and also the higher it goes for a given sensor area, the fewer photons you will detect and therefore the snr will be lower for a given scene.

Decided to put in my 2 bits before this thread hit 200. To be totally honest, I am almost completely satisfied with my N800. What it lacks, there are great 'hacks' and there are some things, it doesn't need(like being able to take underwater pictures while streaming HD video listening to pandora and writing an email). If the next gen Nxxx has a faster proc and some better software then I think it will be viable. I remember when I bought an ipod touch and was impressed with how pretty it was, and the potential it had. When I saw that it was never going to reach that potential, I gave it to my sister and got a N800. At first I was bummed because it was bulkier and not as 'pretty' but once I figured out how to make it go do that voodoo, that it do, so well, I never looked back.

To get back on subject, if I could solder on an improved processor and ram, I would be way more than satisfied with my N800.

ok maybe not exactly on topic. Sorry if my rant bugged you.

I think we can safely assume it'll be no worse than the other high-end N-series lenses. There was a comment somewhere about Zeiss, I think. . . .

I think they're planning something like Tally Isham's Zeiss Ikon lenses.

Gibson's comments - photoshops - text

Actually there IS some merit in going for more megapixels. It can actually increase the quality of your low res images as the colour filter array interpolation will have less error. So, even if your optics can't resolve more than 3mpix, the 3mpix image of your 5mpix camera (if CCD data postprocessing is done right) will be better than a 3mpix camera's. Of course, the best is if you have adequate optics, but with mobile phone-class camera a lot of corners have to be cut...

RGBRGB 2 pixels on a 2megapixel camera
RRGGBB 1 pixel on a 1megapixel camera

Interpolating from the 2 to the 1 will give a different average, BUT, usually the smaller pels are noisier so require more post processing.

Remember though, we are talking 100ths of a mm in either scenario.

Given the choice between 2 sensors chosen from the same factory and having to enforce both to the same lower mpixel range I would choose the lower mpixel one.

the signal to noise ratio of each pel is greater (larger surface, more light, more difference from background noise).

BUT we are not talking about the noise on each pel, rather image quality scaled to a common resolution Let's say you have a 1024x1024 sensor and a 2048x2048 one (same chip size & similar tech). Now, imagine you're doing some sort of binning (before demosaicing) on the second chip, 2x2 pels for 1. The SNR (of the end result) will statistically be the same, the sensitivity will be the nearly same BUT the details will be better as you don't have to count in the bayer CFA interpolation error (and maybe an AA filter) on your CCD done to avoid moire and other color artifacts. With the binning, you almost have a true RGB pel and will thus lose less details in postprocessing. If you run down the numbers, yes, the image will be a little less noisy on the low res sensor, but with significant loss in details (which in turn make human perception less bothered by noise). Of course, if your camera/phone manufacturer does not use this information or requires it to be implemented in software, there is little benefit in the extra pixels, but that's not the question of SNR or pel count, but rather the manufacturer's decisions. And now we're oficially as off-topic as it gets

Here is small update based on fremantle alpha2 kernel, full source diff between alpha1 and 2 is here http://fanoush.wz.cz/maemo/kernel-2....090202r03.diff

- TV-out supported via Nokia AV accessory
- ECI headset (whatever it is) support added to AV jack
- kernel now has cpu frequency scaling enabled operating speeds are:
CPU 125,250,500,550,600 MHz
DSP 90,180,360,400,430 MHz
- ambient light sensor driver enabled (like N810 has)
- internal slot is indeed eMMC

Thanks for keeping us posted!

heh fanoush,
the glimpses we keep getting sound cool .

apart from the ambient sensor (my 810 has a sticker covering it cos my hand keeps getting in the way and changing brightness )