The Apple iPad doesn’t have a camera, which means you can’t use it for taking pictures, shooting movies, or making video calls. But it didn’t take long for someone to come up with a software solution. In fact, there are now two options available for download from the iTunes store, Camera for iPad and Camera A/B.Both let you link your iPhone’s camera to an iPad over WiFi.
In a nutshell you install a camera app on both an iPad and an iPhone 3GS (Earlier models won’t work). When both apps are running, the iPhone camera works like a wireless webcam for the iPad. Whatever your iPhone camera is pointed at will show up on your iPad over a USB connection. You can use the app’s controls on the iPad to snap a photo. You can also adjust the settings to save all photos to both your iPad and iPhone.
Right now the apps work over a Bluetooth connection, which makes transferring photos from the phone to the iPad kind of slow. And since you basically need an iPhone in order to use the camera anyway, it kind of makes you wonder what the point is of using the app in the first place. But these apps definitely have potential.
For instance, if the developers can come up with a way to initiate a faster WiFi connection, you might be able to use the app to make video calls using an iPad, which would be kind of nifty, since the iPhone camera is on the back of the phone, making video chat a little tricky if you’re using a single device.
Or you could just wait for Apple to release the upcoming Appel Camera Connection Kit.
Camera for iPad is available from the iTunes store (
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/camera-for-ipad/id366129244?mt=8) for $0.99. You need to install it on both the iPad and iPhone.
Camera A/B comes in two parts: Camera A (
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/camera-a/id363441925?mt=8) costs $0.99 and gets installed on your iPad. Camera B (
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/camera-b/id363442203?mt=8) is a free download for your iPhone.
