I saw these “single-use” digital cameras the other week and after getting over the shock of their existence, the shop assistant told me there were a number of hacks in the wild to do things like make them multi-use, ie, download the pictures, etc.
But I had no idea you could do all this. Like any other digital device (the iPod comes to mind) there are features in the hardware that the vendor may not provide access to, which is where the hackers come in.
Use the (PureDigital) Dakota Digital Camera with your PC:
The Dakota Digital Camera is one of several inexpensive ($10.99 MSRP) single-use digital cameras currently on the market in the US. Picture quality is a bit lacking, but acceptable for Web images and the like, and certainly not bad for the price. These are available at participating Ritz or Wolf Camera stores, or can be ordered by phone at 1-877-690-0099 (no online ordering, apparently). The camera is easily adapted from single-use to many-use following the instructions below, and is powered by two easily-replaced AA batteries. While they are sold with the intention that you return them at some point for processing (they give you prints and a photo CD, but keep the camera), there is nothing (no contract, rental agreement, deposit, etc.) that actually requires you to return it–once you buy it, it’s yours to do with as you please.
This is amazing stuff: the webcam idea is especially interesting. A reasonable webcam for less than $20? Why not?
Here’s the business model these hackers have trashed . . . .
Dakota Digital Single Use Camera Teardown / Disassembly Reverse-Engineering Report:
The Dakota Digital is a single-use digital camera developed by San Francisco-based Pure Digital Technologies. For a customer “rental” cost of $10.99, the camera includes a 12 Mbyte internal memory and a 1.3 Megapixel CMOS sensor capable of taking 25 snapshots. The camera must be returned and surrendered to a participating store for photo processing, which includes a set of four-by-six color prints, an index sheet, and a photo CD of the images, all for an additional $10.99. Photos can not be accessed with a home computer and used cameras are refurbished for subsequent re-use. The camera contains a self-timer and flash, and although there is no picture monitor, the last photo taken can be deleted.
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