LG brings camcorder phone to the Mid East

The move comes as the global and regional digital leader steps up its Middle East mobile GSM range with the planned introduction of five new across-the-board models.

"We are now setting a new pace in the region's GSM sector," said Mr P.C. Choi, President, LG Electronics Gulf FZE. "Among the new phones introduced are a camera phone with a swivel folding display screen, which can send and receive photos and multi-media files, and our flagship G8000 which can record up to 90 seconds of moving picture and sound and store it in the memory."

The launch of LG's new fabulous five takes its Middle East GSM range to 12. The five new models cut across a number of mobile handset categories from budget to high-end, giving added dynamics to the LG range.

"Put simply, there is now an LG mobile phone for every pocket and every taste in the Middle East," said Mr Choi.

"The video and camera-phones represent the not-too-distant-future when this type of technology will become commonplace, particularly in the Middle East which is an early adopter of technology."

LG says the five-phone launch is testament to the importance LG places on the Middle East and its confidence that its GSM handset range will take the company to among the region's top three mobile phone players.

"Since we entered the GSM arena last year, on a global and regional basis, LG's mobile handsets have really made a mark and we are determined to climb even higher in the rankings on a local, regional and worldwide basis," said Choi.

LG Electronics was recently ranked among the world's top five for global GSM and CDMA handset sales by international market survey agency Strategy Analytics.

"These new additions to the LG family of mobile handsets are a clear statement that LG is a major player in the GSM sector and is here to stay," said Choi.

Popularly priced, the B1300 handset will appeal to budget conscious customers who want - full-features, functional mobile phone. At 80 grams and 100x40x19mm, LG expects the handset to be as big a seller as its sibling - the B1200.

In the high end range, LG will add the G5400 to its line-up. The dual-display folder design hides a 65,000 colour LCD screen and buttons inside whilst the monochrome screen on the outer cover allows incoming call and message alerts to be displayed. At 85 grams and with MMS, and 32 polyphonic tones, the phone is aimed at the fashion conscious and chic.

At the high end of the sector, LG comes in with three new models - the G7030, G7100 and top-of-the-line G8000. All are folder models and all feature a 65,000 colour main LCD display screen and 40 polyphonic tones.

The G7030 also has a 256 colour organic electro-luminescence display (OELD) on the outside, the first in the world to introduce it to a mobile phone to display incoming call, date, time, message alerts and graphics.

"OELD uses low temperature TFT LCD technology, using less battery power and produces sharp, brilliant colours," explained Choi.

The G7100 and G8000 are LG's first assault on the camera-phone market. "The G7100 features a built-in camera in a 270-degree swivel-folding display screen. With MMS the phone allows for the sending and receiving of pictures and multi-media files," said Choi.

"The G8000 is the video-with-sound-phone, this time with a 180-degree rotating lens that has two setting modes - normal and night.

"An MMS enabled camera-phone with the ability to store more than 200 pictures and over 1000 contacts in the address book, the G8000 is the pinnacle of LG's current GSM range."

Since joining the mobile phone handset market in the Middle East, LG Electronics has recorded remarkable success in a short space of time.

"Some might say that LG joined the party late," said Choi. "But we've taken on the competition and caused them to sit up and take notice.

"In the space of 18-months, we've launched 12 GSM handsets and gone from modest sales in the latter half of 2002 to being well on course to meeting our sales target of three million phones by the end of the year.

"Mark my words, you will be seeing a lot more from LG Electronics in the mobile phone sector in the coming months."