Camefo due for Japanese market, bringing videophone functionality to GameBoy Advance owners.
Tokyo--Japanese network solutions company Digital Act says it will soon release a device for Nintendo"s Game Boy Advance that allows the portable game machine to be used as a videophone system. The device, named the Camefo Advance (tentative title), uses a cartridge with an internal microcamera and a headset with earphone and microphone. Communicating with other users can be done by connecting a phone line to the cartridge and then dialing a number with the GBA"s directional pad and A/B buttons.
When the devices are connected, the GBA"s screen will show the person talking on the opposite line and allows the two users to engage in a videoconference using their respective headsets. The device uses battery power from the GBA and requires no additional external power source. Normal phone charges will apply. The Camefo Advance is scheduled for a Japanese release in mid-December at a price of around 13,000 yen ($110). The product carries an official license from Nintendo.