LG's BL40 "Chocolate" phone sashays its way through new ad
By Donald Melanson 
posted July 31st 2009 12:53PM
posted July 31st 2009 12:53PM
We've already gotten a pretty good look at LG's stylish new BL40 phone (also simply known the new "Chocolate") courtesy of some official shots, but no phone launch would be complete without an over the top ad, and LG's naturally got that covered as well. As you can see for yourself after the break, the 4-inch, 800 pixel wide display is one of the main selling points here, and if that's not enough for you, we hear you can even use it to output full HD video to a TV. Unfortunately, there's still no word as to when it'll be release 'round these parts, although there's at least some indication that it could be making its North American debut on Telus.
I have to admit, this ad totally works for me.
Agreed. I'd really like to try this phone out. I can't say for sure I'd purchase it since it looks like such an oddity but I'm totally interested in trying it out. The dual UI, if it works without any hiccups, could provide a really useful and new spin on smartphone multitasking.
@ash chapman too bad this isn't going to be a smart phone. It'll be a feature phone in LG's lineup running their flash UI - probably some version of their cube UI. Also, some specks I saw had it pegged with 7.2 HSDPA so probably not US bound with that. But LG does love Verizon so they'll probably make a EVDO version
That wasn't multitasking. That was the list of emails on one side, and the currently open email on the other. my Thunderbird window does that, and i'm not multitasking when I'm just running Thunderbird.
Yeah, LG chose VZW as the exclusive provider of the Chocolate line, so no luck for anyone else.
Cannot wait for LTE. These exclusives are going to mean very little.
I was hoping the split UI would eventually be applied elsewhere. I guess the best we can hope for is someone to rip off the idea and use it properly on another platform.
So after ~20 years of "smaller is better", we're suddenly supposed to think that larger is better?
As nice as the screen is, this thing is way too big to be used comfortably as a cell phone.
You never know until you have it in your hands.
thats what she said
Yeah, I thought it looked kind of big as well. I could see it fitting in a lady's hand bag but definitely not in any man's pockets.
More MID than phone, its a Vaio P without the keyboard......
Good if you have a long face
I'm tempted to say "too big" and "too fragile" but I think all cell phones look HUGE in the press photos, then when you see it in person it's not so bad. And even though I cracked my first iphone, it really stood up to abuse fairly well. So I wouldn't draw any conclusions about the BL40 until it comes out.
Are you kidding me... look at the video... the phone with two hands next to it still looks HUGE!
Promo shots do make it look even bigger... anyone got one they can show in the palm of a hand (or two)?
you say this because you are a man. if we are to make an assumption and say it's marketed and designed for the female consumer, with purse/clutch/vanity in conjunction with the phone, then this 4" screen is really not a problem at all. It fits quite nicely in a female carry-on and stylistically speaks volumes to clean tasteful fashion.
Yeah, unless that woman's hands were very small, this phone looks pretty huge.
It'd be like carrying a TV remote in your pocket.
The scale on the ad doesn't seems to be correct. Some leaked pics show people holding it, and it's not that big. Bigger than average phones, but not as big as in the ad.
how on earth is someone supposed to carry a 6 inch flatbread sub in their pocket? i mean...in a girls purse maybe. But will all guys have to buy man purses now?
I just did some measurements in Visio. If the screen is 4" diagonal, the entire device is about 4.85" x 1.8", which makes it a bit longer and about 3/4 as wide (if both are held vertically) as the iphone.
Not attempting to be racist nor is it meant negative but I think tall black guys will like this phone, has an impact somehow, and fits larger hands without looking all you know, like you are using a kid's phone.
It's just a vibe I'm getting about this thing, although I'm no expert on what various groups like and I could be wrong, only time can tell, after which it'll be forgotten again as the next model arrives a month later.
I don't think that's what the term chocolate is implying though, that's probably more to lure women or something.
fyi: iphone dimensions 4.5" x 2.4"
it's all CGI, you don't really thing it's that big do you? take a look at the picture of the phone actually in someone's hand.
http://translate.google.com/translate?prev=hp&hl=en&js=y&u=http%3A%2F%2Ftech.sina.com.cn%2Fmobile%2Fn%2F2009-07-27%2F11443297697_2.shtml&sl=zh-CN&tl=en&history_state0=
For the record a typical palm of a man is around 5.1 inches across. That ad made it look like the phone was a foot wide, which it simply is not.
Think about it this way: iPhone has a 3.5" screen... This is only a half inch diagonal larger. That's totally not too big for a phone that browses the net anywhere.
im liking the super wide screen size screen for the phone, which could mean better looking GUI, but it does look rather big to fit into pockets (ie jeans) without it poking out, and the fact when u bend, it could snap.
One thing I have learned from experience: LG phones have $hitty batteries.
With that kind of a display, I can't imagine what would be the battery life.
Good luck with carrying the TV remote and the charger.
Didn't think ti was as nigh as the CGI, but slightly longer than normal.
Hey you never know , those asians have really small hands
me want
I'd want it if it ran Android. I'm *so* over one-off mobile OSes.
Or actually...
Hey Palm, remember how you used to license PalmOS to Sony because they were better at hardware than you and you were better at software? Take a look at some of the new LG hotness and tell me you wouldn't want them making something running WebOS...
This is the Zack Morris phone of the future!
How long is that thing? No wonder the girls are afraid of all my gadgets.
Either that ladies hands are small or that cell phone is huge!
SH*T SH*T SH*T, didnt you read ANGELS and DEMONS
Matter + Anti-matter = Big F-ing explosion
Wow that thing is huge. I'd need a murse to carry that around.
So it's like one of those Costco sized chocolate bars?
European chocolate bar. (Cadburys fruit and nut FTW!!)
Cadbury's Fruit and Nut indeed!
Just the music and girls in the ad make me want the phone...
my bad.... girl* --- I suppose she's a parallel for the many sides of this phone...
Hmmm chocolate. Damn it, now I'm hungry!
I have a feeling that sitting down with this in your front pocket would be rather uncomfortable..
"Do you have a small laptop in your pants or are you just happy to see me?"
Only until it broke.
Okay I just watched the commercial.
I have to say I want one.
LG can make everything look good with their videos. Knowing LG, this will be an overhyped phone with little more than what they showed us in this video (except implemented worse).
shenanigans, until i see a real live working demo.
no you dont want this phone.
Girl or phone? =)
how is that supposed to fit in your pocket?