It shouldn't surprise anybody that Sprint launched the first megapixel camera phone (actually the first two) in the U.S. Its PCS Vision data service, with an emphasis on Picture Mail, is perhaps the biggest allure Sprint has to offer. I wish it would pay as much attention to network coverage, especially in rural areas, as it does taking and sending pictures wirelessly. Coverage complaints aside, the PCS Vision system is easy and useful.

The PM-8920 doesn't look a whole lot different than earlier camera phones and, thankfully, it's no larger. It has all of the bells and whistles, too: crazy frames, color effects like sepia and negative, and brightness and white balance control. The flash — really just an LED on the front — looks like it wouldn't do much, but it really means the difference between a closeup turning out crisp or murky.

It would be nice for the phone's screen to be a higher resolution, to give you a better idea of how your pictures turned out. To find out, you have to upload them to Sprint's servers and then download them on your computer. This a swift and error-free process, provided you're somewhere covered by Sprint's data service. Still, I wish the phone had another way to transfer pictures to computer, one that didn't require a $5-per-month subscription. A flash memory card or a Bluetooth wireless connection would make dumping photos more of a local experience.

How did the pictures turn out? They're OK. They did not blow my mind, but when printed out, there's a visible difference between these and some earlier camera-phone shots. Outdoor photos came out best. On occasion, though, things were distorted and some colors just didn't come out right. It pays to study the camera settings, and keep your hand steady even after you think you've taken the picture.

Regardless of this phone's performance, the results are definitely inspiring. We're on the way to one day having a phone/camera combination that really works. Here's a suggestion to speed up the process: Canon could start making phones.