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Verizon Claims to Have 'iPhone Killer'

By Tim Conneally, BetaNews

October 3, 2007, 2:33 PM

Verizon is adding four new devices to its lineup of phones to be released for the holiday season, headed by the new LG VX10000 Voyager.

Dominated by its 400x240 touch screen, the Voyager outwardly looks like that other phone on the market. "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 with Reuters.

Despite the more obvious similarity, in terms of configuration, Voyager's actually closer to LG's enV, a text-oriented device in Verizon's existing lineup. The enV, a somewhat homely, clamshell-opening handset, could be described as "pillow-shaped."

The Voyager has effectively replaced its predecessor's plain "tiny screen and buttons" layout with the large and sleek touch screen, and kept the inside's handy QWERTY keyboard intact. The touch screen affords large icons, and the now-familiar "swiping" motion navigates through an eye-catching UI.

Verizon VoyagerAdditionally, tasks can be handled by either the force feedback-enabled touch screen, or by the keyboard as the user dictates.

Verizon is also boasting Full HTML browsing, VCAST support, a new mobile e-mail service managed by Verizon, and mobile IM client. Standard equipment includes a 2 Mp camera and a music player with jacks for headphones, Bluetooth headsets, and stereo speakers, and that supports MP3, Windows Media Audio, and AAC files. Memory is expandable to 8 GB via microSD.

With arguably the strongest network in the United States, Verizon's device starts with a leg up in what appears to be the battle to topple the iPhone's cachet.

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By Crispy777

posted Oct 5, 2007 - 2:48 AM

I have an iPod killer too. In fact I claim to have two!

Score: 0

By smarterthanyou

posted Oct 4, 2007 - 7:23 PM

From the article: "With arguably the strongest network in the United States, Verizon's device starts with a leg up in what appears to be the battle to topple the iPhone's cachet."

This article is a bit biased. This statement is not fact at all. AT&T has had the strongest network in the USA every since they used TDMA. Their GSM and HSPDA networks are the strongest 2.5G and 3G networks in the USA, respectively. For voice call quality GSM beats 2G CDMA hands down.

Score: 0

By shicaca

edited Oct 5, 2007 - 2:17 AM

That's why a good portion of Verizon's network will be EVDO soon, which blows GSM out of the water in terms of speed and reliability. The only thing GSM has on CDMA is that CDMA sucks a bit more juice out of the phone.

That being said, personally I have not heard one person with Cingular (ATT), Sprint, Alltel, Nextel, et al that have had the reliability of Verizon's network for both voice and data communication. So much so, that I seriously doubt Cingular/ATT's "source" that said they were the network w/ fewest dropped calls. ... especially when they didn't even THINK about including Alltel, even though they're a fairly sizeable company.

That being said, I've never seen a GSM phone correctly bounce a signal from tower to tower without losing connectivity. Verizon is the only phone where I can drive in a straight line for 1-3 hours and NEVER drop a call.

Best of all? My entire state's actually covered, unlike the rest.

So from where you are sitting (if it happens to be Western US) you may not know better, but I know first hand when I go on a road trip, my phone almost always is going to be the only phone in use b/c I'm usually the only one with service. ... this includes out of my state, as well.

... That being said, there's nothing that's going to knock the iPhone out of the water unless Verizon gets genuinely innovative with their service and try to catch up with the Jones' with regards to cell phone ability, because that is the one and only complaint I have w/ Verizon... their phones are most times something to be desired.

Score: 0

By smarterthanyou

posted Oct 5, 2007 - 3:03 AM

I've never had a dropped call with TDMA, GSM or HSPDA networks. Not even when my LG CU500 phone switches from a 3G HSPDA tower to a 2.5G GSM tower while I'm on a call.

Score: 0

By DotNet_Coder

posted Oct 5, 2007 - 1:17 PM

I'm on Verizon and had a 3.5 hour conversation driving from LA to Phoenix on I-10. Even at Desert Center, My signal never degraded nor did the call drop.

Same drive 1 year ago with Cingular, I lost service for about an hour in the middle of the desert. Everywhere I go in Phoenix, I get at least 2 bars of service (except the elevator in my building... it's copper lined... lol).

Score: 0

By smarterthanyou

posted Oct 6, 2007 - 1:17 AM

I get excellent call quality and no dropped calls even when my LG CU500 phone fluctuates between one signal bar and no signal bars (which is very rare). Once when I drove from Portland, Oregon to Las Vegas I had full signal bars the entire drive on AT&T's old TDMA network. Even out in the middle of nowhere.

Score: 0

By horsecharles

posted Oct 4, 2007 - 6:28 AM

Verizon having a killer product is an oxymoron. Even when they have a killer technology, like Fios, they mess it up(if you live in NYC you know what i'm twakin' bout).

The only exception: in NYC they have the best cellular reception in subways.

Score: 0

By rsx508

edited Oct 3, 2007 - 10:56 PM

Sheesh. It looks like a brick with logos slapped on. And since when did the iPhone capture enough marketshare to make anyone consider "killing" it? Regardless of whether it's a worthy phone/pda/media player/whatever, it hasn't penetrated the mass market enough yet to really compare against Nokia, Samsung and LG has it? Maybe if Apple dropped the price to $100 it might spread more, but right now it's a novelty. I've only seen a few more in public than Zunes actually, so whatever that means.

The real problem is battery life. Battery technology hasn't kept pace with all the new crap they pile on top of these gadgets. Pretty soon you'll need a portable generator with you to keep the things running for more than a few hours at a time.

Score: 0

By mdotwills

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 8:17 PM

lol. What seems to happen is that all these other "iClones" that pop up (i think there's like 5 already) seem to all have the right amount of features and third party development, however NONE of them can get close to the streamlined styling of apple's hardware and interface.

Score: 0

By kbsoftware

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 4:12 PM

I agree with comments made before me. The logos are wasting a lot of useful space, as a result this phone looks like it would be annoying and probably is. It won't even come close to killing the iphone. It will do nothing to switch current iPhone users. I'll wait somebody else will design an iPhone clone and do a better job at it.

Score: 0

By timster799

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 3:54 PM

I think if any product is going to be called a "killer" product, that label should come from the consumer and not the manufacturer. Why pay for advertising when a company can call one of its new products an iPod killer and the tech press runs with the label. We'll decide.

Score: 0

By GS5

edited Oct 3, 2007 - 3:55 PM

"It will kill the iPhone," Verizon Wireless Chief Marketing Officer Mike Lanman said in an interview with Reuters."

Did I miss something??? I wasn't aware that Apple had taken the lead in the cell phone market. Why are they talking about a iPhone killer when the iPhone doesn't even have 1% market!

Score: 0

By Maestr0

posted Oct 4, 2007 - 7:51 AM

Yup. You are missing something. VZW doesn't expect this to outsell it's other handsets. It is something to get people in to the show rooms. Just like the auto business. You think AT&T is cleaning up with the cell phone? Doubt it. But do you realize how often AT&T was mentioned in the past 6 months whether on the net, or other media. You cannot buy that kind of publicity.

Score: 0

By GS5

posted Oct 4, 2007 - 11:34 AM

My point with the "iPhone killer" comment was that there is nothing to kill.

If your talking about publicity your right. And yes AT&T was mentioned a lot the last 6 months, for having $h!ty service. Verizon is a lot better than AT&T in my opinion. As for their new phone, they have at least 1 or 1.5 inch of space that should have been used as display.

Score: 0

By Setian^Stalker

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 10:09 PM

Yea I was wondering that too, there’s absolutely nothing to kill except hype hehe

Apple is a loooong way off from being 'The phone to get'

Score: 0

By PC_Tool

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 3:42 PM

Gah...

I like the Verizon network, but this thing just looks ugly. Nate's right, there's got to be an inch or more wasted with those silly logos.

Score: 0

By terminalx

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 3:36 PM

I'll be able to upgrade my phone here shortly, and this looks pretty good, would like to see the software, is this going to be the same crappy software that verizon uses or will it run windows mobile or a seperate os altogther?

Score: 0

By DotNet_Coder

posted Oct 5, 2007 - 1:21 PM

Chances are that if it supports VCast, it's not a WinMobile device. VCast's java interfaces have so far proven incompatible with WinMobile 5 and 6.

Score: 0

By lonechicken

edited Oct 3, 2007 - 3:31 PM

Well that's not bad. I'd prefer them to shrink the phone down by removing the logos rather than enlarging the screen... if price was the issue. Which I assume it would be.

I don't think this will kill the iPhone, but I don't think the iPhone will dominate it either. It's all about how a network performs in your area. If you live in DC, good luck with that AT&T iPhone if you use the subway system. This LG is the one to have if you really badly need a swiping motion touch phone.

Score: 0

By pitdingo

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 3:08 PM

another iPhone clone. ** yawn **

Score: 0

By ladylust

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 3:23 PM

Wouldnt an Iphone be a Palm clone?

Score: 0

By auiotour

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 6:22 PM

I love ignorant people. the first palm the pilot was introduced in 1996, the first Apple Newton was intruduced in 1993. So wouldn't Palm be an Newton clone, and iphone more or less be a newton clone, of which apple owns and created?

That phone looks like a giant kids toy, the picture on this page makes it look like a clone, but looking at pictures online, it looks like crap.

Score: 0

By ladylust

posted Oct 5, 2007 - 2:50 AM

We are talking about a touch screen phone. Not the PDA market. everyone looks at the Iphone like some amazing phenomena - my Palm Treo 650 destroys an Iphone hands down.. What can an Iphone do that an Palm cant? Oh wait.. Palm doesn't have an "I" in its name.

Score: 0

By DotNet_Coder

posted Oct 5, 2007 - 1:23 PM

Hell, my moto q beats the iPhone hands down also... I don't have to hack the firmware to run custom apps and Verizon can't say anything to me about any 3rd party apps I want to run on my phone...

Which, it's a shame that this phone probably doesn't run WinMobile... now that would kill what little bit of the market the iPhone does have...

Score: 0

By GS5

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 4:00 PM

Of course not, Apple does not clone they steal.

Score: 0

By dhjdhj

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 5:11 PM

What did Apple steal?

Score: 0

By GoodThings2Life

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 5:55 PM

PDA functionality.

Score: 0

By dhjdhj

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 11:39 PM

Huh? Please be specific!

Score: 0

By NULLedge

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 6:11 PM

from the newton?

Score: 0

By nate

edited Oct 3, 2007 - 3:05 PM

Why do phone companies and handset manufacturers insist on wasting valuable screen space with their logos? I know I've got a Verizon contract and I'm not likely to forget my phone is made by LG, so do you really need to remind me every time I look at the screen?

This looks like a decent handset, but there is so much wasted space that could be used for a bigger, more usable screen! After a decade, these companies still can't learn.

Tip to manufacturers: take a cue from Apple and put your logo on the back. That's where other people will spot it when it's up against a face anyway.

I love the "CLR" button. What is this, 1997 redux?

Score: 0

By mjm01010101

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 3:23 PM

I hate logos in general. I take them off the products I use if they are obnoxious. That definitely includes apple... Oh wait, I don't even bother with apple products because they are all about marketing--period.

Score: 0

By NULLedge

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 6:13 PM

seriously. put it on the back of the phone. "I" know who my provider is. they should be advertising to the people watching me babble not to me directly. too much "filler" on these phones. that's one of the things that makes apples stuff sexy is the lack of crap slathered on just to fill space.

Score: 0

By Comit

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 2:48 PM

Good luck with that...even with superior design and hardware, I bet half the people behind iPhone get it for its name brand and great marketting; similar to the fashion industry.

Score: 0

By rsx508

posted Oct 3, 2007 - 2:48 PM

Yeah, but can they release it at a high price and then lower that price and send out coupons for the suckers that bought the first round? I bet they can't. :)

Score: 0

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