From left, LG Electronicsбп Qwerty phones, two models of the EnV2 and the Vu; and from Samsung, two models of the SOUL, the Blackjack 2 and the Flipshot. All were on display at Cellular Telecommunication Industry Association 2008, an IT fair in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics hope to supplant Motorola as the No. 1 mobile phone maker in the North American market with their new sleek mobile phones.

The nationбпs two leading mobile phone manufacturers unveiled their new products during the Cellular Telecommunication Industry Association, or CTIA, 2008, an IT fair that opens today and runs through Thursday in Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States.
Samsung revealed its premium phone, The Spirit of Ultra, or SOUL, for the first time in North America. The ultra-slim phone includes advanced technology like versatile touch keypads. Other specialized mobile phones, including the Windows Mobile 6-equipped Blackjack 2 and the Flipshot, with a 3.0 megapixel camera, also hit the Vegas floor.

LG focused on two flagship products, a phone with a Qwerty keypad and a full touch screen phone. The EnV2, LGбпs new Qwerty phone, provides a user-friendly interface and a full keyboard. The Vu, with its full touch screen, debuted at the fair.
LG also demonstrated its fourth-generation technology, called Long Term Evolution, or LTE. This service is based on WCDMA, a type of third-generation mobile technology.

As Motorola is staggering with shrinking sales in North America, this fair is a chance for us to appeal to North American customers, a Samsung official said. Samsung and LG ranked No. 2 and 3 in North American handset sales last year, respectively. Motorola saw a 15 percent decrease in handset sales in 2007.

CTIA is an annual event known for displaying harbingers of the latest trends among IT gadgets. This yearбпs fair features representatives from more than 1,100 international telecommunication-related firms including Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Intel and Microsoft. Fourth-generation telecommunication technology and convergence services are mainstays of this yearбпs fair, Samsung and LG representatives reported.

[joongangdaily.joins.com]