Bell Canada seem to have decided that cool, tricked out mobiles are what the customers are clamoring for, and we'd bet they're right. The Samsung Ace (on left) and LG Vantage are set to spill onto shelves in the very near term. The Ace is a dual-mode phone featuring both EV-DO connectivity and dual-band GSM -- No 3G in sight, sadly -- Windows Mobile 6 Standard, 1.3 megapixel camera -- seriously, why bother? -- microSD, and that lovely Blackjack look and feel. The Ace is set to launch May 12, though no word on pricing just yet. Also new on the scene is the LG Vantage, a really slick looking Slide-esque slider but with a touchscreen, 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and a microSD slot that'll allow up to 4GB of memory. The Vantage is set for launch on the 16th May and tentative pricing is set at $225 on a three year, $325 on two years, and $425 off contract. Well done Bell, nice to see a little more international roaming sans having to buy into a BlackBerry.

[Via MobileInCanada and terence889 on Howardforums]

It looks like those that have been holding out for a new and improved Prada phone from LG could soon be getting their fix, at least if a purported leaked press release is to be believed. According to Taiwan's ePrice, the Prada II is supposedly on track for a release in the fourth quarter of 2008, with it bringing with it a whole host of upgrades that some may say sound suspiciously like a wish list. That includes quad-band GSM, WCDMA 900/2100, and 7.2 Mbps HSDPA connectivity, along with a 5-megapixel camera (with support for video calls), a 3-inch WQVGA touchscreen, built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, TV-out, and a microSD card slot. Oh, and a slide-out QWERTY keypad. Needless to say, while we certainly wouldn't bet against a Prada II of some sort coming out this year, it's probably best not to get your hopes up too much about each and every one of those specs just yet.

[Via Unwired View]

Movie tie-ins are usually a pretty tiring lot, with garrish colors, sparkly add-ons, and outrageous campaigns being par for the course. Not so -- well almost -- for LG's Shine as Iron Man handset, this thing is so exclusive, it apparently won't ever hit the retail channels, and at about $2k a pop, nobody will miss it. Of course, there isn't much new here, it's a typical LG Shine with a dab of 18k Gold -- and by dab we mean, the battery cover is solid, solid gold -- and a fetching maroon color that nicely coordinates with Iron Man's fab suit. Follow the link for a pile more pics of the handset and a few of Iron Man, too.

Remember the KU990 Viewty? Of course you do, well, meet its twin -- but decidedly duller -- sibling, the KE990 -- notice that E? That means EDGE. This handset apparently brings most or all of the same goods to the table as the KU990 did but lacks HSDPA and dumps tri-band for dual. So yeah, rather than stuffing this thing with another HSDPA band -- ah-frickin'-hem -- LG has chosen to head in another, less interesting direction by stripping it of some of what made it glorious in the first place. Of course, if rumors of it going to China prove true, we get that removing the 3G radio will improve battery life and shrink the price a bit for that market -- as not all markets want that 3G speed -- but this still hurts as we're way cooler with more, better, faster around here. Hopefully we'll hear a little something announced at CTIA but until then, we'll simply pretend none of this ever happened.

The lads at phoneArena have gotten their mitts on the first shot of the LG VX8560 and a new pic of the upcoming LG VX9700. The VX9700 hasn't been priced yet, but word has it we can expect it to be landing in Q2 and that it could be called the LG Dare. The new kid on the block, the LG VX8560 seems to be sporting a camera above the front display, has a large d-pad / dial on the front, and looks to be a pretty thin handset for those looking for that RAZR feel. Sadly, that's about it for info on that device, though with CTIA just around the corner, we're bound to be getting some more newsworthy info in the near term.