Malaysia's first homegrown cellular phone, M.Mobile, which was designed and developed in this country, made its debut on Friday.

Named M 10, this newly launched model not only has those standard features common in this industry but offers Muslim users fresh alternatives, said M.Mobile's Chief Executive Officer Zainudin Mohd Salleh.

Equipped with Islamic features, the M 10 model can calculate prayer time, broadcast azan (the summons to prayer) and show the prayer direction, said Zainudin at the launching ceremony in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel here.

"We hope in our own small way, we are able to contribute towards the government's effort in transforming our country into a nation of multi-skilled, multi-talented knowledge workers of world standards," said Zainudin.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahamad Badawi attended the launching ceremony. While expressing his appreciation for the achievements made by the young company, Badawi also reminded the company to ensure its products can be equally accepted by non-Muslim customers.

Meanwhile, Zainudin said 90 percent of the M.Mobile products targets overseas markets. The company earlier inked a deal with the Saudi Arabian Television Manufacturing Co. Ltd. to supply one million units of mobile phones per year for the next five years, He added.

Source: Xinhua