“Here come the fake iPhones,” Scott Moritz reports for TheStreet.com. “Verizon is launching its hotly anticipated LG Voyager today [Wednesday] . The touch-screen phone with the flip-open keyboard is sells for $299 with a two-year contract, and is intended to answer Apple’s much-heralded iPhone from AT&T that fetches $399.”
“Here’s the bleak truth about the Voyager: It’s not the thrilling gadget adventure people were waiting for,” Moritz reports. “While some of Voyager’s borrowed looks make you think iPhone, it’s an entirely different device. For starters, it isn’t a true smartphone. There are no PDA functions such as document creation, email program or desktop syncing. In fact, the menu system is exactly the same as you’ll find on many of Verizon’s music phones.”
“The Voyager is probably the best illustration yet of Verizon’s fundamentally flawed wireless strategy. Put it this way: If Verizon’s V-Cast lives up to your dream of what mobile broadband is all about, then the Voyager is your vessel,” Moritz reports. “Alternatively, if you want a true Internet device with a real browser and fast Net access anywhere, keep up the good search.”
MacDailyNews Take: iPhone, bitch! Search result found.
Moritz reports, “Verizon has chosen to stick with the paltry Openwave browser that’s been lamely rendering Web pages ever since phones could access the Net… Old standby sites like Yahoo Finance and Gawker are too daunting for navigating on the touchscreen.”
“Apple’s perch atop the cool phone market will not be threatened by the wayward Voyager,” Moritz reports.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
But, but, Verizon Wireless’ Chief Marketing Officer Mike Lanma said in early October that the LG Voyager would “be the best phone … this year. It will kill the iPhone.”
So much for that.
Man. That looks fat…
@Ampar…
Good point… See, a REASONABLE person, not a tight-ass, can make a good point… so, not sucks balls, but how about bited balls… ow, ow, ow… That hurts just writing it!
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@BustingTheSkullsOfIdiots
hahahahaha u have nailed it on the head. geeks are such malcontents.
Apple changing the world again. It’s not about making something better that the iPhone, but the fact that companies are following Apple is great. Soon the touch screen technology will be just ‘out there’ and watching Star Trek won’t be as much fun anymore.
“‘[…] if you want a true Internet device with a real browser and fast Net access anywhere, keep up the good search.’
MacDailyNews Take: iPhone, bitch!”>
Uh, he said fast Net access. Bitch.
THE TRUTH:
http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com
Verizon’s Voyager! – Now an iPhune Killer!
The news for Apple and the iPhoney just gets worse and worse!
First we release the iPod Killer, Zune2, with FM radio!
THEN:
Verizon announces the LG Voyager phone! Mobile Magazine says:
“Remember how Verizon passed on the iPhone? That’s because the LG Voyager might even be better. It also has a large external touchscreen, but when you open the phone laterally, a QWERTY keyboard emerges for text entry. Key features include high-speed wireless broadband, a web browser, music player, and microSD expansion.”
Best of all it is driven by a proven OS, Windows Mobile! No playing on the screen with your fingers, we treat you like an adult.
Apple is on the ropes! They are down! They are out! It’s over! It’s over!
Bon Voyager!!
Enjoy the trip to Never, Never Land…..
Why are you crapping on Verizon? Maybe iphone isn’t the answer when you can only use it with one carrier.
@ Troy, Go to Germany, by yourself a contract free iphone then get yourself a sim card for any other provider you want, or even use youe existing one.
See how you like it after a couple of months…….the charges, that is
Hey, if the iPhone were not on ATT (I get ZERO service in my neighborhood – which is 15 miles outside of Boston for god’s sake) I would have one. But, it is on ATT, so I am waiting on my Voyager to be delivered instead.
I am a long-time Apple geek, but cool features on a crappy network makes no sense to me. The VZW ED VO network is not blazing, but it works well almost anywhere I go.
Sure, it”s not a true smartphone. The email client is limited, it has no wifi, no support for office docs that I can see. But who really cares? Those things are why I have a MacBook Pro, which runs well using my VZW USB card as well.
So, I will be able to make calls, chat, manage my pop mail accounts, use the GPS service, watch live tv, and the other cool features. And maybe when my 2-year contract is up, AT&T;will figure out how to get their service to well populated areas near major cities and speed up their slower data network????
Happy thanksgiving weekend everyone.
Bob
I have a crackberry 7100i which lives on a Nextel iDEN network and its data speeds are horrible. I have Google Maps downloaded on it and watching the data download (it keeps a running tally of how much data it has downloaded over the course of that particular google maps “session” to help you keep track of possible data charges), the map info downloads about the same speed as my old 56K modem back in the day. That works out to be about 5-6KB/sec.
I would love to get the derided 100-200Kbps that the EDGE network provides. I haven’t seen that kind of speed comparison.
LG Voyager looks like iPhone’s fat, dumpy, wannabe cousin. There really is a difference between engineering and copying. I wonder how may iPhones LG bought and disassembled for this project…
I agree with Bob. FINALLY someone who makes sense and is thinking clearly. What good is a phone if it doesn’t have the best network? Verizon Wireless said thanks but no thanks to the iphone for a reason….
I’ve seen better fake iPhones in Malaysian soup kitchens. I’ve had the ‘opportunity’ to use both of these and the LG, really, is a cheap copy. The interface is ugly and clunky, where as the iPhone, as we all know, is sleek, stylish and functional. To be honest I can’t comment on the web functionality and network features (not including voice calls) of the LG because I’ve only had a chance to use the web features on the iPhone, unlike some of the other commenters.
IPhone killer it isn’t! I love my Mac and would own an IPhone if I didn’t hate the phone company they went with so much. I dumped AT&T;years ago because of bad coverage and lousy customer service. So, that leaves the IPhone want to be with Verizon. I’ve messed with the IPhone and agree it’s features are better but I refuse to go back to AT&T;. The Voyager isn’t a bad phone, it doesn’t have the ease of use of the IPhone or the greatest touch screen but I guess i’ll wait until Apple’s exclusive 5 year contract is up with AT&T;, no Cingular, no AT&T;or whoever the hell they call themselves tomorrow.
Let’s face it you all knew someone would have to compete with them. Apple has chosen to limit their market share and that’s fine. I do like that I can get a new battery on my own and not be without the phone. I already have an IPod and it has way more songs, videos and movies than the IPhone can hold so that really isn’t a selling feature for me. I would like to have the ability to sync to my Mac but oh well!
Well this phone is not suppose to be a smart phone so it is not supposed to look like a smartphone. Your just jealos cause verizon had a better idea then at&t;or what ever or apple whatever you want to call it.
i have to give it to apple but dude the price for the iphone is way to much, thats the ONLY good thing about the voyager. otherwise iphone is sick
Just because its a touch screen with icons doesnt mean its a rip off. And the Voyager isnt aimed to be a “smartphone” so you cant say that it sucks because it doesnt have a PDA. Its like saying the RAZR sucks because it doesnt have PDA.
So what do any of you who despise the voyager suggest for those who do not have the option of switching to at&t;? Such as students.
OK, it’s been month with my Voyager, so i thought I would pass on my thoughts.
What I like:
-touchscreen works very well, love the “electric” feel when screen is touched.
-phone call screen is very usable and calls sound great
-Camera performs well above what I expected it to
-Love the MicroSD slot
-love the navigation software
-Chat options are strong (Yahoo, AIM and Windows live) and very easy to use with the full qwerty keyboard
-Tons of games and video options through verizon, games play well on the phone.
What I don’t like:
-Very disappointed that the Verizon MobileTV function that was sold to me is not yet available pretty much anywhere. it will kick ass, if it ever goes live.
-it’s a little awkward going back and forth between the touch screen and the internal keyboard-no wifi, it would make this a huge winner
-bad integration between apps (e.g. contacts and text/email) overall I just dislike the way contacts are handled.
-really had to be creative to get the Voyager to coordinate with macbook, certainly not plug and play…
Overall, I am not totally in love with the phone, but love most of the functionality enough to make me very happy with the purchase. After rebates, the phone was $200, not too bad. 6gb microsd card was another $75. I do recommend the phone for those who for whatever reason can’t go with the iPhone.
Bob
The Voyager is far superior to the iphone in every aspect. Dual screens, full keyboards. Far more fuller bodied features. It’s silly to say it falls short. You say this, and you are biased.
This article also lacks more direction, and focus (obviously) on the browsing ‘aspects.’
“wonder if/when Apple with pursue any legal action on LG for this phone… it’s clearly a rip-off.
verizon just keeps getting lamer and lamer… sigh”
one question…ever heard of the lg prada?
uhh, just because its touchscreen doesnt mean verizon was trying to copy the iphone. now sprint has the instinct and noone says sprint was trying to copy the iphone. the instinct is more like the iphone than the voyager! come on, the voyager is soo different than the iphone, it flips open! and also the lg prada was one of the first touchscreen phones to come out, i believe.
is soo different than the iphone, it flips open! and also the lg prada was one of the first