LG Electronics unveils mobile with talking keypad

The phones feature proprietary LG technology which allows the user to hear the numbers zero to nine when the appropriate key is pressed. The user is also able to choose from a selection of different voices.

Mr P.C. Choi, President, LG Electronics, Gulf FZE, said: "Once again, LG is proving its digital leadership with an innovation which makes using mobile telephony even easier. These latest product enhancements will make further in-roads into our already successful range."

In a little over a year since LG Electronics entered the highly competitive mobile phone market in the UAE, it is already serious competitor, with a range of 15 phones to suit every need, from business to leisure use.

The talking keypad function is the latest in a series of industry innovations from LG, including the recently launched G5300 Qiblah direction phone, the fastest selling mobile phone in the LG regional range.

As well as the talking keypad, the clamshell-design G7100 has a screen that can be swivelled through 270 degrees, used when taking photographs with its integrated VGA camera, which has a built-in flash and takes high quality (640x480 pixels) snapshots, with up to 4x zoom.

The dual-band GSM 900/1800 MHz G7100 has an internal 65k colour LCD screen, and an external 256 colour display.

It also has a voice recording function and is Arabic enabled.

Another unique feature of this phone is the external screen, which also acts as a vanity mirror.

Other features of this slim-line model include: Java support, GPRS, 32-tone polyphonic ring tones, MMS, SMS, phonebook, caller groups, musical editor, world time, alarm-clock (which can be set with up to five separate alarm-calls and works even when the phone is turned off), calculator and three in-built Java games.

It weighs 101.4 grams, and the Li-Polymer battery has up to 3.5 hours talk time and standby time of 200 hours.

Also unveiled for the first time at GITEX is the G5400, smaller and lighter than the G7100, but still feature packed.

The G5400 features the amazing talking keypad, and supports Java-based software and MMS technology. It has a 65,000 colour LCD screen, 32 polyphonic melodies and the technology to download games, wallpaper and new ringtones.

Talk time on the LG5400 is 4.5 hours, and stand-by time is 230 hours.

Both phones come with a hands free kit, data cable and extra battery as standard.

LG Electronics will also display 3G phones with video conferencing facilities and MMS capabilities, made of Zirconium, a scratch resistant metal.