Created in Japan in 1974 and marketed by Sanrio all over the globe, Hello Kitty has invaded almost every product industry by teaming up with various manufacturers of household products, clothing lines, fashion accessories, toys, etc. Now, one of the world's most famous cats (the others being Garfield, Felix the Cat, etc.) has made its mark even on the mobile industry.

BenQ Mobile's new AL26 slide-phone now comes with a feline look, with a shimmery metallic pink casing with the cute cat's image on it. The Hello Kitty edition of this mobile phone is fast becoming a highly-coveted fashion accessory-cum-gadget for the young, fashion-conscious, and Hello Kitty-fanatic mobile users.

No need to worry about the phone looking too "kiddie" because the back panel of the casing comes in a contrasting and elegant white color. On the back panel is also Hello Kitty's logo with matching writing which makes it quite an eye-catcher even when viewed from the back.

The BenQ-Siemens AL26 Hello Kitty is user-friendly and performs well in both optical and functional aspects. The four-way joystick makes browsing through the menu quicker and easier to do. It has a TFT color screen with 65,536 colors and 130 x 130 pixels which provides optimum image quality. The phone doesn't fare well though when compared to other phones with music playback capabilities because it only features 32-chord ringtones.

The BenQ-Siemens AL26 Hello Kitty will released and sold from August 2006 onwards. The phone comes with a Hello Kitty charm and preinstalled mobile games, ringtones, and wallpapers (all three being Kitty-themed of course). Consult your local retailers for the price for this pretty kitty mobile. This phone definitely proves that fashion and technology DO mesh well together.