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Internet Car-nography

Time was when people worried about pornographers on the Internet. Now it's facing high-tech car salesmen!

Auckland firm Japanese Car Bazaar has set up a system which means dealers are no longer restricted to the stock they have in the yard; they can sell a car located on the other side of the world, using digital images flashed across the Internet.

Digital cameras, such as Casio's Digital QV-10, might be helping change the way things are bought and sold.

"Because the camera develops pictures by plugging into the computer the process is incredibly quick. Cars can be viewed almost instantly and sold just as quickly," says Richard Howard, director of Japanese Car Bazaar and Autonet, the firm developing the software used.

The camera has a memory bank capable of storing up to 96 images. Howard says the customers are able to scan the Auto Net page, select a car they like and choose a part of the car they want to view more closely by simply clicking the mouse. The range of pictures means they can check the car's condition inside and out and look at potential problem areas.

Real estate agents and other business needing to send images from the field to the office can also benefit from the technology.