The inside story on the LG Prada KE850 mobile phone - from Milan!

If you're a secret fashionista you probably know by now that I was lucky enough to attend the Prada fashion show for Milan Fashion Week just last week. But, it wasn't just the sight of expensive designer frocks which rocked my boat, oh no, it was getting hands-on with the eagerly awaited mobile from the collaboration between LG and Prada which did it for me. Gosh, I'm such a geek. This was the first time I'd seen it in the wild, and wow, it was better than I could've ever expected. Your first time is always special, sigh. Read on below for my thoughts on the first-ever completely touch-screen mobile phone, information about the collaboration between the popular phone company and legendary fashion house, and just what LG think about the phone being touted as an 'iPhone killer'. Otherwise take a look at the quick video I shot with the phone in the hotel bar above, hopefully it can sate your appetite before this tasty piece of tech drops on March 18th!

There's no point in rehashing the specs about the mobile - everyone else on Shiny Shiny has told you all the 'deets, so let's discuss some of the things you probably haven't heard about this must-have mobile yet. As explained in the video above, Prada were simply not content with having their logo welded onto the casing of a random mobile, (case in point - Motorola's Dolce & Gabbana Razr), they actually wanted to have input with the design process, to ensure it was worthy of being a Prada product. According to the several LG representatives I spoke to last week, Prada had been approached numerous times by "several big players" in the mobile phone industry, but up until they met with LG, they felt that none of the companies shared similar aims in producing a fashion mobile. Plus, all the other companies were only offering limited input in the design process - Prada were quite keen to contribute to the interface, wallpapers, ringtones and everything else that defines a fashion mobile phone. Perhaps a little too much for LG's liking, if the story I heard was correct! The story goes that in May 2006, LG approached Miuccia and co at the house of Prada, and presented them with their ideas, as well as the then-recently released LG Chocolate. Miuccia was apparently quite impressed with the Chocolate, as well as LG's idea for a revolutionary (read: completely touch-screen) mobile, that they decided then and there to do business with the electronics company which was "once best known for its washing machines".

From the lengthy play I had with it, Prada have definitely injected some of their high-end opulence into the mobile, right down to the ringtones. I was quite surprised by how industrial the eight ringtones were, they were almost sci-fi, and not the bubbly, almost euro-dance tunes I was expecting. After seeing the Prada fashion show that night however, I understood their choice of music for the phone, for they matched the 'choons played as the models sauntered down the catwalk. According to Style.com's runway review from that night, the music was 'a soundtrack of some very angry girls, chanting lines like "poke his eyes out"', all the more reinforcing something Miuccia Prada herself said about an earlier collection once, "I'm tired of being so sweet...we women should go back to strength - and the sober side. Stop trying to appeal to everyone, and go out into the world". As rumoured, the interface was monochrome, perhaps a little dull for my liking, but it certainly ties in nicely with the Prada image. Other themes include 'butterfly', a yellow and purple mixture containing a cute butterfly you could control on the screen with your finger, and my personal favourite, 'fish', which was light blue, and you could similarly guide an orange fish around with the touch of your finger.

You wouldn't be out of order to assume that the phone was only capable of displaying black and white images, due to the default themes, but thank goodness, that's not the case. The short trailer I watched on the screen, of Casino Royale, was spot-on, and much better than anything the iPod Video could ever hope to show! Once you select the video to watch, it displays the images horizontally, making the most of the capacious LCD screen. One thing I was keen to test was the camera, and suffice to say, it lived up to my high expectations. Containing a 2-megapixel camera, with an LED flash, the few photos I took in the hotel bar were very impressive. Other multimedia features include an MP3 player, handy when used with the free headphones they supply you with, or simply when using the stereo speakers located on the phone - great news for those kids on the train busting out their grime and hip hop, bad news for those of us with taste. You won't be able to store much music on the phone mind, the internal memory is only 8MB, and whilst they do supply you with a 256MB memory card, the slot is only capable of receiving Micro SD cards, and as they're currently available with a maximum of 2GB, it's sadly not enough potential albums to store for my liking. But then, I'm not content with a 30GB iPod, so maybe I'm a little more fussy than most!

Obviously I couldn't refrain from asking the all important question, of what LG thought about the Prada phone being branded an 'iPhone killer', due to its completely touch-screen capabilities and levels of ultra-desirability. Yvan Juget, the Communications Manager for LG, was very flattered by the comparisons the general public have made between the two phones, and that they could ever be pitted against "the world's audio leaders". He did admit however that the Prada mobile was aimed at an entirely different market to that of the iPhone, those who demand not only a mobile phone, but also that of an exclusive fashion accessory. It appears that LG are quite keen to stress the exclusivity of the mobile, with Yvan commenting that Prada were worried "it would be found in really small phone stores in Sicily", which I presume would be a major faux pas for the fashion house. Perhaps the equivalent of being found in an Argos in Hounslow? For those after the mobile, you'll have to visit a Prada store, or if you're a Blighty dweller, Phones 4 U, Carphone Warehouse, Orange, or O2, which, according to Yvan, all had proven track records and were capable of delivering such an exclusive product to the right market. No Tesco, then!

When it appears in late March across Europe - the 18th I believe, it should be retailing for approximately €600 sim-free, otherwise on 18 month contracts with a certain amount required upfront. As we've seen with previous LG phones, it's not unusual for them to whip out several differently coloured versions later down the track, and when asked about the possibility of the Prada phone dipping its toe into the paintbox, the answer wasn't a definite 'no', you'll be pleased to hear. The general consensus was that once LG monitored the sales of the initial black version, they may consider releasing some colours "at the end of the year". I put in my two-pence worth and requested a silver one, fingers crossed.

Unfortunately I didn't get to lay eyes on the all-important packaging, but from what I heard, it's bound to be a crowd pleaser. According to the aforementioned Yvan, "everyone gasps at the packaging", commenting that they've "never seen such nice packaging before". Prada chose the box apparently, and it's all black, made from "nice" paper. Prada are also controlling all the advertising, with previously used models in their handbag (female) and cologne (male) ranges being used again. Being a Milanese fashion house, they're hoping "it'll be a hit in Italy", and that those familiar with the brand will embrace this new business venture with credit card in hand. From what I heard, it sounds like it's already a successful collaboration, as they've already taken more pre-orders for the Prada phone than for the Shine in France, if that's anything to go by.

As mentioned previously, the mobile is not 3G or HSDPA, something I find is most probably the only flaw in the design. According to Yvan, it was discussed, however "Prada liked the thinness of it", so form won over function in this case - sob! When pressed for details about further collaborations with the fashion house, he was close-lipped, but did let slip that LG would certainly be open to any new ideas Prada ever brought to them. A Prada-branded washing machine, perhaps?

Long-term readers of Shiny Shiny might remember a list I created back in January of the top ten mobile phones of 2007 to look forward to, where the Prada phone was listed at a healthy number 6. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you after reading the aforementioned sickly-sweet review of the KE850 that it' been bumped up a fair few places after my hands-on review - iPhone killer, indeed!

LG electronics
Prada