The moment it 'clicked'
By Erica Hill
CNN Headline News
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When you need to take a picture on the spur of the moment, a camera phone can come in handy.
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(CNN) -- I like technology. It's cool, it's fun, and it often makes life easier. Still, there are times I sit back and think, "WHY?"
Exhibit A: The camera-phone. Sure, it's a cool idea, but they're a little pricey, and why do you need one, anyway? Why not spend an extra $100 and get a good digital camera. All I want is a cell phone that works well; get that down, then we'll talk image-swapping.
It turns out, when you want a picture the most -- especially to share -- you may not have a camera with you. Even if you did, you couldn't share it instantaneously. That is exactly why I needed one on Saturday night.
One of my closest friends was in town, and we were meeting some people for dinner. There was a fair amount of activity near the restaurant when we arrived at 8:45 p.m., and lots of girls waiting to get into a club across the street from the restaurant. We didn't think much of it.
Fast-forward 30 minutes: we're seated at our table, directly in front of the window overlooking the street and the club. The line now stretches down the block, around the corner and out of sight. Everyone is dressed in black, and there is an air of excitement outside.
P. Diddy -- formerly known as Puffy, and known to his mother as Sean Combs -- was "throwing" a party across the street that night. My un-hip self would have never known had we not decided neo-Southern food would be perfect for an out-of-town guest.
Understandably, the demand for entry far out-weighed the supply. At one point, the Fire Marshall came by, and the police repeatedly tried to clear the streets, but as soon as they emptied, people would poor out again, desperate for a chance to see or meet the man himself.
From the restaurant, we moved to a front-row seat at the bar next-door. We scored a picnic table on the patio, and didn't move.
The people-watching was incredible. We called friends, made new ones, were shocked speechless a number of times by outfits, even saw record producer Jermaine Dupree's black Bentley narrowly escape a towing, but no explaining would do the event justice. We needed a camera phone. Imagine the pictures! Sharing the evening could only happen through visuals -- we didn't have them.
On top of the lack o' camera phone, we lacked a camera, but it didn't matter. These were pictures that needed to be shared instantaneously -- they wouldn't be nearly as interesting the next day.
Finally, it clicked... or didn't, since I was lacking the camera phone. I know why you'd want a camera phone -- and it goes far beyond P. Diddy's fans. It's the instant connection, and truth in an old adage: a picture is worth a thousand words.
