Samsung Electronics Co., South Korea’s largest corporation, joined Microsoft Corp. on Monday in launching the first mobile phone in Asia and Europe to use high-speed HSDPA wireless technology.

The companies said the phone “the Samsung Ultra Messaging i600” was the world’s thinnest 3G smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard. It is also the first smartphone that supports Web applications like podcasts and RSS Feeder, which scans Web sites for updates, that is impressive.

The announcement was made in Hong Kong at ITU Telecom World 2006, a major convention for the telecommunications industry. The phone which can connect with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 was designed for work and play. It has two digital cameras and can be used for 3G video calls. The device powered by Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 uses the new mobile protocol called HSDPA, or high-speed downlink packet access, which provides faster, downloads of video and streaming music. The download speed is designed to be as fast as those provided by ADSL, or Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, used in homes. (click on the image to see larger image)