We’ve gone style mad this week thanks to LG’s new Prada Phone. We wouldn’t normally go near a fashion ‘fone, but the Prada II stands out on the catwalk by actually offering some decent specs inside, as well as a QWERTY keypad. Like most models though, it’s not a jack of all trades (Remember Kate Moss’ singing “career”?), so to give you fair warning, we’ve run through the things it just won’t do.
Run third party apps
True, the Prada’s operating system supports an impressive amount of file formats, and even lets you run up to seven of its apps at the same time. But it’s not a smartphone, and there’s no scope for users to create their own programs, so what you get out of the box is it. No app store, no nothing. Period.
Run flash video
Youtube runs on some phones already, but the myriad of other video sharing sites don’t. While Adobe busies itself correcting that for Google Android phones, promising to offer Flash 10 compatibility next year, don’t expect any updates for the Prada II – it’s plain old HTML for you.
It can’t work as a satnav
If LG pulled its finger out it could have packed in GPS, but it hasn’t. That leaves the Prada a poor cousin of LG’s other phones, like the Renoir.
It won’t let you use your fancy headphones
Most mobile makers are waking up to the fact that it’s not too difficult to put a 3.5mm jack in to handsets, rather than forcing you to use specially made, yet shoddy headphones that’ll only fit into the phone charger slot. Not LG though: you’re stuck with the cans the Prada comes with, and while they may end up being incredibly chic, they’re not going to sound anything like a good pair of Sennheisers.
It won’t share its fancy accessories
We love the Prada Link watch. No, Bluetooth watches aren’t a new idea, but it doesn’t matter when they’re as stylish as the one that comes with the Prada II. But if you’re only getting the phone on an 18 month contract, what happens when you upgrade and want to take your telephone timepiece with you? It won’t work – perhaps Prada will try and make you buy next season’s model instead.
