Samsung has announced the Samsung Pixon12, the first 12-megapixel camera phone in the world. The Samsung Pixon12 boasts a 28mm equivalent lens, a 3.1” touch-sensitive AMOLED screen that also enables AF point selection via a touch of your fingertips, AF tracking, one-touch access to the camera function, a shot-to-shot time of just 2 seconds, a Xenon flash and a Smart Auto feature that intelligently picks the right scene mode based on an analysis of the scene in front of the camera’s lens. Videos are recorded at a resolution of 720x480 pixels at 30 frames per second and are saved using the H.264 codec.The phone’s high-connectivity functions including Wi-Fi and HSUPA capabilities mean that users’ photos can be shared with their friends in no time, Samsung says. The Samsung Pixon12 will be available from end of June in European countries and it will be expanded to other regions in August.

According to In-Stat, continued uptake of cameras in mobile phones and notebook PCs is driving growth in the area-array image sensor market. Research shows that camera phones accounted for nearly 81% of sensor shipments in the world and that CMOS imagers massively outweighed CCDs in 2008. However, the latter statement does not apply to dedicated digital still cameras - CMOS sensors are not forecast to surpass CCDs until 2013 in this segment. The main sensor makers include Aptina, MagnaChip, OmniVision Technologies, Sharp, Sony, and Panasonic.

The Nokia N86 is a new 8 megapixel camera phone offering performance comparable to a stand-alone digital camera. The Nokia N86 8MP is designed to excel in both bright and low light conditions and it’s optimized for both video and still imaging. “People demand mobile cameras that take excellent pictures in all light conditions,” says Juha-Pekka Sipponen, Director, Nokia Nseries. “That’s why the aperture of the Nokia N86 8MP is comparable to that of a high-quality, stand-alone digital camera. Whether it’s running with the bulls in Pamplona or capturing the panoramic beauty of a sunrise over Sydney, the Nokia N86 8MP will take brilliantly clear, wide-angle images that are instantly geotagged to be uploaded onto sites like Ovi Share or Flickr.” The Nokia N86 8MP will be available in the second quarter of 2009 for an estimated retail price of EUR 375.

The Samsung Memoir is a new 8 megapixel touch-screen camera phone. The Memoir, available exclusively from T-Mobile in the USA, is designed to look and feel like a point-and-shoot digital camera, with a built-in 8 megapixel camera with Xenon flash, 16x digital zoom and five shooting modes. “This is the camera phone that will make people want to leave their digital camera at home,” said Bill Ogle, Chief Marketing Officer for Samsung Mobile. “When you combine the Memoir’s imaging capabilities, customizable menus and music player, not only is it a great phone, but the entertainment possibilities are unlimited.”

Sony have unveiled a 12.25 megapixel CMOS sensor for use in camera phones. The 1/2.5 CMOS “Exmor” image sensor features the industry’s smallest unit cell size (1.4µm), highest pixel count, and 10 frames/s continuous shooting. Sony claim that its new sensor “realizes high-definition image quality equivalent to compact digital still cameras” - there’s a sample image with a 100% crop after the jump, so you can judge for yourselves.

The Casio W63CA is a new 8 megapixel camera phone complete with 9-point auto-focus and a 3 inch LCD screen. Only announced in Japan so far, the W63CA takes a typical Casio Exilim compact camera as its starting point, and then designs a camera phone around that, rather than trying to cram photo features into a mobile phone. The Casio W63CA features a 3.1 inch OLED screen with 480 x 800 pixels, face detection, anti-shake and Casio’s now standard YouTube video mode. The W63CA will be available in Japan in early-November.

Website: Engadget - Casio’s 8.1 megapixel W63CA with 480 x 800 pixel OLED flips out in Japan

Website: Casio Japan

Motorola challenged 8 photographers around the world to capture 24 hours in 8 of the worlds cities, using the new 5 megapixel Motozine ZN5 camera-phone. The Motorola ZN5 is the first mobile phone to combine Motorola’s ModeShift Technology and Kodak Imaging Technology. It features a high-resolution landscape screen and one of the fastest click-to-click times available for 5 megapixel camera phones. Auto-focus locks in less than one second and there are no delays when taking one photo to the next. With one touch, users can view all their photos right from the home screen, and the ZN5 is optimized to work with Kodak Easyshare Software and provide one-touch access to Kodak Gallery.

Website: Motozine ZN5

Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa will boost sales of camera phones to more than 1.3 billion in 2012, according to a new report from InfoTrends. “The developing countries are less congested, with fewer competitors and price wars, making this an excellent time to take the camera phone to those consumers” commented InfoTrends’ Senior Research Analyst Carrie Sylvester. Higher resolution phones will produce additional growth, with 5+ megapixels causing an increase in the taking, sharing, printing, and storing of photos.

The Samsung innov8 is a new 8 megapixel camera phone. The innov8 uses the latest imaging applications such as smile shot, blink shot and face recognition. Users can enjoy personalizing and editing their photos, videos and music with Movie Maker and Story Board applications. The handset also acts as a digital photo frame, allowing users to display their favorite images on the 2.8-inch LCD screen. The Samsung innov8 will be launched in Europe in August, and then other markets during September.

Printing camera phone photos at retail over the counter nearly doubled between 2007 and 2008, according to a new study from InfoTrends. “As more retailers are adding photo printing capabilities to their stores and awareness about these capabilities has increased, InfoTrends expects continued growth in the printing of camera phone photos at retail locations. Retailers can capitalize even more on this growth by marketing their digital photo printing capabilities, particularly in relation to printing directly from camera phones.” commented David Haueter, an Associate Director at InfoTrends. Photo kiosk print stations also increased in popularity, realizing almost the same level of growth.

The new Motozine ZN5 combines a high-quality phone and camera experience, incorporating Kodak Imaging Technology. The Motozine ZN5 features a 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus, a Xenon flash, 4GB of optional external memory and optimized settings for low-light environments. “Today’s creative consumers not only want to be the photographer, but also the retoucher, the exhibitor and the critic,” said Jeremy Dale, corporate vice president, mobile devices marketing, Motorola, Inc. “The Motozine ZN5 lets them be all the things they want to be.” Motozine ZN5 will be first available in China in July 2008 and is expected to roll out around the globe throughout the remainder of the year.

Kodak Imaging Technology aims to to redefine the image quality, convenience and connectivity of mobile imaging devices. “There are more than 600 million digital images captured each day, and more and more photos are being taken with mobile devices,” said John Blake, general manager of digital capture and imaging devices group, and vice president, Eastman Kodak Company. “KODAK Imaging Technology addresses the three main issues that frustrate consumers about these shots - poor image quality, difficulty transferring images off their mobile devices, and the inability to easily share images with family and friends.”

The C905 Cyber-shot from Sony Ericsson is a new 8 megapixel camera-phone. The complete with face detection auto-focus, smart contrast and image stabilizer includes a Xenon flash, face detection auto-focus, smart contrast and image stabilizer, and is also GPS-enabled for geo-tagging of photos. “The C905 Cyber-shot has been developed to make us all better photographers! That means making it easier to take great shots and never missing that magic moment…the 8.1megapixel C905 is a viable alternative to a digital camera.” said Sven Totté, Head of Imaging Marketing at Sony Ericsson. The C905 Cyber-shot will be available in three colours (Night Black, Ice Silver and Copper Gold) in selected markets from Q4 2008.

Nokia’s new XpressPrint service, powered by CeWe Color, allows you to print pictures and photo gifts straight from your Nseries handset. Your pictures will be posted to the address of your choice anywhere across Europe, within three days, with the first ten prints free. To use the service download and install the latest version of the Nokia XpressPrint application on to your compatible Nokia Nseries device.

The LG Secret is a new 5 megapixel camera-phone that can also shoot DivX video at 120fps. At just 11.8mm thick, the LG Secret is the slimmest 5 megapixel camera phone on the market. Photo and video editing features include facial editing and SmartLight, a feature that automatically adjusts the picture’s light settings. After its European launch, the LG Secret will be launched in Asia and South America, followed by the rest of the world.

The Nokia N96 is a new camera phone with a large 2.8” screen, 16 gigabytes of internal memory and support for high-quality video. The dual-slide Nokia N96 suuports MPEG-4, Windows Media Video and Flash Video and can store up to 40 hours of video content. The Nokia N96 also boasts a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, flash and video light. The integrated A-GPS allows you to ‘geotag’ pictures with location data and share them with online communities. The Nokia N96 multimedia computer is expected to begin shipping in the third quarter of 2008 for 550 euros.

The Sony Ericsson C902 Cyber-shot and C702 Cyber-shot are new 5 and 3.2 megapixel phones packed with the latest camera technology. The Sony C902 features a 5.0 megapixel camera with Face Detection and Auto Focus. It also incorporates the latest in lighting technology – Photo Flash – giving you better quality pictures even in low-light conditions. The C702 Cyber-shot integrates GPS and a range of location-based imaging services that add a new dimension to taking and managing your photos. “The two new Cyber-shot™ phones that we have announced today share certain characteristics. Both phones place ease-of-use and best-in-class picture quality at the heart of their designs,” said Sven Totté, Head of Imaging Marketing at Sony Ericsson. “Yet both appeal to different audiences. One is engineered to let you take more pictures in more places and the other is designed to look as stunning as the pictures it takes.”

DxO Labs have announced three new products which help overcome the limitations of ever shrinking pixels used in high resolution, small form factor camera modules. DxO’s technologies offer enhanced depth of field or EDoF, with industry-best image processing technology, including anti-aliasing demosaicing, sensor and pixel level noise compensation and DSC-class auto exposure and auto white balance. “Despite the performance limitations of today’s ever shrinking pixels, we believe that with the application of DxO imaging technologies in embedded platforms such as camera phones, image quality equivalent to that of digital still cameras can be achieved,” said Jerome Meniere, CEO of DxO Labs.

The Nokia N82 is a 5 megapixel camera, navigation device and multimedia computer in one. With a 5 megapixel camera, powerful Xenon flash and Carl Zeiss optics, the Nokia N82 delivers remarkably vivid photographs, even in low-light conditions. “The evolution of camera capabilities in mobile devices has been extremely fast over the past years. With the Nokia N82 we have reached such a superior level in image quality, speed and ease of use that not only does it outperform any other cameraphone on the market, but it’s also a very credible alternative for single purpose digital still cameras,” says Satu Ehrnrooth, head of Nokia Nseries Cameras Category, Multimedia, Nokia. The Nokia N82 is available now with an estimated, pre-tax, unsubsidized sales price of approximately 450 euros.

The Samsung G800 is the world’s first 5 megapixel camera phone with 3x optical zoom lens. The G800 looks like a streamlined digital camera on one side and a fashionable mobile phone on the other side. The Samsung G800 also offers face detection, Xenon flash and Wide Dynamic Range, and video editing functions allow users to cut, paste, and edit their own films. “Samsung’s G800 will satisfy the unmet needs in the camera category with a true digital camera-like design and functionality. The G800 will enable users to capture and share precious moments in their daily lives through the enhanced camera functions in a fast 3G network.” said Geesung Choi, President of Samsung’s Telecommunication Network. The Samsung G800 will be available in European countries from November.