Electronics Samsung is marketing a mobile phone with colour picture capability, denoting a change in mobile technology. The handset supports video on demand (VOD), audio on demand (AOD) and their advanced functions slated for IMT-2000.

Samsung Electronics was the first company to commercialise a CDMA system. The new handset is based on CDMA 2000 1x, the first next-generation wireless technology commercialised in Korea. It comes with a built-in MPEG 4 motion picture decoder and stereo player.

"The product's availability is expected to spark intense competition among contents providers," said a Samsung spokesman. "Indeed the breakthrough product is expected to play a leading role in the realisation of IMT-2000 services in world markets."

According to details given by Samsung, the colour VOD phone comes with a 2.04-ich TFT-LCD that can reproduce clear motion picture images in 200,000 different colour shades. The handset can send and receive text data wirelessly at up to 144kbps as well as supporting VOD and AOD. Thus mobile access is possible to various contents services with colour moving pictures such as music, videos, Internet broadcasts, animation, news reports and so on.

Windows User Interface enhances ease of use, while the built-in telephone directory can store up to 2,400 numbers. The handset can be linked to a PC to download customised icons, images and ring melodies or to play Internet games in colour.

"The latest Samsung cellular phone presents significant change of the mobile technology by switching from the black-and-white display and transmission of data only to a colour display and Video on Demand phone," said the company.