Look deep into the beating black heart of this beast, the Nikon Coolpix S800c, a happy-snapper with Gingerbread as it’s OS:

Nikon Coolpix S800c key specifications:

• 16MP 1/2.3″-type BSI CMOS sensor
• 25-250mm equivalent F3.2-5.8 lens
• 3.5″ WVGA OLED touchscreen
• Android v2.3 operating system
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS
• 2GB of internal memory (690MB of this for Apps)
• Up to 8fps continuous shooting
• 1080p video at 30 frames per second

It’s going to go on sale for US$350. Users can download new apps for the camera from Google’s Play Store and upload content direction to social networking sites such as MySpace, Ping and Friendster. That is, if the camera was from 1999. Leg-pulling aside, it’ll take one click to publish videos and images to Facebook and Twitter over wireless.

It’s a pity about Android 2.3 or Gingerbread as the OS. We’re up to Jelly Bean now which runs like a dream. Gingerbread’s a real step back, but it’s a camera, not phone so the demand on the OS won’t be as great. Also, it’s not the world’s first Android camera. The Polaroid SC1630 beat Nikon to the punch when it launched earlier this year. Regardless, it’s a step in the right direction for point-click-and-forget cameras and a telling sign of the future of consumer devices. An OS as light as Gingerbread can be strapped to anything, so why not cameras?

[Image credit]