Pic: The LG Viewty and the Prada phone. The Prada phone is slightly shorter and visibly thinner then the Viewty. The Viewty, which comes with a 5 megapixel camera, is expected to be launched in India later this month.)

The Prada phone was launched in Europe in April this year and I remember walking down the Tottenham Court Road in London and staring at an exquisite display at the Carphone Warehouse store that screamed Prada from a mile away. Most of these designer phones have policies regarding how the devices would be displayed and more importantly, where.

However, at the RPG Cellucom store we walked in, the Prada phone was no where to be seen. The store keeper recovered a nondescript carton from a locker that housed the Prada phone. So much for the pains that LG took to have the ‘Prada’ branding. While most other phones come in sealed packages and it is impossible to get the opened to see the phone, ironically, the Prada phone was there to feel and fondle. The only glitch was that we were not allowed to insert the battery and switch it on. That luxury comes only to those who buy it.

Hopefully, LG would take a cue from this episode. The Prada phone has been around in other markets for almost nine months now and it is yet to be launched in India. Those who want to get their hands on it will get it anyhow. The trick is to launch such high-profile products in sync with other markets.