LG re-launches into the iPhone-clone ARENA

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 16 February 2009 10:42

IT Industry - Market

No, there’s no known deal with Tina Arena, nor does this phone have anything to do with the LG Arena in Birmingham – it’s the latest iPhone-esque device from LG with more than a passing resemblance to the iPhone’s icons and design. Is the Arena a leaner and meaner iPhone clone, or just an in between-er coulda-beener?

Ah, iPhone clones. We’ve seen them from virtually everyone – LG, Samsung, Palm, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, HTC… the list goes on, and now there’s the LG Arena (LG-KM900) to tempt us all, with its DiVX playback, Dolby audio, 7.2Mbps HSDPA and A-GPS.  

One thing that we haven’t really seen at the retail level, beyond the eye-poppingly good looking UI of the as-yet unavailable Palm Pre, is an interface to truly match that of the iPhone itself.

Aside from cheap Chinese fake HiPhones (and the like), most companies have steered clear of copying Apple too closely, but LG’s Arena could well change that – at least for LG.

Interestingly, a gander at the Arena’s icon set shows some very similar-ish looking icons to those on the iPhone (see here for a claimed box shot).

That link above is one of a number of articles from a couple of weeks ago, when news of the LG Arena first leaked onto the web, but now there are a few pre-Barcelona Mobile World Congress details, provided by LG itself, with more “surprises” promised to come.

LG’s most recent iPhone-clone was the LG Renoir, and 8 megapixel touch-screen phone, but the LG Arena is definitely more ambitious.

Coming with a “groundbreaking 3D S-Class” user interface, LG boasts that it offers a “cube-based layout” which “provides four customizable home screens for direct access to all features. Music, movies, pictures and more are within reach, thanks to intuitive, touch-based 3D menus.”

It reminds me of the “Compiz” cube that Linux users enjoy, but why is this cube being limited to only four sides?

For more specs than the official release divulges, including the supposed fact this phone took “100 man years” to develop, a special “multimedia chip”, “mobile TV” and much more, please read on to page 2!