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.

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.

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.

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!

No problems with my DARE on video recording.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

And if you’re complaining so much….be a designer yourself and come up with one!

Khaled