Face it: the LG Prada phone is not about utility. The Prada phone is all cool. That said, it seems to have lots of the same great features of the iPhone: the nice high-res camera, the touch screen, the pretty sleek shape. It does e-mail and IM and music and internet, all with space-agey sounds.
But how does it rate?
What is it? The LG Prada is a mobile phone that you can also use as a prop for photo shoots when you and your 105-pound friends are putting together your runway portfolios (score two cool points). And, as a bonus, you can take photos for said portfolios, and then set them as your wallpaper with the cool click of your French-manicured finger. Like the iPhone, it plays music and movies (score two cool points), it takes photos (score one each on usefulness and coolness), it has a touch interface (another point each for usefulness and coolness).
How much? It's certain that the LG Prada will be offered over the Verizon (NYSE: VZ) network, although it's not certain how much it will be in the U.S. In Europe, the phone is selling for (about) the equivalent of $800, so we'll go with that: $800.
What are the cool features? It has a 2 MP camera and an MP3 player that allows you to turn your songs into ringtones (score another cool point for the ringtones). You can move the clock around by dragging your finger around the screen (another cool point). But who really knows what all the Prada can do, and who really cares? Because above all: The. Prada. Phone. Looks. Cool. (Score two more cool points just for good measure.).
Why would I buy one? Ryan Block from Engadget says the phone is "slick" and points out (among other things) the very easy-to-use calendar application (score one usefulness point) and a great calculator, not to mention a user-friendly interface. But as he mentions, it's meant for the jetsetting type. If you might have your photo taken by the paparazzi as you board the airplane's first class section, this is the phone you should be holding.
Why wouldn't I buy one? Umm, if you're buying your phone for any reason other than status. Hey, I'm not going to knock the phone-as-status-symbol; when I was young, foolish, and in possession of a good deal of disposable income, I once drove through two states and one district (ok, the Washington Beltway, but it sounds impressive) to find a store that had the cell phone I really wanted. Just because it looked cool. But that phone was $249 and this one is 800 freakin' dollars. You really have to love the status to buy this phone. It's just not going to look good in an expense report audit.
What's the final tally? Usefulness: Three points; Coolness: Ten points.
For more photos and reviews of smartphones coming out this summer, see our Smartphone/Superphone gallery.
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