LG’s Dare would really like to be an iPhone
Verizon today began shipping the LG Dare, and has finally revealed the price of the new device. The handset should be available for purchase online by Thursday, and will hit retail stores on July 3rd.
The phone will retail for $250. You then get a $50 mail-in-rebate…which will bring the cost down to $200 when you eventually get your rebate check in the mail.
The Dare is smaller than the iPhone (and is missing the iPhone’s built in storage), but it does have some features that the iPhone itself lacks. For example, it has a 3.2-megapixel camera with flash. It also has a 120 frames per second video capture mode, and a microSD slot which allows for memory expansion.
It does feature a “full HTML browser”, 3G (through EVDO Revision A) and GPS through Verizon’s Navigator.
None of that, however, changes the fact that if you buy one of these you’ll be walking around with a device that looks like a knock-off of the iPhone.
Obviously there is plenty that the LG DOESN’T have that the iPhone will – including the App Store, and multi-touch – but honestly, why would anyone want to run around with something that looks like this?
I mean, seriously, if you don’t want an iPhone why on earth would you want a phone that LOOKS like an iPhone? If you do want an iPhone, and you’re waiting for your contract to come up – why would you want this knock-off looking phone when you can just wait out your contract?
These kinds of phones are SAD as far as I’m concerned. I am not near fanboy enough to suggest that Apple is the only one that knows how to make a good phone. The lack of original thinking on the part of these other phone designers is just appalling, though.
You can make a touch screen phone that doesn’t look completely like a knock off of the iPhone. I know its possible…someone please at least TRY.
Update: Since this article is getting so much traffic let me clarify a few things.
The LG Dare is a reworked LG Prada, which is a touch screen phone that came out shortly before the iPhone. If you look at the original Prada, its design is quite different from the Dare. For one, it has original and unique icons, that don’t look like they are copied from Mac OS X. The design of the Prada doesn’t look quite as influenced by the iPhone either (which should be obvious, since it would have been impossible for the Prada to have been influenced by the iPhone…because the Prada came first).
This is my entire point. The LG Dare has been made to look like the iPhone. They already had a great looking, original, phone in the Prada, and LG decided it was a better idea to make the Dare look like a cheap iPhone knock-off..when it ISN’T an iPhone knock-off.
It is sad and depressing to me to think that the cellphone industry is just going to tuck tail and start making their phones look and feel like the more popular iPhone. It would be better for everyone involved, including Apple, if they would try to do their own thing, instead of going to such great lengths to imitate the iPhone.
Michael Murphey is primary blogger on Apple Gazette.com, Travelbrook.com and a contributor to TVJab.com for Bloggy Network. He also hosts a daily audio podcast, and weekly video podcast for Apple Gazette. When he’s not blogging you can find him on Twitter.
Comments
Drew
June 25th, 2008 at 11:27 am
But Michael…look at how those icons are spread around disheveledly. We are not a generation who cares about order. Look at how orderly that iPhone screen is. BLAH…that’s so BORING. The Dare just screams, “I’m rebellious!”
Michael
June 25th, 2008 at 11:34 am
@Drew
I hadn’t caught that part. I see now that it’s “hipper” and more “in your face” than the iPhone.
Long Live the DARE!!!
A
June 25th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
It’s a iPhone for people who want to use Verizon I guess. Why stick with Verizon if you want an iPhone? Well, some people hate att with a passion. Or maybe their family/friends mostly use Verizon. Or the coverage in their area could be better than att. I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have iPhone imitators on other networks.
matt
June 25th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
well i have to admit, I WILL NOT GO AT&T and because of that .. i have sprint.. and now.. i own the samsung instinct.
im horrible i know. but i love the phone. i wish i had an iphone but i just hate that they are only available through att.
and i do think the instinct looks like a decent rip off of the iphone . it does work rather nice to
Michael
June 25th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
@A
I don’t think its a bad idea to have similar phones, or phones that have similar features so that other people have options beyond At&t and Apple – I just think the phone companies could do a little original thinking and not completely rip off the design and interface of the iPhone.
Companies did the sam thing with the iPod and made it the standard – if these phone companies continue to knock off the iPhone they’ll just do the same thing all over again.
MIchaelT
June 25th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Michael,
They’re not just ripping off the iPhone’s interface; the icon for Settings and Tools looks very suspiciously like the System Preferences icon in OS X.
MIchaelT
June 25th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
(AKA Settings on the iPhone. So I guess it’s still ripping off the iPhone…)
Gerald
June 25th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
People will buy this and declare it “the same as the iPhone”; much as Vista is “the same as the Mac”, and DishPVR is “the same as TiVo”.
Michael
June 25th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
@Gerald
I actually like my DishDVR quite a bit better than Tivo. I’ve had both, but I prefer my DishDVR any day of the week. It’s why I have Dish Network.
Darryl
June 25th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
I’ve been thinking the same thing. Why does everyone have to have an iPhone Killer.
Isn’t the mobile market large enough that all of these manufacturers that have been in this game so much longer than Apple, can do something more original? I mean, they’ve been at it for so friggin long.
Isn’t that what all of the technology writers and mobile phone manufacturing companies’ CEO were saying before the iPhone came out?
Weren’t they all saying that the mobile market is such a cut throat business that Apple wouldn’t be able to just waltz in and succeed?
Don’t they have any corporate pride? How can they allow a newbie in their market place dictate the direction they’ve all decided to go?
What the hell were they doing before the iPhone came along? Didn’t they have their on plans for the future of the industry?
You are right……It’s sad…and I feel sorry for them all. How embarrassing!!!
matt
June 26th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
and another thing! i justt tried installing the cd on my MAC. and what did the cd say.
NOT FOR MAC
friggen haters man..
i still love the phone (instinct) but…… who does that anymore
Michael G
June 26th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
The “contacts” icon looks almost the same as the iPhone’s “Phone” button – green, with an old-fashioned handset going from NW to SE.
The VZ Navigator icon is a compass… just like Safari. Props though, the pointer is to the NW instead of the NE. :rolleyes:
And the “Settings and Tools”, as already mentioned, is a blatant ripoff.
Truly sad and pathetic.
And I'm a PC
June 27th, 2008 at 12:34 am
Now that Apple has shown people will buy phones without buttons, we’ll see a lot more phones with big glass screens. Get over it. The Contacts and Settings icons definitely cross the line.
Would like to see how legible those jaunty icons are in person. Suspect they are actually not scrambled on the real phone.
Neal
June 27th, 2008 at 1:37 am
Appauling? Appalling?
Pikemann Urge
June 27th, 2008 at 3:15 am
You know you’re winning when your competition reacts to your every move.
Apple under Jobs is very disciplined and more or less reacts to nobody (if for nothing else to merely appear as if they don’t need to worry about what their competition is doing).
Erik
June 27th, 2008 at 5:15 am
I especially like the lovely OS X 10.1 striped Aqua look on the Dare.
Miko
June 27th, 2008 at 6:11 am
The web browser looks an awful like .Mac but I guess since Mobile me is on the horizon it’s ok.
TIM
June 27th, 2008 at 10:24 am
“Why on earth would you want a phone that LOOKS like an iphone?”
How else are they going to design it smartguy?
Also, has it ever occured to you that someone might buy another phone that looks like an iphone because they don’t have AT&T? Theres a shocker!
Finally, having used both the iphone and the dare i would say the iphone would really like to be a Dare.
The LG Dare is far better than the iphone, IMO
ben li
June 27th, 2008 at 10:37 am
has anybody forgotten that the LG dare is just a more updated version of the LG Prada
a phone that came out way before the iphone did in europe
is just that LG finally realeses it here in the states under a new name
and of course way better features
Phil
June 27th, 2008 at 10:38 am
The reason all these other companies are coming out with the iphone lookalikes is to cause confusion in the marketplace, and trick consumers into equating their ripoff phones with the iphone. The very definition of trademark infringement.
Michael
June 27th, 2008 at 10:50 am
@Tim
“How else are they going to design it smartguy?”
The first thing I would do is NOT make it black and silver. Obviously there will be some similarities to phones that are primarily a screen – but you can make a phone that isn’t a black and silver design with Mac OS X knock off icons. The Settings and Tools, VZ Navigator and Web Browser icons are direct rip offs of icons found on every Mac.
“Borrowing” so heavily from Apple’s designs makes this phone look like a cheap imitation. If you think its a better phone, that’s great. I hope you enjoy it…seriously. I do not think Apple is the only company capable of making a good phone. I’m sure there is plenty to like about the LG Dare – but there is no valid way to argue that this phone isn’t meant to resemble an iPhone..and because of that fact it will always be a cheap imitation “wannabe” phone.
Alex
June 27th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Looking at the icon layout on that LG phone gives me the image of designers and/or marketing folks thinking, “How can we differentiate ourselves from the iPhone? I GOT IT! Scatter the icons!”
Blah
June 27th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
My contract is about to end with verizon and right now I am trying to decide between the iphone and the dare. Other than multi touch, the app store(both of which you mentioned), and a better web browsing experience(although can you really count that because it is available on the dare) it is hard for me to think of something else that the iphone does that the dare doesn’t. On the other hand the dare has a better camera takes better video, has a replaceable battery, removable storage, better network and mms.
If anything I think the dare makes the iphone look obsolete.
devil's advocate
June 27th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Or perhaps those are just IconFactory icons, like many that Apple uses, and both companies bought them from the same place?
ur mom
June 27th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
i just want to state for the record that the prada, which is the original version of the dare has been out for more than a year and wasn’t considered an *iphone knockoff* I personally wouldn’t consider buying an iphone even if was available on a superior network to att (which is blah) the Dare is definitly a better product.
Michael
June 27th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
I love how almost everyone of you guys who come in and talk up the Dare never leave a real email address and have names like “ur mom” and “blah”.
I can see the people reading this now saying, “well, honey, I was going to buy the iPhone, but I’ve been convinced by ‘blah and ‘ur mom’ that I should get the Dare?”
“My mom? When did you talk to my mom about cellphones?”
“What? No, it’s on the website. Ur Mom is on the website?”
“She is?”
“Shut up.”
Michael
June 27th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
@ur mom
And just for the record, I wouldn’t consider the Prada a knock-off either. The Prada does still have the black and silver design, but it is very different from the Dare, and much less iPhone like. Also the Prada UI is nothing like the Dare UI. The Dare UI is clearly emulating the iPhone – which is exactly what I’m talking about.
The Prada was a cool looking phone that doesn’t look like a complete iPhone rip-off. It’s a shame that LG isn’t marketing it as it was. The original design and layout would have stood out as an alternative to the iPhone without looking like a total rip-off.
Phelps
June 28th, 2008 at 9:36 am
My gut reaction is that most of those icons (ESPECIALLY Contacts and Navigator) look particularly infringey from a copyright and trademark standpoint.
Alan Friedman
June 28th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Actuallt, I owned the iphone for 3 months before selling it to buy the Voyager. After 40 days, I have no regrets. The last firmware upgrade has greatly improved the browser to where I consider it a close second to iphone . Certainly when it comes to rendering sites, Iphone and Voyager get the full nytimes.com while the Vu and Instinct load only the wap version.
Dare has no tv (gasp*neither does the iphone) and the Dare does not have the real non-virtual qwerty keyboard like the Voyager (gasp*again…none on the iphone)…the Dare cannot be close to the iphone until the browser improves…AND the Lg Voyager remains 1sweet multi-media device that is the best handset non-smartphone out there.
bsa
June 28th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
None of the new smart phones (iphone clones) will ever compete with iphone on its sex appeal and glamour. iphone could not have been a success if APPLE had just copied some random phone. RIM came up with an original idea and left a mark. It’s a shame all other big phone makers quickly come up with clones to make some quick bucks, rather then coming up with their new ideas. Given a choice between iphone and other new smart phones the reason people will buy these clones is they have no other option: just recently renewed a contract with some promotion; better coverage; and peer pressure. Cell phones usually do not have much shelf life because their predecessors ridicule the older models. Newer iphone 3G so far has avoided lampooning its ancestor.
David T.
June 29th, 2008 at 10:30 am
The iphone has the best user interface of any phone or device I’ve ever used. The fact that other phone manufacturerss are emulating their success is a testament to apple’s ability to create something that is consumer friendly and easy to use. Having so-called “iphone knock-offs” only gives Apple much needed competition to continually improve their products and bring the industry to the next level.
That being said, it’s hard to call the LG Dare or any other touchscreen a knock-off of the Iphone when, as Ben Li said, the Iphone itself was introduced months AFTER the LG Prada came out in Europe. Apple was however innovative in making the touchscreen an asset rather than a liability and actually creating the market for touchscreen phones in the U.S. and the world.
As for me I finally decided to get the LG Dare after having tested the Iphone and Dare extensively. The Iphone is a spectacular device and has the bigger screen, better user interface, better web browser, better music player, and of course has wifi. Unfortunately, the Iphone had it’s drawbacks such as no MMS, a sub-par camera, no video capture, no removable battery, and the the call quality was something to be desired. For my needs the LG Dare fit the bill as I believe a phone’s first priority is being a good phone, everything else is an added bonus. The bonuses included many of the features the iphone was lacking including the a better camera (where you can almost leave your digital at home), MMS, video capture, and a removable battery.
The Iphone and the Dare are both great phones with their own unique shortcomings. To me, the fact that the Dare is so similar to the Iphone is not a bad thing. Instead, it gives me hope that Apple will correct the shortcomings of the Iphone with the next generation. When they do I’ll definitely be getting one. Until then I’m sticking with the dare as my phone and the ipod nano as my primary music player.
Michael
June 29th, 2008 at 10:31 am
I am with Verizon, contract is up at the end of September. I like the iphone, I like the fact I can link my itunes and my apple computer to the phone. I like that if I want to go to the gym I wouldn’t have to carry two things, its all in one. But I don’t now if I want to go back to AT&T (which I had in the past). Since being with Verizon I have NEVER (read that again, NEVER) had another dropped call like I had with SPRINT and AT&T. The coverage I get with Verizon is superior to the coverage I had with those other two providers. I was in a ski cabin in the woods of western N.C., the AT&T phone couldn’t get a signal but the Verizon phone had a perfect signal.
Then on the flip side, I like Verizon, but I can’t link my itunes and I hate the VZ Navigator thing, so I don’t use it that often. I also have to carry my ipod seperate from my phone.
So what do I do? Do I stay with a service provider that is great overall, but doesn’t have the exact phone I want (iphone). Or go to AT&T and take the risk that I will have dropped calls, less coverage and so not be able to get a signal. I am starting to lean towards, the service provider is more important than the phone. So the Dare may be a good choice for me?????
KooK
June 29th, 2008 at 10:42 am
I just ordered in my Dare, I would much rather have an iPhone to tell you the truth, but I will NEVER switch back to AT&T. Their reception is horrible where I live and I have yet to be disconnected or interrupted with Verizon. Not to mention, $15 for unlimited internet vs $30 with AT&T.
john forsin
June 29th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
wow i love how the only bad thing you can say about the DARE is that it looks like the iPhone
Partners in Grime
June 29th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
I wonder how many people will ask you: “Is that an iPhone?”
Henry
June 29th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Look, I’m considering getting the LG Dare. Yes, the iPhone completely revolutionized how cell phones look and operate and set a completely new standard. I will also admit that the iPhone is very sleek and user-friendly to say the least. Unfortunately, you can only get the darn thing through AT&T, which, in my humble opinion, doesn’t have the greatest coverage! If the iPhone were available through VerizonWireless, then, yes, I would definitely buy it. Coverage, for me, is far more important than the phone itself. As for the Dare, well, I need to play with it some more before I make a decision. Granted, it’s no iPhone, but at least it’s a step in the right direction!
FutureDoc
June 29th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
I have a question. Can Verizon’s version of the Dare sync directly with Windows Calendar, Outlook, iCal, or Entourage? Verizon and Sprint are notorious for clamping down on network phone functionality in order to force users to use their intermediate network services. Verizon syncing requires the use of their web-services. What Sprint and Verizon don’t get is that their network services suck. This makes their phones suck no matter how nice they could be if left to the original manufacturer’s specifications.
Mike Pantelakis
June 29th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
my opinion is that its a good phone, and that if the service is better (which it is!) go ahead and get Verizon and the Dare!!!
Mayday3420
June 29th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Let’s nip this in the bud… the prada came out before the iphone period. The iphone is actually a rip off of that phone…. hate to break it to you. The iphone has a music store? ummm, so does the dare. In fact they have rapsody which correct me if I’m wrong… allows you to have more music from outside sources as well. The web browser on the iphone is nicer, but still, the dare’s browser has 3 different settings and one allows you to see the webpage as if you were looking at on your pc. Not to mention the data network and the network period is SOOO much better than att’s.
The price for the internet on the 2 phones are also different. 30 bucks for internet with the iphone, 15 bucks with the dare. And the dare is a newer model of the prada, ofcourse the ui’s are different, they’re on completely different networks and companies einstein.
So recap…
dare-better camera, better network, cheaper monthly fee, can actually do more with the phone with more options with music downloads. New version of the prada.
Iphone- better browser, ummmmm, rip off of the prada.
AND THE WINNER IS………………….. well if you can’t figure that out…
FutureDoc
June 29th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
nevermind…just answered my own question by looking at Verizon’s website. The answer is no…no mention of syncing…at all… They don’t reveal the brand of web-browser either. Sorry.
basictrade
June 30th, 2008 at 8:34 am
do any one know how much this dare would be if you purchase it out right
Drew
June 30th, 2008 at 9:54 am
The Prada may have been released before the iPhone, but they were unveiled at almost exactly the same time (Jan. 18 for the Prada and Jan. 9 for the iPhone). Both had been in development for a very long time, so it’s probably pretty safe to say that neither product could be considered a knock-off of the other.
That being said, these companies are being entrepeneurs, or trying to, anyway. That simply means that they take a good idea that’s already been established, and try to make it better. Every company in the world does it…even Apple. MP3 players existed before the iPod, multimedia-capable phones existed before the iPhone or the Prada. It’s all about standing on the shoulders of geniuses and pushing the industry forward.
I personally think that Apple did that more than LG, and even if the Prada had come out well before the iPhone, I’d still say that. Sure, they both have touchscreen, but with the iPhone’s inclusion of multitouch and the accelerometer, as well as a much slicker UI, it stands way out.
If you want a phone that has a better camera and can shoot video (and in slo-mo, too…I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to shoot a slow motion video with my phone), and you’re willing to trade the higher resolution screen and some great features like the App Store, then go for the Dare. For me, sure, I would love to have a (non-slo-mo) video camera on the iPhone, but I’ll sacrifice that for all that the iPhone offers.
Jordan
June 30th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I have looked up alot of information on both the iPhone and the Dare. The only bad thing I have heard about the Dare itself is possible overlapping of words and/or images because of the “full-page” web view. This issue is easily resolvable.
Also, Verizon is much better in terms of signal and quality. With At&t and the iPhone, there is a difference between one step and another. I went to PF Changs the other night and outside the door the signal was fine (with AT7T). As soon as I stepped inside, the signal was completely lost. The manager we later met actually had an iPhone, so I started discussing it with him. He brought up the lack of signal due to the restaurant. He works there -everyday- and cannot get a signal in the direct middle of Knoxville- quite a large city. That is very annoying and an obvious daily burden.
I went in and asked how much the Dare would be flat-out, because we switched last month to Verizon and obviously do not yet qualify for the “new-every-two” yet. He told me it would be $400 for the phone itself. The same price my brother paid for the Glyde, which dulls in comparison to the new Dare.
Travis
June 30th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Two words: Verizon Network
That is why I will buy the Dare before I buy the iPhone
Chris
June 30th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Call it whatever you want, but fact of the matter is Verizon is a waaaaay better carrier.
I actually have the Iphone and I will have the DARE on wedensday. There are things about the IPHONE that I love, but I still have to carry a verizon phone too in order to make sure that I will always have a cell phone signal. So, if I have to have both, then I’m going to get the best phone verizon offers.
Oh, and I can’t believe that all you “haters” haven’t mentioned the fact that the DARE doesn’t have WI-FI… That’s a super fast track to “Sucky Town” for me.
Jarrod
June 30th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
It isn’t the Iphone that I do not like but rather ATT. I think Verizon made a big mistake to walk out on the deal, but that is a different topic. I like the Verizon network and I believe it is just a matter of time for other wireless phone to catch up with Iphone. For the mean time, eventhough I really like Iphone, I will not move to ATT but rather try out the new Dare and see if I like it. There is always RIM and I believe there is a new Blackberry phone that is slated for 3Q release.
fatboy
June 30th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
My contact with verizon is ended in a week. I don’t know if I should renew it or go with the iphone with att. I always liked the iphone and verizon phones pretty much suck. Lg is a good company but as far as making a better phone then Apple, I don’t think so. If you ever called Lg tech support you would know what I am talking about. Apple tech support is great. As far as making my decision I don’t know what to do. Verizon is giving me $100 credit and 200 extra mins a month to stay with them. And Apple told me I had to pay $30 a month for the internet or it just does not pay to get the iphone at all. Can anyone help on what to do.
Mark
June 30th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
You said: I mean, seriously, if you don’t want an iPhone why on earth would you want a phone that LOOKS like an iPhone?
Because AT&T service has dead areas around my home in Maryland and my cabin in Pennsylvania while Verizon Wireless provides a clear signal. I’d prefer to have an iPhone but having a pretty iPhone that does not provide service makes no sense.
fatboy
June 30th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Does anyone know if discounts on monlthly voice and date be allowed for this new 3g phone. Employee discounts that at&t gives for certain agencies and there own empoyees were not allowed on the iphone before. Will this change or still be the same. This might make be not want to switch to at&t since I am getting 19% from verizon now. Don’t want to lose my discounts.
Britt
June 30th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
My question is why is everyone comparing the dare to the iphone????? They are really nothing alike except for the touchscreen and that is becoming popular with other phones as well not just the dare, I mean look at the instinct and prada as well as the vu. I wish everyone would just hush up about every touchscreen phone trying to be an iphone killer. I have seen it on every review site that I have looked on… I just got my dare and love it. I was not trying to get alook a like iphone. I will tell you an iphone killer would be the ATT Tilt!!! that is a good phone.
basictrade
July 1st, 2008 at 7:59 am
its like chevy ,chrysler and ford they will always fight to be the best .all companies do it look at honda ,suzuki and the most loved harley fight so just read on and enjoy the fun .wating till the third so that i can get the dare this glyde sucks lousy touch screen.
Mike D
July 1st, 2008 at 11:06 am
Who would really give a damn if the phone looks like the IPhone. Are you really that self concious that you cant use a phone because it looks like another phone and your worried about what people think?. What about people who dont want to switch to AT&T and doesnt want to pay that much for the service. Verizon is a much better quality and company.
NBC
July 1st, 2008 at 11:32 am
I am a Verizon customer. I have argued back and forth over whether or not to switch to AT&T to get the iphone. I am leaning towards staying with Verizon and getting the Dare. It has a better camera, video capabilities, removable battery and storage, a better GPS system, feedback when you touch the screen, a landscape qwerty keyboard, voice dial and more. The only things I love about the iphone are the itunes and web browser.
Also, forgive me for living in the sticks but here in Iowa, AT&T’s cell coverage can be spotty. I’ve never had any complains about Verizon’s service.
I truly would rather have the iphone than the Dare because of the looks and web browser, but switching carriers and getting a phone with fewer basic features than what I currently have. I guess when taking the longview I’m not really interested in taking one step forward (web browsing) to take many steps backward (no voice dialing, no 3G here, poor camera with no video etc) simply for the fine looks of the iphone.
NBC
July 1st, 2008 at 11:34 am
In the last paragraph I meant to say that …switching carriers and getting a phone with fewer basic features that I currently have seems dumb.
fatboy
July 1st, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Does anyone know if the dare will have TV. Iphone 3G I know for a fact does not.
Lucky
July 1st, 2008 at 8:44 pm
I agree with you that if somenoe is waiting for their contract to be up to get the iphone, then they should not get this phone. But if they like the Verizon service because the fact that I can get service anywhere in NYC without having to worry about whether my call will drop off with the AT&T service, then why not get this phone?
Josh
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:02 am
That is a horrible arguement to have. When your competition has an edge, you do something to compete. Yes a lot of people really liked the iphone when it came out. It was the first to have a lot of the features in posseses. Do they look similar, maybe? Are they the same, no? The dare has a better camera, a full browser, and for me a better service provider. Why would I care if the company I have had a phone with 10 years provides me with a phone that might just be what I was looking for? Phones have been sleek, black and silver for a long time… That was not apples creation. And are far as the shape goes that is what you have to do with a touch screen. You find me a touch screen that is round and I will laugh in your face. It is square because thats the best option for a touch screen.
Alan Friedman
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:23 am
Lg Dare does not have tv!
Will
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:36 am
I would be the 1st one on line if the IPhone was able to work on the Verizon Network. Being that a lot of people (including myself) are stuck on that netowrk, this looks like a great competitor. In the spirit of Free Enterprise, I would like to see AT&T and Apple swing a deal with Verizon. I know that isn’t going to happen, so that is why there are companies out there who will come up with these solutions.
I am sure that there are things the Dare does better and vice versa… One thing that is a huge problem for me is picture/video mmc text messages. Why would the ‘best phone in the universe’ not be able to do that? Oh, I know the full email client… but 99.9% of the rest of the people have and send those messages. So, any insight on that?
Michael
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:53 am
@Will
In all honesty I think that At&t would like to phase MMS out and use email instead. As more and more phones become equipped with rich email, I think you’ll see it slowly fade away.
Rich
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:34 pm
This article is partially right. Besides the fact it says the Dare copied the iPhone. Every touch screen phone that comes out is compared to the iPhone when it comes to design. How else would you like a touch screen phone to appear? There isn’t a whole lot of designs you could use for a touch screen phone. A big screen and a few buttons on the bottom. People need to stop calling touch screen phones, iPhone imitators. They are NOT. How else should that phone be designed as to not “copy” the iPhone. Plus maybe the icons resemble Mac OSX icons simply because those icons look good. I really hope people can get over calling EVERY SINGLE touch screen phone that comes out an iPhone clone.
Chris
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:05 am
Well, I got my Dare today.
The Iphone it is NOT. Man you really get spoiled by the Iphone, and it just makes all the others pale in comparison.
Here is my tainted review. The dare is a very nice phone. It’s compact. It’s very clean looking and the menu’s are pretty simple. The camera takes great pictures, however, like all cell phone cams it’s very SLOW on the draw. Making it hard to take those cool pics of KIDS, PETS, and anything else that is one the move.
The browser is the best one on a verizon phone to date. (I’ve had almost all of the verizon smart phone and internet type phones). However, it’s still cumbersome to use. My fingers feel very fat on this phone and they don’t on the Iphone.
NO WI-FI.
No custom ringtones as some said. You can NOT use mp3’s as ring tones.
Anyway it’s pretty cool for what it is. I’m definately going to keep it, but I will be there next friday to pick up the new Iphone too.
Polo
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:30 am
i love the iphone, but i like verizon…when i had att at sucked.
simple solution , make the freaking thing available to all carriers.
bob
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Um? Did you forget that for the last ten years pretty much all flip phones LOOK alike? At least as much as all the touch screen phones do. Sometimes they all do black, then silver is trendy, then red, ect. As far as icons, it comes down to what people find familiar and obvious.
Josiah
July 4th, 2008 at 11:37 am
i’m not going to lie… i love the iphone,but i also hate att more than anything. i was going to get the iphone, but after seeing all the problems that my friends are having with dropped call i decided to stay with a network that i know has good coverage all the time. i like the dare. i just wish it would sync up with my address book and calender on my mac.
Tony Loscalzo
July 5th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
I have no doubts the iphone is superior in many many ways to the dare…BUT I think there is an important item that everyone is missing….$$$$$. Yes they both cost about the same, but the monthly unlimited data fee for the DARE is $15 versus the monthly for an iphone which is in the $50 range…that is over 2 years! Considering it’s great camera and music features I think the DARE’s overall cost is so much less than the iphone… so much that I will gladly take the DARE for the next 2 years and wait until generation 3 of iphones and others are released.
Josh S
July 5th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Ok, I’m tired of hearing this phone compared to the iphone. I’ll give you the iphone did set an industry standard with things like muti-touch, full html among other features. But they call it the iPHONE when they ignored many of the features found on most other phones in the market. If I’m gonna get a cellphone it needs to be a phone first and PDA second. Yeah the features on the iphone are cool but what good are they when you can’t even make a phone call because your service sucks. Next, about the designs being similar, how many ways can you design a predominately touch screen phone and not make it look like every other touch screen phone? you can’t. All touch screen phones will look similar in someway. Also, you can’t say that the dare is like the iphone because it’s black and silver. I would wager that 90% of the phones on the market today are either black, silver, or some variation there-of. And the icons, what else are you going to put as an icon for a navigator application? a map? wait that looks to much like the iphone’s too. The truth of the matter is that theres only so many choices you can put for applications such as navigators, browsers, or settings menu’s. All of these arguments and my main point is summed up by something one of the verizon guys said when I was talking to him about the dare. I had asked him if he thought this was similar to an iphone because after reading up on the glyde I knew about the inevitable comparison of every other touch screen phone to the iphone and he said “you know, a phone is only as good as the service it’s on.”
Josh S
July 5th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Also I wish iphone users would get over there ego’s. Every touch screen phone is not an iclone. This phone is set apart by features such as a superior camera, video capturing capability, voice dialing, and oh yeah don’t let me forget far superior reception. On top of all that the Dare is a phone, the i”phone” is considered a PDA so they shouldn’t even be compared anyway.
JB
July 6th, 2008 at 3:08 am
My contract is up and I am already a verizon customer.. majority of the people i contact are verizon customers. This is why it makes sense to stay with the best network in the nation. Verizon has service almost everywhere, LG is a trusted and proven brand and the plans are cheaper. Oh ya and the least Apple could have done on the new iphone was make some updates Ex: the camera
Vito
July 7th, 2008 at 12:15 am
I guess Michael had the same fit when cell phone manufacturers started copying eachother like creating “flip” style phones…or speakerphoner….or color screens….but he’s right, we should all bow down to 1 company like Apple and call everything else a copy.
Bottom line, I own the LG Dare and it’s a great device. Shame on anyone who keeps calling it a “iPhone” copy.
Michael
July 7th, 2008 at 2:49 am
@Vito
When you learn how to read come on back and try the article again.
Seriously, I’m getting extremely tired of the comments from people who don’t read the article. This article says NOTHING AT ALL about wanting every company to “bow down” to one company – it says the exact opposite.
The LG Prada was a phone that didn’t look like an iPhone. The LG Dare is not. Stop being an LG fanboy, grow up, and read the entire thing before you come on here and tell me what I’m doing wrong.
Michael
July 7th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Exactly how does the LG Dare look like the iPhone again? Besides from the fact that it has touch screen capability and icons and similar size, I really don’t see DARE as being a knock-off of iPhone. More than anything, I see its originality by itself and states its own, unique character and features that iPhone doesn’t. Could it be that our mindset always tend to end up comparing all the new phones, especially touch screen phones to iPhone? just because the iPhone is the most popular cell phone out right now!
I’m a huge fan of Apple and a Mac user all the way and always will be as a designer, and I love the fact that Apple has done it again by coming out with a revolutionary cell phone called iPhone, but I do not have biased opinion about other phones out there who features just as much or even more than iPhone. I’m extremely livid from the fact that Verizon and Apple couldn’t come to an agreement and consequently, have to suffer of missing out the enjoyment of iPhone from being a Verizon subscriber, but at the same time, I will not state biased opinion on other phone that are not iPhone itself, simply because of feelings of bitterness!!!
Overall, LG Dare is an awesome phone and had me saying “wow!” and plan on getting one. My hope is that one day, Verizon and Apple will both put down their ego and come to an agreement for the best interest of their loyal fans and customers to get full enjoyment out of their product.
Michael
July 7th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
@Michael
It looks like the iPhone because it LOOKS like the iPhone. LG went out of their way to add a silver trim around the phone to give it a more iPhone-like appearance (look at the LG Prada – LG didn’t change the design to make it better, they changed it to emulate the iPhone).
The icons are pretty damning as well. You can’t honestly tell me that the Settings, Browser, and Navigator icons aren’t DIRECT rip-offs of Apple icons. The Navigator I can forgive since its about Navigation and that’s a common bit of iconography for that subject, but the Settings and Browser are taken DIRECTLY from Apple’s Settings and Networking icons. The Contacts icon is combination of the iPhone “Phone” icon and the Apple “Address Book” icon as well.
If you want an example of how to create a phone that DOESN’T look like an iPhone, yet still has a touchscreen, look up OpenMoko, they managed to do it just fine.
Josh S
July 7th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
You still can’t deny the fact that all touch screen phones will look similar. I mean come on, they have a giant screen, with a small square around it, some have rounded edges some don’t, some have buttons some don’t. every touch screen phone is going to look similar it doesnt mean that lg was trying to imitate the iphone. In my opinion if you look at the instinct it looks much more like the iphone (the general shape and layout atleast) Again I wish iphone users would get over there ego’s and instead of writing off every touch screen phone as an iclone they would accept it for what it is. competition.
Michael
July 7th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
@Josh S.
See, I keep hearing all this “ego” talk, but again – you’re either not reading, or not paying attention. I’m not here saying that every touchscreen phone is an iPhone knock-off or even looks like an iPhone knock off. I can point out at least two very easily.
1. LG Prada
2. OpenMoko FreeRunner
The fact is LG WAS trying to imitate the iPhone with the LG Dare. I know you don’t want to admit that, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
What I would like to see is competition for the iPhone that doesn’t TRY to be the iPhone. I wish the LG Dare was that way, but its not. No one is denying that the LG Dare is a competing product….no one is even saying its a BAD competing product. What I’m saying is the that LG Dare LOOKS like the iPhone – BECAUSE IT DOES!!!!!!
You can play the “how different can they be” card all you want – but the truth is, they could be radically different. They could be in colors other than black – they could not have the silver trim around them – they could not have icons that are directly inspired by Apple designs. There is a lot that could be done with a touch screen phone to separate it from the competition. LG didn’t take that route, they decided, instead, to increase the similarities instead of decrease them.
Your broad generalization about iPhone owners is just ridiculous. I can’t speak for ALL iPhone owners, in the same way I can’t speak for ALL Texans, ALL Doctor Who Fans, or ALL Americans.
I can speak for ME…and I would very much like to see competitors try to innovate with their phones. LG’s only innovation on this phone is the camera…which I’m sure is great for some people. I would like to see them attempt it at interface and hardware design. I don’t want the iPhone to dominate the market the way the iPod has dominated portable players. Domination by one company leads to stagnation in the industry which is a BAD thing.
Drew Richard
July 7th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I’m sick of all this iPhone copying crap. I just got off of my family’s cell plan on Verizon, and guess what…I stuck with Verizon. It is a FAR SUPERIOR network and everyone and their mother is on Verizon. It’s also cheaper. I bought the Dare and have looooved it ever since. I have used the iPhone before and while it’s nice, it’s still not the end all be all in phones. And if anyone on here had actually used the Dare, they would stop talking all this copying nonsense. So a few icons look very similar…probably just stock icons anyway…(a gear for settings and tools?! really? never would have thought of that). And as far as the “look” of the phone being an exact ripoff, let’s see…a black and silver phone…who would’ve thought (how many phones aren’t black and silver that fit this profile…just look at the prada) I wouldn’t want it in any other color. And buttons on the side with send/clear/end buttons on the bottom…how original when compared to the iPhone’s ONE button on the bottom…easier to use even? Similar yes, but any phone that wants to have a full touch-screen would be hard to innovate too much more. How about being able to talk to the iPhone and have it play a certain track in your library? Give them a month for a firmware upgrade and I’m sure it will be an ever better phone. No Wifi isn’t great, but why do you need it if you have bluetooth and a network that works nearly anywhere?
@Drew
The Dare also has an accelerometer that works GREAT (my mp3 player can flip all 4 directions…) and while it doesn’t have the software to use multitouch, from my playing around it does seem to work with multiple touch inputs at once.
Michael
July 7th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
@Drew
The icons are not STOCK icons. They are icons created by the design team at Apple. Don’t be surprised if a firmware update changes them after Apple’s legal department and LG have a discussion.
I have used an LG Dare, and I still stand by everything I’ve said. Not once have I said its a bad phone.
Verizon works great where you are, that’s awesome. It doesn’t work that way everywhere – no matter what the commercials say. It actually doesn’t work terribly well in my area, which is why I’ve never been a Verizon customer.
No one here is debating who’s network is better. As to why you would need Wi-Fi – that would be because it is vastly superior to any wireless network. We need it with iPhones to download the multitude of applications that are coming out for the device. If LG isn’t expanding their phone through third party applications, you may not need it at all.
I agree the Prada was both black and silver, but LG has gone out of its way to emulate the iPhone trim design and its plain as day right there in front of you. The Prada also had an original UI that didn’t emulate the iPhone icons or interface…the Dare, sadly, does emulate the icons, and other parts of the interface. Doesn’t make it a bad phone to use – its just a design choice by LG.
Drew Richard
July 7th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Sorry Michael…didn’t read your last post…I got tired of reading about 3/4 of the way through the 20 pages. All I’m saying is that it keeps what all touchscreen phones have been doing well (it just so happens that a lot of that is from the iPhone), differentiates itself where it needs to, and if you all would get past the surface of the phone there is a lot of difference in the UI and features.
Fred Rubble
July 7th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
I don’t necessarily want an iphone as ATT sucks where I live, but the problem I have with the LG phones is the screen, it is a flimsy piece of plastic that flexes when you touch it and sometimes they seem to miss presses… I had a voyager for a few weeks and it was a great phone except for the crappy screen and wonky sensitivity.. I went through 3 voyagers hoping to solve the screen issues in that few weeks and finally just got a blackberry for my phone needs. If someone could only make a phone that has a screen like the iphone.. (I know the glyde has a different screen but there have been alot of reports of screen press issues)
fyi
July 7th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Umm just to let you know the icon for VZ navigator was a Compass even before the iPhone came out.
Michael
July 7th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
@fyi
Just to let you know, the Apple web browser Safari icon has been a compass since 2003.
Josh S
July 7th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
@Michael
I’m sorry for the generalization about iphone users, I have a friend who has an iphone and hes not cocky about it. But still the belief of owners on this message board that the iphone is the be all end all of touch screen phones does denote a certain level of cockiness. (I’m not saying that you said the dare was a bad phone) Also the fact that you claim every feature of the dare is derived from the iphone. I will admit that some of the features look similar, but do you work for apple? do you know who designed the icons? do you know if there trademarked? no. So how do you know that LG stole all of Apples amazing ideas? In my experience with the iphone, and in my experience with the dare the UI’s are very different (with the exception of icons looking similar).
Michael
July 7th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
@Josh
I don’t claim that every feature of the Dare was taken from the iPhone. All I have said is that the design makes the phone look like a knock-off, when it isn’t.
As for the icons, I do not work for Apple – but I do know who designed the icons, and I do know that they are trademarked. You can read more about how Apple handles the trademarks of its icons right here:
http://www.apple.com/legal/trademark/guidelinesfor3rdparties.html
And – again, your language assumes that I’ve said that LG stole all of “Apple’s amazing ideas” when that’s not what I said at all. What I said, was that LG changed the look of the Prada to closer resemble the iPhone. Since the Prada had a completely different UI, and a different case, I don’t really see how that point can be disputed. They did modify the Prada into the Dare, and it now looks more like the iPhone than it did before.
The point of the article is an always has been that Apple HASN’T made the end-all-be-all of cell phones, and that I sincerely hope other companies (like LG) will continue to innovate with their own products. What they have done with the Dare, sadly, is not that. They have instead taken a phone they already had, and made it MORE like the iPhone. I hope that in the future they don’t do that. The Prada had a great look to it, and I truly wish it had been released in the US with the UI that it had. It would have stood out on its own, and wouldn’t have had near as much comparison to the iPhone.
Andrew
July 7th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
I own a Dare and I like it. I might have gone the iphone route if i didn’t hate AT&T. Also I’ve always used my phone as my camera and the additional 1.2 MP the Dare has makes a big difference.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so don’t hate on LG for following after a good idea.
Josh S
July 7th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
Well I know I speak for myself when I say the first thing I think of when I look at the Dare is not “man that looks like an iphone” but maybe thats because I’m not an iphone user. Which I don’t want you to get the wrong idea by my posts I don’t dislike the iphone, I think it’s a great device but it has flaws just like every other cellphone, I do however dislike the carrier it’s on, but thats beside the point. I think that with the iphone being so popular all the service providers are scrambling to get a foot in the door on the “touch screen generation.” Maybe LG didnt differ enough in their design, I don’t think it looks like an iclone, but thats one mans opinion. With that being said I stil stand by my point that all touch screen phones are going to look similar, yes, you can make them not look like an iphone like other companies have done. But they’re still going to have the same basic components which will make them all look somewhat similar. In conclusion, each device is different in its own way, they both have their pros and cons but every touch screen device will now be subject to the inevitable iphone comparison, since it seems to be the benchmark in the touch screen technology.
Josh S
July 7th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
I realize this is about how much the dare looks like an iphone but in my opinion the instincts looks a whole lot more like an iphone.
http://www.crunchgear.com/wp-content/photos/iphone_instinct.jpg
You must excuse my lack of technical knowledge but I couldn’t figure out how to get that to turn into a hyperlink. But if you copy and paste that it shows a side by side of the iphone and the instinct. besides the instinct being a little bit narrower the resemblance is uncanny.
Josh S
July 7th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
*never mind I didn’t know it turned into a link when you posted it*
dar
July 8th, 2008 at 1:28 am
my opinion like many others is simple. of course i want an iphone. all in one player, phone, camera, and i love mac but… i am on verizon. my family and friends are on verizon. they have the best service in my area and it is cheap. at&t sucks in my area. bad service. over priced. etc. they have better phones. verizon “has/had” crappy phones. they are getting better. until apple gets smart and/or verizon switches to either gsm or some other system to allow me to get an iphone. ill stick with the dare. i have it now. yes it is iphone like. and it is a cheap and great alternative to the iphone for verizon people. has a few flaws but i would expect that. i love the phone. touch screen is amazing and takes getting used to. the internet is a lot better than expected and the interface is neat. not as customizable as the iphone but still a good phone. as for the iphone knock-off. who cares? is it effecting how much apple is making? no. they will make a crap load of money despite these “knock-offs”. anyways. no one is original with their designs lately anyway. people will always find some way to say that something is a rip off of something else unless it is some wacky-ass design with weird colors so unless you have the phone and hate it. who the hell cares? knock-offs are inevitable. originality is a very rare thing now a day. take what you can get.
fatboy
July 8th, 2008 at 7:42 am
Ok, I made my decison. I called verion to cancel my service with them since my contract just expired. They asked me what they could do to keep me. I told them I was going to go with ATT because of the new Iphone comming out in a few days. To make a long story short verizon made me an offer I just could not refuse. This is what that gave me to stay with them for another two years.
2 free dare phones
2 free 8kb cards
30% off all additional accessories
2400 bonus mins. (100 a month for 2400 months)
1 free month of VCAST on both phones
What more can I say, I would be stupid to not stay with them.
Michael
July 8th, 2008 at 8:48 am
@ fatboy
Wow, sweet deal! Care to sell me one of the Dare for $199? Let me know!
Foonie
July 8th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Michael. You just don’t get it. Apple stole the design from LG. LG had the design first. I’m not downing Apple, because Apple does make nice products, but get the facts straight before you open you mouth and make yourself look like an idiot.
Michael
July 8th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
@Foonie
I have my facts straight “foonie”. Apple didn’t steal the design from LG. The iPhone and the Prada are very different phones – which I have said NUMEROUS times in this thread.
Apple didn’t “steal” multi-touch, the UI, or anything else from LG Prada that it didn’t have. The Dare still doesn’t have most of it – LG just went in an changed the look of the Prada to more closely match the iPhone.
Michael
July 8th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
@ Michael
I’m very curious, who is your carrier and what phone are you using right now?
george
July 8th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
i am thinking about getting the dare. the unlimited internet for verizon..is that mobile web 2.0?
Michael
July 9th, 2008 at 1:58 am
@Michael
Seriously? My carrier is AT&T and I’m using an iPhone – but I’m pretty sure you already knew that.
Why, pray tell, do you ask?
SaudiMac
July 9th, 2008 at 2:22 am
It’s EVDO, that won’t work in the real world
at least the rest of the world
Khaled
Michael
July 9th, 2008 at 11:58 am
@ Michael
Ahhhh..that explains everything. So why don’t you just enjoy your iPhone and let everyone else enjoy theirs?
Instead of coming in here and act all righteously for being an owner and worshiping the iPhone, make better use of your time rather than wasting it by posting your biased opinion about other phones that are just as good in their own ways.
And if you’re complaining so much….be a designer yourself and come up with one!
Michael
July 9th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
@ Michael
Furthermore, in my honest opinion..I think deep down inside, you’re just feeling bitter because all these other phones are starting to have certain features that iPhone doesn’t. So instead of barking up on all the other models, why don’t you suggest Apple to come up with more features for the iPhone?
Like I’ve said, I’m a huge Apple fan and I’m definitely planning on being an iPhone owner when the 2nd generation comes out, but you don’t see me discrediting other great phones out there, especially the LG Dare because overall, it’s freakin’ impressive!
Tom Gifford
July 10th, 2008 at 12:18 am
I love how there are camps for different cell phones… I actually own both and use very few of the features on either one… One for business and the other for friends/family. If all you have in your life is the upper hand on a cell phone, then you should move on. Go enjoy life a little bit.
Melissa
July 10th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Why is the LG Dare copying the iphone when it is a remake of the prada which…..you guessed it! Came out BEFORE the iphone!
jumpbug
July 10th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
@Melissa
You’re welcome to read the comments for the answer to that question. We’ve been over it several times. In short, the Prada was not a copy of the iPhone – LG stripped the Prada down and dressed it in iPhone clothes. It’s sad, but it’s true.
Dawkins20
July 10th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
I have the Dare, only because we dont have AT&T service here..so to say that anyone that has bought one of these is an idiot, isnt fair. I’ve wanted an iphone since they came out and have been waiting for service ever since. We probably wont get AT&T for another so until then this will do. So please dont put all of us in the category of “whoever buys this phone doesnt have a clue how good the iphone really is and they’re an idiot for it” because its just not a valid point. The dare is truly a knockoff, but its also a nice phone.
Josh S
July 10th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
well I’ve made this comment before but no one took any notice of it. But has anyone taken a look at the iphone next to the instinct? The similarities are much more noticeable than with the dare. And I realize that this article is about the dare and thats why were talking about it but after slamming the dare so hard I would like to hear the iphone users opinions on the instinct.
http://www.crunchgear.com/wp-content/photos/iphone_instinct.jpg
again there is the side-by-side.
jumpbug
July 10th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
@Josh S
I think the Instinct is even more guilty of the iPhone copy syndrome than the Dare. At least the Dare, under the hood, was an original device. The Instinct was designed from the ground up to be nothing by a knock-off of the iPhone.
The Instinct is the kind of phone that is actually going to set cell phone evolution back, because if it sells well these companies will continue to just wait for someone else to innovate, and copy that, instead of trying to actually produce an original device of their own.
That’s the biggest problem I have with the Dare – it was an original device, and they covered that up with an iPhone skin. They should have released the Prada over here and shown it for what it was – a good looking, smartly designed phone.
The Instinct, on the other hand just reeks of “wanna be” in all the worst ways.
Usabravo
July 11th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Recently purchased the Dare phone and it is really not a bad phone. However, I believe there is an issue already with the phone. While recording video clips there is a problem with the audio. The audio the sound is so garbled, you can’t understand anything on the video clip. This problem surfaced within two days of owning the phone. I immediately took the phone back to Verizon who also hear the problem and the phone was replaced with another Dare. The replacement phone has the same problem. They again replaced the phone with my THIRD Dare phone and this phone too is having the problem. The store was closing and we did not have time to try yet the fourth replacement phone. So in a day I plan on trying one more phone if not, then I’ll switch to the LG Voyager.
Oh, yes I did call LG customer support and they do not have a reported issue recorded as of 7/11/08. However, tech support at the Verizon store “clearly” heard the problem.
Record video on your Dare phone before you leave the store and listen to the audio.
Alan Friedman
July 11th, 2008 at 11:56 am
I owned the iphone, the Voyager and now I am getting the Dare. It doesn’t matter which came first. As long as Verizon is my carrier, I know I will get my calls.
True, the safari browser is the best. But the rev. A speed makes the Dare browser almost as fast as wifi.
Once a feature is on a devcice, other companies reverse engineer it and add it to their device…hey, all cars have steering wheels!
This is how we make progress. A few years ago, no phone had internet…then we got wap browsers and now, html browsers…if it is important to you who came first, you just might miss out on who does it the best…for the entire package of phone, browser, music, etc., I go with the Dare. Some would pick the iphone and some, the Voyager. No one in their right mind would pick the Glyde or Instinct!
Rachel F
July 11th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
To be honest, I really do like the iPhone, but it is in no way worth having AT&T’s service for. And I think the point of LG making the Dare look closer to the iPhone is because that is what is in demand right now. People like the look of the iPhone; for good reason, too. And what about the Instinct? It is an almost exact replica of the iPhone. Besides, with all the trouble the iPhone is having right now with their activation issues and their updates making late model iPhones stop working correctly, I would much rather have a phone that is one, cheaper, and two, accompanied by a lot less problems. Yes the iPhone has features the Dare, along with other “iPhone copies” don’t have, and guess what, the Dare and others have features the iPhone doesn’t have. One phone cannot have everything, and you certainly can’t please everyone. Big deal. People will either love it or hate it. That’s their decision. Don’t try to make it for them. No person, phone company, or phone can make everyone happy. It’s just not going to happen. I happen to like the Dare and, come next paycheck, plan on buying it. Now as for all the voyager, venus (although it is not entirely touchscreen), and other sliding, flipping “iPhone copies”, well i’m not a big fan of those. Just for the simple reason that it’s much simpler just to have one solid piece with no worries of accidentally breaking off the bottom half like we would with flip phones. We used to have “one-pieced” phone in the 90’s why not have them again. Of course not as bulky and crudely designed. Bottom line: there’s a reason phone companies make more than just one phone. Different phones, for different people. People are different, so why should our phones all be the same? Certain features are too much, (or in my mother’s case) too confusing and complicated for some people, and other’s like (in my case) GPS, come in handy and are very useful. It’s all up to what people need, and moreover now what they want. Let people try out the phones before you go smashing them. There’s no “super-all-in-one-phone” You’re going to like certain features of this phone and certain on that one, but you can’t mix and match. All you can do is either one of two things: Go make your own phone company with your own “perfect” phones or when life gives you lemons, just make the damn lemonade already. Excuse my french, but you get the point.
Justin
July 11th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I want an iPhone, but I hate AT&T. So unil the iPhone is available on the Verizon network, LG Dare all the way!
Randy
July 12th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Here is my Problem. I want an iphone for a 2 reasons. 1. it will sync with my apple powerbook, 2. it has the same browser and look as a full size computer, with the awesome GPS. But, AT&T just does not offer service to areas where I travel and play. If I just stayed at home or metropolitan areas I would be fine. However, I travel to rural places all the time. Verizon I have found to offer the best service for this.
Ok so can the dare fill the void. NO. the is no way to sync it with my powerbook. Actually I believe verizon runs the own software on all of their phones which blocks many of these capabilities. Why? because they want you pay for their vcast features and what not. My powerbook has bluetooth and so does the dare right. No syncy. I can do this if I had an iphone though. AT&T must not block this. I actually believe when you add unlimited web, text and the bluetooth syncing ability AT&T is probably at a better price point. I can’t believe people dare to say the dare blows the iphone away. Does the dare have built in Wifi? Does it have GPS directions and satalite maps?
So here I am unhappy with my service and phone but just as unhappy with AT&T coverage area. I might just wait for my contract to run out and switch to AT&T and an iPhone. Then keep my wife and verizon and trade her phones when I go to rural areas.
skl008
July 13th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
@ usabravo
No problems with my DARE on video recording.
Charles
July 13th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I have one and love it. Also has stereo jack you can use with any stereo headphone. This is a great phone no matter what.
Eric
July 13th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
@ Michael
I believe in the end, the consumer is the winner. Here’s what it comes down to: Competitive Marketing. Regardless of who came out with what first, the simple fact that there is competition over the “hot” new phone brings in more features and lowers the price of everyone’s “version” of the iPhone. It’s a win, win situation. If there weren’t any competition we’d all be running around carrying the huge brick cell phones that Zack from Saved by the Bell used to use!
Nick
July 13th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
I don’t understand you people… any touch screen phone is going to look like the iPhone. There is nothing you can do about that. It’s a touch screen… it’s gonna be a big screen! Kind of like how all cars are gonna have four wheels, two headlights, and an engine. It’s just part of the design of a touch screen phone.
Somebody accused LG of “copying” Apple for making the Dare black and silver. Did you think they were gonna make pink and purple just to be different than an iPhone? No, they are gonna make it the colors that the consumer wants. Also, last time I checked, ALL phones, computers, and other consumer electronics used the same icons to represent the same things; a letter for an inbox, a speaker for the volume, etc. You can’t accuse LG of copying Apple for using simular icons, since all Apple did was use the icons that everyone uses because people recognize them. I almost feel like LG came up with that messy looking main menu just so people like you wouldn’t accuse them of “copying” Apple.
The bottom line is Apple, although not the first one’s to do it, is responsible for making the touchscreen phone popular to consumers (they did it through their ingenious marketing of making people think they are better than other people by buying their stuff). So naturally other companies are going to come out with other touchscreen phones. And since touch screen phones consist of, well, a screen, they are gonna all look the same.
Michael
July 13th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
@Eric
Competition is exactly the point I was trying to make from the beginning. It’s not a win-win for anyone if the other companies try to make their version of the iPhone – that looks like the iPhone. They need to look at their own devices and think of innovative ways to use the touchscreen that is obviously going to be popular…even if they do draw heavily from the iPhone (which LG obviously didn’t do with the Prada) they shouldn’t skin it to resemble the iPhone. They should make it their own.
That’s all I’ve been saying this whole time.
Jonny
July 14th, 2008 at 12:06 am
The Dare rules!
Michael
July 14th, 2008 at 12:27 am
@Nick
You kind of destroyed your argument with the mention of the cars. Of course all cars are going to have the same basic elements – yet, we have hundreds of different car designs to choose from.
You don’t have to make a phone that looks like the iPhone just because you have a touch screen. See the OpenMoko Freerunner for a nice example…or the original LG Prada, which used the black and silver without matching the iPhone’s trim.
Pete
July 14th, 2008 at 12:33 am
I’d take the dare. I like my MMS, video camera, and flash. I will admit I HATE the verizon OS but I’ll deal with it.
brandon
July 14th, 2008 at 2:59 am
main reason the dare is so appealing is because of the verizon network. verizon phones suck but their coverage and plans are great. i was going to buy a 3g iphone until i saw this and decided to stick with verizon. why would i pay for a 3g data plan when the nearest 3g area is 50 miles east? not to mention atts coverage in general is terrible. the only reason to not like this verizon phone is no wifi. this phone has picture messaging, much much better call quality, stereo blutooth, camera flash, you can use your fingernails, expandable memory, and useful external buttons; compared to the iphone. the iphone isnt the all knowing and powerful item you make it to be in this review. the dare is a very good alternative for people on verizon or just in general.
jay
July 14th, 2008 at 6:03 am
i tried the i phone and the dare i like the dare better
Mike Dilge
July 14th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Dude your just salty because verizon has a phone that is just as good as the iphone with a lot better network.