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The LG Dare is really Verizon Wireless’s attempt to fit in, to offer a phone that’s more like the AT&T LG Vu and Sprint Samsung Instinct, not to mention Apple’s similarly priced iPhone 3G. The truth is, the Dare may not be as glamorous or well-priced as the Instinct, but it has a better browser, a motion sensor and some cool software tricks that make it a fine phone for people who choose to remain in Verizon’s walled garden. As I think we’ve firmly established, we call these iPhone clones because they are made superficially with the look and feel of the iPhone in mind. They are not direct competitors to the iPhone, as they don’t run on a smart, open platform like iPhones—or Blackberry and Windows Mobile phones—do. The Dare, like the Instinct, is closed and proprietary, geared to customers who like much of what the carrier has to offer, and would just like a better way to make use of it. And after spending some time with the Dare, I can safely say that, much like the Instinct, it really does let you do that.
Easier Access:
For starters, Verizon has done away with its dependence on unchangeable, annoyingly deep menus. With the Dare, you can drag any app or function directly to the desktop for one-click access.
E-mail and Web:
Let me get this off my chest first: The Dare browser is WAY better than the Instinct’s, both in rendering speed and page layout. You can navigate Gizmodo with very little trouble, especially if you’re going read-only.
Lighter Features:
Slow-mo video cam - It’s a bit grainy, but with decent light, it could make some interesting videos at 120 frames per second. The 3.2 megapixel camera is decent, but nothing to write home about.
Music player - Good: Plays MP3s and even iTunes Plus DRM-free AACs that you drag to the “My Music” folder of the MicroSD card (up to 8GB); Bad: Still has issues with tags, and appears to count image metadata as additional song files, so browsing by Artist or Album is fine, but browsing “All Songs” is messy.
Full photo editing - Speaking of camera, the editing feature is not as “full” as we first thought. There’s no red-eye reduction or shadow/highlight or color adjustment.
Conclusion:
Like the web apps, there are a few more wait-and-sees: Visual voicemail isn’t in effect yet, and may or may not come via over-the-air update. Rhapsody is just launching today, and for $15/month extra you will be able to sideload the Dare with Rhapsody-to-Go tracks, though a Windows PC is required for that.
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