LG Prada 2 with slide-out QWERTY keyboard
(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET)
The LG Prada 2 isn't new, of course, and our European and Asian cousins have had the chance to get their hands on it months ago. In fact, our friends over at CNET UK have given their own hands-on impressions of the device. However, I finally had a chance to get my hands on it at CTIA 2009, and I was excited to try it out.
The LG Prada 2 is definitely designed for the fashion-conscious, with its smooth glossy black surface and slim profile. The touch-screen display is a 3-inch capacitive multitouch interface with active Flash user interface and is very easy to use. The menu interface is clearly an upgrade over the original LG Prada; much smoother and sleeker than before. The multitouch interface meant we could zoom in and out of Web pages by just pinching our fingers, like on the iPhone. If texting was a chore on the original Prada, it shouldn't be on the Prada 2, thanks to the great slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The four-line QWERTY keyboard is roomy and the keys feel good to type on.
The Prada 2 comes with a host of features that puts the original Prada to shame. They include dual-band HSDPA and quad-band GSM (which means you can get an unlocked version and use it on a U.S. GSM carrier), Wi-Fi, a full HTML browser, stereo Bluetooth, TV-out, FM radio, a document viewer, 60MB of internal memory, a microSD card slot, and a 5-megapixel camera. The camera has similar editing features to the Viewty, like the ability to record slow-motion video.
Of course, if you want to really bling it up, you can get the Prada Link Bluetooth watch to go along with your new Prada 2. You can't really make calls with it like a watch phone, but you can see incoming caller ID and read text messages with it.
The LG Prada 2 by itself will cost around $549 unlocked since it isn't available from any U.S. carrier. We'll attempt to get a review unit of our own to test out, but you should also check out the reviews on CNET UK and CNET Asia.
We didn't see too many new U.S. devices from LG this year at CES 2009, but we did get a good look at some of the company's handsets that are only available in Europe or Asia. Of course, the LG Watch Phone stole the show earlier in the week, and that's slated for a Europe-only release date. We also got ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
Not that the LG Prada II will make it stateside any time soon, but LG has recently launched a celebratory microsite for the Prada II, officially welcoming it into the world (Flash haters beware; the site is very Flash heavy).
As you might recall, the device has some pretty impressive features--dual-band HSDPA, quad-band GSM, Wi-Fi, a full HTML browser, stereo Bluetooth, FM radio, TV-out, a document viewer, 60MB of internal memory plus a microSD card slot, a 5-megapixel camera, and a luscious-looking 3-inch capacitive multitouch display with active Flash UI (we're almost certain the iPhone has a patent on that multitouch thing, but maybe LG is referring to something else). In other words, we're looking forward to this.
And of course, to go along with your fancy new Prada phone, you might want to pick up an equally stylish Prada Link Bluetooth watch. I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of Bluetooth watches (they're usually too big for me), but this is made from stainless steel and genuine leather, is waterproof, and looks quite nice. You'll be able to view incoming calls and texts from it, but voice communication is not supported, so you can't talk into it Dick Tracy style. And, of course, it's still a watch, so you get things like an alarm, stop/snooze, and world time.
It sounds like the Prada II will be available in certain European countries (Italy, the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, and Netherlands) for 600 euros before Christmas. No word on pricing or availability for the Bluetooth watch, but we'll make sure to let you know once we find out.
As for whether it'll be available from a U.S. carrier, my guess is no (since the original LG Prada wasn't officially available here either), but we can dream, can't we?
(Via Engadget Mobile)
The LG Prada II
(Credit: Boy Genius Report)Last month, we showed you a sneak peek of the LG Prada II, which will supposedly have a slide-out QWERTY keyboard as well as touch-screen controls. Well, the Boy Genius Report has dug up some supposed specs of the Prada II, and it looks to be quite good. Features include quad-band GSM/EDGE as well as dual-band HSDPA (!), a 5-megapixel autofocus camera with flash and VGA recording, Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi, a motion sensor, and an FM radio.
We're pleased with the dual-band HSDPA announcement, as it means we'll probably see it stateside. Whether it'll be picked up by a U.S. carrier remains to be seen, however. The 5-megapixel camera is also very promising, as is the addition Wi-Fi. Do keep in mind that these specifications haven't been confirmed yet, but if they are, we're extremely excited to see the real deal when it does come out.
The LG Prada II?
(Credit: Boy Genius Report)Remember the LG Prada? Yeah, that fashion touch-screen phone that preceded the original iPhone by a few months.
Well, according to this tidbit by the Boy Genius Report, apparently LG is planning to release the LG Prada II, but this time it'll have a slide-out QWERTY keyboard as well. Little is known about the Prada sequel so far, but there is this picture of it floating around, and it does look like LG just slapped a QWERTY keyboard on the old hardware.
We hope its features will improve upon the original with a better megapixel camera, more internal storage, and 3G support. We'll see if the Prada II makes an appearance this year, but until then, we can only dream.
- prev
- 1
- next
