The strategy mirrors that used by rival Sony Ericsson, which began using Cyber-shot branding on certain cell phone models in 2006, drawing on the association with Sony's popular compact digital camera lineup. Panasonic itself has also used the technique in the past, borrowing the Toughbook branding of its ruggedized notebook computer lineup to promote a shockproof, weather-sealed camera phone model. The new phone will mark the first time the Panasonic Lumix brand name has appeared on a camera phone, however, hinting at Panasonic's confidence in the imaging feature set of the model.

The official announcement isn't scheduled to take place until October 5th, with only a very brief Japanese-language teaser available in the meantime. What we do know, however, is that the Panasonic Lumix-branded phone will feature an image processor carrying "Mobile VenusEngine" branding. While no specific mention of the camera phone's sensor or lens specifications are made, the fact that a digital zoom function is mentioned in the teaser might seem to suggest that the Lumix phone's lens will have a fixed focal length.

Use of the digital zoom limits resolution to a maximum of three megapixels, or 2,048 x 1,536 pixels, but the actual sensor resolution isn't disclosed. Panasonic states that the lens includes multi coating to combat glare, and also notes that the camera phone will include a high-intensity flash strobe.

For quick and easy photo sharing, the Lumix camera phone includes WiFi connectivity, and is certified as a Digital Living Network Alliance-compatible device. The design also includes a touch screen display of unspecified size and resolution. Data is stored on MicroSD or MicroSDHC cards.

Beyond this, no information is available on the planned Lumix phone, nor whether it will be available outside of the Japanese market. More information will be available on October 5th, which happens to coincide with the start of the CEATEC Japan trade show in Tokyo.