In retrospect, the KG800 was something of a design classic, and it was followed by a number of other quite similar "glossy" phones from other manufacturers, and it also helped to establish LG as a major player worldwide.
Despite the similar concept, the LG Chocolate BL20 is a thoroughly modern phone. This is a 3G slider with support for HSDPA high-speed downloads, it comes with a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, a flash and Schneider Kreuznach optics, a 2.4" 320 x 240 pixel display, a multimedia player, FM radio, microSD expandable memory and Bluetooth.
In all honesty, there's nothing radically new about the BL20's basic specifications - this is a fairly standard slider phone. However, the hidden navigation and shortcut keys, glossy finish and slim design mark this out as a very attractive handset to look at.
The five megapixel camera looks good when it comes to stills photos, but sadly the BL20 is a little disappointing when it comes to video recording, capable of just 320 x 240 pixels at 15 fps. The BL20 also lacks a 3.5mm audio connector, so you'll have to use an LG headset instead.
The Chocolate BL20 measures 107 x 51 x 12mm and weighs 115 grams. Talktime is 4 to 5 hours with around 12 to 24 days standby time, depending on network configuration. It's a dual-band UMTS 900 / 2100 MHz device with tri-band GSM support which varies depending on region.
LG indicate that we should start to see the BL20 available in Europe from October onwards, on a wide variety of networks, at a suggested retail price of around €269 SIM-free. We can't quite make up our minds if that's expensive for a straightforward 3G handset, or cheap for an attractive fashion phone.. we guess that it depends on how much you like the way it looks.
We think that this is a welcome update of a memorable handset, and we strongly suspect that this will be a very popular phone this Christmas.
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