Nikon announced a new WiFi camera, the COOLPIX S7c, and a hosting service, the COOLPIX CONNECT, this week at Photokina 2006.

The COOLPIX S7c camera ($349.95), is a slim, point-and-shoot with Vibration Reduction, 7.1 megapixels and a 3x Zoom-Nikkor ED glass lens. It will be available nationwide in September 2006.

The built-in Wi-Fi provides built-in 802.11b/g WiFi to enable photographers to send pictures from the camera’s memory to a computer on demand.

For wireless shooting, it lets users transfer each image to the computer as soon as it is captured. Wireless printing sends images directly to the printer for printing on a PictBridge-compatible printer.

The COOLPIX S7c also connects to Nikon’s all-new COOLPIX CONNECT service.

That service lets users take pictures and then e-mail them directly from the camera, wirelessly. No computer necessary. You select recipients from the in-camera address list (up to 30 addresses may be entered), then send them straight away, using the camera’s built-in Wi-Fi.

The COOLPIX CONNECT hosting service is compatible with most open domestic Wi-Fi access points, including T-Mobile Hotspots in the U.S.A., which Nikon has a deal with. Whether or not the camera will work directly with other photo sites (like Flickr) is not yet clear.

Every Nikon COOLPIX S7c includes one year of complimentary T-Mobile Hotspot Wi-Fi service (for digital cameras) with the opportunity to connect in over 7,000 T-Mobile locations in the U.S.

The service enables a total of up to 50MB of images to be sent to the Nikon COOLPIX Connect server and stored there for up to two weeks. It also sends an email to each specified recipient with a thumbnail and a link to the page, allowing users to invite friends and family members to view the images right away, and download the images to their own computer or enjoy them as a slideshow.

At $350 a pop (probably less on the street) and with T-Mobile (or private) wireless connections straight from the camera, this unit might be the handiest device yet for event bloggers (with the possible exception of a cameraphone).

Read more at: http://dailywireless.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=5749&src=rss10.