The best camera phone ever?

Bad news for budget digital camera makers. Casio has become the first manufacturer to unveil a mobile phone that can take pictures of two mega pixels. This is the equivalent of a good quality low-end digital snapper.

Debuting at the CEATEC exhibition in Tokyo, the A5403CA clamshell phone can produce images of up to 1,600 pixels by 1,200 pixels resolution (UXGA). Other camera-like functions include auto focus, a digital 10X zoom, digital movie function and a number of picture taking modes, such as "close-up," "evening" or "portrait."

Images can be stored in the telephone or on a Secure Digital (SD) memory card. The built-in storage is enough space for 32 images taken at the highest resolution.

It goes on sale in Japan in December.

Several makers unveiled one mega pixel camera phones for the Japanese market earlier in the year. Sony Ericsson is tipped to be the first manufacturer to offer Europeans a one mega pixel mobile, although the Sharp GX-30, rumoured to be arriving in the UK in the spring, is also likely to be equipped with a one mega pixel camera.