LG Signs up with YouTube

Korean mobile manufacturer, and all round electronics giant, LG Electronics, has reportedly signed an agreement with YouTube, to develop a mobile phone specifically aimed at those wishing to operate the video-sharing service on their mobile phones. The Seoul-based company said the new handsets will allow users to upload, view, and share video clips, or user-created content, online without having to first download them to their pcs.

A statement from LG proudly declared "LG Electronics will unveil the mobile handset that fully supports the YouTube service for the first time in Europe during the second half of this year."

According to recent figures, YouTube has a huge and dedicated online audience - garnering over 100 million log-ins every day. In addition, its viewers contribute 70,000 new video clips per day. LG, which is the fifth largest manufacturer of mobile handsets in the world, said it will also beef up its partnership with online search giant Google, which paid US$1.65 billion for YouTube last year.

LG has already started marketing 3G handsets known as "Google phones" which come with specially installed software for using the search engine. Users can apparently access the online search tool via a single click on the handset.