LG Arena

Released in February, LG's new KM900 Arena touchscreen phone was one of the most hotly anticipated devices at the Mobile World Congress. But does it live up to the hype?

The first noticeable aspect of the new Arena is the excellent and exceptionally bright 3-inch screen. While more and more phones feature a large touchscreen, the aesthetic is still an incredibly pleasing one, producing a real sense of value when handling the phone. Well-built, the phone feels sturdy and looks great, with its brushed metal exterior and rounded edges. It feels smooth and compact in the hand, with measurements that make the iPhone feel a little chunky. In fact, for some users the LG KM900 may be a little too small and light (only 105 grams!). It feels great in a pocket, but some people may wonder if its worth the loss of screen real estate for pictures or video. Which brings me to one of the phone's greatest strengths, the new S-interface. Slick, with lots of 3D effects that perfectly utilize the screen's space. While every one has a touchscreen, the LG KM900 feels futuristic through exceptional design. The whole operating system acts like a 3D cube, allowing the user to rotate new faces, and new features, with gentle flicks of a finger. The menus also auto-adjust to vertical or horizontal orientation, allowing for users to choose the format that best suits their browsing.

Of course, even with an exceptional interface, a phone can only be as strong as its abilities. The KM900 Area excels in this as well, with an included 5 megapixel camera. Finally phones are beginning to catch up to digital cameras, allowing for full-resolution pictures without the need to carry multiple devices. Even more remarkable is the inclusion of 120 fps video shooting, allowing anyone to capture exceptional slow-motion. Additional details, such as an FM tuner and a 3.5 mm headphone jack (instead of the annoying mini-USB found in so many phones) makes the Arena an excellent value.

The KM900 Arena is a true multimedia device, serving as an excellent platform to store pictures, videos, and music. The interface for media use is interesting, flipping around like a rolodex containing all your music and video. The phone comes with 8 gigabytes of storage, but a hot-swappable SD card slot allows for limitless expansion. Even the speakers, usually a weakness in multimedia phones, are clear and loud, thanks to help from Dolby.

While not perfect, the LG KM900 Arena may be just the trick to shake up the cell phone world. It is still uncertain how many applications will be developed for the platform, and the small screen can be occasionally hard on the eyes, but a slick interface and a plethora of features make this phone an exciting next-generation choice.