Yellowknife (Dec 06/04) - Ten years ago, when cell phones were the size of a breadbasket and digital cameras were almost non-existent, a combination of the two may have seemed like pure science fiction.

But today, digital camera phones are so popular the U.S. government recently banned them from military bases in Iraq.

Rob Yeomans, an employee at Radio Shack in Yellowknife's Centre Square Mall, poses with a newly released digital camera phone that allows you to talk and take pictures. - Andrew Raven/NNSL photo

The decision was made after the Defence Department discovered they were used to take several pictures of inmate abuse at Iraq's now infamous Abu Ghraib prison.

There is only one problem for customers in the NWT: it is impossible to download or send pictures from your camera because our cellular system is incapable of carrying data, said Gwen Forbes, an employee at Radio Shack in the YK Centre.

Her store carries several makes of digital camera phones including industry heavyweights like Sanyo, Nokia and Samsung, but sales have been predictably slow.

"All you can do is look at the photo on the phone, so there aren't very many buyers," said Forbes.

Rob Yeomans, a salesperson with the Radio Shack in the Centre Square Mall, said it would be about five months before a system is in place to transfer pictures over the cellular network in the NWT.

"People seem to be excited and we have already sold a few," Yeomans said.

The price of a digital camera phone depends largely on the service contract you sign.

Bell Mobility, which operates towers in the NWT, offers phones from $119 to $199 with a 36-month contract.

If you prefer to go with prepaid talk-time minutes the prices range from $314 to $319. For those looking for something more, Samsung offers the SPH-A680, a 96-gram phone that doubles as a camcorder.

The unit has the ability to transmit video and act as a still camera with a 10X zoom lens. But beware of sticker shock -- the phone retails for about $500.

The price of using all these extras can get expensive.

Bell Mobility charges you up to 50 cents to send a picture to an email account or another cell phone once you have exceeded your monthly limit, which in some cases is as low as 10 images.

The company also charges 75 cents per video.

Costs aside, Yeomans believes the camera phones will be extremely popular in the NWT.

"It's just a matter of time," he said.

So whether you are taking a picture of a naked Iraqi detainee being menaced by a snarling German shepherd, or Grandma Betty's 90th birthday party at Cameron Falls, there is a digital camera phone out there for you.