I'm not sure how many of you saw this, but this gave me a smile (pun inteded).

As you know, many of the P&S cameras have face detection technology built-in, where the camera can identify a face in the scene and then focus on it (called "face priority").

Well, now Sony has come out with two P&S camera models that not only has face detection, but also has smile detection.

Now only if they would combine that technology with one that makes sure the subject isn't blinking!

You can read about it here:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0708/07082101sonyt200t70.asp

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2007-10-03-sony-cybershot-dsc-t200_N.htm

What happens if no one's smiling in the picture ...

... the sensor goes into an endless loop searching for the smile and burns itself out?

They should invent the camera which automatically changes faces in order to put smiles on everybody. Such a waste of time to wait for everybody to be smiling at the same time ! Shouldn't be difficult, Photoshop Element already allows to put people in picture where they don't belong... Or what about a bracketing function with an automatic merge at the end of the process, and a clean picture with everybody smiling ?

(if they could eradicate also litter in the background, clouds in front of the sun, shadows on faces, long teeths and large ears... but I think for all this we'll have to wait at least two more years)...