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LG and Prada Team On iPhone-like KE850 Release

Posted by: Arik Hesseldahl on January 18, 2007

Since we got our first look at the iPhone last week, I’ve been intrigued by speculation around the KE850, a curiously similar phone subject to its own bit of rumor and speculation of late. Today LG said it would team with the luxury brand Prada to release the phone in the UK, France, Germany and Italy next month, giving it the bragging rights to being the first phone on the market with an all-touch interface. See more and some more pictures at Mobilewhack.

Its really tailored to the European market, and is somewhat smaller than the iPhone. It also sports Bluetooth, but no WiFi, but its wireless phone connection is tri-band GSM 900 - 1800 - 1900 with EDGE data, whereas the iPhone is Quad-band GSM with WiFi.

It also has some stylish single-touch icons that call up various features, just like the iPhone. Engadget says the user interface is based on Macromedia’s flash, which strikes me a very interesting.

I’m really curious to learn more about this stripped down version of OS X that runs on the iPhone. Very curious indeed.

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Reader Comments

Perry Clease

January 19, 2007 10:56 AM

We will see more phones that resemble the Apple iPhone. What they probably will not have the things that set Apple's phone apart from the look-alikes, easy synching with your Mac's address book, playlists from iTunes, and so on.

Besides, the Devil wears Prada

Ken

January 26, 2007 05:28 AM

No doubt, the iPhone will spawn a host of imitators. This time maybe they'll be quicker to catch on than they were with the iPod. I'd really like to see what they're going to do in Japan...now that they have all this top-rate retail space at the expense of many Japanese manufacturers.

Ray Meyers

January 29, 2007 01:08 AM

I've been reading a lot on Roughly Drafted that seems to be pretty good info. If you haven't been there already, it's a good read.

John

April 8, 2007 12:44 PM

Hey, that's not true ! iPhone imitated LG KE850. KE850 received the design prize just before the announcement of iPhone.... Come on guys, Apple is a great company, but let's not tell the wrong stuff ! iPhone copied KE850, not LG !!! :O

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A blog on the daily doings of Apple and the many companies in its orbit, with insight and analysis by two longtime Apple-watchers BusinessWeek Senior Writer Peter Burrows and BusinessWeek.com Senior Technology Writer Arik Hesseldahl.

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