Camera cellular phone

VODAFONE is hoping to capture the RoI's mobile phone market over Christmas with the launch at the end of last month of Vodafone Live, a series of camera phones and services aimed to boost sales in a declining market.

It will initially offer three handsets--the Panasonic and Nokia and a Sharp device that has been integrated more closely with its Vodafone Live initiative.

The Sharp will be slightly cheaper than the other handsets at 299 [euro] for contract and 549 [euro] pre-pay.

Vodafone Live offers the company's 1.6 million subscribers in the Republic access to a vast range of games, ringtones and digital images. These can be downloaded onto a new generation of handsets that act as integrated gaming platforms and digital cameras, as well as traditional communicators.

The high cost of handsets is likely to restrict sales among younger users but prices are expected to fall next year.