Sleek and slim mobile phones star attractions at Singapore telecom fair

Sleek, stylish mobile phones are the star attractions at this year's CommunicAsia telecom fair which opened on June 19 in Singapore.
Leading the charge are South Korea's high-tech giants, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, which both had large double-storey booths to showcase their latest range of mobile phones.
Samsung's Ultra Edition II family of mobile phones made its Southeast Asian debut at the four-day trade fair, which company executives say caters to users' desires for a stylish device without compromising functions.
The Ultra Edition 12.1 mobile phone, which measures a mere 12.1 millimetres (0.484 inches), comes equipped with 3.2 megapixel camera and camcorder, audio functions as well as high speed Internet connectivity of 3.6 megabits per second. "We believe that the Samsung Ultra Edition II range encapsulates everything that today's consumers look for in mobile phones," said Geesung Choi, president and chief executive of Samsung's Telecommunications Network Business.
"With its unique design and flawless performance, the Ultra Edition II range will capture the hearts of Southeast Asian consumers from business users to the fashion conscious to the multimedia enthusiasts," he said in a statement.
The Prada mobile phone by LG, which was developed in partnership with Italian fashion house Prada, will appeal to users who want an upmarket device without minding the hefty price tag.
The super slim Prada phone launched in January, which measures 12 millimetres, occupies centre stage at the LG booth where models of the device are displayed behind closed windows, giving one the feel of shopping at an up-market boutique. LG's other sleek handset, the Shine phone, is the other model being showcased by the South Korean tech giant, whose global sales have exceeded two million units.
"Last year, LG proved its capabilities in the mobile industry with hit models like the 10 million-selling LG chocolate phone, based on our unique insight into customer tastes," said Skott Ahn, president and chief executive of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.
"We are confident that this year we will be an even stronger presence in the market with our premium fashionable and advanced handsets, such as LG Shine and PRADA Phone by LG."
LG sold over 4.7 million units of GSM mobile phones in Asia in 2006 and is aiming to more than double its sales in the region this year to 9.5 million units.
"The Asian market is one of our key markets, as it has the potential to grow at double digit rates annually," said Ahn. Madhusudan Gupta, a senior research analyst with Gartner, said sleek and slim mobile phones are the trend dominating the market at the moment as handset makers look to freshen up their appeal to users.
"All the major handset makers, every year, they have to come up with some kind of freshness," Gupta told AFP. "This is the flavour of the season, the slim factor."