The new model will have the same functions as its silver coloured predecessor but its exterior has undergone a makeover, changing colour to a dark metallic grey.

LG Mobile Head of UK Marketing Gary Venn said: “The addition of the LG Shine ‘Titanium Black’ to the series will appeal to customers who demand the highest standards in style and technology.  This handset takes the LG Shine to the next level, offering an elegant and stylish alternative to its predecessor.”

Whether or not this dark coloured Shine is actually appealing remains to be seen – it’s not always easy to judge how a handset really looks from press photography. It’s certainly a striking looking handset, and as the LG Shine is pitched firmly in the fashion phone marker then it should turn a few heads.

Just in case you’re not already familiar with the technical specifications on the LG Shine KE970, it comes with a 240 x 320 pixel display in 262,000 colours, a 2 megapixel camera camera with a Schneider-Kreuznach lens, autofocus and a multishot capability. Memory expansion is through a microSD slot, stereo Bluetooth and the LG Shine also has the usual combination of MP3 player, email client, web browser and everything else you’d expect. It’s a bit heavier than most similarly sized GSM phones at 119 grams, mostly due to the metal parts in the construction.

Although the original KE970 is a great looking handset, there have been criticisms about signal strength, battery life and that the handset scratches easily. This latter problem is common to a lot of fashion phones – the solution is to take better care of it!

The LG Shine Titanium Black will be available in the UK in late 2007.