The latest music phone from Samsung is available exclusively from wireless service provider T-Mobile USA. The device comes with a wired stereo headset and a USB cable for side-loading music from a PC. In addition, there's an external memory slot that supports up to 2-Gbytes of removable memory. The phone comes with a 1-Gbyte card.

Along with its music-centric features, the phone also has a 1.3-megapixel camera and a video recorder, features common to many mobile phones. The Beat supports MP3 files and songs in Microsoft's proprietary Windows Media Audio format.

The black phone is 3.5 inches high, 1.8 inches wide, and is less than three-quarters of an inch thick. It weighs 2.7 ounces. "The Samsung Beat is ideal for consumers who want advanced music features and mobile capabilities along with functionality and affordability," Pete Skaryznski, senior VP for Samsung, said in a statement.

Pricing for the Beat was not disclosed.

The new phone is at the low end of Samsung's combination phone and media players. The company has an Ultra portfolio that includes the Smart F700, which includes a full touch screen and a QWERTY keypad. The F700, introduced in February, would compete against the iPhone, which Apple released June 29. The iPhone has gotten high markets for its innovative touch screen.

In July, the iPhone was the top selling smart phone in the U.S, according to iSuppli, which predicts Apple will sell 4.5 million units this year. The iPhone outsold smart phones from Samsung, as well as Research In Motion, which makes the BlackBerry; Palm, Nokia and Motorola.

In the second quarter, Samsung was the third largest mobile phone maker in the world, with 13.4% of the market, according to Gartner. Nokia led with 33.7% of the market, followed by Motorola with 14.9%. Samsung has been gaining global market share at the expense of Motorola.