The silent, yet eerily palpable rivalry betwixt LG and Apple continues, secretly, growing subtlety with every new phone release (as you can see in the Windows Mobile-based KS20). Or maybe these two companies just love this design -- certainly Nokia is fond of it. It's hard to say really, but what isn't hard to say is that these phones do look alike, and there's no way around it. Please forgive the German showgirl for the upside down iPhone handling -- they haven't had the fortune of holding them here. After the break, be sure and note the UI of LG's KU990 -- the company's other widescreen touch phone -- and its familiar look. One thing's for sure: they all smudge the same.

The gloves have long since been removed in the battle war between Cupertino and Redmond, and while we wouldn't deem this a direct hit, it's a mighty blow to gut regardless. Microsoft's general counsel and executive vice president Brad Smith has apparently decided that whining about whiners is the best approach to garner public support, as he mouthed off to reporters and suggested that Apple should just shut its trap in regard to the limitations of DRM, and in a completely unrelated addition, claimed that sales of the iPod should be good enough for that oh-so-greedy corporation. More specifically, Mr. Smith claimed that he wasn't a "big believer in just blaming the music industry for Apple's inability to sell every conceivable iPod," but contradicted himself ever so slightly by insinuating that Apple should leave well enough alone and enjoy the profits the player is already pulling in. Is it just us, or do you sense this vibe of bitterness mixed in there somewhere, too?

[Via GizmoNews, picture courtesy of Worth1000]