In the beginning days of image stabilization, you had to spend $15,000 for a Steadicam, and hire a specially-trained operator to run it. But now, Invensense has invented a camera phone image stabilization device with what it calls the world's smallest dual axis gyroscope, boiling it down into a wafer-thin chip. The company says it's five times smaller than piezo-type technology image stabilization currently used in many digital cameras, and will easily fit into even the smallest camera phone.

The thinking is that megapixelage of camera phones is steadily rising—even in that cellphone backwater, the US—and end-users will soon be noticing how bad their pictures are. That will keep them from sending shots to each other via cellular service, so if the pictures are of higher quality, thanks to this little device, service provider revenue will be enhanced because people will move around more photos. Could be in a cellphone near you sometime in '07. Sounds like a great idea, especially if the device doesn't add a lot of bulk or cost.

Dual-Axis Gyroscope [Incensense, via OhGizmo]

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