LG and Verizon Take On the iPhone
Today, Verizon unveiled its new fall lineup of phones, the highlight of which, the LG Voyager, takes aim squarely at the iPhone. Sure, it's a dead ringer for Apple's Jesus phone, but it's those similarities as well as some significant differences that make the Voyager a suitable alternative to Apple's handset -- at least for those of us Verizon customers not interested in jumping ship for AT&T.
The similarities between the phones don't end with the slick black case. They both have a 2 megapixel camera in common as well as a touch screen, which on the Voyager, runs the slickest, most user-friendly interface we've ever seen on a Verizon or LG handset (it's actually based on the one used for the LG Prada Phone). Of course, there's e-mail and text messaging like there is on the iPhone.
It's what the Voyager does differently that's got us excited. First of all, it runs on Verizon's high-speed EV-DO network, which is significantly speedier than the AT&T EDGE network the iPhone is chained to. Voyager also has GPS, which is lacking on the iPhone. It doesn't have a hard drive like iPhone does, but it does have a slot for a microSDHC card, which currently top out at 8 gigabytes but will soon be achieving capacities of up to 32 gigabytes.
Lastly, the Voyager is actually clamshell phone, hiding a second (giant) screen and full QWERTY keyboard under it exterior. Our pals at Engadget Mobile got their hands on the Voyager this morning, and while they say the Voyager is a bit meaty in size, they're equally as impressed with it as we are. No price has been announced, but expect to see the Voyager in stores around Thanksgiving.
In addition to the Voyager, Verizon announced that is will carry the BlackBerry Pearl -- no different than what you get from other providers -- and the Samsung Juke, which is positioned as an entry-level music phone with its click wheel and 2 gigabytes of built-in storage.
There's also a second LG phone, the Venus, which puts an interesting spin on the touch screen craze –- whether good or bad remains to be seen. The screen is actually split into two parts, and only the bottom half is a touch screen. The top half is your standard cell phone screen, the content/context of which changes the buttons displayed on the lower half.
For more, check out Engadget Mobile's in-depth photo galleries of the new launches.
From Engadget Mobile
Related Links:
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Keith Thompson @ Oct 3rd 2007 12:48PM
LG means LOW GRADE quality. I had to replace their chocolate phone twice because of the poor quality and construction.
MY ADVICE is; Don't rush out and buy one...wait for the consumer reports to see if LG has actually improved their quality. I don't wish ANYONE to have to go through the hassles I've had to go through with my LG phone.
guesswho22102 @ Oct 3rd 2007 1:03PM
As always, Apple shows its sheer dominance in the technology industry because LG and verizon have to mimic the iphones breakthrough features with this pathetic phone. This phone or any other imitation will never be able to compete with the quality of products that comes out of the Apple factory every year. Great job Mr. Jobs :>
Toni James @ Oct 3rd 2007 1:11PM
Yeah, this is obviously a test in LG's copycatting abilities, but I'd buy this phone from Verizon any day rather than go back to AT&T and its crappy service.
Shelly @ Oct 3rd 2007 1:45PM
I totally agree. I was really hoping that Verizon would get an iphone, but Im going to wait a little while to purchase one. Im very happy with my Env. My daughter on the other hand has a chocolate. I purchased it for her in July. Every month since July shes had to get a new phone, somethings ALWAYS wrong with it and it constantly breaks.
Cheri @ Oct 3rd 2007 1:47PM
I love LG phones, they are all I'll buy. I can't wait for THanksgiving
JULIE @ Oct 3rd 2007 1:55PM
I AGREE ABOUT THE CHOCOLATE PHONE. MY DAUGHTER HAD HER FIRST ONE LESS THAN A MONTH AND IT COMPLETELY QUIT WORKING. SHE HAS HAD TROUBLE WITH THE SECOND ONE ALSO. I WOULD DEFINITELY WAIT TO SEE IF THIS PHONE HAS THE SAME KINDS OF PROBLEMS.
dur dur dur @ Oct 3rd 2007 2:07PM
lg has awesome phones. if you are with verizon, dont get a motorola because the verizon's system doesnt work well with motorola's software. i have the lg enV and its by far the best phone ive ever had. ive dropped it in water and it still works just fine. my fiance has had the chocolate for almost a year now and it works great too. so mr. "low grade lg", you should probably stop being so rough with your chocolate. its a cell phone, not a coaster/football/block for your tire.
dave @ Oct 3rd 2007 2:11PM
What PR company planted this "story"? This is hardly an answer to the iPhone. Does it play movies? Does it have the sweet, slick interface that iTunes has for managing music? Can you surf the web with the ease and familiarity that you can with the iPhone? Is it as equally compatible with both macs and pcs like the iPhone? (Verizon phones don't play nice with macs.) Its camera is no better and it too doesn't record video. Only thing it seems to offer is GPS. Big deal. Next "iPhone killer" please....
snyder0604 @ Oct 3rd 2007 2:29PM
Totally agree! My husband and I both had LG phones and the broke ALL THE TIME! JUNK!
Babygirl @ Oct 3rd 2007 2:34PM
I agree. I've had the original LG V since it first came out and its the best phone I've had so far. I had to replace it once, but it was my fault. I'm not sure the Chocolate, but I recommend buying a case and not leaving it everywhere or putting them it pockets.
hieloazul99 @ Oct 3rd 2007 3:13PM
I would like to say that this is not the first phone by LG that is a replica of the iPhone. At the same time that AT&T announced the iPhone, LG introduced their LG Prada phone. It was not advertised however due to many reasons. Sone were: 1. It is very costly (over $500 in most places) but seems very much worth the price. 2. Verizon as well as Sprint/Nextel can not currently sell this phone because the phone only supports GMS technology and not CDMA which anyone who has a phone from the aforementioned companies know this is how the phones communicate with the network. I truly am a LG fan and have been for years now. I have not used any "Chocolate" phone but I have had many LG phones and so have family and friends of mine and they were better to us than anything else we have "used and abused." I recommend them but I am a normal person so you don't have to listen to me. If any one from Verizon sees this, PLEASE PICK UP GMS, I WANT THE PRADA PHONE. :)
James Headley @ Oct 3rd 2007 3:42PM
What gets me is that they keep coming out with these cutsie products, but don't have what some of us really need -- a global phone. The only one they stock is the Blackberry -- it's either that or nothing. A Verizon employee inquired on my behalf and they said they they wouldn't have alternatives on the market until November. I've been trying to get a global phone from them since May! Now considering paying whatever the break fee is and switching carriers. This kind of "customer service" I don't need.
michelle @ Oct 3rd 2007 3:42PM
I dont know about the chocolate but i do have the enV and i love my phone! Im so clumsy i drop it all the time and still nothing has gone wrong with it. I do have slight A.D.D when it comes to new phones so I'm excited for this new phone. I wanted to get the iphone but i didnt want to switch to att so now im SO ready for november!!
dawn @ Oct 3rd 2007 4:15PM
We have had 2 chocolate phones both junk mine does'nt ring just says missed call went for updates, what a laugh every time they do one it gets worse I can't seem to get mine replaced but my daughter has gotten 2. A source from verizon told me their policy for now is to replace them if you yell loud enough
scorch6744 @ Oct 3rd 2007 4:39PM
the chocolate is a great phone, I've had mine for months with no problems. i've dropped it on a few ocassions and its come away with only minor scratches. the problem probably lies with the user. thats why you don't buy kids expensive phones, they're not responsible enough to look after them.
Verizon Joke @ Oct 3rd 2007 5:09PM
This IPhone "killer" is another joke like the Prada phone. LG makes awful phones. It's just the normal Joe Schmoe who doesn't have a clue what a real phone is like that buys LG. Verizon's stable of phones are crap. Chocolate, Razor, etc. You name it, they don't come close to the Iphone. Let's just say this phone won't make 1 million sales in a month like the IPhone did.
jodybugs @ Oct 3rd 2007 5:26PM
I agree with James about the need for global phones. I managed to get a Motorola A840 early in '06, then they stopped carrying it. It's lasted because I only use it overseas, I use an LG when I'm stateside with no problems. My husband loves his LGVX8300 and he's a mechanic, very tough on his phone. It was inexpensive and relatively durable. I would still wait and see whether it's worth the price, because I haven't had a phone that I could truly abuse since my old bulky Nokia. Either way, there's no way we would leave Verizon for AT&T, we've had great customer service since 2002.
Gary McCoy @ Oct 3rd 2007 5:27PM
Is this doesn't work any better than LG's appliances it will really suck!
Anthony @ Oct 3rd 2007 5:31PM
Verizon is a rip off theytook a bill for I phone they said they never received and charged me $500 dollars for it. I had proof I sent it back Fed Ex and they refused to credit my account. It toot 1 year and a half to get the credit that was after they tacked on 1700 dollars of late fees and cancelation fees. Verizon can take a flying leap. They stole from me my credit rating and took away things I could have provided my 3 children. The youngest being Multiple special needs
Luna @ Oct 3rd 2007 5:41PM
For you misinformed people out there...the LG Prada was produced before the Iphone, so if anything Apple copied the Prada. Moving on, this will be a good competitor to the Iphone. I have Verizon now and I'm glad they will be carrying this phone. I'm not a Verizon fangirl or whatever, but I've never had any problems with their service. And I'm also a fan of Apple. In fact I'm posting this comment on my MacBook which I totally love. But for me to switch carriers, it's going to take a lot more than just a phone. Quality of service is most important to me and Verizon is a the top IMHO. By the way, these are just phones people, so just relax.