Korean firm beds another designer

Samsung and Giorgio Armani are teaming up to put more 'fashion' phones on the market.

The first handset will be unveiled at Milan Fashion Week and will be a touch-screen phone similar to Apple's iPhone.

The tri-band, 2.6in-screen phone comes with a leather Armani carry-case and a wireless Bluetooth headset.

"We make as much of a personal statement with the mobile phones that we carry or the televisions that we have in our living rooms as we do with the shoes and bags we wear or the furnishings we choose," Armani said in a statement.

The phone is the first of a range of goods to be designed and built by the partnership. A new LCD television will be launched next year, and other products will receive a design makeover.

This is not the first time Samsung has partnered with a separate design house. The firm has already tried a development deal with Bang & Olufsen which produced a clamshell phone with a novel numeric keyboard.

Link-ups between fashion houses and mobile phone manufacturers are becoming increasingly common these days as the market matures and companies look to the 'next big thing'.

Dolce & Gabbana has produced a limited edition Motorola Razr, and LG has partnered with Prada to produce a handset of their own.