Snap Happy

By Maryanne Murray Buechner

A camera in your cell phone isn't a gimmick anymore. The latest models take pictures at 1.3 megapixels--quadruple the resolution of last year's standard phones--and boast extras like built-in flash and digital zoom. Here's how four hot models from three service providers stack up in hands-on tests, plus tips for all picture takers. --By Maryanne Murray Buechner

Sony Ericsson S710

Cingular; $400

This sleek handset features a swiveling 2-in. screen. It produced the sharpest, most detailed images of all the phones we tested, and has enough memory to store as many as 300 shots.

Samsung p777

Cingular; $300

Confusing menus make this small slide-open handset tough to navigate, but images are crisp and vibrant, even as 4-by-6 glossies. It stores up to 500 photos and has a USB cable for quick transfers to your PC.

LG VX8000

Verizon; $270

The flat, wide design gives you ample thumb room; it's easy to set brightness and zoom. The images were decent, but colors sometimes looked flat. The LG stores up to 200 pictures and about 20 min. of video.

Sanyo MM-5600

Sprint PCS; $280

Shooting, storing and sharing are all a snap, and you can set up audio alerts--like "Say cheese"--to give subjects fair warning. Images looked very good; a "macro" lens lets you capture fine print on business cards.

INSTANT GRATIFICATION

The Canon iP90 printer ($250) accepts wireless transmissions from Bluetooth or infrared-enabled camera phones like the Sony Ericsson S710 (reviewed above). In tests, it took less than 30 sec. to beam and print an image, which the iP90 automatically re-sized to fit 4-by-6 photo paper.

TIPS & TRICKS

one

For best results, set picture quality to fine and resolution to the highest pixel count. Tell subjects to keep still, and hold your hand steady even after you press the capture button. There's usually a slight delay before the image registers on the device, so any movement could blur the shot.

two

Because the flash on a camera phone won't illuminate beyond a few feet, it's best to stick to close-ups in low light. On some models, the flash shuts off automatically between shots, so make sure to turn it back on.

three

You can send a picture to any e-mail address, or to another camera phone that's on the same service. (Verizon customers can now send photos to their Cingular friends and vice versa.) Save e-mail addresses to your address book before you start snapping, so you don't waste time retyping them each time you want to send a picture.

four

To share multiple images, upload them to your online album--a one-button operation on most services--and send friends the link.

five

If your battery is running low, go to Camera Settings, and then click on the Display menu to switch off or dim the backlights for your keypad and screen.