LG couldn’t have timed it better: its Prada phone launched just about at the same time as the iPhone, and the similarities are striking. So too are the differences.
Unlike most phones that carry the name of fashion house, the Prada phone apparently represents a good ideal of input from Prada – “LG and PRADA have worked closely together on every aspect of the product, from handset development to marketing … Prada’s involvement extends beyond exterior aesthetics to the key elements of the user experience such as the advanced touch interface, ringtones, preloaded content, mobile phone accessories and the exclusive leather case …”
What LG would like us to call “The PRADA Phone by LG” is more prosaically the KE850. Like the iPhone, it’s a slab with a touchscreen rather than a keyboard;
The phone is thin (12mm, fractionally thicker than the iPhone) and features a good-looking 400x240 touchscreen (better resolution than Apple’s). It has more keys, but not many more – Send, End, and a few buttons on the sides. Chocolate-style icons on the face of the phone glow for action and disappear when not in use to reveal a smooth black full-surface exterior.
The 2mp camera (same as Apple) comes with an LED flash (the iPhone doesn’t). Inside there’s video and music players and a music multitasking function for messaging. It also boasts an external memory slot, unlike the iPhone; the base memory is only 8MB, though, so you’ll need that. Bluetooth and USB are also there.
The Prada phone will be available in several European markets late this month, with a UK end user price around £395.
What LG would like us to call “The PRADA Phone by LG” is more prosaically the KE850. Like the iPhone, it’s a slab with a touchscreen rather than a keyboard;
The phone is thin (12mm, fractionally thicker than the iPhone) and features a good-looking 400x240 touchscreen (better resolution than Apple’s). It has more keys, but not many more – Send, End, and a few buttons on the sides. Chocolate-style icons on the face of the phone glow for action and disappear when not in use to reveal a smooth black full-surface exterior.
The 2mp camera (same as Apple) comes with an LED flash (the iPhone doesn’t). Inside there’s video and music players and a music multitasking function for messaging. It also boasts an external memory slot, unlike the iPhone; the base memory is only 8MB, though, so you’ll need that. Bluetooth and USB are also there.
The Prada phone will be available in several European markets late this month, with a UK end user price around £395.