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Bahrain will be one of the first markets LG Electronics (LG) will introduce its eagerly-awaited 'touch watch phone' to the general public, following its customer debut in France.
The model, officially called the LG-GD910, is set to go on sale in the kingdom in mid-October and the makers say it makes its mark in history by being the first 3G phone in the form of a watch to be publicly available outside of a spy movie or detective comic strip.
"Our Watch Phone is far more than just a prototype with a price tag," said H S Paik, president of LG Electronics, Gulf FZE. "This phone is fully functional and rivals top luxury watch brands in terms of style, comfort and durability. The engineering that went into making our watch phone a reality - especially the touch technology - is unmatched in the industry."
LG has long been a leader in touch technology, which is a crucial element of this one-of-a-kind device. In 2007, LG released the world's first full touchscreen phone, the PRADA Phone, and has continued to improve on its technology ever since.
"Designing such a small touchscreen like the one on the watch phone is far more difficult than designing a larger one," explained Mr Paik. In order to be usable the screen has to be far more precise and far more sensitive than the technology available at the start of the project. Its designers had to develop a high resolution 1.4-inch screen that was extremely responsive to user commands and easy to read.
Touch technology was not the only engineering challenge LG faced in its creation. Miniaturising the components presented its own set of challenges that required innovative solutions.
The final product that LG engineers unveiled wasn't only small, it included all the features found in some of today's most advanced mobile phones, including compatibility with 3G HSDPA networks, video calling, MP3 player, speaker phone, water resistance and Bluetooth. Bluetooth is what sets the watch phone apart from other miniature phones.
Unlike in the movies, holding a watch phone up to one's mouth when making a call is far from practical or comfortable, according to LG. Bluetooth technology is a key component that makes LG's Watch Phone a practical reality today and far less conspicuous when taking a call in public.
The Watch Phone also incorporates LG's most advanced voice recognition and text-to-speech technology allowing for voice commands and audio text messages for those times when one's eyes are focused on something else, such as the road.
