LG introduces world's slimmest 3G music phone

The LG-U880 is only 18.2mm thick and mixes fashion and technology with its stylish design and powerful MP3 player. It is the thinnest clamshell type among 3G phones available in the market and the large user memory can store more than 20 MP3 songs. The phone also has buttons on the outside of the clamshell for easy MP3 accessibility. Other nifty features include video telephony and a 1.3 mega-pixel camera. In order to colour the life of its users, the phone is available in glossy black, matt black, silver, and pink and supports Transflash external memory and Bluetooth.

"According to a TNS survey across 15 countries, almost one in five (19 per cent) of all mobile phone owners now listen to music on their phones. More than a third (35 per cent) of phone users, globally, chose mobile music as one of the five applications they would like to start using, or use more of in the future. As a true leader of the next generation mobile communications technology, we want to provide the most innovative and convenient handsets to consumers. LG-U880 is a proof of our dedication to offer stylish design and sophisticated multimedia functions,"

said K H Kim, President, LG Electronics, Middle East and Africa Operations.

Globally, the mobile phone market is expected to grow 10-15 per cent in 2006, as compared to 20 per cent this year. Mobile phone sales rose 22 per cent to 205.4 million units in the third quarter ended September, and sales are expected to total 810 million units in 2005, according to a Gartner report.

"As the undisputed leader of the 3G market, LG will continue to produce cutting edge technology and design, backed by its world class R&D facilities and design capabilities. We are targeting sales of US $ 300 million in handsets in the Middle East and Africa region this year; globally we expect to register a 50 percent growth to seize the number 3 spot in handsets in two years. Within five years, LG wants half of its sales to come from handsets, up from 28 per cent in 2004," added Kim.