LG Dare VX-9700
Phone Scoop Review
Jul 10, 2008 by Eric M. Zeman
LG's Dare is its best touch-screen phone yet, but it's not perfect. See what shines, and what fizzles. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Great Phone
I saw a few reviews that knocked this phone for not having a zoom feature on it's camera and that is NOT true. The phone's default resolution is set to 2048x1536 and when you change it to 1600x1200 or lower you can zoom in and out with the camera. My only complaint with the camera feature is that you cannot save your settings so you have to go back and change them each time you take a picture. Besides that, as long as you can get used to the touch screen, it's a great phone/camera/mp3 player/GPS unit/internet browser and everything else that I'm forgetting. 100% recommend it but you have to get the $15 data plan or it's not worth getting this phone at all.
LG Dare great but....
I really like the LG Dare phone HOWEVER, in the last year I've had it I have had five of them. Thank goodness I had the insurance. The first one the screen froze; the next the speaker or volume malfunctioned-people could never hear me; the next one-even before I got out of the parking lot- the screen malfunctioned; the next one dropped phone calls constantly; and now my fifth one. So far so good but it's only been a month. Another family member just got the Envy Touch. Nice phone but I'll rethink that one. Overall I think the Dare is great. I like what it can do even though I don't have uses for all the functions. My daughter and I got the same phones together. She is still on the first one and with no problems. I'm not rough on the phone, at least I don't think so. The phone is protected by a leather case that encloses the entire unit. It remains on my waist band until I use it. Yes, sometimes the phone drops on the ground but I think that the manufacturer makes and tests equipment for accidents. This is the first time I've had insurance on a phone. I got the coverage because of the larger screen and what I thought were more fragile electronics. I thought that the phone might break.
Would I buy the Dare again? Yes I would even with the problems.
Fun, at first
When I was browsing my provider's store, the Dare looked excellent. Now that I own it, it isn't. I've been through three separate Dare's and bugs still crop up.
The web browser was fun, at first. Then I figured out that it doesn't run Java, which boots any chance of halfway decent weather radar. This could be me, but my thumb was too big to hit the little tiny links to go somewhere, or scroll through a drop-down menu. I have the latest software version, VX970V06 (i think that's the one), so the software isn't the problem.
I use the Dare as an MP3 player, to attempt to save money, but it's been a complete waste. The 600 or so Megabytes that comes with the phone isn't enough, so I had to spend $40 on an SD card the size of my fingernail. Not to be fixed, my headphones kept setting off the voice command function for a handsfree set, which uses the same port. I took it into Verizon, and they gave me a new one (I was still under warranty). That one still set off the voice command, so I got another, which did the same. Eventually I gave up and bought a $70 Bluetooth headset, which works fine.
Now the music player won't play an entire song before cutting out on me, without any explanation.
I have given up on the Dare. I don't want to go through all that again, and I don't want you to, either.
6 month review
PROS:
Handling and controls.
Verizon signal almost perfect anywhere.
Camera, except the shutter activates on release.
Audio for such a tiny speaker.
Nice screen.
Easy to text for the older folks.
Speakerphone is loud.
Battery life.
3.5mm headphone jack.
Can be used as a flashlight with the blank screen.
Charger has a detachable USB cable.
CONS:
NO address for your contact.
NO countdown.
Timer disappears /resets when you exit the timer screen.
The mobile number is the default contact number.
The ON switch it too sensitive, less than a second press will turn on the phone in your pocket.
Need to keep the phone ON to use the alarm clock. (I use the airplane mode to avoid those unwanted calls).
My old Nokia(s) kept the timer or countdown running, even when you went to other parts of the menus.
Dalarpguy said that the Music player does not play in track order, only alphabetical by song name, you can go to the folder and modify songs name from within your computer.
Thanks to the reviewers, it has allowed to discover the notepad and the drawing pad.
Definitely a great phone!
This is one of the best phones I've ever used and I've been through a lot! It's on Verizon and an LG phone, so the OS is clean and easy to use. The phone itself is solid, I've dropped it so many times, and the battery life is great (about 3 days on a full charge, with a lot of texting)!
Texting is something to get used to at first, but I find it so easy now, and I text quite fast, usually switching to the landscape QWERTY.
The camera is pretty good! Nothing amazing, but for a phone, it's great.
If you get this phone and intend to keep it for two years, you NEED NEED NEED/MUST get a clear screen protector! I feel like it has made the touch sensitivity decrease a bit, but nothing that really affects my usage. This is really a great phone-It's no iPhone, no iPhone killer or anything in between, but for a basic Verizon touch phone, it's so good! I fully recommend it!
Excellent Phone
I just finished reading many of the reviews on phonescoop of the LG Dare and I now feel ready to give my own. I really really like this phone. Part of the excitement of course is that it is the first touch-style phone that I have had. I also use the phone in a way that I avoid many of the problems people are having with it: I only send one or two texts each day, I don't navigate the web, I don't use the music player, and I take very few pictures. I am a camera nut, so when I need a picture, knowing that I am getting 3.2 megapixels is comforting. I DO use the phone to make dozens of business calls each day and I love the favorites feature and ease of dialing. I don't have any of the dropped call or battery problems that people seem to have -- maybe because I just got it in June of 2009 and bugs have been worked out? All in all, this is an excellent phone for me!
excellent phone!
i got this phone about 3-4 weeks ago and i am in love!! at first its definitly something new to get used to, but just a day or two. the touch screen works fantastic. and the camera is better than some other actual cameras i've ever seen. the web browser is FAST!!! lol.. i live in a suburb and it always works great. whether im in the middle of god knows where or right in the middle of a bigger town. Texting is so much easier. its faster and everything. one thing i was so worried about was when you're in a call if you were to hit the end button on your cheek, but i haven't had a single issue with it yet. the reception seems to work where ever i am. its light weight but not too lightweight that you throw it whenever you try to set it down. battery life is awesome! i text constantly all day long and talk quite a bit and if i plug it in at night, it will take about 1-2 hours to charge and it could last me about 3-4 days just on that one charge.one awesome feature is that when you touch the touch screen, you have the option to make it vibrate or set a short sound (such as waterdrop, high pitch, glass, etc.) so that you know that you are actually touching it. instead of thinking you did then having to go backwards. oh another thing great about it is that the headphone jack on it is a normal headphone jack, instead of buying a special one like you have to do wiht most phones. another thing is that when you listen to music, you have to option to i guess you could say minimize it and it will show a bar at the top saying the song that you are playing and display the rest of the screen so that you can text or whatever else you want to do.
cons: i hear people have complained about is that on the web browser hte text is just a little too small. but you have to remember that that is because it displays a website how its supposed to be displayed and that you scroll wherever. you can also zoom in for it. i guess you do have to be electronically smart to be able to work this phone
best phone ive used
i would give this phone 5 stars but for the fact that there are two issues: (1) the phone freezes from time to time (but not for very long---still, a pain) and (2) the qwerty keyboard is a bit small for the average male thumbs (IMO).
outside of the above, it does everything you would want from a complete communications device: phone --call clarity is great so far no matter where ive been (verizon); texting is fairly quick even for an onscreen texter when in T9 mode; emailing (is very fast accessing and replying to email); facebook communications is fast and easy. the other aspects of this phone are icing on the cake for me. pre-loaded videos including updated news and such, all kinds of tv clips available for free. ive added the navigation program and pair it to my visor bluetooth and it speaks to me from my bluetooth device---HANDS ON THE WHEEL; the calendar function is perfect to remind me of my weekly and daily tasks. the only improvement i would make to the calendar function is when in the monthly mode, having a space to show that week's functions as well, but im quibbling really. it is not light as in you will feel it in your pocket but it fits perfectly in the hand and so i dont mind the weight. it was between the DARE and STORM but i felt that for what you get they were fairly similar and so why spend the extra $40. all in all a great phone.
Great Phone. Next EnV for Verizon (popularity)
Pros: touch screen, bright screen, ease of use, photo-quality, mp3 capabilities, web browser, 3G speeds fast when receiving full reception, call quality ultra-clear, video playback capability
Cons:Battery life somewhat shorter than enV, vibrate is either too strong or too weak, speaker phone not loud enough, uploading music through USB can be slow, mp3 player controls lag (literally, can freeze the phone), sending texts while playing music, or basically doing two tasks at once can cause the phone to reset
Overall, this phone is an excellent multimedia phone. I wanted to get rid of it for the first month because the touch-screen takes getting used to, but once you are used to it, it is difficult to go back to other forms of phones (non touch). The phone is great, BUT ONLY IF YOU HAVE VPAK! I would not recommend this phone if you don't have VPAK because it is designed to use vcast services(such as vcast videos and internet). The texting on this phone goes faster if you calibrate the screen to the side, and always text with the qwerty keypad. I'd recommend this phone to anyone who has vpak and wants a somewhat iphone-like experience.
Keeps Getting Better
I am a cell phone nerd. I am always getting new phones. I managed to keep my orange enV for ten months and when it came time to upgrade, I decided what better phone than the Dare. At first I thought the touch screen was a little challenging, but after a few days I am a pro. I do about 6 thousand texts a month and I find it easier to type on than actual keys. You just have to move your fingers, not actually push. There are a few small things on it that I don't like, but for the most part I love it and will hopefully keep it as long as my enV.
Pros:
-huge screen
-touch is very easy
-very customizable!
-loud speaker
-favorite contacts
-normal headphone jack
-can listen to music while texting
-amazing camera
-huge shortcut menu
-nice size
-drawing pad is pretty handy
-RECEPTION-- amazing
Cons:
-I wish the landscape was for more than just the keyboard
-wish there was more menu styles than just black and white
-a lot of extra touching to respond to texts
Just Ok:
-thickness
-battery life
-charger location
Overall this phone is amazing. It has few quirks, and the touch is way better than keys. It is harder to text on while driving, but that is a good thing. Getting this phone made me stop texting while driving! GET IT!
