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 LG Dare
I purchased this phone over two weeks ago and did hours of research on all of the known issues and complaints.It seems that some of the owners of this phone want perfection that is not going to happen with anything.If you go to LG's web site and go through the tutorial on the Dare it will help you alot. This phone by far is the best phone I have owned since I have been with verizon which is over 15 years. Give it some time it will grow on you and you will love it. My last phone was a LG 8350 so from a flip style to the Dare it is hard to accept the style change but the Dare made it easy!!
PRO'S
Signal
Speaker
Web Browser
Easier Texting
Larger Display [ for older person like me]
Touch Screen WOW!
Battery Life
Size
Durable
LG
Verizon
Charge Option Electric Outlet or USB
CON'S
Wish I had the Dare 10 Years Ago
LG Dare - I dare you !
Pros:
Great size
Great touch screen
The camera has great quality, but i have problems with the software for it.
Overall look and function ability
The battery life is good also
Cons:
No zoom on the camera feature???
I have already received "initialization errors" and have cause a few of my programs to just quit.
texting takes a lot of keystrokes, and there is no direction arrows for editing the message when using the full size keyboard.
Overall its a good phone for verizon since the really lack the phones from most of the major manufactures.
Dare vs. Instinct
I currently own both the LG Dare and the Samusung Instinct, and overall, I must say the Dare is a better phone.
Pros:
LG put together an amazing phone with the Dare's active tilt technology, vs. the Instinct having to manually reorient the screen. Navigation about the phone is also impressive, buttons are large enough to hit with large fingers, and the quick menu and fav menu are a must for anyone on the go!!! Also, it is nice to be able to unlock the phone by simply touching the screen in the designated area vs. having to hold an external button for an amount of time, makes it easier to navigate the phones applications during a call....
Cons:
When texting or typing, the full keyboard have larger buttons, people who have large thumbs my find this particular function difficult to use, however, the word entry function is still avaliable to enter text as you would on a traditional phone. Next, the web browser needs some improving, and could be easily done with a software update in the future, last con about this phone is its battery life, if you surf the web alot, it dyes somewhat quickly, but for listening to music the battery does great!
Overall, the Dare in my opinion is a better all around phone than Samsung's Instinct.
WoW !!!
Well for days I sat here and watch so many glowing reviews of the DARE come in. I have three lines and was eligible to upgrade on two of them, so off to my nearest Verizon shop (just north of San Francisco). There it was. At first I was a bit intimidated by the all touch screen factor. However, the GUI is so user-friendly and intuitive that you really don't need to read the manual. Everything is where it should be and so easy to figure out.
I've been with Verizon ever since they began. I was an old GTE user when they converted over to Verizon so I've been with them 20 years. First phone was the old suitcase 4 watt tranceiver back in the late 80's! Then the Motorola StarTacs on up through all the Moto's and most of the LG's. I can tell you hands down that "THIS" is the absolute best phone I've ever had!
Call quality both in and out is superb. Everyone remarks that I must be home on a land line. Signal strength is rock solid in spots that have rarely worked for me before. Even a certain part of my house where no other phone worked is now ok! Battery never seems to wear out, which shocks me since so many things are on. This thing is so feature ladden it's like a mini-computer and everything works well, unlike the Iphone which a lot of people are starting to return, now that the hype and hoopla has worn off and that phone reveals its multiple flaws.
Word of caution though . . . it has the newer 3.5mm headphone jack which isn't compatible with most wired earphones but Verizon sells a great converter plug. The Radio Shack converter plug does NOT work (word of caution folks). You need the three section plug which Verizon has. As so many others have said . . . you WILL love this phone folks.
Very happy with this phone.
I've had the LG Dare for about two weeks now and wanted to post my comments. I am coming from an LG VX8300.
Pros:
- Very thin and light. Does not protrude when it's in my pants pocket. Even iPhone users have raved about how it's smaller and lighter than the iPhone.
- Touch screen works great. Took me a little while to learn how to properly scroll, but now I have it down. The response time is very quick.
- The accelerometer is great too. Tip: it works best when the phone is perpindicular to the floor. The qwerty keyboard is accurate using my thumbs as well.
- Unlike the iPhone (AT&T) and Samsung Instinct (Sprint), there is NO special plan required for the Dare. This would have been a dealbreaker for me, as I couldn't justify a more expensive plan just to get this phone.
- Low price point for a phone of this caliber.
- Can be charged through any USB port.
- Can add customized ringtones using bitpim or the email method (saves you $$ on ringtones)
Cons:
- Charger cable is surprisingly short.
- Only two color themes (black and white)
- Being so light, constant worries about dropping or scratching it. Adding a protective shield just adds bulk.
- No option to set customized alerts for texts (my VX8300 offered this). I was really disappointed by this- it's great to know who is texting you based on the alert sound.
- No option to set reminder alerts for missed calls.
- Not that easy to see the display in bright sunshine (though it is viewable)
- Screen easily acquires fingerprints and skin oils
Even though there are suggested improvements, I have to say this is a fantastic phone. Combine this with Verizon's fantastic network and you have a great new phone option.
LG and Verizon finally team up with something great.
As an authorized agent of Verizon Wireless, I get to hear what people have to say every day about different devices. Some comments are good and some not so good. But, with the Dare, I've heard nothing but great things.
I purchased the Dare myself on 7/5/08 and this is what I've got to say about it...
Pros:
-Great sound quality
-Best touch screen on the market.. very responsive
-Battery life is surprisingly good
-Stylish menu system with great UI
-Large, easy to read display
-Great web browser
Cons:
-Verizon's typical crippled Bluetooth capabilities (just let us do what we want with bluetooth already)
-Download content not completely available upon release. Understandable though. They need time to update things in the system and all that.
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The Best Phone EVER!
I just sold my Voyager because I really wanted an all touch screen phone. I was scared because initial reviews said the DARE had problems with the touch screen portion and it was a disappointment in that area. I disagree, this phone is great. The touch screen works fine. LG made huge adjustments that I hated with the Voyager.
Like for instance the 2.5 mm jack for the headset now upgraded to the 3.5mm Also to be able to text while listening to your music. They did ramp up the speaker phone a tad bit, but that could have been a hair louder. I had the Q and that's the loudest speaker phone I have heard so far. This is my ONLY issue with this phone and I love it.
I didn't see the big deal with the Voyager but I see it with the DARE and I say Verizon should push this phone hard. I had to pay full retail and with these gas prices this was a leap but I am happy and you will also.
The battery life is awesome but I wished LG would just stick with a normal a usb like the Black Berry or Q for power. LG always changes the power supply why is that? You will love how small this phone is, I don't even need a case.
Dare
This phone is top notch, easily the best phone verizon and lg have put out together yet. The touch screen is flawless, fast, and responsive. The web browser is quick, compared to other non-smart-phones I've used. The handwriting feature was something I really liked as well. Good phone, and I was very surprised at the price. $149.99 with my employee liable discount. The phone is great, if you haven't had a chance to try it out, stop into your local verizon store and check it out.
One month with the Dare
So I have had the phone for a month and so far its great. I had the glyde and in one day wanted to throw it out a window. A close friend runs a Verizon store so I always a have a new phone but ill stick with this one.
I cant give this phone a 5.0 because I still need to use my garage door opener and TV remote
Pros-
Built very sturdy
Battery life is way above what i expected- i charge mine once every 2 days and its only at 2 bars by then
Touch screen is responsive
Feels good in hand
Call quality is good (when youâre calling the ringer sounds crackly-this made me return the first but I guess its just the way it is)
Features (favorites and ability to put your commonly used short cuts on the main screen)
So far no pocket dial (the glyde would always do it)
Camera-3.2 is nice- smart pic is real good- Lg is back to a flash- editing tools
Speaker phone is loud- a switch from past LGs
Location of the Micro SD
Quick to go from T9 to QWERTY
Ability to scroll contacts or hit "go to" or use the Rolodex type search
3.5mm head phone jack
VZ Nav is great and loud
Texting is str8 fwrd -was not expecting that
The browser is fast can be hard to click a link though
Cons:
The belt clip they sell is huge!!
Why oh why can we not have personalized text alerts anymore with LG?? I would like to know who is texting like i know who is calling
Videos leave ALOT to be desired
Wish verizon would allow more then 10 people in a group
The USB charging cable is SOOOO short
Would like to be able to use other email accounts with VZ email
All in all its a great phone and you will think the same. However i will only have this a for a few months, not because its not good but I will need a blackberry by then (THUNDER!!!!!)
LG Dare Review
i just purchased this phone , i did alot of research on it because my past experience with Verizon phones were horrible. so here it is,
Pros:
big touch screen
big speaker volume
has earphone jack ( for mp3 use)
comes with USB data cable
rubber back so it won't get scratched easily
Cons:
little hard to type with keyboard.
touch screen is not sensitive enough
does not "Screen Lock" sometimes
( so i will go on-line on its own :[ )
short battery life due to the screen
i advise you if you are thinking about getting a dare, you also have to get the screen protector and the case. because it is worth it! i dropped mine once and its working fine but I'm worried that one day i might break the screen.
Hope this helps for Future buyers!
