Review: Verizon Wireless LG Dare

by Steve Ragan - Jul 21 2008, 11:04

The LG Dare has been called an almost perfect iPhone clone. If you move past the hype, the LG Dare has one feature that connects it to an iPhone -- namely touch technology. Otherwise, to call the Dare an iPhone clone would be limiting the scope of the device and the offerings that Verizon has added to make its handset appeal to both music and gadget lovers alike.

The LG Dare, launched nationwide from Verizon on July 3, was released with an introductory cost of $199 USD after a $50 USD rebate. Like the LG Decoy, the Dare is a VCast-enabled phone. VCast is a value-added service Verizon offers which, for added fees, will allow content from various sources including, music, video and games. The EVDO network offers online access and decently fast speeds, depending on signal strength.

As mentioned, various reviews on this device mention the iPhone in one way or another. The similarities are there, there is no need to deny that fact. However, the similarities end at the touchscreen and view shifting functions. These are two separate phones, and if you're reading reviews to gain information, then this is one point you need to remember.

The LG Dare has a high-gloss finish on the touchscreen, which is made of plastic not glass. Depending on how hard you have to press on the screen you will feel it flex. The touch controls are sensitive but, after a bit of a learning curve, will be simple to use one handed. However, that learning curve may frustrate some users; for example, a women with long fingernails or men and women with large fingers.

As before when we tested the LG Decoy, the high-gloss finish will offer some difficulty when using the phone. The screen on the Dare is the main navigation tool and viewfinder for the onboard camera, so when the sun offers a reflective glare, the handset screen is next to impossible to see. But, unlike the Decoy, that problematic reflection can be negated depending on how you hold the Dare.

The mini-features are what make this phone unique; personal customizations that many other phones miss out on or little added bonuses and conveniences. To get the full scope, you will want to cover the included documentation from front to back.

Starting with the menus, you can customize their look and feel by placing shortcut icons on the start screen. Also, if you want, you can get further ease of use by adjusting the movable icons on the main menu or the icons from the quick links menu. Clicking on your favorites (the star icon in the menu bar) allows you to drag and drop to instantly text or call one of your listed contacts. The phone also rotates, meaning that if you turn it counter clockwise or clockwise in some areas the screen shifts to rotate the viewing image.

Menu access is in two places. The main menu is on the row of five icons on the bottom of the start screen. The shortcut, which is a grid listing of common functions and tools, is off to the right of the main screen.

(Clicking on the four circles will access the main menu)

(Clicking the arrow will access the shortcut menu.)

(Any one of these icons can be moved to the start screen for faster access, or moved around on the grid for selected access.)

The Dare will send feedback if it is touched, and the wallpaper on the start screen consists of animated little drawings. There is ample space for storage, as the Dare allows up to 8GB using a microSD card. When sending e-mail or text messages, you can use the normal twelve-key display, a QWERTY keyboard, or physically write in your letters.

It's worth noting that actually writing your letters is a neat feature but very frustrating. The function works, but it's far faster to use the QWERTY keyboard. If you get bored, you can always doodle a little. As seen below, the Drawing Pad feature will stave off boredom in meetings.

The handset, once the learning curve for the navigation has been overcome, is designed for one-handed use. Indeed, once I got the hang of using the touchscreen, flipping through menus or selecting options was a breeze.

Taking advantage of the added services such as mobile-Web and VCast, you will get full use of the Teleca AB browser. The browser is feature rich on its own, so using the Dare to surf the Web should pose no serious problems (no issues regarding browser usage were found during this review).

Navigation on the browser comes through the QWERTY keyboard or the twelve-key system.

Browsing tests for the review were fast thanks to the EVDO network, and video streaming from YouTube worked flawlessly. Using VCast to watch CNN offered the same buffering you would expect with a weak data signal, but that was rare.

Downloads of games and music were quick and, thanks to the 3.5mm jack, you have a great portable media center. Speaking of media, the Rhapsody-to-Go service will also work with the LG Dare. The service cost is about $15 USD per month, which includes unlimited tracks synched to up to three devices.

Gaming on the Dare was amazing. For the test, we downloaded classic Pac-Man, which makes you take full advantage of the touchscreen feature in order to play. It is tricky at first but, despite that, the gameplay was still a blast.

The camera on the Dare offers 3.2 mega pixel performance with face detection, flash, and photo-editing capabilities. The camera is easy to operate, and its options are impressive for what is offered. They include light adjustments and photo cropping, just to name a few. The missing features that would have made the Dare's camera sing include red-eye removal and color adjustments. With those features missing, you may want to make sure you have a good view of the subject when taking pictures. The flash feature will help with lighting issues, as will the light adjustment, but some users might truly miss red-eye correction.

Below are some examples of the camera's ability to capture color and detail.

This is an example of the cropping features and light adjustment.

The LG Dare is no Apple iPhone. This is a good thing, as if it was seriously trying to compete... it would fail. On its own the LG Dare is a solid device and packs in enough features and little geeky quirks to make it well worth a look when picking a new phone or upgrading your existing one.

Pricing for the various calling plans will vary depending on usage and location.

Overall score: 9/10

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