Verizon Wireless unveiled a new cell phone today for the holiday season: a LG handset named “Voyager” that Verizon hopes “will compete with Apple Inc’s iPhone,” Sinead Carew reports for Reuters.
“Verizon Wireless hopes the new phone will attract customers put off by the iPhone’s lack of a traditional keypad — the Voyager hinges open to reveal a small computer keypad and a second screen,” Carew reports.
MacDailyNews Take: The only people “put off by iPhone’s lack of a traditional keypad” are people who haven’t used an iPhone.
Carew continues, “‘We think it’ll be the best phone … this year. It will kill the iPhone,’ Verizon Wireless Chief Marketing Officer Mike Lanman said in an interview.”
Carew reports, “Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart said the Voyager may attract existing Verizon subscribers who do not want to switch service providers, but he doubted it would hurt iPhone sales. ‘People who want a high-end media phone and want to stay with Verizon will certainly give that one a hard look. I don’t know that it would pull anybody away from an iPhone,’ he said.”
Verizon Wireless would not give exact pricing, but the “Voyager” is expected to retail for about $400 according to the report. Apple’s iPhone costs $399. Voyager will offer a 2-megapixel camera and a slot for 8GB of extra memory. “Voyager” also looks to be at least twice as thick as iPhone. Apple’s iPhone has a 2-megapixel camera and 8GB of built-in storage. Oh, yeah, unlike the “Voyager,” Apple’s thin iPhone also has a multi-touch UI, a real OS, and a real iPod with access to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store. Voyager will launch “before the end of November,” Carew reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers too numerous to mention for the heads up.]
Yet another phone made to look externally somewhat like Apple’s iPhone. How stupid do they think people are? Verizon’s Chief Marketing Officer Mike Lanman is one seriously delusional bastage if he really believes that thing is “the best phone this year” and that “it will kill” Apple’s iPhone.
I do wish that you could do all the typing with the phone horizontal, like you can in Safari. But I like the keyboard overall.
Well, the iPhone wins out on looks and probably performance. If it comes ready for linux, I could see it being pretty cool and possibly worth checking out.
I disagree with MDN – I was slightly turned off by the iPhone’s lack of a traditional keypad…I do enjoy a touch QWERTY pad, as they are certainly quicker for those of us who don’t put all of our time into our iPhones.
As for killing the iPhone, I think that’s doubtful. People were calling for an iPhone for years. The Voyager is barely known by anyone.
PAH-THETIC!!
How come every time Apple comes out with something, someone else comes out with something that will
a) kill it
b) squash it
c) taunt it
d) beat it
e) humiliate it
Can’t they just come out with a product and say they think it is “better?” Sheesh.
All these pretenders to the crown always compare themselves to iPhone.
We know who’s really the King of the Hill. It begins with “i” and ends with “Phone”.
mw: “future” . . . is bright
People are pretty stupid ya know… They’ll sell a shitload of them Im sure
BWAHAHAHAHA……
…
…
BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
Glad i wasnt drinking a Sprite, it woulda shot out my nose
the ‘voyager’ looks like what the iphone woulda looked like 10 years ago, lol
I’m one of those verizon customers who wants an iphone but doesn’t want to switch carriers. Funny thing is, after seeing this, I still want an iphone and won’t settle for less.
another phone made to look externally somewhat like Apple’s iPhone is free marketing for Apple. Why buy a fake when you can buy the real deal?
ahhh yaaa wasn’t the Zune supposed to be the “iPod killer”,,,, well I think we all know where that led….when another company comes up with an original idea, then , oh wait nobody has except Apple…
Seriously, there is an enourmous disadvantage to have un “QWERTY” physical keypad: OTHER LANGUAGES
Yes dear, a software solution is mastering all these keypad problems… mine, for instance is a QWERTZ… you see? This means lots of costs for compagnies to make separate and specific keyboards. This only make the phone more expensiv to produce and gives very poor user experience benefit.
No Apple’s iPhone Cost OVER 400 DOLLARS PLUS TAX. That 399 bull crap is tired. Stop being such brown nosers.
thank goodness there is a big text box at the top that says “shortcut menu”. My iPhone doesnt have that, so I’m totally confused by the small square pictures on the screen.
Its almost sad that compared to apple, everyone else is amature hour.
The reason is that Apple IS the leader. Everyone has to follow.
The iPhone is the most exciting piece of technology I have picked up in the last ten years. Sure computers have gotten faster, screens brighter and blah blah, the home kit robots are petty cool but the iPhone is a new species….it is a new direction…….it is just amazing. I played with my wife’s iPhone and thought it was amazing but when I got my own and saw all MY information on it and MY settings….I was REALLY amazed. As I said, the iPhone is the most exciting piece of technology I have played with in ten years….if theres is something more amazing I can’t think of it.
What a bunch of wimps MDN is….in real life you people are the annoying little brother who says yes to everything his big brother asks and agrees with everything he does.
MDN Word of the day “Little” lol “Little annoying ass kissing brother or loser friend” rotflmao. The RDF has worn off on me, time to kick some ass and take some names! Oh yeah!
this stuff kills me.
I love apple. But the thing that kills me is that with 25 years of design experience under my belt. It cracks me up to see crap come out. And then to add the monikor “iAnything killer.”
I think it could be thinker.
Just got the new iPod touch. I am getting very used to the touch key pad
“How stupid do they think people are? “
Uhm…have you seen the nimrod the stupid people voted to be President?
“The People” are far, far more stupid than you imagine them to be.
If it were a crime to be stupid, 2/3 of Americans would be in jail.
The fact that they can’t seem to come up with their own interface (Buttons, arrangement, etc.) signifies the fact that they are a follower…
That thing is UGLY!!!!
Wow. I can’t believe an exec would make a horribly stupid statement like that. Wait….yes, I can.
“Verizon Wireless hopes the new phone will attract customers put off by the iPhone’s lack of a traditional keypad…”
In other news, Ford is releasing a new model called: “Cranky”, that Ford hopes will attract customers put off by Chevrolet’s lack of a traditional engine-starter-crank handle hanging over the front bumper.
Verizon is incredibly transparent. Every other “smart” phone has a keyboard. So Verizon will market one that is an esthetic rip-off of the iPhone, and hope no-one notices that the stolen look is the only difference between it all the other iPhone victims.
MDN magic word: “using”
As in Verizon is using Apple’s design team. I hope Verizon gets their behinds sued to infinity by Aplle.
Grrrrr.
Why the hell would you want a Bluetooth icon on the home screen of a phone? – Also nice copy of the calendar icon!
You’d think they would employ designers with originality.
Or is it really the suits, who tend to award freshness with the dull thump of their bean counter’s wooden mallet.
;(