Revealed for Asian markers back in June, LG has announced the UK launch of the KS360, specifically designed for a younger audience with the big selling point of messaging on the move.

The Sidekick-rivaling KS360's sliding QWERTY keypad and messaging features mean that users can send SMS, IM, email and have the ability to access social networking sites.

In addition, the GSM/GPRS/EDGE KS360 comes with touchscreen dialling, a 2-megapixel camera and microSD card slot that supports cards up to 4GB.

LG says the KS360's keypad lets users write messages quickly and accurately and once the full length keypad has been opened, the 2.4-inch screen automatically rotates 90 degrees using accelerometer technology.

Other features include Bluetooth 2.0, USB, polyphonic ringtones, MP3 and AAC audio and MPEG4 and H.263 vid playback, and a WAP 2.0 browser.

No doubt helping the yoof appeal of this new handset, the KS360 is available in a range of colours including titanium and bright blue, white and soft pink, black and red and black and silver.

The KS360 will be available on O2 and Orange from August. It will be primarily pre-pay, but will also be available on contract.