Verizon Wireless goes official with the LG Versa

The LG Versa is a touch-screen phone that comes with a detachable QWERTY keyboard.

(Credit: Verizon Wireless)

Verizon Wireless and LG on Wednesday officially announced the LG Versa, saying the modular touch-screen phone will be available as of March 1. The Versa is so named for its promised versatility--it will come with different attachments so that you can customize the phone to your liking.

For starters, the Versa will come with an attachable QWERTY keyboard for easier texting. If you prefer to go without the keyboard, the Versa is still usable as a standalone touch-screen phone, especially with its generous 3-inch diagonal display.

The Versa's display also boasts an animated 3D interface, plus you can customize three different home screens with three different layouts of your choosing. There's also a full HTML Web browser that supports Flash(!) and RSS feeds, and you can keep up to three browser windows open at one time. The Versa also has a built-in accelerometer. The QWERTY keyboard attachment has a small, monochrome, external, organic, LED screen on the back, too.

Other features include support for Verizon's V Cast Music with Rhapsody, V Cast Video, Visual Voice Mail, GPS with VZ Navigator, a 2.0-megapixel camera with face detection and built-in image editor, a microSD card slot with up to 16GB support, a USB mass storage mode, full Bluetooth connectivity with stereo sound, threaded messaging, a drawing pad, and, of course, EV-DO Rev. A.

If that wasn't enough, you can tether the Versa to your laptop to be used as a modem. However, it won't be free. There's a monthly $59.99 Mobile Broadband Connect access fee associated with this, plus you're limited to 5GB a month. Another caveat is that the Visual Voice Mail is available only for $2.99 a month. We're not pleased with that at all, but there you have it.

LG and Verizon hope to release even more attachments for the Versa in the future. There are talks of releasing an external speaker attachment for music and a game pad controller for games. The Versa will be available online and in stores on March 1 for $199.99, after a two-year agreement and a $50 mail-in rebate.

Strangely, you will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card instead of cash--perhaps a theft prevention measure? The debit card can be used in any store, as with your own debit card.