Samsung handset responds to movement

South Korean electronics giant Samsung has launched what it's claiming is the world's first movement-controlled handset.

The SCH-S310 has a built-in 'accelerometer' which measures movements made with the handset and translates them into phone commands. If a user shakes the phone twice, for example, it will end a call or delete a message.

Samsung claims the phone will also be able to recognise and translate more complex movements including dialling numbers drawn in the air using the handset or turning an 'o' or an 'x' drawn in the air into a yes or no command.

The company has also built into a range of upcoming handsets movement controls, including turning the phone into a beat box, playing games using motion, controlling the MP3 player remotely and analysing a user's movements to give diet advice.

Movement also features in another of the SCH-S310's novelty features - the phone packs a magnetic sensor-based compass.

Other notable firsts of late for Samsung include the recent launch of a speech-to-SMS handset and the first phone to include a five-megapixel camera.