Sony launches first camera with web browser

Sony on mid-Thursday crowned its Cyber-shot news at CES with the DSC-G3. The camera is both one of Sony's few Wi-Fi equipped cameras but is the only one to include its own web browser. The addition not only allows for basic web use on the 3.5-inch touchscreen but also streamlines photo and video uploading; users can post images to Flickr, movies to YouTube, and other similar actions without having to return home to a computer. A streamlined landing page improves the experience in particular for sites like Picasa.

The Internet access also turns the point-and-shoot into a makeshift media center and offers DLNA support that lets it share its photos over the local wireless network with other DLNA hardware, including Sony's own PS3 and more recent network-equipped TVs.

As a camera, the G3 generates 10-megapixel shots and carries a 4X lens with optical stabilization; it's weighted equally towards beginners and moderate users with options for fully automatic scene setting adjustments, now including the dynamic range, as well as face and smile detection. The pocket unit supports Memory Stick for removable storage but carries 4GB of its own flash.

Sony produces the new Cyber-shot only in black and is already selling the camera today for $500.