Samsung’s multi-tasking Miniket

It’s one thing to perform three or four tasks using only one device (the PDA/camera phones and the four-in-one printer/scanner/copier/fax machines come to mind), and it’s another thing to accomplish no less than six tasks using a device that’s hardly bigger than your cellphone.

But that’s what Samsung Electronics recently pulled off with its ground-breaking Miniket all-in-one camera that weighs all of 150 grams.

If you want to capture a scene with either a video or still camera, or record your thoughts in a voice recorder or listen to your favorite music on an MP3 player or even just store data, you’ll have to lug around separate equipment. Some cameras may combine the features of capturing video and still pictures, but you still need other devices for the other functions. Until now, that is.

Samsung has integrated all these features – MPEG4 digital video player and CCD camcorder (720 x 576 at 25fps), PictBridge-compatible digital still camera with 10x optical zoom, MP3 player and a whopping 18-hour voice recorder (thanks to its 1GB of memory) – into the Miniket VP-M105. And it added even more features.

The German Red Dot Design Award-winning Miniket (it bested close to 2,000 other product design entries worldwide) can also function as a USB-connected Web camera and as an external data storage device by cramming data into its 512MB built-in flash memory (you can cram more using Memory Stick/Memory Stick Pro). The nice thing about the whole package is that it’s as small as a mobile phone and can fit in your pocket for the ultimate in portability.

The controls are easy to master and can be operated with one hand. The small LCD display shows the video clips or photos in surprising clarity and also displays the menu and task bars effectively. Focus and depth can be adjusted using the thumb switch.

A direct plug to the charger enables users to operate the Miniket indoors without draining the battery (there is an available extended capacity battery), while a cradle/port/camera stand is also included in the package for more convenience, especially when it is being used as a PC camera or while transferring data from your computer.

With the rapid advancement in technology, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a company like Samsung to offer a mobile phone combined with all the features of the Miniket and maybe throw in a few PDA functions into the whole package. But until then, the Miniket VP-M105, which retails for P54,995, is the latest in multi-tasking compact devices available for capturing our thoughts, our music and our memories.