LG Dare Rated 4 out of 5 by Wireless and Mobile News Review of Reviews Revised July 1, 2008
Reviewers of of the LG Dare found most of the features impressive and called the LG Dare the "closest to the iPhone." Although some reviewers liked the web browser for its fast access, many did not like like it as much as the iPhone web browsing experience.
The best reviewed features of the LG Dare include the media capabilities such as music playing, uploading files via Bluetooth, high speed video recording with bright flash and slow motion playback, photo enhancements, face detection, Schneider-Kreuznach certified camera lens, auto-detection of portrait/landscape modes by an accelerometer, admirable messaging and great sound/call quality. The LG Dare uses the 3G Verizon EV-DO Rev. A network for fast data.
One reviewer called the web browsing snappy while another thought that it lacked true HTML rendering. Features that you should notice about the LG Dare are expandable MicroSD, GPS, Chat, and the drawing pad to draw pictures or take notes. There is a proximity sensor that turns off the touch capabilities when it close to ears.
The LG Dare costs $199.99 with a $50 mail-in rebate and two-year contract. For Verizon customers who don't want to change networks, the LG Dare could act as an iPhone surrogate. We dare you to try it out (pun intended.)
Eric Zeman at the InformationWeek blog, writes that the LG Dare comes close to the iPhone and was impresed by the touchsccreen technology, revised UI, nice bright screen, simple menus, customizable home screen, 3.2 megapixel camera with face detection software/adjustments.amazing video recording with slow-motion playback, and media playing.
Nicole Lee at
the LG Dare 8.3 out of 10 for its intuitive touchscreen, 3.2 megapixel camera, 3G
data speed and excellent call quality but found the touchscreen took a while
to learn and the handwriting recognition was unpleasing as well as the web
browsing. Additional well-liked features include the drag and drop icons for
your own home screen, changeable menus, full camera and video features,
drawing pad, and advanced camera features, proximity sensor to turn off touch
features when the LG Dare is near an ear.
Engadget's Paul Miller was disspointed with certain aspects of the LG Dare and says it lacks polish due to it being a feature phone not a smartphone. He had trouble with the QWERTY touch keyboard, menus that detract from browsing and the browsing is not true HTML. The messaging however, he found admirable.
Gizmodo called the LG Dare "Best iClone, Yet" for the drag and drop home menu, and found the web browsing "way better" than the LG Voyager while the touchscrden, "leaves something to be desired." The camera was not as full-featured as he hoped for and the email worked fine. He still thinks the iPhone at $199 has more to offer but for Verizon customers the LG Dare has a motion sensor and neat software tricks.
Todd Haselton at LaptopMag calls the LG Dare an LG VU for Verizon customers and was pleasantly surprized, web browsing was snappy, There's automatic detection by an acclerometer for landscape or portait modes, background music listening, high speed video recording, and lots of camera features.
The LG Dare's touch-screen offers the optimal HTML Web browsing experience
and runs on the nation's most reliable wireless network to ensure a smooth and
easy navigation experience. The touch-screen also supports handwriting
recognition and tactile feedback so that customers can more easily select
their options on the phone. The phone's camera has a Schneider-Kreuznach
certified lens for outstanding image quality, and the camera offers advanced
features, such as face detection and an LED flash so customers can take
enhanced-quality photos from their mobile phones. Additionally, customers can
use the photo editing tool to personalize their digital photos with features
that include borders and landscapes, and they can draw on their pictures
directly on the screen using their fingertips.
Additional features and capabilities of LG Dare include:
- V CAST Music-capable -- access more than 3 million full-length songs
from well-known and independent artists that can be purchased and
downloaded over-the-air directly to the phone - Music Player for .mp3, .wma, unprotected .aac, and unprotected .aac+
files - microSD(TM) card memory port -- with up to 8 GB support with an
optional memory card - USB Mass Storage -- transfer files between microSD card and PC
Camera Info
- Schneider-Kreuznach certified lens
- LED flash
- 3.2 Megapixel Camera and Camcorder
-Schneider-Kreuznach certified lens for optimal picture quality - Camera Resolutions: 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480,
320 x 240 pixels - SmartPic technology and manual ISO adjustment for improved image
quality - Face Detection -- detects a face when taking a picture
- Panorama, split shot and frame camera settings
- Scene Mode -- automatically makes adjustments to camera settings for
improved quality in different environments - Zoom: up to 2x
- Image Editor -- zoom, rotate, crop, add frames and icons and write
over images
- Video Resolutions: 640 x 480, 320 x 240, 176 x 144 pixels - Video Recording Speed: up to 120 frames per second for slow video
playback - Video Recording Time: 30 seconds (for sending); up to 1 hour (for
saving) depending on memory - Video Player for WMV, MP4, 3GP, 3G2 formats
- Customizable brightness, white balance, shutter sound, color
effects, night and preview mode, photometry, self-timer
Bluetooth
- Bluetooth Version 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) Listen to music with optional stereo Bluetooth headset
- Send all contacts and calendar events via Bluetooth
- Print and send customer-generated pictures (JPEG) via Bluetooth
- Save up to 20 Bluetooth pairings
- Supported Profiles: headset, hands-free car kits, dial-up
networking, stereo Bluetooth, phone book access, basic printing,
object push for vCard and vCalendar, file transfer, basic imaging,
human interface device
Audio
- One-touch speakerphone
- Speaker-independent voice commands
- Voice Recording: 1 minute or 1 hour (standby)
- Music ringer support (clips from hit songs)
Web & Data
- HTML Web browsing with touch navigation and favorites
--Text, picture, video messaging-capable - Mobile Email -- access MSN(R) Hotmail(R), America Online(R) and
Yahoo!(R) accounts to exchange e-mail - Mobile IM capabilities
- GPS VZ Navigator(capable -- get visual and audible directions to
thousands of destinations, locate businesses and other points of
interest, get maps of a location, and share directions with others - Phone Book with 1,000 contacts: each contact entry stores five numbers,
two e-mail addresses and a Picture ID
- FOTA-capable -- upgrade firmware over-the-air - Favorites -- add up to nine contacts with Picture ID
Network & Specs
- Speed Dial (up to 996 entries)
- Technology: CDMA
- Frequency: 1.9 GHz CDMA PCS, 800 MHz CDMA (Digital Dual-Band) - Data Transmission: high-speed EV-DO
- Dimensions: 4.1" (h) x 2.2" (w) x 0.5" (d)
- Weight: 3.76 ounces
- Display: 260K Color TFT, 240 x 400 pixels, 3.0"
- - Standard Battery: 1,100 mAh
- Usage Time: up to 280 minutes or
- Standby Time: up to 360 hours