LG Phone Highlights Tactile User Interface

LG Electronics is getting ready to unveil its new KF510 mobile phone, which is slim, stylish, and houses a tactile user interface that interacts with users as they touch the keys.

The KF510 will make its official debut next week at the GSMA Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona. LG said what makes the new phone appealing to mobile users is a combination of slim form factor and design accents.

The phone is 10.9 mm thick, made out of metal and tempered glass. It uses LG's touch technology and has a tactile user interface, but it also slides out to reveal a keyboard (not QWERTY).

Besides disclosing that the KF510 will come with a 3-megapixel multi-function camera and MP3 player, LG didn't provide too many details.

Additional specs surfaced in reports this week, which list the phone as also having Bluetooth, FM radio, a Web browser, and messaging capabilities that include text messaging, multimedia messaging, and e-mail. The phone supports EDGE/GPRS/GSM network technologies.

The KF510 will become available in March globally, according to LG.

It's unknown if the phone will come to the U.S., although LG did set an ambitious sales goal for this year to sell $13 billion worth of products in North America. LG wants to become the second largest phone maker in North America and plans to achieve its goal by introducing high-end products that rely on advanced features and design, rather than low prices.

LG said it saw three newly-launched phone models do well last year. They are the Venus, the Muziq, and the Voyager.