LG KE850 Prada Phone

We don’t normally review mere mobile phones at Mobile Computer, but the LG Prada Phone is no mere mobile. Well actually, it is, but until it gets swept aside by the marketing tsunami of the Apple iPhone later this year, it’s currently the only handset operated solely by a touch-screen interface.

But first, the ‘Prada’ connection. According to LG, Prada did more than merely consent to the use of its name on the phone, accessories and packaging. Apparently, the fashion house was even involved in “key elements of the user experience such as the advanced touch interface, ring tones, pre-loaded content, mobile phone accessories and the exclusive leather case, inspired by the classic Italian craftsmen tradition.” The phone itself is certainly very chic and shiny, if a bit plasticky, but you do at least get a tiny Prada cloth to keep it fingerprint-free.

It’s a shame that the exclusive leather case doesn’t quite fit, though perhaps the craftsman concerned deliberately made it half an inch too short so as not to hide the company logo at the top of the handset.

Thankfully, apart from the screech of an electronic pterodactyl when you turn it on, that’s really the end of any designer silliness and the Prada phone is actually very thought out. The large screen is wonderfully crisp and vibrant, with an intuitive icon-based menu system that you’ll master in minutes. The fact that it relies upon simply tapping the icon you want rather than fumbling with menu buttons certainly helps, but LG has resisted the urge to go touch-screen crazy and there are hard buttons for such things as ending a call, volume control and locking the handset.

Since it’s a phone without PDA pretensions, the Prada Phone’s built-in applications are basic, but this only a problem when it comes to web browsing. Unless automatically redirected to a mobile-specific version of a site, the browser displays pages full-size and there’s no zoom option. More awkward still, rather than let you drag pages around and tap links with a fingertip, the browser abandons the touch-screen philosophy altogether and instead relies upon simple on-screen buttons for scrolling and navigation.

The touch-screen is also less successful when it comes to composing text messages and emails. While it certainly seems accurate and sensitive enough to cope with a tiny Qwerty keyboard, the Prada Phone is stuck with a traditional (if virtual) telephone keypad that’s nowhere near as quick as using the real thing.

Pictures from the 2-megapixel camera are mediocre, if on a par with those of most mobiles, but the ‘autofocus’ feature seems to do nothing more than create a three-second shutter lag and is best disabled. The phone is much more successful as an MP3 player, though you’ll need more than the bundled 256Mb miniSD card to make effective use of it.

Sadly, the supplied Prada earphones are surprisingly high quality, so our clever “more Lada than Prada” line doesn’t apply. You can use any earphones you like too, thanks to the remote control’s standard 3.5mm socket.

Oh, and finally call quality – the least important feature for a mobile phone these days – is actually rather good on the Prada Phone. LG has been rather canny by relegating its logo to the back of the handset, though – no one can see Prada’s when the phone is pressed to a cheek.