Nokia Gets Called Out for Faking It

Struggling Finnish smartphone giant Nokia (NYS: NOK) has just unveiled its newest flagship smartphone, the first to be built on Microsoft's (NAS: MSFT) Windows Phone 8 platform. One of the features that Nokia spent a lot of time on during the presentation was the inclusion of a PureView camera, its new brand of mobile imaging technology.

One of the image sensor's capabilities is optical image stabilization, or OIS. It's pretty much exactly what it sounds like: it stabilizes your optical image while shooting video on your smartphone. To demonstrate, Nokia put up a marketing video highlighting OIS showing a side-by-side comparison of video shot with and without OIS.

In it, a young couple decides to go for a leisurely and presumably romantic sunset bike ride, with the man shown wielding a Lumia 920 and shooting a video of his main flame. The difference in stability is simply amazing. A little too amazing, it turns out.

The sleuths over at The Verge noticed something near the end of the clip. In the reflection of a passing car, you can plainly see that it's not merely a guy on a bike shooting video on his precious Lumia 920. Rather, it's clearly a camera crew in a van driving alongside and wielding what appears to be a DSLR.

Source: The Verge.

The sad thing is that image stabilization is a legitimate feature that benefits many a mobile shutterbug, except now Nokia has lost credibility by faking it in a shameless marketing video.

Nokia has since issued a formal apology via its official blog, trying to make amends by saying the video was merely intended to simulate what PureView sensors will be able to deliver, and that it should have included disclaimers that it was a simulation. "We apologize for the confusion we created," the post read.

The company also included another video demonstration of OIS that hopefully isn't faked this time, and the difference in image stabilization really is notable, calling into question why a fake was even made in the first place if the real deal is nearly as impressive.

This slip-up is just sloppy. Come on, Nokia. If you're going to fake something, fake it right.

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