NEC and the NAIST (Nara Institute of Science and Technology) have developed technology which enables camera phones to be used as scanners. A 1MP camera phone with a scanner function can produce 21 to 35 images when it scans an A4-sized paged in three to five seconds. It is also able to detect the curvature of the page, allowing areas near the binding of a book to be scanned clearly. In order to prevent illegal use of this new function, these kinds of phones will beep when scanning. NEC and NAIST plan to commercialize the new technology within the next three years.