650 and then worked with Phillips to enhance the video software to produce higher quality, longer duration video clips.

My first question is: Where can I get a copy of Phillips’ software? According to comments posted from the Beeb’s project manager in a related Camera Phone Report article, this new software allows the phone to record many minutes, even hours worth of MPEG4 video, a big improvement beyond the 15 seconds or so of video recording supported by Nokia’s default 3650 Video Recorder software. Phillips’ software sounds like a real improvement, but so far I haven’t had any luck finding a download link or purchase information.

And what bigger trend does this news reveal? As Rachel Attwell, Deputy Head of television news at the BBC, said in a related article:

Using this software on a mobile phone is a breakthrough addition to the way we cover news. It is very probable that it will become standard practice for our reporters, and even the general public, to send instant reports of breaking news, as it occurs, before a satellite truck can be there.

Moblogs meet old media! Power to the (mobile enabled) people, indeed!