In an interview for a Korean news agency, Ahn Seung-kwon says (besides the details above) that LG will make another luxury phone (unrelated to the Prada) that will be similar to Nokia's crazy overpriced Vertu. He also said that they aim to be the number two cellphone maker in the world by 2012. The current #2? Samsung. So it's like Predator vs. Aliens, except instead of Predator and Aliens, you have a bunch of Koreans. [Unwired View via Boy Genius]

This isn't some neat concept, it's an actual construction, penned by Rem Koolhaas and the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, and built by Prada with help from LG and Hyundai Motor. It's framed out of steel and covered entirely with a "smooth elastic membrane" and it will be situated in Seoul, Korea, where it will be used for concerts, fashion shows and other cultural events.

I think the best illustration of it is this piece from Freshness Mag, when the Transformer was only in the planning stage:

As you can see, the hexagonal side is flat, and the square has some bleachers, so it works for "cinema" mode. The circular side has a giant cylindrical platform in the middle of it, which houses a projector when it's in the air for cinema mode, but then is used as a performance stage when it's flat on the ground in "special event" mode.

Shot from the air and as yet unpainted, it doesn't look like much, and reminds me less of the robotic Transformers of the 1980s than it does of the Dungeons & Dragons dice from roughly the same epoch. The question is, how in hell do you make sure that the thing is on level ground? And while we're talking, who has to hose all the mud off of it when it gets rotated to a new position? And most importantly, who gets to drive the crane? Ooh ooh, me me! [Dezeen]

In fact, the omission of GPS and decision to stick with the decent but none-too-powerful LG/Prada OS make the €600 asking price sound slightly goofy. That said, if you're tired of sacrificing QWERTYness for prettiness, well, here you go. It should be available "before the end of the year" but it'll be Europe only, at least at first. [LG via UnwiredView]

• Quad-band GSM/EDGE, dual-band HSDPA (850MHz/2100MHz)
• 950mAh battery
• 240×400 3.0-inch screen
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera with flash and VGA recording
• Bluetooth 2.1
• Wi-Fi b,g
• Infineon MP-EH + M180 chipset
• Motion sensor
• FM Radio
• 104.5 x 54 x 16.8 mm

Not bad at all: with quad-band, WCDMA, the motion sensor and FM radio it sounds like a fully-rounded handset. [BGR]

LG will be working on all the decent phone features, while Prada will be putting together crap themes, annoying ringtones and other stuff to ensure the handset is just a little rubbish. The LG Prada successor is expected to launch in Q4, 2008. We're excited. [Eprice via Unwired View]

The features the handsets will share include a 3-inch WQVGA 262K color touchscreen, 2MP camera with autofocus, HTML web browser, HSDPA connectivity, 120MB internal memory, USB mass storage mode, and up to 4GB microSD card support. Standing in at 4.25"H x 2.16"W x 0.51"D, the LG Vu is slightly on the larger side, but we can look past its inherent big bones to the 1000mAh battery, which will supply up to 3-hours of talk time. The Vu is set to go on show at CTIA, which gets underway on April 1st, or is that whole event just a well planned joke? Oh, we just can't tell. Now, hit up the link to get your eyeballs filled to the brim with Vu goodness [Phone Arena]

[Aving USA]

As for the design, the cellphones are expected to be as as "contemporary," "technological" and "timeless" as their watches. Naturally, there is no word yet on any type of advertising campaign, but my guess is that somehow Tiger Woods will find a way to make even more money whoring it out to the masses. [TagHeuer and Electronista]

It's got 3.6Mbps HSDPA and Wi-Fi B and G, and what looks like a half-way decent web browser. There will be some built-in games and video on demand, video telephony, and a media player that will read MP3, MPEG4, WAV, 3GP, AMR-NB, WMA, AAC, AAC+ and eAAC+. We don't even mind the Windows Mobile 6 part, given the fact that there's a customized interface like the T-Mobile HTC Shadow or the Sprint's HTC Touch.

I suppose the upcoming entry of Verizon's LG Voyager to the US doesn't preclude us from getting a KS20, but the powers that be might not want the competition this early, and LG's relationships with other carriers are not as cuddly. [LG via Akihabara News]

LG's 60,000 customer policy goes into effect immediately, and will give you up to 200,000 South Korean Won if you break your phone. The bad news: 200,000 Won is only $215. The phone is $700. Try not to break your phone. – Jason Chen

LG Offers Free Insurance for Prada Phones [Chosun]

According to what we heard from LG, they claim the KE850 (Prada) will not come to the States in its current form, and whatever does will not actually be called the Prada. However, we do know that Prada-ish phones like the LG KS20 are already coming out, but we're not sure if this is the weapon Verizon will be using to counter AT&T. – Jason Chen

Video Page [The Street via PC World via Crunchgear]

iPhone wins. Here's why:

The LG is smaller, sure. It's a better size, for an un-smartphone.It's the nicest LG I've ever seen. But it often uses it's touchscreen to boring effect. There is no interface advantage here. You touch buttons on screen to scroll and click around, much like a Palm or WM6 Phone. The menu design itself is similar to that on any high end LG phone, like, say the Shine. The 3-inch diagonal comes in useful as the entirety of it becomes a viewfinder in camera mode. The touchscreen let's you drag the home screen's clock around, and that fishy in the photo above is actually "touchable". And it ships with some touchscreen games. But generally speaking, it operates just like a regular phone. No revolutionary usage models here, either.

The iPhone uses it's touchscreen to zoom photos and webpages, flick scroll through long lists. iPhone has all the iTunes and data syncing integration built in, and the neato factor of coverflow. iPhone has networked widget compatibility for weather, stocks (yawn), and who knows what else is coming down the line. The Prada's sync software is rudimentary, allowing you to transfer contacts and calendar appointments. The Prada does have 3G, although that may be in Europe only flavors, while the iPhone only has EDGE and WiFi. (Since this is an import phone for the foreseeable future, it's likely.) The LG's 3-inch screen is 240 x 400. The Apple's is 3.5 inches, at 320 x 480. 8GB vs whatever you can fit into the LG's few megs of internal mem, plus the microSD slot. The browser sucks on the LG phone. LG phone has the advantage of being able to run J2ME progs. And has SMS and IM, which IMO are very obvious things that the iPhone should have. (Firmware!)

The Prada would be a good phone, the nicest non-business user touchscreen phone, I can think of at the moment. But at $700-850 bucks, it's just way too expensive. The iPhone isn't perfect, but the amount of innovation it has pushes it into another class. This is a really stupid comparison: iPhone wins. (The better comparison is iPhone to Helio Ocean of N95. – Brian Lam

iPhone [Gizmodo]
LG Prada [Gizmodo]

Goodbye Letter I—We discuss the reasons why the letter "i" must leave the tech world, and what letter should replace it.

Prada, Cheaper Than Yo' Momma—The LG Prada knows it needs something else to compete with the iPhone (There's that "i" again), so what did LG do? They made it completely free, with a 1.5-year contract.

EMI Sends Their Music Out Naked—And as you have probably heard by now, Stevie Jobs & Eric Nicoli announced that they will start selling their music catalog sans-DRM. Adam Frucci will walk you through how this fits in with last month's RIAA boycott.

Epson $25/inch 1080p Projector—And we're speaking relatively here, but Epson has a sweet price on a projector. $3,000 for a 1080p projector with a great contrast ratio, HDMI, and can scale to 120 inches.– Ben Longo

The LG Prada is out in Europe and, beyond being a good excuse to post a Laura Ocaña photo once again, the news is that it's free.

Yes, free with a $69/month (which includes 500 voice minutes and 500 text messages) year-and-a-half contract, but free. As opposed to the not-free iPhone's $499 and $599 plus Cingular two-year contract. And sure, the iPhone does a lot more than the Prada, but for most people, it will be the "it's cool, it has a touch-screen, it plays music, it has a camera, it's FREE, who cares!" phone.

Carphone Warehouse released it in the UK this saturday and, according to Peregrine Riviere, Investor Relations Director for the company: "They are selling like hot cakes". I bet it helps that the official price for this cellphone is $802 (600 euros), available unlocked in Prada shops through the Old Continent. –Jesus Diaz

Product Page [Carphone Warehouse]

LG working on a speedy next-gen Prada phone [gearfuse]

This is probably the the third time in history we were jealous we weren't in the UK. The first being the first time we saw Hugh Grant and the second being the the first time we saw Clive Owen. – Jason Chen

LG Prada phone unboxed [T3 via Crunchgear]

"This is a phone. And it's really nothing more than a phone. It's for those that are all about appearances. And there's nothing wrong with that."

– Louis Ramirez
Review: LG Prada [ShinyShiny]

Prada Launch Date [Mobile Today]

While being held by Laura Ocaña gave it semi-divine status at the 3GSM show, apparently the LG KE850 Prada is "just a phone". Although not any phone, according to the Trusted Reviews' hands-on. It's a "stylish, sexy, well thought out, well featured phone..." but it's not an iPhone, it doesn't have smartphone capabilities and there's no QWERTY screen keyboard. Plenty more, including its - surprisingly low - price and more pics, after the jump.

The "only thing" that it shares with the iPhone is a gorgeous screen (not judging from the photos, though), lack of 3G support, 2 megapixel camera, multimedia player, games and the same kind of sliding unlock on-screen bar. So, umm, I guess it is like the iPhone but without all the things most people are really never going to use. Except Apple fanboys like me, that is.

Still, at 2,99 oz. and 0,47 inches thin, the Prada seems to be The-Must-Have-If-You-Want-To-Be-Cool-Although-It's-Not-an-iPhone Phone™ of the year. Until you realize that, at $60 with a 200-minute contract in Europe, everyone will have one. Personally, I don't care: Laura played with one and that's enough for me. And yes, I guess I'm that sad. – Jesus Diaz

Hands On With The LG Prada Phone [Trusted Reviews]

LG Prada Bluetooth Headset to Go with Prada Phone [Ministry of Tech]

KU970 [iDNES.cz via CrunchGear]

Why would I want to fold out this big adult diaper looking thing on the street? How is that any easier or more intuitive than fidgeting with T9 or one of those phones with a flip out keyboard, like the Sidekick or LG enV? I'll concede that it looks nice when closed (and we could use more gray-colored electronics for a change... not everything has to be black), but otherwise it looks too cumbersome to use on-the-go. Maybe if you sit at a desk all day it could work, but I live a very active life; I can't be expected to be near a coffee table all day where I can set this thing down upon. – Nicholas Deleon

Nalu Origami Mobile Communicator [My iPhone]

No LG Prada phone for ex-Tampax model (and Miss Spain '03), Eva Gonzalez. – Louis Ramirez

What did they say? They said The LG Prada phone has never, and will never run Windows Mobile 6. It runs a proprietary OS made by both LG and Prada. Who knew Prada had software engineers? There you have it. Rumor smashed. – Jason Chen

LG Prada Running WM6? [Gizmodo]

While it looks exactly like the phone of the moment, it doesn't appear to carry any identifying remarks, Prada logos, etc. Rumblings point to LG developing two different, near identical looking touchscreen phones: the Prada that we all know and love and a phone optimized for Windows Mobile 6. We'll have our man on the scene scrounge for more info on this little development. – Nicholas Deleon

My iPhone Exclusive: LG Prada running Windows Mobile 6! [My iPhone]

Shiny at 3GSM: a first look at the LG Prada phone [Shiny Shiny]

We consider that Apple copycat Prada phone after the design was unveiled when it was presented in the iF Design Award and won the prize in September 2006.

Let's just say they were both developed at around the same time and neither of them took significant design details from the other, shall we? – Jason Chen

LG R&D Head Officially Arguing "Apple Phone Copied Prada Phone" [Telecoms Korea via Textually]

The interface is really easy to use—it's quick and responsive, but the screen picks up smudges way too fast. In fact, the model kept swiping it down every minute or so. The phone's also pretty lightweight, though not in a cheap way. One thing that struck me was that unlike the iPhone, the LG Prada lacks a bit of color. The reason? Well, according to LG, they deliberately made color minimal cause the monochrome interface complements the "Prada experience."

So what's the conclusion? This is definitely a worthy competitor to the iPhone that we should keep our eye on.

LG Prada [Gizmodo]

– Jason Chen

LG's iPhone clone to run Windows Mobile 6 [Mobility Today]

LG Prada Phone Video Exclusive (Italian) [Cellulare IT]

If you're still interested, see how the iPhone stacks up against the OpenMoko Neo1073 and some things you already recognize.

– Jason Chen

Thanks to Sizeasy!

Thanks enero!

LG Unveils Prada Phone, Preempts iPhone [Electronista]