In tests at Sony's IFA booth -- a noisy wireless environment -- it worked well over a distance of about 20 centimeters, but the video occasionally froze for a moment. Sony says it should work as far as 300 meters when used outdoors with little interference.

Under the video image on the cellphone screen is a shutter button -- hit it to take a picture. In the IFA test, there was a delay of about two thirds of a second between pressing the shutter button on a Sony Android phone and the camera taking a picture.

Once the picture is taken, the original is stored in the camera's memory and a 2-megapixel version is sent to the smartphone or tablet. It can be reviewed and, without heading back to the camera, another picture taken.

The prototype model on show at IFA wasn't without its problems. The phone app failed to receive a copy of the third picture I took, and at least one of the cameras on stage was having WiFi problems, but such problems are not unusual with prototype software.

With the introduction of WiFi, Sony is also bring the idea of downloadable apps to cameras, the remote control being one example. The camera can also share photos with other devices, such as TVs or computers, over the WiFi link.