Samsung SMART Camera gets smarter with Evernote integration

Evernote in my digital camera!

Recognizing the growing importance of Evernote in the document and photo management space, Samsung is integrating the service into its WB250F SMART Camera. Now you'll be able to sync photos directly from the camera, without having to use a computer as an intermediary.

Like many new digital cameras, the $250 WB250F includes Wi-Fi, so you'll still need to be in range of a wireless network if you want to sync, but cutting out the middleman of having to download pictures to a computer should speed things up for those of us who areEvernote obsessed.

Samsung is also bundling three months' worth of Evernote Premium with the camera, giving you loads of extra storage space.

If you're not an Evernote power-user, this announcement might not initially seem a big deal, but those who rely on the system are likely to find myriad uses here. Let's look at a handful of potential use cases.

Documentation of events and items—The world has moved en masse to cameraphones, but even the best phone cameras don't give you the flexibility and power of a standalone digital camera. With high-power zoom, a better flash, and advanced options like color and style filters, a regular camera is always going to give you more to work with, not to mention overall better quality. For issues where resolution really matters—advertising, insurance claims, and such—a cell phone often just won't do. The ability to share very high resolution photos directly from the camera is a convenient time saver.

Easy sharing of photographs—Evernote is finding increasing utility not just as a personal database of documents and photographs but as a system by which teams can work on these databases together. Getting a digital photo from your camera to your co-workers generally means plugging it into your computer, copying the photos to your hard drive, then emailing them to those who need them. Even though you can send email directly from cameras like the WB250F, using Evernote to share photos is far easier and saves you the trouble of having to type in email addresses or select them from a tiny address book every time you want to send people a picture.

Instant backup—Another clever way to use Evernote is as a backup system. Considering how few of us back up our laptops or phones, how many people are really backing up their digital cameras? Evernote gives you another option for keeping backup copies of important photographs without having to connect to your computer directly. Just sync key pictures to the service and let a spare copy live in the cloud. Sounds like a perfect way to archive, say, photographic documentation of your property which you can use for insurance purposes.

The WB250F SMART Camera is available in cobalt black, white, red and dark blue.