Sony Ericsson unveiled on Tuesday the first globally available phone with a high-resolution 8 megapixel camera as the handset industry mounted a fresh attack on traditional camera makers.

The C905 is Sony Ericsson's first Cyber-shot sliderwith an 8.1 megapixel camera and real camera flash amongst other capabilities such as face detection auto-focus, smart contrast and image stabilizer. It comes with a 2GB Memory Stick Micro (M2) included and a 2.4" scratch-resistant mineral glass display.

For more than a year, the best cameraphones have had a 5 megapixel camera, comparable to most digital cameras. A few higher-resolution models are sold in South Korea.

Now other vendors are expected to follow Sony Ericsson's lead, threatening the camera industry which has had the upper hand with higher pixel counts and better quality pictures.

Sony Ericsson's C905 Cybershot model will go on sale in the fourth quarter, in time for the holiday rush.

The world's top cellphone maker Nokia will have a 5 megapixel camera in its next flagship phone model N96, but it is also looking to deploy higher-resolution cameras.

The C905 Cyber-shot will be available in three colours (Night Black, Ice Silver and Copper Gold) in selected markets from Q4 2008.