Until now Sony hasn't had to worry about competition for its remote lens Cyber-shot QX10. But Olympus has now stepped up with its Olympus Air 101 that should rock Sony's world.
The Olympus Air 101, unlike Sony's offering, works on any phone as it's an open platform, meaning third-party app developers can work with it too. The lens system itself upgrades your phone using its 16-megapixel Live MOS sensor that can mange 320 shots on a charge.
The Olympus Air 101 is effectively a mount system meaning it will work with any Micro Four Third lens to offer "SLR-quality" shots, claims Olympus.
So why hasn't there been more fanfare about this apparently wonderful lens system? Olympus is releasing the Air in Japan only for the time being. This should happen next month when pricing will become clearer. At the moment there's no word on if the system will be expensive or come with a choice of lenses. The QX10 is currently £180 so we'd expect the Olympus Air 101 to be similarly priced, although since this is Olympus, and it's an open system, perhaps add a bit more to that figure.
Here's hoping the Olympus Air 101 makes it to the rest of the world and Sony's QX10 gets some competition to drive prices down and grow this emerging market.