Samsung develops 8MP cellphone camera

Korean giant Samsung claims it has developed the world's first eight-megapixel CMOS camera meant for cellphones. While cameras on cellphones have previously surpassed the eight-megapixel detail level, such as the one in Samsung's own B600, they have typically done so by expanding the dimensions of their hosts, making them unusually bulky. The new camera measures less than half an inch in its longest direction, and is just over a third of an inch thick, meaning that it should fit into the same spaces that current three-megapixel phones allow.

The camera also manages to integrate autofocus, something that even many conventional competitors forego. If flash is an option, however, it may have to be integrated separately. No phones are currently slated to use the new technology, but production is expected in the first half of 2008. [via Newlaunches]