The numbers say it all: According to Lyra Research, North American, camera phone users will take 11 billion pictures in 2006. Another report, issued by Nokia, reports that 44% of cell phone users around the world already use their phone as their primary camera. 30% of the photos on Flickr, the leading online photo-sharing site, are uploaded directly from camera phones. In a 2005 Harris Interactive survey commissioned by LetsTalk.com, an integrated camera was one of the most sought after cell phone features, with 63% of consumers express ing interest in a camera phone.

Much of this recent popularity is thanks to the falling prices and improving quality of camera phone technology. As handset makers have begun to offer better image quality and more memory, consumer adoption has exploded. This year, both Nokia and Samsung are expected to release cell phones with 3.0 megapixel cameras in the US that will rival the image quality of many compact digital cameras and enable photo-quality prints.

“The rising popularity of camera phones is nothing short of amazing,” said Delly Tamer, founder and CEO of LetsTalk.com. “Camera phone usage has nearly doubled in just the last year, and as manufacturers work hard to introduce new handsets with better lenses and more memory at a lower price, that trend will only continue.”

Based on recent sales data, the ten most popular camera phones on LetsTalk.com are:

• Motorola V360
• Motorola Razr V3c
• T-Mobile MDA
• Samsung SGH-T809
• Nextel i850
• Samsung A900 (Blade)
• Sony Ericsson Z520a
• Nokia 6102i
• Nextel i870

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LetsTalk is a leading online retailer of cell phones, wireless devices and service plans. LetsTalk helps consumers research, compare and purchase cell phones and service plans in a user-friendly environment free from bias and sales pressure. LetsTalk is based in San Francisco and was founded in July of 1999.