Camera phones have quietly become a “killer technology”. Many people purchased camera phones because the picture-taking capability was included with the phone. Once they realized the convenience of always having a phone with them at all times, they began to demand more from the camera portion.

Now Johnson Electric is making available to manufacturers the NanoZoom, it promises continual focus along the range of its 3x zoom. It is intended for cell-phones and similar mobile devices. The application will tend toward the high-end market , currently seeing double-digit growth. The zoom technology is paired with the company’s 3megapixel CMOS and NanoLens that provides autofocus. Obviously, the NanoZoom takes the autofocus feature one step further.

Along with these components, Johnson Electric has made available an integration kit that lets camera phone makers quickly combine the NanoZoom and NanoLens into a usable package. The kit also comes with an ASIC driver to work with the phone’s software.

While the autofocus 3x zoom is only available to manufacturers at the moment, with the pace of technological advance these days, it would not be wishful thinking to expect an autofocus zoom phone by Christmas this year.