Verizon's LG Dare Full Review (Verdict: Best iClone Yet)

"Dare to be different," the saying goes, but the LG Dare is really Verizon Wireless's attempt to fit in, to offer a phone that's more like the AT&T LG Vu and Sprint Samsung Instinct, not to mention Apple's similarly priced iPhone 3G. The truth is, the Dare may not be as glamorous or well-priced as the Instinct, but it has a better browser, a motion sensor and some cool software tricks that make it a fine phone for people who choose to remain in Verizon's walled garden. And it puts Verizon's previous iClone attempts, the LG Voyager and the Samsung Glyde, to lowdown dirty shame.

As I think we've firmly established, we call these iPhone clones because they are made superficially with the look and feel of the iPhone in mind. They are not direct competitors to the iPhone, as they don't run on a smart, open platform like iPhones—or Blackberry and Windows Mobile phones—do. The Dare, like the Instinct, is closed and proprietary, geared to customers who like much of what the carrier has to offer, and would just like a better way to make use of it. And after spending some time with the Dare, I can safely say that, much like the Instinct, it really does let you do that.

Easier Access
For starters, Verizon has done away with its dependence on unchangeable, annoyingly deep menus. With the Dare, you can drag any app or function directly to the desktop for one-click access. You can add key people to the Favorites launcher, where you simply drag their face to the phone or message icons to call or launch a new SMS.

Even those cryptic notification icons always seen at tops of phones are clickable on the Dare.

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Verizon and Sprint Both Getting Blessed With HTC Touch Pro and Diamond

If you're craving HTC's Diamond or Touch Pro (aka Raphael) it looks you're going be satisfied no matter what carrier you're on. Phone Arena says the CDMA flavors of both will hit Sprint AND Verizon, so there's no need to bounce to another carrier to get your hands on one. No word on the dates. In a side note, Moto's Blaze is due on Big Red by Sept. 22, if you're interested in a meh touchscreen phone.

Nokia E66 mini-review on Engadget Mobile

Yo, heads up -- the E71's only half of the story with Nokia's new line of business sidekicks. For those of us who bust out T9 text with aplomb, the E66 might be the better option, especially when you factor in its narrower form factor, arguably (okay, very arguably) nicer look, and an utterly brilliant slide mechanism. Having trouble deciding? Perhaps our little look at the E66 over on Engadget Mobile can be of assistance.

HTC update Diamond ROM

HTC just released another ROM update for the HTC Touch Diamond the ROM is now available for download from the HTC website (htc.com) but only through the e-club.

As with other HTC ROM updates, in order to download the update you must have an HTC Touch Diamons and have registered it's serial number through your e-club account. Once you have done this then the download will be available as a "Phone Software Update" in the "My Downloads" section of your account

The download is just over 98MB in size and the update process takes around 20 minutes to perform. This is a full ROM update so EVERYTHING will be wiped from your Diamond (Internal Storage is Safe) during the upgrade so be sure to backup all of your important data before you begin the update process!

Updated in this ROM:

* Connection Wizard
* EnlargeStartMenu
* TouchFlo 3D
* Volume Control
* XT9
* YouTube
* Other minor tweaks

The other thing you'll notice when you register your HTC Touch Diamond is that you can download a free copy of Sprite Backup. This allows you to copy all of you phone settings to a non-volatile memory area in order to restore the settings later. It's probably a good idea to install Sprite Before upgrading the ROM and then restore after the update.

Motorola Ming A1600 and Ming A1800 Review

Motorola has silently launched its two new variants of Ming this week. A close look at the specifications can certainly give you an idea why they chose to go for things this way. Ming A1600 has got everything that its parent Moto Ming 1200 had but it still leaves a lot to desire.

Ming A1600 has a 2.4 inch 262K color display with QVGA resolution and the routine stylus with a semi-transparent flap. It also has the business card scanner which we saw in its predecessor.

A 3 megapixel camera seems satisfying while a feature of continuous autofocus is the first that we are seeing in any phone. A built-in GPS will allow you to geotag the captured images.A micro SD card slot (up to 4 GB) with stereo bluetooth, and a stereo FM radio is always a welcome thing in any decent mid-range cell phone.


Motorola Ming A1600 however disappoints as it lacks 3G and WiFi connectivity. The Moto Ming look is also not something that everyone admires plus it is notorious for the plastic quality of the phone.

The wiring around the semi-transparent flap is delicate and needs unwanted precaution.

Motorola Ming A1800 is a complete copy cat of Ming A1600 and the only thing that makes it a little different and better is that it supports connection to two separate networks at the same time.

So you can hook to both GSM network and the CDMA simultaneously but the GSM doesn’t support either 3G or EDGE.