One of the great joys of unboxings is being able to appreciate a product from afar that -- let's be honest -- you have no business buying yourself. Take, for example, LG's tantalizing Secret slider, a phone that would definitely get the job done in many parts of the world -- but if you find yourself trapped in North America, the lack of HSDPA and GSM 850 make it a tough sell, despite the mere 11.8mm of depth and 5 megapixel autofocus cam with face detection. Fortunately, we've got enough photography over on Engadget Spanish to get the Secret mostly out of our system, so go on, have a look!

Look, LG, it's all well and good the Secret has a touchscreen and that sweet DivX-capable 5 megapixel camera, but making a viral video that can only be described as early-90s softcore voodoo porn and ends with a sheepish phone call from the dude's mother is probably not the best way to highlight those qualities. Video after the break -- warning, it's just a hair on the NSFW side.

LG's stylish Secret has been out of the closest for a good while now, but there's just nothing like a flurry of high-resolution shots straight from the show floor to drum up interest. The admittedly elegant slider is strutting its stuff over in Singapore, and we must say, that carbon fiber bod and 5-megapixel camera sure look delicious here on the other side of the world. Check the read link for a few more photos, and head on past the break for a hands-on video.

As members of LG's fashion line, neither the KF600 nor KF750 Secret were ever designed to be completely anonymous, per se, and they definitely won't be if you procure yours through the folks at Goldstriker. The masters of conspicuous embellishment have added gold-plated versions of the new LG sliders to its line -- 24 karat gold, natch -- which should go nicely with the gilded Mercedes Benz medallions that Goldstriker also sells. It seems that your choice of the KF600 or Secret will run £329.95 or £529.95 respectively (about $648 or $1,035), which at least in the case of the KF600 isn't much of a premium over what you'd pay for a standard unlocked version. Just don't let that micron of gold rub off, and you should be golden. Yes, pun intended.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Alright, Vodafone's making this too easy: going to its link for the LG Secret is currently producing a "Sorry, we could not find the product requested" error, which only serves to reinforce the phone's stealthy name. We're figuring they're just working out a few technical details on their end, but at any rate, LG's fashionable 5 megapixel slider should now be available from Voda retailers in the UK, offering a 2.4 inch scratch-resistant display, carbon fiber shell, HSDPA, and all the other spoils that go with being a high-end device these days. It clocks in at just 11.8mm to boot, which should be slim enough to make it a secret in your pocket, too. Looks like the carrier's selling it for anywhere from free to £250 (about $491) depending on the plan you select, so cost shouldn't be a concern (upfront cost, anyway) if you absolutely must have this one.

[Via MobileBurn]

In case you hadn't heard, there's a battle raging for the hearts and minds of Europeans looking for a fashionable slider with a powerhouse camera. Both Samsung and LG are stepping up to the plate to address that very specific need this summer, with Samsung delivering the u900 Soul -- a phone it claims will be the last in its Ultra line -- and LG bringing the similarly named (and similarly spec'd) KF750 Secret. Initial reviews for both devices seem overwhelmingly positive, so don't expect them to necessarily help you choose which one to buy; instead, we suspect it might come down to brand preference, the Soul's nifty OLED d-pad, and the Secret's touchscreen. Both have HSDPA 2100 while rejecting North America's 3G airwaves, so for some of us, this battle is a bit of a moot point -- but for the rest of you, best of luck picking your '08 weapon of choice.

[Thanks, TI]

Read - MobileBurn reviews the Samsung Soul
Read - CNET UK reviews the LG Secret

Although it should be painfully obvious, we can't deny that chatting about sensitive information in public takes place practically everywhere. To that end, a new study commissioned by Vodafone UK found that over 70-percent of all workers "talk business on their mobile phones in public, with one-in-five talking about business-critical subjects such as sales leads." Worse still, 15-percent admitted to "openly discussing confidential new products or services whilst traveling," while 26-percent admitted that they have actually followed up on a lead in which they received via listening in to another's public call. Not surprisingly, the company recommends that individuals utilize more discreet methods of communicating in public, suggesting texting and emailing in particular. Of course, it's a good bit more difficult to tell a story through those two methods, but it's a lot better than having your most promising client snatched out from under you, yeah?

[Via textually, image courtesy of Miloh]

LG's KF750 was just announced official-like by the non-rioting folks at Lucky Goldstar. With it, we get the official specs courtesy of, uh, Photography Blog. Why is a site for digital photogs carrying a cellphone press release, you ask? Easy, this one's got a 5 megapixel camera with face recognition and the ability to shoot DivX video at 120fps. A member of LG's Black Label series, the 11.8-mm slider is the thinnest 5 megapixel cameraphone on the market. Unfortunately the press release is heavy on fluff and light on specs so we can only tell you that it'll also be sporting a touch-screen, suite of mobile Google apps, and Bluetooth when it makes its European debut sometime this year, presumably, for an unknown price.

Update: A few more details are rolling in: 2.4-inch display, haptic feedback, and available in May.

[Via Stuff.tv and Digital-Lifestyles]

Read -- Secret micro site (so secret it's currently down)
Read -- Press release

Just as Japan announces that it'll pretty much have an eye on every single cellphone user in the nation, Korea is going against the grain somewhat by offering up an anti-eavesdropping service on users' handsets. SK Telecom, KTF, and LG Telecom will all be offering private long code service, a digital encryption system to keep voice snoopers at bay, and will dub the service "Voice Private." Marketed primarily towards people of utmost importance, such as politicians, public officials, journalists (ahem), and CEOs, the luxury will purportedly operate on any mobile phone and will cost between W1,500 ($1.60) and W2,000 ($2.13). Interestingly, it wasn't noted if these fees were a monthly charge (less likely) or a per-call exaction (more likely), but regardless, the service should go live just as soon as the Ministry of Information and Communication approves it.