By Khurram Aziz | Nov 23, 2012 12:39 PM EST
Black Eyed Peas star Will.i.am is set to globally launch his new iPhone hardware next week which he says "will turn your smartphone into a genius-phone."
Due to be announced in London, next week, the first product in his new venture, i.am+, will be a clip on camera which turns the iPhone's 8MP camera into a 14MP device, said to be able to dramatically enhances the clarity and definition of photographs.
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Speaking to The Telegraph Web site, the popstar said, "We have our own sensor and a better flash. You dock you phone into our device and it turns you smartphone into a genius-phone. We take over the camera."
The camera will be the first of a series of digital products that bear Will.i.am's name after the singer began investing in what he calls "digital real estate" online. He now owns the domain www.i.am, which uses the country-code web domain for Armenia. The website will link to his products allowing customers of i.am+ accessories to create online profiles, for example www.i.am/Will.
Will.i.am isn't the first pop star to venture into consumer electronics. In 2006, rapper Dr Dre created Beats by Dr Dre - a maker of audio equipment in which HTC invested $300m in 2011 for a 51% stake.
Other popstars, including Soul by Ludacris, Sync by 50 Cent, and House of Marley have also entered the headphones/audio market, but Will.i.am is the first to lend his name to cameras and smartphone accessories.
The award winning musician said he came up with the idea for the camera attachment at a photo shoot in London in 2008.
"I was just hanging out afterwards, and one of the models took an iPhone picture, which circulated the planet before the shoot was even over," he told The Telegraph. "I took one of the photographer's lenses and held it up on my [phone] and said 'imagine this one day.' Then I said: 'I'm going to do this'."
Apple has granted Will.i.am a license to produce and sell the camera accessory and camera app for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 under the i.am+ brand. However, the singer promises that a larger range of tech hardware will follow.
The accessories will be officially launched at a press conference in London on Wednesday 28 November.
The i.am+ camera also features on the music video of his forthcoming single Scream and Shout - a collaboration with Britney Spears that is included on his new solo album - Will Power.
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