Well my Christmas present came in around the New Year, and luckily for me, it was a LG Voyager. After carefully deciding weather or not to switch to AT&T so my lost dream of owning an iPhone could of been realized, I decided I would keep with my native Verizion network and get the next best thing. After an online purchase from vzw.com, I became the coolest kid on the block (after the kid down the street who got the iPhone).
There were many reasons for not switching to AT&T, the main one being the price. For me to switch, I would of haven to paid for the cancelation of my contract, which would be around $200, then would have to open a new contract at AT&T, that with all the features that I would of needed (unlimited text, internet, and a reasonable amount of minutes), would of costed me around $120. This shocked me considering that on the AT&T website, they advertise the basic iPhone plan as a measly $60. Also I have spoken with many of the people who are on an AT&T network, and they told me that they are always out of the service area; and while on vacation in northern Virgina, I was the only one who was able to get service out of my family (most of which have AT&T). AT&T's slogan is "The network with the fewest dropped calls", which is true, because they never get a signal to drop.
While I have many complaints about the network that the iPhone runs on, i have very few complaints about the iPhone itself. With its full html browser, and integration of tunes and music, its a born winner and a true marvel of innovation and technology. And if that was not enough, its intuitive touch screen interface and sleek design only adds to its overwhelming desirability. With that being said, I do have some complaints. Why Apple rushed out the iPhone before it was given 3G compatibility amazes me. Even medium priced phones are equipped with 3G these days, and if Apple is going to make anything priced that much, it should have all of the latest technology. Also when used as a phone, it is very large and doesn't feel like a phone should.
Now that i have explained my reasoning behind not getting the iPhone, let me tell you that the Voyager did not win completely by default. Granted that I orginally did want an iPhone, but i really do love my Voyager now that I have it, and I would not trade it for anything, iPhone included.
Verizion has a much better network, meaning that it has more regional towers in the area, and after having Verizion for 4 years, I have never had any complaints about the call quality and the reception, they have always been phenomenal. With that in mind I was relieved to know that i was able to keep my beloved network and still have something comparable to the iPhone. This is where the Voyager steps in.
Physically the Voyager is impressive. It has a attractive flat black finish, and stands really no bigger than the original iPod nano (although it its almost 3 times as deep, and weighs considerably more). On the front of the phone it's screen takes up almost the complete side, leaving space for only an push in "send", "clear", and "end" button. It is split almost directly down the middle where it opens clamshell style. The inside has a considerably smaller screen, and retains its eVey roots, although it has larger buttons.
The front touch screen is very responsive, and once calibrated correctly, is almost fussless. The icons with all the important features are nice and large, which makes it easy for you to click on just one of the icons. At the bottom of the screen there are four icons display "Text", "Phone", "Contacts", and "Menu". These icons are constantly displayed, unlike the shortcut menu, which is only activated when you click on empty space in the homescreen.
Texting and emailing come easy with its open-up full keyboard. However asides from when I'm texting, i hardly ever use the full keyboard, as i find it easier and more stylish to use the touch screen.
The main reason that i bought the phone however was because of its full html browsing, much like the iPhones. By opening up the shortcut menu, you are presented with a browser icon that takes you to the world wide web in all its glory. When you click on the icon, it takes around 3 seconds to load the homepage, then when you type in a website, you can go to any site that you would be able to on your computer, and in reasonable time at that. The websites take no time at all to load, and you can scroll up and down the sites with the touch screen, and you can zoom in and out as necessary. The main thing that i want to stress is the speed of the internet on Verizion's EVDO network. While in Houston, I was in full EVDO network and all the websites loaded, pictures and all, in no more than 10 seconds.
It also has a built in music player, which honestly cannot compare to the iPhones, but it gets the job done. The onboard software lets you search by artist, album, or song, and if you dont have a million songs on your card (they can go up to 8 gigs by the way, which is equal to the iPhone) it suffices. The camera is surprising good for 2 megapixals. The camera has a great autofocus feature that makes sure you get just the right lighting and zoom in. In theroy you can print your photos via your bluetooth enabled printer, but i have yet to do so. Verizion however, did not chose to cripple this phones capablities, and you can send files and pictures via bluetooth.
The phone comes with the PC connectivity cord (which you can charge off of) and the music software in the box. When i bought mine though, i was given a bluetooth headseat and a 1 gig memory card free. Thank you Verizion.
Overall, i love this phone, and is by far the coolest and most useful thing that i have gotten this year (which includes a video camera, new laptop, a new pc, and a PS3). It is the one thing that i really do use everyday. Between its cutting edge touch screen, full html browsing, music capabilities, and gps navigator, this phone is amazing, and i can honestly say i feel no shame when i pull it out next to someone with an iPhone.
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