[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Review: Verizon's Answer to the iPhone? here

[itproandteacher]

Funny. I just commented on the PREVIOUS story that every 5th story or so in the News list seems to have "iPhone", "Leopard", or both in the title. I suspect there's a quota. ;)

[bwolf]

Every review I have read on the Verizon Voyager misses a very important point. Verizon is in the business of selling services and locks the client out of some basic services unless they pay.

In order to synchronize with Microsoft Outlook, they require the purchase of a special service for $19.95 per month. I, for one, will not pay $239.40 per year for a service that should be included (or unlocked) with the phone.

In order to put personal pictures on the phone, you must download them to a web server and then upload them to the phone. Why can I not simply load them to the memory chip?

In order to access the music capabilities, you must use the V Cast program included with the telephone. This is cumbersom and will not allow the user to download a copy of their music to their computer for backup.

Verizon tries too hard to make themselves useful and misses the mark when it comes to creating customer satisfaction.

[steveg32]

Bwolf doesn't sound very knowledgeable about the Voyager. Everything he mentions can't be done, CAN be done AND MORE . . . mp3 and/or wma music files, personal photos, personal videos, even DVD movies (compressed & converted to MP4 format) can be transferred from your PC to the Voyager's optional Micro SDHC Memory Card (up to 8GB!). All this and more is possible with an inexpensive USB Micro SDHC Card Reader/Writer Adapter - without the need of a USB Data Cable! You just need to learn how - it's not difficult. Read your spec sheet to find out what media formats your device is capable of playing back and you'd be surprised what you can do. Think "outside the box". BTW, the author of this article sounds like an Apple employee or at the very least appeared to have "tested" the Voyager for a few minutes then passed it off as just another iPhone wanna be. The baseball analogy is ridiculous. I prefer the Voyager because of the aforementioned capabilities plus the fact that, for me, AT&T doesn't come close to Verizon's coverage & customer service, but also because the iPhone lacks 1 HUGE feature - a consumer removeable/replaceable BATTERY and optional Extended Battery. iPhone owners may not need it now but, like death & taxes, the day will come when that internal battery will need to be replaced and their only option is to send it to Apple or an authorized repair shop. What will they do when their iPhone is in the mail? I guess there's always baseball.

[pjsinsane]

I have the LG enV, and for much less money it does much of this stuff! Personally I don't need a touch screen to get me excited. I don't use the SD chip in my PC or the pay-for-use online service for personal photos either. All you need to do is simply enter a contact in you phone that is only your e-mail address. Then e-mail yourself from your phone and reply with the attached picture you desire in your camera. (Make sure it isn't 800x600 or it could blow out your memory capability) The enV is a fantastic phone, inexpensive, and has all of these functions. I don't use it as an MP3 player either because I've got a 30GB ipod Video and it makes the V-Cast service simply redundant and a waste of phone memory and money to do that. Particularly since you actually need your phone memory for loading webpages when you're using the mobile web. (Which I liek best about this most recent personal upgrade. Ask anyone who has one, the LGenV is GREAT!! (Particularly the green one!) ~Cheers~

[Evildave]

My cell phone is a P.O.S., but you know what? It makes and receives calls and if I drop in the pool, I don't give a darn.

I have used it as a watch, a desperation flashlight and occasionally set scheduled events on the calendar. I had a Casio 'geek watch' that used to do most of that, but now I don't have a tan line on my wrist.

I don't use a 'case'. I don't take care of it. I drop it and toss it and misplace it all the time.

To use it as a PDA it would have to be a lot bigger, so it wouldn't fit in my front pocket, and I would have to take better care of it, and I'd be really pissed if it fell out of my pocket into the toilet (wearing shorts, nearly happened the week after I got it two years ago - missed it by that much). Cellular phones have an unnatural attraction to water in my experience.

BTW: Big hint for all you portable device owners: Know how to pop the battery out INSTANTLY. Do not delay doing this a single moment after you drop something electronic into water. The likeliest damage will be from short circuits. They CAN be dried and recovered if you don't try to power them on at all when they're wet. Even if you get them out, pop the battery instantly, rinse them out with distilled water and get them completely dried out (an electric oven with a 'warm' setting that doesn't get too hot for you to put your hand in and leave it on metal surfaces will work), chances aren't very good that the phone will work at all afterwards, and the display is usually messed up when it does work.

The most important thing if you drop it in water: Don't try to see if it will turn on. That will fry it for sure. As soon as a wet device starts drawing substantial power from the battery it's as good as dead.

Actually it's about time for me to shop for a new cellular phone. I gotta make sure the new one works with 'bitpim' and has a serial cable, but that's about it. I don't have occasion to transfer files back & forth other than getting my favorite ringtones and contact list into it right after I get it.

[pjsinsane]

A corporate Verizon store can hook up your old phone to your new one and transfer all contact info to it for you. Pretty slick.

[Adama]

Verizon's cell phone service is too expensive for most regular folks. I'd go with anybody else's pre-paid plan any day, before I go to Verizon, but that's just IMHO.