Leaked images of what appears to be the world's first Lego mobile phone have appeared on the internet. The brightly coloured Alcatel phone has been styled to look like as if built of red, blue and yellow Lego bricks.
Lego is known to be keen to enter the digital age and is planning to release a range of themed gadgets including a camera, MP3 player and walkie-talkies. To date, the company has steered clear of any announcements on plans to offer a mobile phone, raising suspicions that the images of the Alcatel device may be an elaborate hoax. Any decision to use Lego to promote mobile phones to children would be highly controversial, given concerns about the impact of the technology on developing brains. The French government has recently announced a ban on the marketing of mobile phones to children. But Lego is hoping to tap into the trend for hi-tech toys among children. The company has formed a partnership with Las Vegas firm Digital Blue to manufacture a range of Lego-based electrical goods which are a world away from its traditional toy bricks. The fully functioning range of gadgets also includes alarm clocks and a so-called 'boom box' - an all-in-one CD and radio player. The new products are aimed for children aged between seven and 11. The full range is set to hit British stores this summer and items will cost between £14 and £40. Exact specifications have yet to be released.
