January 11, 2006
Camera-Phone Photos Improve
Electronics makers are racing to improve the quality of photographs taken by cellphone cameras, reports the WSJ.
"... The push for higher resolution could mean that some camera cellphones would rival disposable cameras and eventually even some stand-alone digital cameras in picture quality by offering a great number of megapixels.
... In the US, sales of phones with integrated cameras rose to more than 53 million last year from 22 million in 2004, according to Yankee Group. Out of the $6.6 billion spent on phone purchases in the U.S. last year, consumers spent $4.1 billion on camera phones.
While incorporating cameras into phones could threaten the future of one-time use cameras - sales of single-use cameras dropped by 15% in 2005, the opposite is true for sales of stand-alone digital cameras. Consumers are having their first experiences with digital photography via their cellphones. If they like what they see, they might buy digital cameras as well."
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