Pantech may be the lesser known cousin to its Korean brethren, Samsung and LG, but they certainly have a few tricks up their sleeves when it comes to getting noticed. It seems that the Pantech a100 — a candybar with what looks like a rocker-style navigator — has moseyed on over to the FCC offices seeking a stamp of approval. The suits have smiled on thee, dear a100.

It seems to be completely jet black and fairly basic in nature. The rather large “Pantech” branding on the front is a little deceiving, as the logo appears to be part of the screen (it’s not). In this way, the full color display isn’t quite as large as you would think it to be. The rest of the picture, so to speak, on this tri-band GSM/GPRS cell phone reads as so: VGA camera with self-timer and movies, WAP mobile web, infrared, Java games, and not much else.

The Pantech a100 is a budget-minded phone for a budget-minded audience. It is still uncertain which (if any) mobile operator will pick this up, but that FCC sticker sure makes the process easier.