LG GD900

LG wraps glass in steel to produce a slider with a see-through, slide-out keypad.

In a market that seems to revert to using the same old tricks over and over again to imbue products with a sense of contemporary style, it’s refreshing to see one company doing something totally original. LG, a company not afraid to explore new concepts, has managed to bust out something unheard of yet again with the new GD900.

Initially known as the Crystal, the GD900 has a standard numeric keypad that slides out just like any other, with one important catch: It’s completely transparent. The screen, made of real glass and etched with numbers, uses capacitative touch-screen technology to detect finger presses, just like the iPhone. That also means it will support gestures and multi-touch. Drawing the letter M on it with your finger, for instance, will bring up the music player.

Like it last flagship model, the Arena, the GS900 will also make use of LG’s new S-Class user interface, which wraps all of the phone’s features around an easy-to-manipulate 3D cube, as displayed on its 3-inch touch screen.

Dimensions on the GD900 will also be suitably slim, with a depth of just 13.4mm, and LG has wrapped all edges in polished steel to lend it an air of stylish durability.

Not surprisingly, details on the new phone haven’t yet been announced, but LG has indicated that the phone will become available simultaneously in Asia and Europe in May. More details are expected to become available at this year’s CTIA Wireless expo.

LG GD900