LG Arena KM900

There’s something very familiar about the screen of the LG Arena KM900 touchscreen phone: the 16 colourful icons on a black background that decorate its screen bear more than a passing resemblance to the ones that appear on the screen of Apple’s iPhone.

But there’s more to the Arena than that. There are a range of views available. Click off the menu view and you have the choice of four different home screens, a finger swipe moving from one to the next.

These swipes work well, if you don’t mind a bit of a wait for the next screen to load. Then you can customise them as you wish, which is a neat touch, although with so many screens it can get a bit confusing.

The 3in screen on the Arena will suit those looking for a device smaller than the iPhone. It’s certainly easier to put in your pocket, with smaller dimensions in every direction (though it’s only a touch less deep). And the higher resolution of the screen, even though it’s smaller, makes it pin-sharp and colourful.

The phone has a great range of features. Not just the cut-and-paste basics of the iPhone, but an FM radio, a decent camera (this one is five megapixels), a front-facing camera for video calling, and more.

The camera has a flash, though its shutter lag is greater than you’ll find on a ‘proper’ digital camera.

The LG Arena will not satisfy people who want a phone as stylish as the iPhone. Although it’s made of high-quality materials including titanium, it just doesn’t quite cut it design-wise.

There’s certainly plenty going for the Arena but touchscreens can be offputting to newcomers.

Apple’s skill is to have designed one that is fast and responsive enough to make the user almost forget there are no real buttons. The LG Arena’s screen is a good implementation but it’s not quite as smooth as the iPhone’s or the one on the HTC Magic.

The inclusion of Dolby Mobile technology means that music played through the Arena sounds good and, unlike many modern phones, it can accept a dedicated 3.5mm headphone plug as standard.

Music lovers can add to the storage, too, as there’s a removable memory card slot under the phone’s back cover.

Other features include wireless network access and the easy ability to upload photos and video to Youtube and other websites. There is also a selection of games that make use of the M-Toy motion sensor within the phone.

While the Apple iPhone on the O2 network and the HTC Magic on Vodafone are better phones, this is a decent handset for those wanting a touchscreen device but who aren’t using either of those networks.