GD900 Crystal: LG's shopwindow

Previewed in Barcelona in February, the GD900 Crystal is a slider mobile with a completely transparent number pad. Beyond the singular design, usage of this phone also differs from what we are used to. With the new S-class interface, brought in with the Arena, the Crystal stands out.


In the world show for mobile telephony the GD 900 Crystal, LG’s forthcoming high end phone, was well guarded. The casing behind which it was displayed was a good metaphore for it’s future sales role: the Crystal would become the show model of the South Korean brand’s know-how in terms of design and cheek.

Writing recognition

In the middle of last week we got our hands on a model. We were impressed by the design of the transparent numberpad that also serves as a touchpad in the continuity of the screen and offers a good few shortcuts (you can easily reach message or mp3 player mode simply by drawing the appropriate letter on the pad) as well as writing recognition.

You simply draw a letter with your index and it appears on the screen. Having tried it out we can say that the concept works well (2 letters weren’t recognised). It remains to be seen if the concept will break through into mass usage.

Is the GD900 Crystal sturdy enough? This is a legitimate question but the manufacturer’s own answer is accurate: it is made from a solid shock-resistant alloy.

To recap, here are some elements of the spec; a 3 inch multipoint screen, 3G+ and Wi-Fi, an 8 Megapixel sensor and 1.5 GB internal memory (extendable up to 32 GB with card).