Portable information communication apparatus with rotating mechanism

Abstract

An information communication apparatus for conducting information communication such as a telephone conversation, sending and reception of E-mails and the like and for capturing an image of a subject comprises an image capturing unit for capturing an image through the zoom optical system, and a body unit for displaying an image and accepting a user's input. A rotating mechanism is provided between the image capturing unit and the body unit. When a user conducts information communication or carries the information communication apparatus, the image capturing unit is positioned so that the optical axis of the zoom optical system is substantially parallel to a display screen of a display. This prevents impairment of the portability of the information communication apparatus. When the user captures an image, the image capturing unit is positioned so that the optical axis of the zoom optical system is substantially perpendicular to the display screen of the display. This allows the user to capture images of a subject behind the body unit and the face of the user while viewing the display.