Bigger, more powerful, less costly, etc.

I think many of us are familiar with how much prices have come down with computers over the years and how much more you get for your money. I am wondering, however, how many have thought about the advances in digital cameras? As I was inventorying some equipment tonight I noted that my first digital camera, an Olympus D-400-Z with a whopping 1.2 megapixels cost me $619.95 in May of 1999 but my Panasonic DMC-FZ7 with 6 megapixels cost me $399.95 in March 2006. My workhorse, the Canon G6 with 7.1 megapixels cost $529.95 in June 2005, still less than the first generation Olympus. The cost of memory cards of whatever type keeps coming down and the storage capabilties keeps increasing. This leaves me wondering how small they can build things while increasing the quality and the storage capabilities. While the unit prices keep coming down, photography still remains an expensive hobby for people like me especially since so much of it involves a lot of travel. What I really need is the transporter from the Enterprise ("Beam me up Scotty.") to save time and money. (Oh, how I hate those 13+ hours to Southeast Asia.)