NOTE: This is an old article -- from January (before the iPhone). But I had NO idea! Anyone in the U.S. know about this!?! Any non-U.S. orgers have one?

LG's KE850 Prada official: iPhone says, wha?
by Thomas Ricker

Check it Apple, LG just went official with their iPhone look-a-like LG KE850 Prada phone which they proudly tout as the world's "first completely touch-screen mobile phone." Er, unless you consider the ones from Motorola, HTC, and others.

Still, this is more than likely a dig at the iPhone which they can rightly make since the KE850 will hit select mobile shops and PRADA stores in the UK, France, Germany and Italy at the end of February and parts of Asia before March is through. Sadly, the KE850 is a non-starter for the U.S. market since this version is limited to tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 with EDGE data.

It's smaller than its fruity peer at just 98.8 x 54 x 12-mm resulting in a more compact, 3.0-inch display presumably with that 240 x 400 resolution we heard about earlier.

In case you're keeping track (and we know you are), the iPhone goes quad-band GSM with EDGE and WiFi in a 115 x 61 x 11.6-mm shell sporting a 3.5-inch, 320 x 480 display. Also, the KE850 seems to lack any significant on-board storage opting instead for microSD to boost capacity.

Like the iPhone, it packs a 2 megapixel camera (with Schneider-Kreuznach lens and LED flash) and Bluetooth 2.0. However, there's no mention of multi-touch capabilities, an on-screen keyboard, or the accelerometer and proximity sensors found on the iPhone. The KE850 PRADA's UI is Macromedia Flash-based and opts for a minimalist, white-on-black display as opposed to the more, shall we say, OS Xish GUI we've already seen floated.

Feature-wise, the KE850 comes with a video player supporting MPEG-4, H.264, and oddly, H.263 normally used for video conferencing; a document viewer supporting Microsoft's PPT, DOC, XLS formats, PDF and TXT; an audio player with support for MP3/ACC/ACC+/WMA/RA formats; and a "music multitasking function for messaging," whatever that is.

How much? €600/$778... that's how much. Still, a compelling choice for those who can't wait for the iPhone's Q4 European introduction or 2008 Asia launch.

yep, mighty OLD

horatio said:

Are you in the States, Horatio? I hadn't heard of it until today.

Lammastide said:

yes

i guess I read/look at alot of magazines

horatio said:

It's in this month's GQ or Details (I can't remember which). I was like, WOW!

The iPhone has more features, it seems, but the Prada phone is definitely slicker. I think they're both fairly unnecessary, though.

Lammastide said:

yup

$778 for a phone? FUCK THAT!

bboy87 said:

But it'll match your cufflinks

It looks a like a television remote control

Apparently one of the ring tones is a woman saying, "I'm calling you" with a sexy, British accent.

Lammastide said:

I think it's hilarious whenever folks want to sell anything with a bit of prestige to it here in the States, they use British accents (mercedez, jaguar, gold, anything that's considered luxury).

One day I would just love to see a Jaguar add narrated by George W.

Imago said:

...maybe a Studebaker?

PurpleJedi said:

...or a Radio Flyer

I like it. I want it.

I even dig the male and female Eurotrash "(H)I'm colling (h)you" ringtones.

Imago said:

It makes sense for Jaguar ads to feature a British voice though, no?

fhqwhgads said:

oh, it's not just jaquar though. If we're selling expensive or high class anything--I mean it could be ANYTHING, boots, boats, or dildos-- our commercials use British accents.

But if Amscot is trying to promote their 500 dollar advance-checking loans, you're gonna get a black girl with a big smile and a twinkle in her eye.

US media is so transparent.





amscot edit
[Edited 9/8/07 5:48am]

Imago said:

If a luxury product is being sold here it's either a Chinese-Thai girl with whiter skin than a caucasian selling it, or a half-Thai, half-Farang. I saw an ad for am expensive spa last night and it was all these dark skinned Thais massaging an American dude and his half-Thai wife. They were also trying to sell these fancy (they wish!) moisturisers, body butters and whatnot on a Thai home shopping channel, so naturally they needed to give it a European name. I think the company was called 'Dr. Shculzt' (sic).

Also, if you've a half-Thai, half-farang child you can basically pimp them out to soy milk companies and the like. Dark-skinned Thais are criminals, maids or slap-stick comedians. They can make rock music too, or hip-hop, but not pop.

fhqwhgads said:

I'm sooooo gonna be popular there!


I'm half-thai, and speak very white, and from the waste down, I'm alllll black, son!

Imago said:

You'll be a farang just like me.

fhqwhgads said:

It's hilarious to hear them call me that. It was like a slap in the face from my own homeland the first time I heard it.

I was like, what???!?? You'll let me play kick-boxing, but you won't like me in the club!

Fauxie, have you ever noticed that lammastide's genius is in his responses to other people's threads,, but his own threads (especially in general discussion) just suck total ass?

Imago said:

You'd be surprised how many ads and TV personalities here in Nashville have British accents. Talk about your dichotomies.

Imago said:

Yes. I can half empathise.

Imago said:

They'll merrily rip you off something chronic. And assume you're a pussy when it comes to spicy food (which may be true?). And assume you're rich. But they'll also think your penis is a decent size.

ThreadBare said:

It's just annoying to me. It's like the only minority representation of the promotion of "high class" products are on Jayzee videos, and that isn't doing any minorities any favors.


I mean, are people with southern accents, or African American, Latino, Asian, etc. somehow NOT interested in these products?
I guess, it's corporate America's admission that we still have a long with to go in the economic/demographic food chain, which at least beats our government currently in denial.

fhqwhgads said:

Thank you

You're considerate enough to always point out my penis, or bring it back to something with extreme sexual overtones, such is your sensibilities to my interests. I appreciate that


I eat spicier food than most Thai's I know. I'm hardcore when it comes to spice, yo.

Imago said:

@ 'point out my penis'.

"Look again. Yep, that's it. I'm pretty sure. I mean, that's where it'd be, right?"

Yes, another small penis joke.

I can't eat spicy food. I don't get the whole point of it. I can't taste the food if it's too spicy.

Imago said:

Well, Brits/Euros still represent "old money" in the West, despite the occurances of it in other ethnicities. Those other ethnicities are viewed as "exotic," which often is just a dressed-up way of saying "primitive." There's a really drastic mental shift from folks, for them to think a primitive/lesser person can be more refined or wealthier than them.

fhqwhgads said:

The secret to Thai food (and to Cambodian, vietnamese food) I find is that the spicyness is always complimented by a counter-flavor.

Basil chicken for example mixes the pungeant taste of Thai Basil, pepper, and fish sauce, with the sweetness of sugar, bell pepper (when it's used) and other things.
Same with Some Tum.

Thai's are brilliant at mixing flavors that you think should fight each other.