Now, a few recent LG patent filings indicate that LG Prada was just a beginning and Korean electronics giant is really serious about the development of innovative full touchscreen phones.

The first patent filing “Mobile Communication Terminal Having Multiple Displays” shows a clamshell type handset with two touchscreens:

The phone can be operated by fingers and stylus. According to the configuration and needs, both touchscreens can act separately, with lower screen being a control surface. Or they can be integrated as one big 2 panel touchscreen, with the ability to move different objects between upper and lower panels.

Another patent application, called “Mobile terminal providing graphic user interface” describes how to make touchscreen UI more fun and easier to use:

In traditional touchscreen interfaces you usually have static icons representing various applications and functions on screen. Then you move a cursor or tap them to initiate action. Here, instead of static icons, LG touchscreen phone will have a dynamic icons that are able to move in reaction to user actions or functions to be performed.

E.g. when you are riding the bus, it might be difficult to tap the correct icon due to vibration. If you missed it the first time, the icons near the tap area can move closer making it easier for you to get the right one. Or the phone might select the nearest icon and launch an application.

To make the phone more fun to use, it can have a set of predefined actions associated with concrete events, like reception of new message, calendar alarm or low battery indication. E.g. when you receive new SMS, the fish shaped icon can sail to and swallow an envelope, spawning a number of siblings representing different menu options.

This can actually become a new revenue stream for creative types and mobile operators, with us buying personalized interfaces complete with sounds and animation, instead of ringtones and wallpapers.

Watch out Apple! It may not matter that you have more then 200 iPhone patents. LG is not sitting still and may soon beat you at the full touchscreen phone game.

• Samsung BRIX modular multimedia phone concept
• What’s cooking in Samsung R&D labs?
• Touchpad input on Samsung phones
• Better input and bigger screens for cell phones? How about virtual screen from Samsung?
• Two-Way slider patent for Sony Ericsson P5i look-alike

It’s the first phone on the market to feature advanced touch interface, which eliminates conventional numeric keypad and replaces it with a capacitive touchscreen. Numeric keypad is simulated by software on this 3″ wide LCD display and dissapears when not in use.

LG KE850 Prada phone measures at 98.8 × 54 × 12 mm, has 2 megapixel camera with Schneider-Kreuznach lens, it’s own media player for MP3 and video files, external MicroSD memory slot and Macromedia Flash User Interface.

LG Prada Phone is a rather pricey gadget with unsubsidized price of 600 Euros. But that can be expected from such a luxury fashion item. It will be sold through various mobile dealerships as well as PRADA stores in the UK, France, Germany and Italy as of late February, followed by most of Asia in late March. The Korean version of LG Prada is scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2007.

With the introduction of Prada Phone it looks that LG is shaping up as a leader in the fashion mobile phone category. LG KE850 beautifully complements LG Chocolate and LG Chocolate II Black Label phone line-up and, at least for me, they look much better then Motorola’s RAZR V3i Dolche&Gabana, KRZR, PEBL or Nokia’s L’Amour collection and should have no trouble competing with them.

The only dark cloud looming above LG Prada KE850 – is Apple’s iPhone, which is similarly priced, has an even better Multi-Touch screen, much more impressive interface and feature set. But since these two phones are clearly positioned in different market segments, I guess they both should find their place under the sun.

• LG Prada Silver KE850 ads on-screen QWERTY keyboard
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• LG Prada II in the works
• Triple slider idea from Nokia
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