Anybody using the new LG Dare yet?
I'm considering it for my new phone with Verizon and want to use it for internet connectivity...both using the handset as well as tethering it using the Broadband Connect FEATURE. I don't need full time connection and just want to activate the FEATURE as I need it when we are able to take off in the Winnebago.
Any comments will be appreciated,

I thought about the Dare, it is Rev A capable, which is good for tethering to broadband. My main reservation for it was the touchscreen, which was acting up in the store on their display when I tried it out. This was/is the primary reason I opted for another device.

My hesitation towards touchscreens for a cel phone is out of experience with the screens requiring occasional recalibration, usually meaning the device will get warranty swap out by most stores. If you consider the amount of exposure to the elements and useage a cel phone gets, having buttons to back up a touchscreen is a key part of reliability.

I had an Ipod touch for about 3 weeks, until it went out of calibration and I could not access the menu correctly. If I tried to touch one part of the screen, the touchscreen would initiate a function in another section of the screen. Not good when you're trying to type in phone numbers on something like the I-phone or the Dare devices.

My Archos 605 multi media device is a touchscreen, but it also has backup buttons to allow the user to recalibrate the touchscreen quadrants to the menu points. Something most cell phones are lacking in preference of sleek controls and image.

In defense of the Dare as it is, the controls and menu functions on the Dare were good, It is similiar to most all other LG Verizon handsets for navigating through it's functions. It does have a few mechanical buttons on it, which is a huge plus over the Iphone to me, but there are sections of the menu you still can not access like I mentioned above.

The camera and video recorder on the Dare are very good, I took a few photos with it and saved them to my Micro SD card in my own phone to compared them at home with the other devices the sales rep showed me. If you like taking pictures, it is enough to print excellent 8X11 prints. The sound was a little distorted in the video function compared to the Blackberry Pearl and Curve I tried out, but the image brightness and contrast beat the pearl and curve.

I can't remember if there was an ext antenna on the Dare, I threw my notes away already on the ones I tested when we ordered the Palm 755p instead.


A hard case to protect the touchscreen should be at the top of your list if you purchase one.

Hi Dave,
Thanks for your views on the LG Dare. I agree with most of your assessment of the phone. I am fairly certain I want to stay within the Verizon network and will probably go with the Dare later this week. Given the large screen and potential for damage, I do plan to go with some protection for the phone. I nearly went with a Voyager last December but am now glad I stuck with our old V710's.
Anybody else have any comments on the Dare?

Also, I am going to need to get my wife a new phone at the same time. Looking at the LG 8350 for her. Any comments? I will be putting them on the Premium plan.
Thanks,

Capt Joe,

Christina has a 8350 model. I've referenced in past posts. Ext antenna port, decent camera/video recorder, smooth edges to fit in a pants pocket without digging into one's hips. Christina did not like her LG8300 that the 8350 replaced, since the antenna protruded from the body and stuck her in the hip when sitting down. Her main complaint with it is the external buttons that occasionally start playing music when she forgets to lock the keys. It does not stay locked as well as other models she has had. The MP3 buttons on the face will lock, but if bumped, they will still illuminate the screen with a keypad locked text. This will ultimately run the battery down if the buttons are pressed while in a pocket while walking etc. She uses the phone daily for voice calls, but little to nothing else. It still needs to charge every other night due to battery size. She keeps one of the Energizer AA powered backup chargers in her purse to cover extended use periods.

Something I can not affirm for you is whether the 8350 model utilizes the same charging mount as the Dare, which to me, is a big benefit when selecting family phones. Having to purchase and carry around multiple chargers is something I try to avoid.

www.otterbox.com sells protective cases that are extremely good quality, but somewhat bulky. They specialize in PDA devices and I pod/Iphone enclosures, but have other brands covered depending on popularity of the device.

If you can tolerate a belt clip type case, there are numerous solutions that include a hard flip down cover for the Dare's screen. Most look like the old Palm Pilot Naugahyde cases.

quote:

Originally posted by Capt Joe:
will probably go with the Dare later this week.

Didja get it? How is it?

For those interested in the LG Dare's ability to operate at fastest Rev-A speeds, I can reassure you, this phone can take full advantage of Rev-A!

Here's a speedtest using LG Dare tethered to my MacBook Pro, using VZaccess Manager:



Minutes later, same LG Date operating attached to my Cradlepoint CTR350:



Keep in mind, your test results will vary based on type of cellular coverage, and signal to the tower.

I just happen to live nearby a very well fed Verizon Rev-A tower, and testing was done with excellent signal using a wireless repeater in my home/office testbench.

-- alex

Just ran the speedtest on my Dare that I have had for a few weeks. 1860 kbs.
Carl

That is really cooking, Alex. Too bad it is not that fast everywhere.....

Keep in mind that Alex is a Verizon dealer so he is not going to post anything but the best. Take a look at his disclaimers about getting this particular result. Much like you see on all of those weight loss commercials, "Results are not typical!".

Bill, I have gotten 2 mbps with my setup. It is not common though. More typical in my experience floating around is around 900 kbps (down).

quote:

More typical in my experience floating around is around 900 kbps (down).

That's all I am saying!

Yes, it is my "business" to explain what EVDO is "capable of", but everyone here knows i don't ever tell people they will always get what i get.

if folks want to see "reality" they are welcome to check out over 1300 speedtest results submitted by EVDOforums members at

http://evdomaps.com/ (that front page takes a bit to load. wait for it)

FYI, i don't only post my ridiculous speeds, you'll find "average" stuff as well, at http://evdomaps.com/evdoalex

quote:

Originally posted by Barthbill:

quote:

Originally posted by Capt Joe:
will probably go with the Dare later this week.

Didja get it? How is it?

Yep. Got the Dare for myself and the 8350 for my wife. So far, pretty good. I do have one very aggrivating thing in that the reception isn't nearly as good on either phone as it was with our old Moto 710's. Whenever I am talking at our home or we are using them at my wife's school, we experience many dropped calls, poor call quality (skipping words, echos, etc)....and this is happening right in town. Verizon says 'Tough, that's just the way it is in that area.' But, we didn't seem to have those problems with our 710's. Otherwise I have been real happy when we are out of these areas.
I have not used the tethering feature as of yet so I don't have any data to report as to the performance. I do use the handset fairly often for e-mail, weather, google searching, credit union business, etc and have been pleased with those functions. The touch screen does have a bit of a learning curve but isn't terribly difficult to pick it up.
Looking forward to making a short trip soon to use it tethered and see what kind of speeds I get. Renewed my contract, used the new every two, etc with a friend's wife who is an account manager with Verizon. She told me and confirmed it a couple of times that my tethering would be $15/month. I think she was in error, unless there is some way that she coded it to make it happen. Would be nice if that were the case but I do expect it to be $2/day or the $59.95/month when I do activate the broadband FEATURE to use it for tethering. I'm just going to activate it when I need it and see what happens. Don't want to check it out and raise a red flag if there is 'something' happening to give me a $15/month rate. I do know that if it were the case, Verizon would probably get more of my $$$ because I'd probably just leave it on more instead of cutting it off at $2/day.
Would be mighty nice to get half the speeds, on a regular basis, Alex showed.

Alex's information and reports have been dead on for all the issues I've dealt with him or his fellow 3gstore colleagues.
The speed tests he has posted for rev A were not uncommon for several tests I did with out setup. Signal is a huge part of the setup, spending the money on a proper antenna system will optimize things more than anything else I've tried. (so long as the equipment is up to the task with signal of course).

I'm not brainwashed by Alex, but finding a good service rep who is straightforward is rare these days. Few if ANY sales staff I've met anywhere have the knowledge and support backing that Alex's team has provided us. Thank you Alex, it is greatly appreciated.

The single most important thing in buying technology is SUPPORT after the sale. 3GStore excells in this area. They don't just sell products. They test them in actual-use conditions and find the best products for the task. And they tell it like it is. Plus they have good prices. What more could you ask for?