READING, United Kingdom-Market research firm Canalys said shipments of mobile phones with integrated cameras in the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions are quickly increasing, rising 166 percent in quarter two compared with quarter-one sales.
Total shipments of imaging-phone devices totaled 3.8 million units in the second quarter compared with 1.4 million in the first quarter.
Nokia Corp.’s 3650 smart phone and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Inc.’s P800 were the two best-selling models, Canalys said. Samsung Corp., Sharp and Panasonic rounded out the top five leaders in the EMEA region’s camera-phone sales. Noticeably absent from the list is the world’s No. 2 handset maker, Motorola Inc.
“The fascination with integrated digital cameras began in Japan and has now come to Europe,” said Andy Buss, Canalys senior analyst. “The U.S. trails the world in this regard, and this is bound to influence the product designs of U.S. companies.”
