Will your camera run Android someday ?

Android, the ever popular Linux-based mobile operating system, has managed to work its way into smartphones, tablets, and embedded devices. Interestingly, the next step for Android seems to be taking over the digital camera market. Historically, digital cameras use proprietary firmware that is specific to the manufacturer’s products. Standardized (and more open) camera OSes have tried in the past and failed to catch on, but Android may just be the open operating system that cameras have been waiting for.

In an internet-connected world where smartphone cameras have become the primary camera of opportunity for many people, compact digital cameras do not hold the luster that they once did. Despite having larger sensors, better lenses, longer zooms, and more control over the resulting photos, the simplicity and instant sharing of smartphones has relegated compact cameras to second tier devices. Camera manufacturers and researchers have tried various sharing (over WiFi) features, but they have never been as convenient and easy to use as the camera apps found in the latest mobile operating systems. Hackable operating systems have also existed, most notably CHDK for Canon cameras, but a standardized and cross-manufacturer OS has yet to be adopted.

If any open source operating system can make its way into cameras, it’s Android. In fact recent rumors suggest that Samsung, which is heavily invested in alternative operating systems like Tizen and Android, is looking into the feasibility of using the Android operating system to power its future digital cameras. Should this turn into a trend that most camera manufacturers follow, Android could help to revitalize the compact digital camera market by bringing the best parts of the smartphone camera to “real” camera hardware.

Android has already found its way into some other Samsung devices, such as this fridge

With Android, you would have an open operating system that can easily be tinkered with and would be similar across manufacturers. Pending hardware support, you could easily share your photos and stream your videos to the internet using a cellular connection and an accompanying Android application. You would further be able to add functionality to the camera by adding apps, including augmented reality games, camera tutorials, and social network integration.

Underneath what will likely be a custom interface (akin to TouchWiz on smartphones), is the Linux-based Android kernel that you can harness to play around with computational photography techniques. Following in the footsteps of the Camera 2.0 research performed by Stanford, Android could provide a malleable platform to implement HDR, panoramic image stitching, and other interesting features that can extend the functionality and possibilities of images taken in a variety of situations. Camera 2.0 was capable of turning an N900 smartphone into a rather powerful camera, but it remained very niche software. With Android, researchers and developers could focus on a single OS to provide you with some powerful imaging options.