New phone guides users to Mecca

The new handset is the world's first to feature an indicator setting which points to Mecca. The Qiblah indicator uses an inbuilt longitude and latitude orientation or city references that, when used in comparison to the magnetic north, indicates the direction of the Qiblah. The phone comes complete with a compass and prayer time alarm functions.

"No matter where the faithful are at the call to prayer, they will be able to easily identify the direction of Mecca with this phone. As a global and regional digital leader, LG is committed to setting the standards for state-of-the-art solutions and providing our customers with products of the highest quality. Currently, mobile phones are taking to the mainstream by catering to local geographical and cultural demands. The unveiling of the compass mobile phone at this time is part of such strategy to meet customer needs," said Kenn Suh, Executive Vice President, Telecommunication and Hand Set Division, LG Electronics.

Other rich features include Java applications support, answering machine, GPRS, 40-tone polyphonic ring tones, MMS, EMS, personal organiser featuring calendar, clock, alarm, world time, currency converter, calculator, phone book (up to 250 entries) and games. It weighs just 89 grams, and the Li-polymer battery has up to 3.5 hours talk time, and standby time of up to 200 hours.

With the innovative slide down keypad, users can enjoy two functions of display. The screen can be enlarged when the keypad is pulled down and has 65,000-colour display of high-resolution pictures.

"To be a leader in business, you have to innovate and pay attention to detail. In just over a year, LG has become a serious competitor in the region's mobile phone market and this phone will further expand an already successful LG mobile range. We expect this handset to position itself as a specialised functional phone in the regional market; in particular, it is expected to spur a boom in the region because the compass may be used even where GPS services are unavailable," said Mr. Suh.

Besides the Middle East and Africa, LG will expand the Qiblah phone market all over the world, including Asian countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia.

"The Qiblah and prayer alarm features are the first of its kind in any mobile phone in the world and this is yet another proof of LG Electronics' commitment to the community in this part of the world. LG Electronics and Al Sayegh Brothers Trading have always paid close attention to the needs of the local market, and this important focus is a key reason for our shared success," remarked Abdul Jabbar Al Sayegh, President, Al Sayegh Brothers Trading.