The LG KE850: touchable chocolate

by Chris Ziegler, posted Dec 15th 2006 at 5:50PM

Little is known about the KE850 from LG, but the folks over at International Forum Design must know a thing or two about it, seeing how they just hooked it up with a Product Design Award for 2007. And hey, with those hot Chocolate-esque looks -- though we have no proof this one'll actually be branded as a Chocolate -- who can blame them? The big draw here, of course, is a 400 x 240 touchscreen that takes the place of virtually every hard button you might find on a more traditional handset, save for Send, End, and a handful of keys on the sides. The posterior reveals a cam, though its specs remain a mystery. Does someone at LG (or iF) want to spill the beans for us?

[Via Slashphone]

Filed under: Handsets, LG

Tags: candybar, if, international forum design, InternationalForumDesign, ke850, lg, product design award, ProductDesignAward, touch, touchscreen

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

brian @ Dec 15th 2006 6:33PM

The black body reminds us that it could be one of the chocolate phone series, we will just have to wait for the official announcement.

Neutral

fyrestarrter @ Dec 15th 2006 6:37PM

PLEASE BE GSM PLEASE BE GSM with 850 band! MAN IS this thing beautiful!!!!

Neutral

Jordan @ Dec 15th 2006 8:57PM

I think this is the Prada phone that LG announced with Prada a couple days ago because they mentioned the Prada phone would have a large touch screen with sleek design.

Neutral

gerrynjr @ Dec 16th 2006 8:55AM

AM I the only one who thinks the interface looks alot like OSX?
perhaps this is what the iphone will be based on?

Neutral

mike @ Dec 16th 2006 10:03AM

These "touch" phones make HORRIBLE phones to use fast.. or while driving....Yes touch buttons are cool looking but in reality they are a big pain in the ass......I have the LG Chocolate and it's impossible to play Get it now games on (fast enough to be good any any game)(no more tetris:( They phone is also annoying when I show someone a pix and I hand them the phone and they barely rub the phone and it goes all crazy because they are touching the "touch spot" barely

Neutral

LordObento @ Dec 16th 2006 12:41PM

how do you text msg?

Neutral

Jordan @ Dec 16th 2006 12:46PM

How 'bout we take the creepy hand out of the picture?

Neutral

LordObento @ Dec 16th 2006 1:32PM

Notice the Chocolate in the background?

Neutral

Rob @ Dec 18th 2006 1:55AM

screw the phone, wheres the pointer finger!?

Neutral

Matt @ Dec 18th 2006 1:27PM

The model needs some moisturizer for her hands. Those are MAN hands baby!

Neutral

Dave @ Jan 11th 2007 1:05PM

Can you say iPhone?

Neutral

Deni @ Feb 7th 2008 1:05AM

This phone was developed WAY before iPhone. They just released the iPhone earlier. This is NOTHING like the iPhone, I have an LG Prada now, I would choose it over crApple any day! It's slim small and easy to use. iPhones are too bulky (yes,I have used an iPhone too). To top it all off a Prada phone sends a much bigger fashion statement than an iPhone. Answering it is easy because there's a pick up button instead of touch answer. This phone is great! and it's 900,1800, and 1900 frequencies! Go find one PLEASE! You won't regret it.

Neutral

John Pick @ Jan 11th 2007 1:42PM

It has the same ellipse as the one near the top of Apple's iPhone (http://apple.com/iphone/).

Neutral

LordObento @ Jan 11th 2007 2:12PM

Yeah, but these pics came out before iPhone was announced

Neutral

Tomi Ahonen @ Jan 11th 2007 6:19PM

Wow, beautiful catch, Engadget Mobile. I am an infrequent visitor but luckily Dalibor Kunic over at Forum Oxford mentioned this posting and provided the link. Wow. Yes, this is the "first clone" of the iPhone (hey, that rhymes). Or should we say the "pre-clone"? It is funny that I mentioned two existing phones by one of the big five that could easily be cloned on their hardware to match the iPhone. The first was the Slvr and the second was Chocolate. But I said it would take them six months or more to release it. I couldn't imagine the product is out already.

And to win an award as well. Wow, there is a stong sense of litigation in the air on this one, yes... Is it just me, or doesn't this Steve Jobs announcement of the iPhone have all the hallmarks of a rushed decision. Something pushed him to suddenly announce this product, before they finished negotiations with Cisco etc.. Or is it just me?

I'll blog about this too now at my blogsite - www.communities-dominate.blogs.com - and link here. At my blogsite I also have an open letter to Apple and I've handicapped the iPhone's chances in the American, European and Asian markets if anyone is interested. The analysis has received a lot of praise and was selected as the Featured Media site's blog of the day etc.

Tomi Ahonen :-)
4-time bestselling author on 3G mobile
lecturing at Oxford University on 3G and convergence
www.tomiahonen.com

Neutral

someone @ Jan 11th 2007 6:40PM

Lawsuit anyone!

Neutral

Philip Ashlock @ Jan 11th 2007 11:20PM

Apple frustrates me how much they pretend to be so human, friendly, and open in the face of the "closed & proprietary" practices of companies like microsoft. Sure the iPhone might run on a unix core, but 200+ patents? Exclusive carrier? That makes me sick. I'm so glad this evidence is here to show the rest of the world besides the 3G toting Japanese, that Apple isn't the fruit of the gods - http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-japanphone11jan11,0,6424968.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Neutral

Don @ Jan 12th 2007 6:14AM

Phil

Japanese and Korean phones are miles and miles ahead of every American phone, not just in design but technology. The real ones, not the crippled garbage that makes it over here. True. But while the Iphone didn't make that big of a splash There, it did make a splash. And it is also nearly in the category of these Japanese and Korean phones. It absolutely destroys American phones. Part of the problem however is not Apple. Its America and its terrible communications industry and also its insane size. Sure japanese and korean phones are regularly used to watch live TV and as credit cards and all sorts of other incredible things. If apple had the ability to set up country wide broadcasts of this sort then of course that feature would be on the IPhone. The problem is not the phone manufacurer. Perhaps the reason it doens't come out until 2008 in asia is to tackle some of the tech available there.

Furthermore, despite how nice some of these Japanese and Korean phones look thier design and interface (while still better than American garbage) are not all that amazing. If the Iphone actually works like it looks like it will, then it is far better and more versitile and good looking than these. Apple understands simplicity, which most tech companies do not.

Finally, it didn't make that big of splash in asia, because apples got practically zero percent market share over here. This is not all thier fault but a lot of it is (it feels like they dont' even try.) however the people that you would probably dub "macfan boys" over here are anticipating it as small as thier number is. and some other people think its looks cool too.

Neutral

Don @ Jan 12th 2007 6:16AM

Lest i look like a macfan boy myself, i forgot to add: what a sweet looking phone that LG is. They make good stuff don't they?

Neutral

Sam Sugar @ Jan 12th 2007 11:47AM

The 'clone' comments are hilarious. They're both phones with screen based interfaces and that's it. How else are they supposed to look? Would anyone place a phone keypad horizontally? Would anyone place the key readout at the base of the screen? It's like accusing other phones of being clones based on their button position.

All the touch-screen phones will be as similar as key-phones or MP3 players. No smart manufacturer will innovate with the basic layout because it's too easy to get wrong (remember Nokia's circular keypad? Seen it recently?)

These two phone's aren't nearly the same...

Neutral

Marino Infante @ Jan 12th 2007 10:44PM

Does KE850 from LG have a landscape style QWERTY typing ability? If it does, then it has one up on the IPHONE. Everyone who has a smartphone knows that a good keyboard is paramont.

Neutral

dustboy @ Jan 15th 2007 11:31PM

Given that 90% or so of the world's mobile phones are made in the same factory in China, would it be any wonder that some design cues had been leaked one way or the other? Just because the LG was announced 3 weeks earlier doesn't mean that Apple stole their design, it could easily have been the other way around.
LG has had, well, one somewhat successful design with the Choco. Otherwise, take a look at every other product they've ever made (yes, even going back to the Lucky Goldstar days).

Neutral

Patrick Murphy @ Jan 16th 2007 5:58PM

Ha Ha Ha - LG ripped apple so hard on this.

where should I start? the screen background is a TOTAL OSX rip off. The icons are a TOTAL OSX rip off. And finally, the whole device is a total Ipod rip off with the shiny rounded metal back case and the polycarbonate face with rounded edges and corners.

Anyways, this is no surprise as we all knew the iphone would be cloned, just not so fast.

As for this being competition for the iphone, I don't think so. There is no way this device will have50% of the capability of the iphone. Yes this device will have a market, but it is not the market of the iphone so it will not hurt iphone sales.

All this is of course if Apple legal does not stop it from being sold.

Neutral

iHaq @ Jan 18th 2007 11:22AM

"the screen background is a TOTAL OSX rip off." eh?
what u on about, any thing looks nice is a osx ripp off!!??!! please think sensibly..
also, are you getting paid as a defendant for apple or wot? you too crazy man..
get a life..

thanks

ohh sorry.. my name is apple ripp off too :D

Neutral

JR. @ Jan 18th 2007 5:49PM

A rounded corner rectangle, a wide touch sensitive screen with multifunctions. You'll find that's common to any PDA. Nothing unique there. The touchscreen interface and technology to make it easy, useful and pleasant to use is what makes the difference. And if anything the LG phone has the look of Apple's Mac OS X. I don't think LG has any grounds for a lawsuit. Look at the multitude of iPod based devices. Even some of LG's devices are iPod inspired. Puleese, spare me. There's nothing new under the sun. Some of us know how to take what's there and make it better without copying. That's innovation. The iPhone very much fits that definition. Look at all the buzz it's created so far. The LG phone hasn't created any of that buzz, because it's more of the same. Outside of it's pretty exterior, what does it really offer? The iPhone stands out because it takes something already there and makes it beautiful, simple and easy to use in a smart way. No one else has done this with a mobile phone before.

Neutral

Ipwned @ Jan 18th 2007 6:45PM

Who said the Iphone was being made first?

Neutral

blah blah @ Jan 19th 2007 1:24AM

Please don't be GSM like the silly iphone.

Neutral

HZC @ Jan 19th 2007 8:51AM

Philip, if you had an invention like the iPhone, you'd have 200+ patents too! Nothing wrong in protecting your investment; it just makes good business sense so they can recoup some of the initial development costs.

Microsoft has showed us time and time again that all this legalese stuff doesn't hold too much water anyway ;-)

Don't worry, there will be many similar-looking phones for you to choose from in the not-too-distant future.

Neutral

bill @ Jan 19th 2007 11:15AM

the iphone blows this completely out of the water. even if you're not a mac desktop user, steve jobs said this will sync with windows too. so outlook syncing is prob a definate feature although he didn't specifically say that. apple can't even hope to compete with smartphones in the business market without outlook syncing on the iphone. i personally love my mac and can't wait till june or possibly earlier (as apple usually does) to have a PDA that's integrated with my Mac.

Neutral

Christopher Williams @ Jan 19th 2007 3:17PM

When I first read about the iPhone, what got my back up was the exclusive carrier nonsense and anything else along those lines... and I thought to myself, can't wait for a clone as this sucks... what if they do not choose my carrier!!! It was different for the SE k610im as no other network supported i-mode (UK) [flashed mine to k610i :o) ].. so thank-you LG for such a great product.. just hope it's usability is as easy as the phone is beautiful.

Neutral

Timotheus @ Jan 20th 2007 5:10PM

I just want to know which carrier will offer the LG phone. SInce Cingular has the iphone, maybe Sprint will carry the LG. Anybody know?

Neutral

Sultan Bayazid @ Jan 21st 2007 5:43PM

HZC put it right. Microsoft showed us that 200+ patents aren't much of a weapon against technological thievery. Applying it to the Apple IPhone - KE850 rivalry, however, I don't even know how 'thievery' can be defined.
How different a mobile phone with extended options and a touch screen can look from another one? Neither one of them reinvented the touch screen, 3G services, or interactive menues. Besides the trend in the design now is to stress upon round edges and shiny surfaces. But do you see the power of persuasion? The only reason for you to know about IPhone before KE850, is the mountains of cash being thrown away by Apple to promote their products. And either one of them (Apple or LG) had to say they are the pioneers. Otherwise the rival would do it. We have to admit that Apple are more persuasive. At least to the general consumer, who is waiting. The rest will be proven when you hold them both at hand for a while.

Neutral

Farhad @ Jan 21st 2007 9:17PM

Apple is so arrogant about their designs that it's highly unlikely they would copy anything from anyone. Their whole corporate culture is based upon their belief that they can do it better. Even when they took the original GUI from Xerox PARC, they licensed it and made a fair number of modifications. The form factors are of course similar, but it's hard to come up with two touch-screen phones that would look different.

Having said that, given how litigious Apple is, there would be some sweet irony in them being sued by LG, although I would claim it to be extremely unlikely.

Neutral

John @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:42PM

Regarding synching the iphone with Outlook, I read a review that it has to go through itunes to do that.

http://www.tinyscreenfuls.com/2007/01/the-iphone-will-not-sync-with-microsoft-outlookexchange/

And here are some FAQs
http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/01/11/the-ultimate-iphone-frequently-asked-questions/

Neutral

martin @ Jan 22nd 2007 5:58PM

is that concept currently? does anybody has this phone?

Neutral

Keifer @ Dec 10th 2007 3:41PM

Of course the iPhone is going tobe garnished with 200+ patents its just another way for mac to try and control the marktet and the LG is going to be carried by verizon for those of you wondering and also you have to keep in mind that sprint and HTC have joined to make another touch screen phone which howver looks nothing like either one of these

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