This week LG has confirmed that it is once more teaming up with Prada to work on a bespoke smartphone bearing the name of this venerable fashion house. It will be known as the LG Prada K2, or the P940 if you are a product code enthusiast. With a 1GHz processor, 4.3 inch screen and eight megapixel camera all expected to be on the cards the Prada K2 will be up there with the best of the rest of the mobile market. Product shots suggest that a sleek black shell will house this hardware, although this sentence could easily describe any of the most popular mobiles available from other manufacturers at the moment.

What is perhaps most interesting about this story is the fact that it comes in the same week as the news that Finnish firm Nokia is ditching its own luxury mobile brand Vertu. This is a company that is based in the UK and has spent its time making mobile phones which are saleable only to very wealthy clients. Taking this route has allowed it to make about £255 million a year, with a clientele that spans over 60 nations around the world.

Amongst the mobile phones it has built are models like the Constellation, which features an eight megapixel camera, 3.5 inch OLED display and a price tag of around £10,000 thanks to the jewel-encrusted exterior.

While £10,000 may sound like a lot for a smartphone, Vertu has put its name to mobiles costing upwards of a quarter of a million pounds in the past, but it looks like the luxury market must be flagging if Nokia is going to break ties with the brand.

Perhaps most strange about its business model is the fact that it has always relied on Nokia`s Symbian operating system, a platform which has come to look very outdated indeed when compared with Apple`s iOS, Google`s Android and Microsoft`s Windows Phone, the latter of which the Finnish company has now chosen for its mainstream models.

The LG Prada K2 is not going to cost much more than your typical high end smartphone, although compared to some of the HTC mobiles that are coming out in 2012 it will seem a little underpowered. But to concern yourself with the technical specifications is to miss the point of fashion phones, because they are all about image and poise rather than processor clock speed or multimedia functionality.

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Related articles

• Nokia Is Looking To Sell Its Luxury Phone Subsidiary Vertu (techcrunch.com)
• Nokia prepares to sell luxury brand Vertu (digitaltrends.com)

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Contributing authors on the cutting edge of technology reporting.

As part of her role in the LG Text Ed campaign, an educational program aimed at parents, Jane Lynch shot a series of entertaining and educational viral videos for LG Mobile Phones about mobile phone misuse. With the goal of educating parents about the importance of talking to their kids about responsible mobile phone use, the LG Text Ed video series addresses issues such as “sexting,” mobile harassment and text etiquette, while helping parents learn how to use mobile phones to communicate better with their kids. In the series finale, Jane drives right to the point and addressees the potentially damaging consequences of texting while driving.

In an eye-opening study conducted by LG Mobile Phones, 70 percent of teens accuse their parents of texting while driving, while only 44 percent of parents actually admitted to the behavior.

In a similar study conducted by the Pew Research Center, presented during the Federal Communication Commission’s recent Generation Mobile Forum, 40 percent of teens said they’ve been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put themselves or others in danger. In the texting while driving video, Lynch confronts a classroom of parents about their own texting and driving bad habits and urges parents to model good behavior for their children. Using humor to get to the heart of the issue, Lynch helps parents help themselves by putting the phone away in the car and encouraging their kids to do the same.

“With 45 percent of teens admitting to texting and driving, it’s more important than ever that we provide parents with the tools to educate and promote safe and responsible driving habits,” said Tim O’Brien, vice president of consumer and trade marketing. “Through LGTextEd.com, parents have a centralized resource they can use to help keep their children safe when it comes to mobile phone use.”

Through the LG Text Ed Web site, www.lgtexted.com, parents can educate themselves about the dangers of texting while driving as well as learn strategies to use to help protect their children. Parents can also view the full Jane Lynch series including the newest Texting While Driving video on the Web site. LG also encourages parents to visit the LG Text Ed Facebook page, www.facebook.com/LGTextEd, where users can talk to one another, post questions and check up on Lynch’s latest classroom lessons.

James Hicks

James is the Founder and Chief Technologist of HicksNewMedia, a technology consulting and digital publishing firm providing effective and relevant solutions to individuals and businesses looking to utilize all things on the interweb. Follow him on Twitter | about.me | Facebook | Google+

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Perhaps one of the better aspects of the LG Octane is the camera. While most smart phones come with a built in camera, they are rarely as good as the camera that you will find in this device. The 3.2 megapixel camera will allow you to take great photos of your friends and family whenever you may want to. This is made even easier by the physical shutter button and the bright flash. What is truly unique about the camera, however, is the new smile detection technology. It can often be difficult to take great photos of your friends because it is so difficult to get them to smile on command. The LG Octane also has smile detection, and then it can instantly snap a photo, preserving it forever.

If you mostly use your cell phone to keep in touch with your friends and family via the various social media technologies, then you will absolutely love this phone. The full QWERTY keyboard makes it easy to compose as many text messages or status updates as you need to without losing a beat. All of the social networking sites that you love, like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Skype are all built-in and easily accessible right from the home screen of the LG Octane. Although the QWERTY keyboard is great, you can also use the full multi-touch screen to browse the Internet and to manipulate the applications.

Another notable feature on this device will be of particular interest to people who like playing video games. This smart phone has finally brought back the D-Pad. When touch screen phones were introduced, gamers were assured that the loss of the physical buttons would not affect the enjoyment of their video games. While this was sometimes true, many gamers lamented the loss of physical buttons like the D-Pad. Now, you can play games just like you used to, without having to deal with the uncomfortable and inconvenient touch screen.

No phones would be complete if it did not have some great accessories available, and the accessories certainly don’t disappoint. Probably the most noteworthy of these are the screen protector and the case. Although the LG Octane is already a phone that is in its own class, adding these two accessories to the phone can add a tremendous amount of functionality and style, as well as protection to an already amazing phone.

Are you in the market for LG Octane accessories , please stop by Talkie Tech. We specialize in LG Octane cases and other accessories. We have the best prices on the web.

Related articles

• Skype Lands on Pantech Crux, LG Octane, Samsung Zeal (phonereport.info)

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Contributing authors on the cutting edge of technology reporting.

The Bellperre luxury phone is well defined by its distinctive elegant lines, its timeless European design, as well as utilizing only the finest authentic materials. The new phone’s frame has been precision crafted out of one single piece of metal and offers the perfect grip, as its features a one-of-a-kind notch that is carved all around the sleek metal frame. Take that iPhone !!

The cell phone’s steel buttons are subtly shaped in line with the main design.

The glass window has been made of sapphire crystal, which of course is famous for its scratch resistance.

The leather and frame are finished by hard protective coatings against the most critical circumstances.

To go with all this attention to detail and high quality, Bellperre offers the ability to the customize your own phone. Bellperre offers this unique service that assures a design for every taste and lifestyle, male or female.

The solid metal frame and steel buttons are available in various pure authentic finishes, including polished silver, brushed steel, 18K rosé gold or a 24K yellow gold finish.

The leather collection represents the highest possible grade and contains 125 genuine leather options.

Select from modest classic leathers like black buffalo or brown lizard, or choose vibrant colors and textures like pink crocodile, red shark or even genuine ostrich leather. Way too fancy for me.

Here are the specs that really matter:

• GSM QUAD BAND, HSDPA
• 5 Megapixel Camera, autofocus, LED flash
• 80 language options
• Cyrillic, Chinese and Arabic keypads optional
• Size: 111 x 45 x 11.2 mm, 135 gr (inc. battery)
• 2.2 inch Display, 16 Million colors, 240 x 320 pixels
• 400 hours Standby, 5 hours Talk time
• GPS navigation, Accelerometer sensor
• Stereo Bluetooth, FM radio, Video recorder / player
• Vibration, Hands free calling, Noise cancellation
• E-mail support, SMS (T9), MMS, IM
• Outlook synchronization, Organizer

For additional product information, visit: www.bellperre.com

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James Hicks

James is the Founder and Chief Technologist of HicksNewMedia, a technology consulting and digital publishing firm providing effective and relevant solutions to individuals and businesses looking to utilize all things on the interweb. Follow him on Twitter | about.me | Facebook | Google+

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In the beginning of 2006, only 11% of households actually had cell phones. How times have changed. Today, only 15% of households have landlines and no cell phones. That’s quite the leap in less than 4 years, isn’t it? The ramifications of higher cell phone adoption rates have hurt telco profits in a big way. Mobile penetration has also changed the way 911 services locate people who call them for help. Still, while some police departments now respond to text messages, it seems that not every help service has not been up to speed. The world is going mobile, why haven’t others caught up?

To no surprise, the younger generation leads the way when it comes to cellphone-only households. Half of which fall between the 25-29 age range. When it comes to people 65 and older, things change drastically. Only 1 in 20 of said people rely solely on mobile phones. So this is definitely generational, and I don’t think many doubted that fact. When you have a device that is with you all the time, why would you use it any less if you’re sitting on the couch at your house.? What the report really seems to be saying is that landlines are for old people. Well, not really. But when it comes to being connected, people are going to mobile phones. Families that aren’t locked into their own homes everyday are going to need to communicate with family members when they are out and about, so mobile phones are obviously the way to go.

Given the way text messaging has gotten hold of people, minutes are less of an issue, especially when many carriers offer a free calling to their own carrier’s users – especially with something like T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)’s MyFaves option. With services like these in place, it makes landlines look like just another monthly bill that just isn’t worth the money. Here are some more findings in the report.

• 63 percent of adults living with an unrelated adult but without children had only cells, nearly four times the rate for related adults without children.
• More than 4 in 10 renters had only cells, about triple the rate for homeowners.
• 15 percent of adults in the Northeast had only cell phones, while the figure for those in other parts of the country ranged from 22 to 26 percent.
• 30 percent of Hispanics had only mobile phones, compared with 25 percent of non-Hispanic blacks and 21 percent of non-Hispanic whites.

The data was compiled by the National Health Interview Survey, which is conducted by the CDC. The latest survey involved in-person interviews with members of 21,375 households conducted from July through December 2009. Quite interesting data – do you agree ?

James Hicks

James is the Founder and Chief Technologist of HicksNewMedia, a technology consulting and digital publishing firm providing effective and relevant solutions to individuals and businesses looking to utilize all things on the interweb. Follow him on Twitter | about.me | Facebook | Google+

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Check it out below.

Find the best cell phone plans and more graphics at BillShrink.com

I’ll give credit where it is due..this is phenomenal work by the guys at BillShrink.

James Hicks

James is the Founder and Chief Technologist of HicksNewMedia, a technology consulting and digital publishing firm providing effective and relevant solutions to individuals and businesses looking to utilize all things on the interweb. Follow him on Twitter | about.me | Facebook | Google+

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