LG Electronics will launch an updated version of its Prada-branded smartphone that would feature a sliding Qwerty keyboard, PC World reported Sunday. The addition of the keyboard may help the Prada handset compete better against rivals such as Apple's iPhone.

Additional elements include 7.2M bps (bits per second) HSDPA (high-speed downlink packet access) connectivity, Wi-Fi, a full HTML Internet browser and a 5-megapixel camera with a Schneider-Kreuznach lens.

Like the older Prada model, the revised handset will contain a touchscreen and a “digitally sophisticated” interface, Digital Trends reported Monday.

According to Digital Trends, the company announced that so far it has sold more than a million of the original Prada device, which was launched nearly a year and a half ago.

LG intends to start selling the updated model in the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands before the end of 2008 for €600 (US$798), PC World reported.