Mobile imaging is here to stay and through the EPIC initiative SanDisk aims to help drive this growth by partnering with mobile manufacturers and taking a holistic view to mobile device imaging to provide greater image quality and a more enjoyable user experience.
Mobile phone photography is here to stay. This is no longer a prediction but a statement. You can see by (1) the lines between compact cameras and mobile phone cameras becoming ever more blurred in terms of resolutions, features and functionalities and (2) the behavior of users.
Given this rise in mobile photography, it is time that device manufacturers begin thinking about their devices as a camera that makes phone calls, rather than a phone that allows users to simply take pictures. And that’s where the EPIC initiative comes in.
EPIC stands for Extreme Photo Imaging Capability and is a SanDisk initiative to denote smartphones that take a holistic view to mobile imaging. A camera is much more than just a good sensor with more resolution. Therefore, creating a device to capture high quality images that will in turn give a great user experience requires an all-encompassing approach to device design.
Of course, there are challenges in mobile device design but technology is moving forwards rapidly and by concentrating on mobile imaging we are beginning to see devices that rival, or in some cases better, traditional compact cameras. (In turn, of course, expect to see camera manufacturers advance their technology.)
Over the rest of 2015 and in to 2016, SanDisk will be partnering with handset manufacturers, OEMs and application developers to standardize the EPIC program. They will also work with testing labs to measure image quality and standardize the mobile device imaging performance testing. Coupled with their extensive know-how is their commitment in helping drive mobile device imaging forwards with the ultimate goal of enabling the most satisfying user experience with their mobile devices.
To qualify as an EPIC device, a smartphone will need to meet certain specification standards as well as score above a certain level in the lab tests. In this way, the EPIC brand, or ‘tag’, will ensure end-users a device that is not simply a mass of great parts bundled together, but that these great parts interact well and provide both high image quality and a greater user imaging experience.
Coming up in the next blog post we’ll take a look at computational photography and how it is changing the mobile device landscape and helping to overcome some of the challenges of mobile imaging.
