By Damian Koh
03/05/2007
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/mobilephones/0,39050603,62010364,00.htm

With already three handsets under the Shine umbrella, LG Electronics Singapore told CNET Asia that users can expect the second generation of Shine mobiles earliest in the third quarter.

Editors' note: May 4, 2007--LG Electronics Singapore has clarified with CNET Asia in a separate statement that there will not be a second generation for the LG Shine series. Rather, it will be rolling out candy-bar and clamshell variants of the Shine in the near future. The company also revealed in an exclusive to CNET Asia that it will announce an HSDPA-enabled smart phone based on the Symbian platform mid next week, codenamed the LG KS10. The handset features a 2.4-inch screen, 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth connectivity, an external memory card slot and comes preinstalled with Google Search, Gmail Mobile and Google Maps Mobile applications. The smart phone is expected to be available in Asia in the last quarter of 2007.

	First impressions: LG Shine KU970.

Earlier this year in Seoul, Asia journalists had a sneak peek at what could be a clamshell version of the Shine mobile. While LG Electronics Singapore hasn't confirmed if such a phone exists, a representative from the company has said that there's, indeed, a CDMA clamshell with a full metallic body similar to the current Shine mobiles, though it wouldn't be branded under the Black Label series.

Also at the same event, a third Black Label line, after the Chocolate and Shine, was revealed to attending press and is expected later this year.

Targeted at executives, the Shine series "offers a completely unique proposition, appealing to a wider audience with a different aesthetic and technological attraction", said Howard Lee, managing director of LG Electronics Singapore, in a press release statement.

The Shine KU970 is also the company's first HSDPA handset, though it doesn't come with an expansion card slot. So users have to rely entirely on the handset's built-in 512MB memory.

The current lineup consists of the 3.5G KU970, the 2.5G EDGE-enabled KE970 and the 2.5G KE770. The first two models will be available in Singapore come May 5 at S$698 and S$668, respectively, without contract. The candy-bar KE770 is expected to debut at a global launch in early June.

According to LG Electronics Singapore, the island-state is the first in the region to get the KU970 and KE970, with availability in Hong Kong and Taiwan scheduled for the following week. Other countries to get some shiny love include Australia, India and the Middle East.