Remember the Prada-LG mobile phone? Or the special edition Dolce Gabana-Motorola mobile phone? Now, Armani and Samsung have collaborated on the launch of a new luxury mobile phone. The 10.5-millimeter thick phone is equipped with a 3-megapixel camera, MP3 music and MPEG-4 video player and a microSD memory chip slot. RIM may rest assured, the team is targeting a”fashion consumer”. The mobile phone will be available in Samsung stores and Giorgio Armani boutiques in major European countries from November 2007, with expansion to other markets planned for 2008. Samsung is the second largest mobile phone provider and Armani is the world’s richest fashion designer with an empire worth over $3 billion dollars, a dangerous duo indeed. Samsung and Armani will not stop at mobile phones. In 2008, they will champion television and other household appliances. It remains to be seen if the match up will amount to real business or just another press splash. NATALIA