Southeast Asia’s biggest tech show opens this week

A multimedia handset with an 8 megapixel camera from Sony Ericsson, touch-screen phones from LG and Samsung’s iphone lookalike are among the latest gizmos to go on display as this citystate hosts the region's largest technology exhibition this week.

More than 2,300 companies, including service providers, handset and accessory manufacturers and equipment vendors, are participating in the four-day annual exhibition, Communicasia, starting on Tuesday, said Stephen Tan, Chief Executive, Singapore Exhibition Services.

Companies like Sony Ericsson and Nokia are not participating in the exhibition, but they will be holding their own displays in Singapore coinciding with the exhibition.

Besides launching a handset with an 8-megapixel camera phone, Sony Ericsson is also expected to announce a motion-sensitive gaming phone on Tuesday. Market leader Nokia plans to talk about its internet service platform Ovi and showcase its upcoming range of business phones.

LG will launch the latest in its touch sensitive design phones. Samsung will launch its iPhone lookalike i900 model that features a five megapixel camera phone. "Communicasia offers a strong platform for consumers to experience the latest in terms of handsets, mobile technologies, applications and content, because it serves as a platform not only to launch but also to showcase the latest in mobile technology,” said Sunil Dutt, India head of Samsung Telecommunications India.

Unlike similar events in Europe and America where companies showcase their global portfolio of devices that may or not get launched in India, CommunicAsia display products that are more relevant to the region.