This seems to be the week of the phone. First, the long-awaited iPhone hit the market… but it turned out to be a VoIP phone from Linksys rather than a cell phone from Apple. Then, ASUSTeK Computer, Inc., launched a wireless music Skype phone in India.

Now comes news that, later this month, Samsung Electronics will be introducing in Korea what it describes as “the world's first mobile phone featuring a n optical joystick for a whole new mobile experience.”

Based on the image Samsung provides, the joystick in question appears to be something like the “J-key” integrated into some computer keyboards—a button that can be toggled around to move a cursor on the screen.

“Users utilize the optical joystick key by placing their finger and moving a cursor to navigate through the menu, similar to a cursor of a mouse on a PC ,” Samsung explained in its announcement. “Optical sensors will read and react to users' finger movement, thus breaking down the traditional four-way menu navigation and providing 360 degrees of freedom.”

Samsung is betting that the joystick will revolutionize the way users interact with their cell phones—or, more specifically, with the company’s SCH-V960 phone.

“Users can point the cursor and click directly on icons on MyScreen, similar interface to that on a PC environment, and gain direct access to frequently used menus such as photo album, messaging, and music menu,” Samsung said in its announcement. “Users can also use the Optical Joystick to easily scroll through the play list while listening to their music.”

I’ll be keeping my eye on the joystick phone. If it takes off in Korea, chances are U.S. consumers will be able to get their hands—or rather, their fingers—on the phone before long, too.