Sony camera cuts the cord

Cyber-shot DSC-G1

(Credit: Sony Electronics)

Wi-Fi? Pffft. Sony's late to the wireless photography party, but it bypasses the hot spot in favor of the connected home. Its Cyber-shot DSC-G1 integrates DLNA--Digital Living Network Alliance--wireless connectivity, a superset of Wi-Fi that adds interdevice recognition. So far, though, there aren't many DLNA-enabled devices.

Besides, with its 921,000-pixel, 3.5-inch LCD screen, the G1 is practically a TV (in contrast, the usual camera LCD has about 220,000 pixels). Two gigabytes of internal memory make it possible to carry your whole photo library around with you for display on that huge LCD.

Cyber-shot DSC-G1

(Credit: Sony Electronics)

The G1 looks pretty ordinary in all other respects: A 6-megapixel ultracompact with a relatively slow, narrow f/3.5-4.3 38mm-114mm 3X zoom lens. It does use Sony's SuperSteadyShot optical image stabilization, and offers a 640x480 30fps movie mode; interestingly, it does not use Sony's MPEG VX MPEG-2 recording, instead switching to MPEG-4.

Sony rates the G1's performance with a .24-second shutter lag and 1.1-second shot-to-shot time, which sounds pretty promising. The battery's CIPA-standard capacity is only 280 shots, probably thanks to that mammoth LCD.

All this beauty doesn't come cheap, however. When it ships in April, the Cyber-shot DSC-G1 will go for a pricey $600.