I clearly remember the times when I used to say that I’ll use my phone to talk to people and my camera to take pictures. I hated taking crappy pictures with a camera phone and I really hated talking into my camera since no would answer back.

In the mean time the phone-as-a-camera combination seems to be working great. Unfortunately the camera-as-a-phone isn’t working at all since it doesn’t exist. There are lots of great cameras out there but the fancier the phone these days, the better the built-in camera is.

And taking pictures with your phone is easier than ever. We’ve seen quite a few 8 megapixel camera modules mounted on several phones this year. It looks like the 9 megapixel camera module is ready to be mounted on future phones.

The 9 MP unit is waiting for a manufacturer to pick it up for its handset. The 9 MP module will feature a resolution of 3488 x 2616 and it will have autofocus and a mechanical shutter. Expect it find it in mobile phones by the end of the year or early in 2009.