Digital camera SoCs are actually multi-core ARM with a DSP on bus and tons of RAM, and actually do what GP proposes(boots up and goes to sleep when battery is inserted). Some runs Linux, some really obscure RTOS. Lots of SoCs are OEM'd, but no one talks who supplies who. All those cheap plastic looking body shells are paper thin cast magnesium in black paint, not even aluminum. Some has Peltier based active cooling for years.

The bunches of hackers behind those... they don't like talking to anyone on anything unless you're asking about marketed features on finished products, or you show a badge or a business card they recognize. So the Internet never knows.