Screenshots

Some four months after launch in UK...

LensaPress photo by Jeff Ooi

LG Shine, the much-awaited mobilephone with the designer touch, is finally unveiled to Malaysian market today, themed... Shining Moments!

I.G. Kim, MD & CEO of LG Electronics (M) Sdn Bhd... LensaPress photo by Jeff Ooi

Picture courtesy LG Electronics Malaysia

Model KE970, sporting a full-metal body, is LG Electronics' new addition to the immensely successful Black Label series of mobile phones.

However, color black is not what you could expect in LG Shine as Black Label ought to be appreciated in the same vein as the language often used in high fashion that relates to premium grades, sophistication and exclusivity.

Yes, LG Shine is stainless-steel on its outlook. When closed, LG Shine sits calm with reflective 2.2” screen, so 'shiny' that it can easily act as a candid makeup mirror.

Slide open the super-thin brushed metal body and the ‘magic mirror’ changes into a full-colour screen that comes to life instantly. Here comes the difference: Shine presents its keys bathed in a cool blue light. A multi-function scroll key is on hand as you access the menu system with feather-smooth touches..

A departure from previous LG Chocolate, Shine comes with an expandable memory (MicroSD card) in addition to a 50-Megabyte built-in user memory. Significantly, Shine features an auto focus camera by Schneider Kreuznach.

With that comes an array of multimedia functions, including a comprehensive media player with multi-codec support (MP3, and WAV) and real spectrum display. Needless to say, LG Shine also supports GPRS and EDGE network compatibility, Bluetooth and USB connectivity.

'Bar is raised yet again'

For LG, Shine is regarded as another milestone that has raised the bar in the mobile phone market yet again.

Born to shine... LensaPress photo by Jeff Ooi

“2007 is the year of the Shine,” says I.G. Kim (picture above), Managing Director and CEO of LG Electronics (M) Sdn Bhd.

What if people compared LG Chocolate with Shine?

“As the second handset in the Black Label series, there will be comparisons with LG Chocolate which was the phone of 2006," Kim added. "While Chocolate undoubtedly established LG as a force in the design-led mobile sector, Shine offers a completely unique proposition, appealing to a wider audience with a different aesthetic and technological attraction.”

"We are very positive that LG Shine will enjoy similar success and receive the same level of excitement and sales in the Malaysia," Kim said.

Shine has sold more than 180,000 units since November 2006 when it was first launched in Korea, under the CDMA format, and it still sells more than 3,500 units a day.

In Europe, the Shine sold 200, 000 units within the first month of its launching in London.

Globally, LG is targeting sales of 78 million hand phones for 2007, including more than 13.5 million GSM units in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, which is a projection of 113% increase from last year's results.

Shine will be available at all LG Mobile authorized dealers from this week, with a retail price of RM1,399.00.

Though I have toyed with a Shine when I visited Seoul in March, I am still waiting for the review unit right now.

As the LG folks told me... “People are naturally drawn to shining objects. They convey messages of happiness, joy, excitement and desire, all the traits that perfectly describe the Shine phone. With an appeal that goes far beyond the simple requirement of owning a mobile, LG has yet again raised the bar in the mobile phone market.”

I shall wait for the review unit until I say anything further.