This compact new Coolpix model from Nikon has a 10-megapixel sensor, 4x zoom, and an integrated Wi-Fi capability that lets you email or post photos without going near a computer. The wireless system works at public Wi-Fi hotspots, including those with security protection if you have password, but Nikon has gone one step further, arranging for free access through thousands of hotspots from coast to coast, including many McDonalds restaurants, airports and hotels,  via the Wayport network. Bundle all of this together into a sleek little package, and it'll set you back $299.99

The wireless system works in conjunction with Nikon's free My Picturetown service, where you can upload your images and email them out to people, either directly from your camera or from your computer. While we did find entering text into fields using the camera controls a bit tedious, on the whole it was a fully functional system that works as promised. The only major issue we have is the inability to log onto paid wireless networks that aren't part of the Wayport system. That would require a built-in web browser, which is missing in action.

The camera's lens is quite fast, with a maximum aperture of f/2.7 (and a minimum of f/11.6), and a 4x zoom ratio, enabling fast shutter speeds even with marginal indoor lighting. Apart from that, the hardware of the camera is pretty pedestrian. Shutter speeds run from 4 seconds to 1/1500 second, and the ISO ranges from 100 to 3200 (one stop higher than most compacts). The Coolpix provides minimal manual control, most noticeably lacking in aperture- or shutter-priority exposure modes.

The S610c is quite small, measuring 3.7 in. wide, 2.2 in. high and 0.9 in. deep (94 x 57 x 22.4mm) and weighing 4.6 oz (130g) without memory card or battery. The right inch of the camera's back  is helpfully concave, which makes it easy to grip. However, the controls are extremely cramped, and using them for any length of time (when entering names and passwords for a wireless network, for example) is liable to leave one with a sore thumb.

Performance (read in-depth lab performance at Digitalcamerainfo.com)
Our extensive battery of lab tests turned up a mixed bag of results when it comes to performance and image quality.  Some test scores were strictly average, like color accuracy, image noise for Auto ISO settings, low light and video performance. The camera really  struggled with image sharpness and achieving accurate white balance results, but did well with manual image noise levels and dynamic range.

The S610c is extremely fast to startup, taking less than a second to do so, which means there's almost no delay between pulling the camera out of your pocket and being ready to shoot. In continuous shooting mode, the S610c shot 1.3 frames per second and took 1.8 seconds on average to process each image, both of which are respectable numbers.

Comparisons (read in-depth comparisons at Digitalcamerainfo.com)
We compared the Nikon Coolpix S610c to four other cameras: the slightly older Nikon Coolpix S510, the Casio Exilim EX-Z300, the Samsung TL34HD and the Sony CyberShot DSC-T700.

The older Nikon currently costs $150. While you'll only get 8-megapixel resolution, and you won't have Wi-Fi, it is half the price of the S610c. You will take a bit of a performance hit though, as the S510 performed worse in every lab testing category bar white balance.

The Casio shoot at 10 megapixels, has a 4x zoom and costs $300, just like the S610c, but it doesn't have any fancy features like Wi-Fi, and is burdened by an annoying interface system. The Casio scored better for color, resolution, noise, low light and video, but in general these were only minor differences.

The TL34HD from Samsung is a little touch-screen camera that we chose as our point-and-shoot of the year. While you won't get to upload over Wi-Fi, there is a significant resolution advantage (14.7 vs 10 megapixels), a good user interface, responsive touch screen, HD video, and better scores for auto noise, white balance, color and resolution.

The Sony T700 is an incredibly sleek touch-screen camera that boasts an impressive 4 gigabytes of internal memory, more or less dispensing with the need for memory cards. While it is a bit on the pricey side ($400), and is plagued by an inaccurate touch-screen, it did score better on color, resolution and white balance tests when compared to the Nikon.