The revolution began with the press of a button and a near-imperceptible click. The camera phone was invented just over a decade ago. Today, research firm M:Metrics estimates that 119 million Americans have the multitasking machines, and 1 billion are expected to be sold worldwide by 2010.

The first camera phones were more toys than technology, producing images so grainy, you could barely tell whether a photo was of your mom or grandpa. In 2003, the first megapixel camera phones were released, and by 2005, anyone could play photojournalist—as with the London subway bombings, one of the first major news events documented by amateurs with phones. There’s even a fine-art photographer who shoots exclusively on cell. “My 35-millimeter camera was heavy and bulky,” says Patrice Elmi, who had a show at Los Angeles’ Drkrm. gallery this spring. “My cell phone is always with me.”

The technology is improving: Several phones hit the 5-megapixel mark this year, putting them on par with basic digital cameras, and zoom and autofocus are now standard in many models. It had been a design challenge to cram extra widgets into handsets already brimming with the cogs needed to make calls, but that’s become easier. This summer, Tessera Technologies, a firm that miniaturizes electronics, unveiled the world’s first wafer-size camera for phones. That will enable manufacturers to make even smaller handsets, which could debut next year. But you don’t have to wait. Here are five camera phones armed with the latest technology.