LG Vu in burgundy
(Credit: AT&T)A couple weeks ago, we mentioned the LG Vu might be available in a purple "wine" color. Well now we know that the color is actually a "burgundy" and that it's officially out from AT&T.
It's one of the first phones to offer AT&T Mobile TV, a 3-inch-wide touch-screen display, a 2-megapixel camera, and of course access to AT&T services like AT&T Mobile Music. Although curiously, the LG Vu still isn't available for sale online, but perhaps it will soon.
(via Engadget Mobile)
LG Vu in wine
(Credit: LG by way of Boy Genius Report)Remember the LG Vu? Yeah, that's one of the first phones to offer AT&T's live Mobile TV service. We haven't heard a lot about it since its debut oh-so-many months ago, but apparently AT&T is set to reintroduce it to the public with a brand new purple hue that looks like a wine color.
If you'll recall, the LG Vu has a really nice 3-inch-wide touch-screen display, with HSDPA, and a 2.0-megapixel camera. It'll likely still be available for around $100, but we oddly can't find it for sale on AT&T's online store. Perhaps they've sold out and are awaiting new a shipment? We'll see.
(Via Boy Genius)
CORRECTION July 9 at 10:48 a.m. PDT: This article misstated the BlackBerry Bold's display type. It does not have a touch screen. The story has been updated to reflect this change.
Apple's iPhone 3G hits store shelves on Friday, but if you haven't been struck with iPhone fever, don't fret. There are plenty of alternatives that offer similar style and features. And they may even be easier on your wallet in the long run.
To some Apple fans, phones such as the Samsung Instinct or the HTC Diamond are simply iPhone wannabes. But to others they are cool phones in their own right with unique features and capabilities. Below I've compiled a cheat-sheet that highlights key features and points out short-comings of seven possible iPhone alternatives. I've also thrown in pricing information, not only for the phone, but also for the service plans that go with them.
But before I dive deeply into these iPhone alternatives, let's take a look at what the new iPhone 3G offers and what it's still missing.
The biggest change to the iPhone in the new version is speed. As the name implies, the iPhone 3G will operate over AT&T's HSDPA 3G network. Today, that network can theoretically deliver download speeds of about 3.6Mbps. But in the real world, speeds are closer to 400Kbps to 700Kbps. Recently, AT&T's wireless chief said the network is being upgraded and will soon offer theoretical download speeds of 20Mbps and actual download speeds of between 4Mbps and 6.6Mbps.
Apple also added GPS to the iPhone 3G, allowing the device to take advantage of location-based applications and services. The company also opened up the device to third-party developers and will soon launch an Apps Store for new iPhone applications. The new iPhone will also support Microsoft Exchange server, which means subscribers will be able to get their work e-mail on the iPhone 3G. And finally the company has greatly improved the battery life of the device stating that it should get a solid five hours of 3G talk time.
But there are also plenty of features that Apple left out of the iPhone 3G, including support for multimedia messaging or MMS. This means users can't send or receive pictures taken on cell phones via the MMS messaging platform. The device also lacks video recording and voice command. And it only supports Bluetooth for headset voice calls, which means it won't allow Bluetooth file transfers to and from the iPhone.
These missing features could help give some phone manufacturers an edge with consumers looking for the perfect multimedia smartphone. But features aren't the only thing that consumers consider when buying a new phone. They also consider price. And even though AT&T is selling the 8GB model for the subsidized price of $200, the carrier still charges more than any other mobile phone operator for its bundle of services, making the iPhone 3G one of the most expensive to own phones on the market. For 450 minutes of talk time a month, unlimited data, which includes Web surfing and email, and text messaging, AT&T charges about $90 a month. Add unlimited voice and the price shoots up to $150.
Below is a list of seven alternatives to the iPhone 3G. Most of these phones have a touch-screen. All are 3G capable. All offer MMS messaging, which the iPhone doesn't offer. And all come with a full HTML browser. Some offer Wi-Fi, which even the original iPhone offers, and some have embedded GPS just like the iPhone 3G.
LG Voyager - $199
LG Voyager
Carrier: Verizon Wireless
Carrier service plan pricing: Verizon's premium smartphone service with all you-can-eat data and messaging starts at $79.99 per month for 450 minutes a month of talk time. Add unlimited voice, and the price is $139 per month.
What makes it cool? The LG Voyager, which has been on the market for nearly a year, supports Verizon's VCast Video service, which offers a slew of TV channels, including CBS Mobile, Comedy Central, ESPN Mobile TV, and NBC 2Go. It also offers VCast Music, which allows users to purchase music directly over the cell phone network. By contrast, the iPhone plays movies and TV shows purchased from its iTunes media store and doesn't allow for over-the-air music downloads. The Voyager also flips up to expose a full QWERTY keypad.
What are its shortcomings? The phone doesn't offer Wi-Fi, which means it can't access the Internet when not in cell phone range. The lack of Wi-Fi also means that users can't Web surf at super fast speeds when in a Wi-Fi hotspot. And lastly, it's not integrated with Microsoft Outlook, which means subscribers can't access work email. They can only get Web email.
LG Dare - $250
LG Dare
Carrier: Verizon Wireless
Carrier service plan pricing: Verizon's premium smartphone service with all you-can-eat data and messaging starts at $79.99 per month for 450 minutes a month of talk time. Add unlimited voice, and the price is $139 per month.
What makes it cool? The LG Dare has a touch screen that allows icons to be dragged and dropped so that it can be customized for shortcuts on the home screen. It offers a sketch pad that allows users to draw pictures that can be sent via MMS to friends. It also has a 3.2 megapixel camera with face detection, panorama photo stitching, and SmartPic technology designed for taking photos in low light. It offers an embedded camcorder. And like the Voyager, it can be used with Verizon's VCast Music and Video services.
What are its shortcomings? The Web browser and media player is not as good as the iPhone, according to CNET Reviews editor Nicole Lee. There's no Wi-Fi. And also no integration with Microsoft Outlook to access work email.
Samsung Instinct - $129.00
Samsung Instinct
Carrier: Sprint Nextel
Carrier service plan pricing: Sprint's "Simply Everything" plan with 450 minutes of talk-time and unlimited messaging, data services that include email and Web surfing costs $69.99 per month. Add unlimited voice, and the service costs $99 a month.
What makes it cool? This is the "first cell phone we've seen that throws some direct competition Apple's way," CNET editor Kent German wrote in his review of this phone, which just hit the market last month. Physically, the Instinct looks a lot like the iPhone. It also has integrated GPS and works with Microsoft Outlook to allow people to get work email on the phone. But it also offers some unique features. Unlike the iPhone 3G, the Instinct offers Sprint's mobile TV service and has a built-in camcorder.
What are its shortcomings? The screen lacks multi-touch functionality. This means you can't pinch a page and blow it up like you can on the iPhone. It also offers much less memory than the iPhone. It doesn't support Wi-Fi or instant messaging. And German said he wasn't impressed with the email interface. And its call quality wasn't up to snuff to boot.
LG Vu -- $299
LG Vu
Carrier: AT&T
Carrier Plan pricing: Subscribers can get 450 minutes of talk time, unlimited mobile Web, texting, and live broadcast TV for $105 per month. Add unlimited voice, and the service is $165 per month.
What makes it cool? The coolest thing about the LG Vu is that it offers live broadcast TV. AT&T uses the MediaFlo network to deliver the service, which is operating in more than 55 markets in the U.S.
What are its shortcomings? The device lacks GPS and doesn't support Wi-Fi. The MediaFlo TV service isn't available everywhere yet. And the monthly charge for the live TV service along with the data and messaging service charges, makes this an expensive phone to own.
BlackBerry Bold: $300 (estimated price)
BlackBerry Bold
Carrier: AT&T (expected later this summer.)
Carrier plan pricing: This phone hasn't officially launched on AT&T's network. But judging from AT&T's current BlackBerry service plans, subscribers can expect to pay $90 a month for 450 minutes of talk time, unlimited data and unlimited texting. With unlimited voice, that price jumps to $150 a month.
What makes it cool? This device doesn't have a touch screen. Instead, it sports a full QWERTY keypad. But it does have Wi-Fi, and it features an improved Web browser that allows the option of viewing pages in a full desktop HTML style or a mobile version. The phone also comes with an embedded camcorder and GPS for location-based services. Research in Motion is also working on something called the Blackberry Media Sync, which will allow BlackBerry devices to sync with Apple iTunes, so that BlackBerry users can listen to music from their iTunes library.
What are its shortcomings? The BlackBerry Bold doesn't have a touch screen. And it's not available yet. It is expected to hit AT&T stores later this summer and will likely be added to the other carriers' line-ups later in the year.
RIM is also rumored to be readying a new phone called the BlackBerry Thunder that will be the company's first touch screen device. The phone hasn't been announced yet, so this is all rumor. But it's expected to be released on Verizon Wireless and Vodafone networks in the third quarter of 2008, according to the blog The Boy Genius Report. It will likely be launched on other networks after that.
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 -pricing not yet available
Sony Ericsson Experia X1
Carrier: This phone will be released mid-September. And a U.S. carrier hasn't been announced yet.
Carrier service plan pricing: Not available.
What makes it cool? This is the first Sony Ericsson phone to use Windows Mobile from Microsoft. It also has a very cool arc slider design. The phone has a touch screen on top and a full QWERTY keypad underneath. It has Wi-Fi and comes with a 3.2 megapixel camera, assisted-GPS, a multimedia player, 400MB of internal memory, and a microSD expansion slot.
What are its shortcomings?
It won't be available until mid-September and even then it could take a while before any U.S. operators pick it up.Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 CNET Review
HTC Diamond --$700 for an unlocked phone without a subsidy
HTC Touch Diamond
U.S. Carrier:Not announced yet.
Carrier service plan pricing: Not available.
What makes it cool? The HTC Touch Diamond has a cool 3D interface and what CNET reviewer Bonnie Cha calls, "a beautiful touch screen." It uses Windows Mobile 6.1 and offers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a 3.2-megapixel camera. It also offers voice recognition for dialing and a pre-loaded YouTube application for viewing videos.
What are its shortcomings? The Touch Diamond won't be available in the U.S. for months. And the current version isn't optimized for the U.S. market. Cha also described it as sluggish and said the call quality is subpar." There's also no expansion slot for more memory.
LG Vu
(Credit: CNET Networks)AT&T Mobile TV will debut on Sunday, along with the LG Vu and the Samsung Access phones.
As reported a month or so ago, AT&T Mobile TV is the carrier's new live mobile TV service that will broadcast television shows to compatible phones via Qualcomm's MediaFlo network. At launch, the service will offer eight channels of programming--CBS Mobile, Comedy Central, ESPN Mobile TV, Fox Mobile, MTV, NBC 2G0, NBC News 2GO, and Nickelodeon--as well as two AT&T-exclusive channels called PIX and CNN Mobile Live. PIX will have shows from Sony Pictures Television while CNN Mobile Live will feature 24-hour-a-day live streaming of CNN. As a special offer, AT&T is also offering CNCRT, a concert channel delivered by Control Room, for the next 60 days. It will air one of about 30 concerts from artists such as Sheryl Crow and Jay Z.
The service will launch in 58 markets, including New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, but not San Francisco. (We're a little miffed here at CNET HQ). Though data charges are nonexistent, you do have to pay monthly access fees. For only four channels--CBS Mobile, Fox Mobile, NBC 2Go, and NBC News 2Go--it's $13 a month, while the Basic package for $15 a month will allow you unlimited access to Mobile TV plus the CNCRT channel. For $30 a month, you get the Mobile TV access as well as unlimited mobile Web browsing and unlimited access to Cellular Video, AT&T's broadband video streaming service.
Of course, the other big news is that the LG Vu and the Samsung Access will launch on the same day. As you'll recall from CNET's CTIA coverage, the Samsung Access is a candy bar handset with a 2.3-inch landscape display, a 1.3-megapixel camera, quad-band GSM support, and of course 3G/HSDPA. As much as we think the Access is a cool phone though, the LG Vu is clearly the phone made for mobile TV thanks to its large 3-inch wide touch screen. The Vu is packed with a 2-megapixel camera, quad-band GSM support, a full HTML browser, stereo Bluetooth, and all of AT&T's 3G services, including AT&T Mobile Music and AT&T Video Share.
We had the opportunity to give the LG Vu a full review, so check out what we think of it and take a gander at our LG Vu slide show.
LG Vu showing 'The Tonight Show'
(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)An anonymous source just provided the Boy Genius Report some details on the upcoming AT&T Mobile TV that's set to debut in May. As you'll recall, AT&T Mobile TV will offer live over-the-air television via Qualcomm's MediaFLO, and will be offered first on the LG Vu and the Samsung Access. Well, the new details suggest that the service will launch on May 4, and will come in three flavors: Limited, Basic, and Plus. The Limited edition includes four channels (Fox Mobile, CBS Mobile, NBC, and NBC News) for $13 a month, the Basic edition includes nine channels (Fox Mobile, CBS Mobile, NBC, NBC News, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, CNN Mobile, ESPN) for $15 a month, and the Plus edition includes the aforementioned nine channels, as well as a Sony Pictures channel for $30 a month. We gave AT&T Mobile TV a brief hands-on at CTIA, and we were suitably impressed with the fast loading times with no buffering. Hopefully, we'll be able to get a real thorough review of the service once it eventually debuts. Stay tuned!
Every year at CTIA we dole out praise for those companies that are deserving. CNET's cream of the crop awards recognize the best of the show in four categories: best cell phone, best smartphone, best accessory, and best service. Though the 2008 CTIA wasn't the most exciting on record, we still saw some pretty cool things in Las Vegas. And without further ado, here they are.
Samsung Instinct
(Credit: Sprint)
Best cell phone: Samsung Instinct
In some ways this wasn't a tough choice because so few cell phones were officially unveiled at CTIA. But even if it was facing a more crowded field, Sprint's Samsung Instinct still would be a top choice. Sure, we just got to see a preproduction model (we'll have to wait for June to see a final version) but even now we can see it has a lot of potential. Not only does it offer a boatload of features, but also it offers a sleek design with a full touch screen and an attractive and (seemingly) easy-to-use interface. Comparisons with the iPhone are obvious, and while the Instinct can't quite match Apple's device on the design front, it offers many more features on paper. As we've said before, Sprint could have quite a hit on its hands, as long as the Instinct delivers on its promises. Oh, and in case you're keeping score, this is Samsung's second win in a row.
Velocity 103
(Credit: Velocity Mobile)
Best smartphone: Velocity Mobile
Smartphones today tend to do a lot of the same things but just vary in design, which is fine but doesn't exactly get our pulses racing, you know? This is why we're amped on a new company called Velocity Mobile, which made its debut at CTIA 2008. The smartphone manufacturer introduced two new Windows Mobile devices, the Velocity 103 and the Velocity 111, and yes, they're still Windows Mobile but what we're really digging is the company's philosophy of simplicity and ease of use. Perhaps taking a few lessons from the Apple iPhone, Velocity has come up with its own user interface to make it easier for consumers to use the smartphones right of the box. Such enhancements include more familiar icons (similar to the PC experience), more customization to fit the user's lifestyle, and cool user interaction (for example, sliding panels). Unfortunately, we weren't able to see it in action since the working units were stuck on the monorail with Velocity's CEO but we find it to be real promising and look forward to checking out the devices and software when they debut in Q2 and Q3.
Sound ID HD300
(Credit: Sound ID)
Best accessory: Sound ID HD300
There were plenty of Bluetooth headsets to look at in this year's show, but few of them came close to our clear favorite, the Sound ID HD300. We're big fans of the Sound ID SM100, so we were excited to finally see a worthy successor. The HD300 may not look like much on the outside, but it promises even better audio quality and clarity than before. Sound ID is utilizing every trick in the book to improve the sound--a NoiseNavigation technology to automatically reduce wind and background noise, a PersonalSound mode to let you choose a "personalized" listening mode, as well as automatic volume adjustment. The HD300 also takes a departure from the other Sound ID headsets with a smaller and more discreet design.
Best Service: Dashwire
Crouching over your cell phone to view photos, send text messages, and update your bookmarks isn't the most efficient use of your brain--especially if there's a computer nearby. Dashwire.com, a six-month-old visual content management service for Windows Mobile phones, continues to add excellent features for responding, sharing, adding, and interacting with your phone's contacts, media, and communications. The addition of CallWave visual voicemail and threaded text conversations are smart, useful moves.
LG Vu
(Credit: LG)
Honorable mention: LG Vu
The LG Vu was one of the most noteworthy products at CTIA this year, and it wasn't just because it's one of the first phones to carry AT&T Mobile TV, AT&T's live TV service. The true winning factor lies in its 3-inch-wide touch-screen display, which impressed us with its color, resolution, and vibrating feedback whenever keys are pressed. We also liked that we could flip the phone to landscape mode to use the virtual QWERTY keyboard. Other features we liked include the 2.0-megapixel camera, full 3G support with access to AT&T Video Share and AT&T Mobile Music, a full HTML browser, and mobile e-mail. However, we already notice a few niggling problems, like the lack of Wi-Fi for example, but the overall product still left a positive first impression.
LG Vu
(Credit: LG)LG had a very impressive showing at CTIA this year, especially with the LG enV(2) for Verizon Wireless and the LG Vu for AT&T. The LG Vu is the star of the show, with a full 3-inch touch screen interface that makes it a great device to debut AT&T's new live TV service called AT&T Mobile TV. It has a full HTML browser, a 2.0-megapixel camera, a music player, plus 3G support and access to AT&T Mobile Music and AT&T Video Share. The LG enV(2) is a slimmed down successor to the LG enV of two years ago, with a fold out QWERTY keyboard and a more streamlined design. Features on the enV(2) include a 2.0-megapixel camera, EV-DO support, access to V Cast Music and Video, stereo Bluetooth, and more. Finally, LG introduced the LX400, which is LG's first phone to support Sprint's new QChat technology that lets you use push-to-talk to communicate between CDMA and iDEN devices via Nextel's Direct Connect. Check all these phones out here in our LG slide show.
Soon after we heard the announcement of the LG Vu, we rushed over to the LG booth to take a look at it live and in person. The screen is indeed impressive--it measures 3.0-inch diagonally and displays 262,000 colors, and has a touch vibrating feedback (or haptic feedback) similar to that on the LG Glimmer and the LG Voyager. Its menu interface is almost identical to that of those phones as well. The four shortcut icons on the bottom of the standby page correspond to the main menu, AT&T Mobile TV, the contacts list, plus the on-screen dialpad.
LG Vu's on-screen QWERTY keyboard
(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)The device itself measures 4.25 inches by 2.16 inches by 0.51 inch and weighs around 3.16 ounces, which is a bit more lightweight than we thought it would be. It even feels that way, due to its plastic yet glossy black casing. Using the phone was quite intuitive, and we especially liked the phone's texting interface. You can either text via the aforementioned onscreen dialpad, or a cool onscreen QWERTY keyboard laid out in landscape mode. The individual keys on the keyboard even magnify when pressed, ala the one on the iPhone. It's a bit of a copycat move, but we like it all the same, even more so with the vibrating feedback.
LG Vu showing the Tonight Show
(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)Features, as you know, include access to AT&T Video Share and AT&T Mobile Music, a 2.0-megapixel camera, a MP3 player, plus mobile email support. We have to say, we were very pleased with the performance of AT&T Mobile TV. It's really fast--as soon as we hit the TV button, we were watching a show. The channel guide is easy on the eyes, and is simple to navigate. The video quality was rather mediocre though; a little like watching terrestrial TV. But it's good enough for on-the-go watching I think.
LG Vu's AT&T Mobile TV channel guide
(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)We only had a few short minutes with it, so we won't have the full on scoop for you for a month or so yet. Watch out for it around May when the Vu will debut at the same time as the Mobile TV service.
On Sale Now: $49.99 - $299.99
View the latest prices for LG VU - black (AT&T)
LG Vu
(Credit: LG)At long last, the LG Vu is finally official. Yes, the touch-screen phone that was behind glass at CES is out in the open here at CTIA, and indeed, it will be one of the first two devices (aside from the Samsung Access) to support AT&T Mobile TV, AT&T's new live TV service.
It is all we expected it would be--a sleek and sexy handset boasting a 3-inch wide display. As a 3G phone, it also supports AT&T's other broadband offerings like AT&T Video Share and AT&T Mobile Music.
Other features include a 2-megapixel camera, an MP3 player, instant messaging, a HTML Web browser, and stereo Bluetooth. It'll be available starting in May 2008, but we don't know pricing yet.
The Sony Ericsson Z750 was announced last year, but has not yet been released
(Credit: Sony Ericsson)Ah spring time; when romance, flowers, and new cell phone rumors bloom. A leaked "confirmation" to Engadget reveals a slew of upcoming phones to AT&T's lineup, and the lineup is a doozy. Not only do we get even further information that the LG Vu with MediaFLO is in the works, but we also hear that the Sony Ericsson Z750, the Motorola W760 Hurricane, a new Pantech Breeze flip phone, the Motorola Z9 slider, and last but certainly not least, the Nokia N95 for the North American market may finally be in AT&T's fold. It's all hearsay to us at the moment, but if this is true, AT&T customers may have more than a 3G iPhone to get excited about this year.
