Verizon

LG Versa review: Lots of potential, but it falls short of perfection

We've been using the LG Versa for the past few days, and we wanted to love it, we really did. The LG Versa holds so much promise --it's the first touch-screen phone we know of that has the option of adding external modules.

In fact, it comes with a detachable QWERTY keyboard module included in the box. The idea really appealed to us; we could attach the keyboard when texting is a priority, and detach it when we wanted to lighten the load. It was like combining the best of the LG Dare and the LG Voyager in one convenient package.

All that, and the LG Versa has three customizable home screens, a full HTML browser with Flash Lite so we could watch YouTube on the fly, EV-DO, GPS, and stereo Bluetooth. So what's not to love?

The one sticking point turned out to be the browser. For some reason, the touch-screen response within the browser was incredibly stubborn. I ended up tapping at a button an average of 8 to 10 times before it would respond. When tapping the menu button, for example, the phone would vibrate, and there would be a clicking sound, but still the menu wouldn't pop up--at least not until several attempts later. … Read more

Verizon Wireless goes official with the LG Versa

Verizon Wireless and LG on Wednesday officially announced the LG Versa, saying the modular touch-screen phone will be available as of March 1. The Versa is so named for its promised versatility--it will come with different attachments so that you can customize the phone to your liking.

For starters, the Versa will come with an attachable QWERTY keyboard for easier texting. If you prefer to go without the keyboard, the Versa is still usable as a standalone touch-screen phone, especially with its generous 3-inch diagonal display.

The Versa's display also boasts an animated 3D interface, plus you can customize three different home screens with three different layouts of your choosing. There's also a full HTML Web browser that supports Flash(!) and RSS feeds, and you can keep up to three browser windows open at one time. The Versa also has a built-in accelerometer. The QWERTY keyboard attachment has a small, monochrome, external, organic, LED screen on the back, too.… Read more

Verizon Wireless announces the slim CDM-8975

Most push-to-talk phones are of the rugged variety, but there are also those that are slimmer and more compact. Verizon Wireless and PCD have released the CDM8975, which is exactly that.

This push-to-talk device also features a 1.3-megapixel camera, a speakerphone, a microSD card slot, Bluetooth, and more. It's only $99 after a two-year contract and a $50 rebate. Strangely, apparently the rebate will only come in the form of a debit card. Not sure why Verizon decided to do that, but there it is. The CDM8975 will be available March 9.

(Via Engadget Mobile)

LG Versa to be released March 1?

More rumors have surfaced about the LG Versa, the new all-in-one modular touch screen phone from Verizon Wireless. If you'll recall, the Versa is a touch-screen phone much like the LG Dare, but you have the option of attaching modules to it, like a QWERTY keyboard for texting, or speakers for music, or a game pad controller for games, and so forth.

It's more than a little intriguing for us, as we would like something such as this for another certain touch-screen phone (*cough*iPhone*cough*), and it looks like the Versa might come out as early as March 1, if the rumors hold true. … Read more

Verizon iPhone around the corner?

Correction 11:56 a.m. PST: We messed up. The 9 to 5 Mac blog we cited below is in fact from September 2008, so it turns out this is an old rumor. Because it showed up in our RSS feed Saturday, we, like a number of other publications, took it as a recent post and went from there. Apologies for the confusion.

There have been rumors buzzing around the Internet for some time Apple is secretly preparing a CDMA version of the iPhone, probably headed to Verizon Wireless, and probably by the end of this year. It's no … Read more

CNET News Daily Podcast: A closer look at Yelp's algorithm

A San Francisco Bay Area newspaper says online review site Yelp is using shady business tactics to get advertisers. The charge stems from the disappearance of negative reviews for certain businesses. CNET News reporter Elinor Mills looks into how the problem may be in how Yelp's algorithm works.

Also on Friday's podcast: Netflix might spice up its business model, a new bill asks Wi-Fi providers and ISPs to retain user data for two years, and did a Google Earth user find the lost city of Atlantis?

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Today's stories:

Yelp's credibility woes: Blame it on the algorithm?… Read more

Q&A: Verizon's CTO digs into 4G

BARCELONA--So what's a big CDMA operator like Verizon Wireless doing at a conference hosted by the GSM Association?

Well, it looks like the old technology wars that divided the wireless industry are being laid to rest as operators begin marching toward building the next-generation 4G networks. While there are still technology debates, most of the world's mobile operators, including nearly every GSM provider, are planning to use the same technology to build their 4G networks.

This is a very big deal for the wireless industry, which has suffered from infighting and technology incompatibilities over the years.

As one … Read more

Verizon expects 4G launch next year

BARCELONA--Verizon Communications' chief technology officer dished out details Wednesday on the company's soon-to-be-built 4G wireless network that's set to go live in 2010.

Verizon will begin testing the service this year and launch it commercially in at least 25 to 30 markets in the U.S. in 2010, CTO Dick Lynch said during an interview with CNET News after his keynote speech Wednesday at the 2009 GSMA Mobile World Congress here.

"We are modeling the roll-out after our EV-DO deployment. So we expect to get to about the same level in the first year of deploying LTE … Read more

Devices, 4G helping Sprint CEO lead comeback?

You might recognize Sprint CEO Dan Hesse from those black-and-white commercials. When I met with him last week at a hotel bar in Oakland, Calif., two women at the next table certainly did. They treated him like a celebrity.

I wouldn't go that far, but he does appear to have a good handle on the mobile industry and what Sprint--the No. 3 cell phone service provider behind AT&T and Verizon--needs to do. And he knows more than a little something about phone companies, having spent 23 years at AT&T, including a stint as CEO of … Read more

LG VX8360 review: bang for your buck

Even though the LG VX8360 may not look like much, we think it's probably one of the best midtier handsets out there. It has a compact clamshell form factor and it's only around $50 with a two-year contract from Verizon Wireless, but with that you get quite a lot of features. They include EV-DO, V Cast Video, V Cast Music, stereo Bluetooth, A-GPS, and more. We were a bit disappointed that it still has the 1.3-megapixel camera from its predecessor, the VX8350, but the photo quality is better than most other 1.3-megapixel camera phones.

So even … Read more