Does the LG Voyager (from Verizon Wireless) Offer A Worthwhile Mobile Journey?
What’s your mobile destination? If it’s a phone that delivers interesting functionality, superior service and great applications, get ready — LG and Verizon Wireless are ready to take you on a wireless voyage. Welcome to the world of mobile convergence!
From sharing photos on-the-go to text-messaging and searching the Internet, today’s mobile devices — like the LG Voyager from Verizon Wireless — lets users connect to others and find things easier and quicker than before — and they even have the ability to make voice calls! Want to learn more? Keep reading.
Appearance and Design
The Voyager is an intriguing device — especially in appearance. With sharp yet subtle colors (black and metallic silver) and a large ‘interactive touch screen’ filled with bright icons for the various functions — and often compared to Apple’s iPhone, LG has created a phone design that will make others take notice. When you flip it open, you’re presented with a compelling experience as well — a full-size QWERTY keyboard and an internal display that works with the outside touch screen (at times) — essentially two color screens for the price of one. This innovative design offers a much easier way to handle text messaging and e-mail with a familiar keyboard rather than the typical challenges associated with “phone typing,” one of the Voyager’s strongest benefits and differentiators.
For those concerned about how the Voyager will sit in your hands, the physical attributes make it a substantial yet comfortable fit. The dimensions are 4.64 inches long, 2.12 inches wide and .71 inches thick, while it weighs in at 4.69 ounces. It even has a pull-out antenna, but more about that shortly.
Functionality and Performance
While design is an important component for most products, the mobile experience is driven by performance and functionality in both the device itself and carrier service offerings. The LG Voyager is packed with both the necessary functionalities and the bells-and-whistles. The outer LCD touch screen provides an essential control center for all of the phone’s primary capabilities with the phone, Internet, gaming, application and messaging functions. One of the default settings with the touch screen is a constant vibration when you tap the screen — some may like this, but I found it annoying. For me, the vibration setting is best for silent mode when you don’t want to hear the ringing. The user interface is decent, but isn’t seamless between the outer and inner screens. Multiple interfaces seem confusing at times, but I suspect it just takes some getting used to.
Regarding the carrier offerings, I think Verizon Wireless offers one of the most comprehensive and robust libraries of applications, games, media and other services available in the cell phone market today. Among the various services and as previously mentioned, the Voyager includes a pull-out antenna that transforms the device into a real-time television through Verizon Wireless’ V CAST Mobile TV network (for an additional $15 a month). Unfortunately, this service was unavailable in the Raleigh, North Carolina market. Another interesting application was Verizon Wireless’ VZ Navigator GPS mapping and direction service, which essentially offers users a mobile GPS opportunity whether driving down the road or walking down the street of your local town or city (monthly or daily usage fees apply). Like most GPS and mapping services, VZ Navigator was fairly accurate — with a few “misguided routes” along the way.
Aside from actual voice-based calls–which included great coverage, the phone is fairly disappointing at addressing two main features — e-mail and Internet browsing. It takes a few clicks to get into the e-mail application, but it’s relatively simple to use with Web mail accounts or other IMAP/POP3 based providers. If you synchronize your mobile device with your personal computer, Voyager misses the boat on that–which is surprising, since contact lists and calendars seem to be increasingly important for users today (although it’s possible to download a BREW application to accomplish this). The Voyager’s full HTML Internet browser was satisfactory and displayed pages accurately, but appeared relatively slow for running on a third-generation data network. The problem may be more with the overall mobile browsing and Internet experience than the Voyager’s Web capabilities, but I found it to be slightly disappointing. It also lacks a Wi-Fi connection capability to hop on home networks and/or local wireless hotspots when available — a big thing for me these days, unless you choose to get an unlimited data plan. Overall, the entire user interface for the various software features could be improved.
A Few Other Capabilities and/or Shortcomings
Some other notable features and misses:
Bluetooth-enabled: you can use a wireless headset to make and receive calls and listen to the music player.
Speaking of music, Voyager’s built-in digital music player was okay but far from the iPod experience. Luckily, Verizon Wireless makes it simple to buy music online ($1.99 per song).
The 2-megapixel camera was better than expected, both for images and video. The files were easy to locate and send to others.
Battery life was also less than expected, with the phone needing to be charged more often from using the various functions. I’d definitely explore premium battery replacements.
Internal memory was adequate for basic functions, but another great benefit is the possibility to add memory cards up to 8GB … which should provide more than enough space for song lists, photos, e-mail messages and more. However, you’ll need to purchase your own microSD card — it’s not part of the package, so the cost is rising!
Laptop users and business professionals that travel a bit will value Voyager’s capability to link to a PC as a modem through the Verizon Wireless broadband wireless data network — probably the best one available today.
Pricing, Availability and Conclusion
The LG Voyager is available directly from a variety of Verizon Wireless channels, including stores and the Web site. It’s base price is $349.99, but Verizon Wireless has offered a $50 mail-in rebate with new 2-year agreements. As a result, $299.99 sale price is extremely competitive to other mobile devices in this category — with a variety of service plan options and add-ons (like Verizon’s V CAST Mobile TV network for an additional $15 monthly charge).
While the LG Voyager from Verizon Wireless has many impressive qualities and was worthwhile to test, the interface and applications aren’t as robust and seamless as some other options on the market. For the average consumer looking for a good and fairly affordable phone with expanded capabilities, it’s worth considering and testing out with something like the iPhone. The business professional will most likely find it a bit limiting, since it’s not a smart phone that runs on one of the popular Palm, Windows Mobile or BlackBerry operating systems. It will be interesting to see the next version of the Voyager and how they address the shortcomings that exist today. Overall, it’s a good device — but not the best on the market, although Verizon Wireless provides the best carrier services available.
GadgetReview Quick Summary for LG Voyager from Verizon Wireless:
Large 2.81″ External Touch Screen
VibeTouch™ Technology for Tactile Feedback
QWERTY Keyboard with Large, Widely–Spaced Keys
Music Player for MP3, WMA, AAC, & AAC+
Dual Speakers for Stereo Sound
microSD™ Memory Port with up to 8GB Support
Bluetooth® compatible
2.0 Megapixel Autofocus Camera & Camcorder
Camera Resolutions: 1600 x 1200 (default), 1280 x 960, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 Pixels
Video Resolutions: 320 x 240, 176 x 144 (default) Pixels
HTML Web Browsing with Touch Navigation
V CAST Mobile TV*, Music and Video
Text, Picture, Video Messaging & Mobile IM
Mobile Email
VZ Navigatorsm & Chaperonesm Parent
One–Touch Speakerphone (via internal keyboard)
USB Mass Storage – transfer files between PC and phone – microSD™ card required
Calculator, Calendar, Alarm Clock, Stop Watch, World Clock, Notepad, EZ tip Calculator
Retractable TV Antenna for Enhanced TV Reception
Up to 1000 contacts with 5 entries per contact
Frequency: 1.9 GHz CDMA PCS, 800 MHz CDMA
Data Transmission: High–Speed EV–DO
Dimensions: 4.64″ (H) x 2.12″ (W) x 0.71″ (D)
Weight: 4.69 oz.
Internal LCD: 262K Color TFT, 400 x 240 Pixels, 2.81″
External LCD: 262K Color TFT, 400 x 240 Pixels, 2.81″
Usage Time: Up to 240 Minutes
Standby Time: Up to 480 Hours
Hearing Aid Compatibility
2.0 Megapixel Camera with Autofocus Camera & Camcorder
Last week (I think it was last week - it’s all a blur now) I updated my iPhone firmware to 1.1.3. Although it didn’t commit any irreperable harm or damage to my phone unlike some, it sure did screw things up until I did a clean install - I actually made the Apple Genius bar do it so I could get a new one if that didn’t resolve my issues. Fortunately, and I may be speaking too soon, is has resolved my iPhone’s querky behavior.
Problems I experienced after 1.1.3 was installed (picture for melodrama affect only):
50% drop in battery life
Couldn’t consistently make outgoing calls
Folks couldn’t reach me and would get ‘dead air’ or my voicemail instantaneously
The iPhone’s screen would randomly light up when sitting idly with no one touching it
Occasionally, when recieving calls or text messages, it would flicker on and off but emit no locking noise
Wouldn’t find the stored and password saved WiFi SSID
First and foremost, let me be honest and say the Macbook Air review isn’t available just yet. But what I can promise is that PCMag will have a review here very shortly. How soon I don’t know, but they’ve got their hands on the Macbook Air as the pictures you see here detail.
The iPhone Otterbox is the most rugged iPhone case I’ve seen to date. Built of solid plastic and rubber, the iPhone Otterbox is easy to install and protects not only the body, but the screen of the oh-so precious (and fragile) iPhone. It’s water resistant NOT water proof so no toilet dunking allowed. Other iPhone cases, that I’ve seen, are either a thin layer of rubber or acrylic and don’t protect the screen or the entry of liquids. Furthermore, unlike most cases the Otterbox Defender protects the headphone jack, serial jack, speakers and mic, which all could fall victim to lint and other small debris.
The thin layer of plastic ‘defending’ the screen slightly decreases the iPhone screen’s sensitivity and is most notable in the corners. This is probably due to the sturdy plastic case surrounding the screen. I found it challenging to remove all air bubbles between the iPhone’s and the screen protector, but nothing that was large enough to impede upon viewing. Otterbox’s instructional video recommends you run your hand over the screen probably to decrease static electricity. Both the screen protector and port holes come packaged with a thin layer of ‘peal away’ plastic film to insure that they’re scratch free upon shipping. Otterbox even crafted a small window just large enough to reveal the Apple logo on the rear of the iPhone. Access to all the buttons is maintained through the Otterbox Defender’s rubber casing ACCEPT for the ring/vibrate switch. You’ll want to set this to ‘ring’ prior to install since you can manipulate the vibrate/ring option from the iPhone’s menu. The ‘home’ button takes a little bit of extra pressure, but nothing unmanageable. All said and done the biggest draw back of the Otterbox Defender iPhone case is the added size and weight, and the somewhat cumbersome process to remove the iPhone - it requires you to unhinge 5 plastic clips that take some fiddling. Fortunately, the ‘cumbersome process’ is merely a testimony to how well protected the iPhone is. Also included in the box (aside from the easy to read step-by-step picture instructions) is a belt clip. Please spare us the eye sore and only wear this if you’re a) with the Geek Squad or b) work for the cable company.
Available here for $50 in all black or black with yellow accents. Looks like they’re in demand so order sooner then later.
The V-Moda Vibe Duo is the essential accessory for any discerning iPhone user. Kinda sounds like “Men’s Warehouse” ad, huh? The packaged iPhone headphones are junk, and like many I’ve felt the scorn of the white buds while running, riding or just about doing anything.
Design
Drool worthy might sum it up. The pair I got were finished in black with silver accents. The cord is finished in a fabric like material cutting down on cord noise in the headphones and minimized tangling. The Vibe Duos were specifically designed for the iPhone (and the recessed jack), and feature an integrated microphone and call answer/end button. The button - at times it was difficult to locate due to size - serves a dual purpose as it can play and stop music as well, and if pressed twice will skip forward a song. The headphone jack is finished in 24k gold-plate, which should cut down on corrosion and ultimately interference - a nice touch. Unfortunately, the casing holding the headphone jack detached. This resulted in me having to pull on the cord in order to remove from a plug.
A simple fix with some glue, but annoying nonetheless. Notably, the headphones include a plastic clip for attaching to your clothing and insure optimal mic positioning. I’m a big fan of the clip although I wish V-Moda had sought a hire end version - that is if one exists. Included in the box, are additional silicone earfittings: 6 pair of clear (S,M,L) and 2 pair (S) of black. The worst of it - I know, I hate to say that - was the included leather pouch. It’s intended to hold the headphones and/or the additional earbuds. Unfortunately, it just looks like an after thought, and produced in a back room leather shop located in the nether regions of South America.
Performance
I’m a firm believer that all speakers, and headphones, need breaking in to reveal true performance. I’d say such is the case of the Vibe Duo’s. First and foremost, make sure to adjust your EQ in order to capture top notch sound. I found that ‘rock’ performed best for me, even though it’s a little strong in the ‘highs’. The Vibe Duos are rated at 12hz - 22khz. No way these can accomplish 12hz (i.e. low bass). In fact, they’re a little light in bass even though they boast a “9mm neodymium rare-earth magnet”. But what they lose in bass they make up for in clarity, fidelity and dynamics. At full volume the audio distorted, but I’m attributing this to a lack of amplification on the iPhone’s part, not the Vibe Duo’s. V-Moda’s noise isolating technology - BLISS - claims “to reduce ambient noises and enable deep bass”. Unfortunately, my experience differed, albeit slightly. Although the Vibe Duos produce decent bass, the noise isolation was limited and didn’t exceed that of my $30 Sony headphones. Ear comfort of the headphones was variable, as was bass response dependent upon positioning of the buds. I found that placing the buds in a more parallel like position increased not only bass and comfort, but noise isolation. So with that said, perhaps the BLISS technology is variably depending on ear canal structure and size. I’ve used the Vibe Duos, for calls, primarily in the car. I’ve got a more sport like vehicle and that means ‘road noise’. After numerous calls NOT ONE person complained of poor sound quality. Even questioning the callers with “can you hear me ok”, they all responded “ya, just fine” as if I were insane. The only issue in call quality I was faced with was a result of my own stupidity. On one occasion the mic was tucked beneath my collar preventing the caller from hearing me. The other, when I first received the Vibe Duos my iPhone’s volume limitation was ‘on’. So as you can imagine the callers sounded faint, but after turning this option off I experienced crisp and clear audio.
Wrap Up
If you’re still jamming to the white Apple buds STOP NOW! Those things are junk and don’t even come close to capturing the iPhone’s true audio quality. There’s a reason Apple worked with V-Moda to design these buds: because they kick ass. I wouldn’t even suggest going the route of ‘after market iPhone’ jack. You’ll just end up losing it and remove any possibility of sleekly placing the iPhone in your pocket. Like I said, they lack the deep bass that some folks might desire but the V-Moda Vibe Duo headphone’s other features easily eclipse this small short coming. You can pick them up at most major retailers or by them direct at V-Moda.
This has to be the most powerful, brightest laser that I have ever seen on a commercial level. Unlike the more common red lasers, the green lasers (like this one, which is in fact TechLaser’s Infiniti 125mW) are many times brighter, and the beam is easier to see in any lighting situation. You can even see the beam itself reflecting the particles in the air, not just the endpoint. This laser can even be seen in bright light situations, including
sunlight! We tested this laser’s distance and it’s highly visible on a tree that was about 10 blocks away, ~.5 miles and even on buildings over a mile away.
Its size is very deceiving - this powerful laser is only the size of a large pen/small marker. It also runs off of just 2 AAA batteries which will get you about 3 hours of run time - I saw a dip in brightness after the 3rd hour, but the laser still functioned. Definitely use safety with this one. Not only can it cause permanent eye damage, it hurts to even stare at the reflecting light, especially off a white wall. Fortunately, TechLaser provided protective eye ware (manufactured by WickedLasers) although we can’t, and wouldn’t risk verifying its protective natures. The red goggles did cut back on eye pain, though, when staring at the laser’s reflecting light. On top of that, if left on your skin for a bit it starts to get uncomfortably warm. I’d assume it has the potential to burn your skin, but I’ll leave that to the ‘jackasses’ of the world.
I am skeptical to as whether or not TechLasers actually sent me the 125mW. According to their website’s “beam power chart” I should be able to: burn holes in plastic, pop black or dark balloons, light matches, etc. I didn’t have any balloons around and wasn’t able to light a match, or a box of matches for that matter. Maybe I needed to have a steadier hand? I did manage to obtain a slight burning sensation on my skin so I don’t know which one I ended up receiving. The actual Laser I received came in a cardboard box that read “TechLasers” on its front, contained a mini safety book and instructions for locking and unlocking a different laser.
So would I recommend getting one? Hell ya. If you’re just looking to attract the attention of a few ladies (this worked phenomenally well on Halloween) or show off to your friends, then go with the lower powered one. There aren’t too many practical reasons to own a laser, but according to a friend, they use them in Israel to blind snipers. As it happens, Wired had a few laser articles in this past month’s mag. Check them out here. One that wasn’t featured on this page was the spitball laser point - just don’t shoot your friend’s eyes out in the process.
Other Uses: physics students, astronomy (find stars and stuff), lighting (mini torch in a room or cave), Star Wars fanatic (see their blue lasers).
Available at Techlasers in a variety of colors, intensities and prices. If you’re looking to buy one this holiday season then enjoy our very own Gadgetreview discount. Just use code ‘IWNOV07-GRVIEW’ at checkout and save 10%!
What’s that you say? I can’t hear you over the AudioEngine A2s!
I said the ‘Audioengine A2’s are a clear representation of good things do come in small sizes’.
I won’t dispute that the price tag ($199) is a little steep for a pair of computer or book shelf speakers, but where can you find Kevlar, a glossy finish, and self powered for that price. Furthermore, I was pleasantly surprised by AudioEngine’s packaging job. They took it a step further and placed the necessary cords in suede like bags (see pics). They also provided the headphone-to-headphone cord in two different lengths - which in my experience is the least likely of cords one would have lieing around - although I noticed that the headphone jacks aren’t iPhone compatible (errr - more upset with Apple). Ok moving on…
Performance
The AudioEngine A2’s deliver some top notch sound. The timbre quality is almost there, but simply lack the final finish because of their small size. Put it up to any ‘tower speaker’ and judge them on a sliding scale and they’re sure to compete, if not beat. The bass ports on these things are super slim and can literally blow your hair back (check out the below video). I ran the A2’s off my Macbook - figured why not since they’re intended for computers and iPods - and cranked the volume to max. With my iTunes and computer at max volume I did manage to achieve some minute distortion in the highs, but was once again pleasantly surprised with how well they held out. The bass held tight but couldn’t hit the low-lows you’d experience from a dedicated subwoofer (no surprise there considering the speakers frequency range).
Design
These things are rock solid. The glossy finish and sans grill look is killer. As a result they’ll fit in with the professor’s bookshelf or on the dorm room desk lined with beer cans. The slim bass ports are a nice touch, and reduce speaker size all the while maintaining sound quality. Kevlar ain’t so bad either. This insures long lasting woofers that shouldn’t blow for ‘time to come’.
Conclusion
I gotta give it to AudioEngine. They’ve built a solid pair that rock out some top notch sound quality at l-o-u-d. The buzzing in the power pack/converter (not in the speakers/audio) was a little disconcerting, but hopefully an isolated incident and not a representation of poor grounding (not sure exactly how this would work but in my experience this is the case). The lack of the USB plug (aka iPod/iPhone) hookup is a little annoying, but considering the other options available (RCA or headphone) I really can’t make a good case. I am gonna have to mark the AudioEngine A2’s with a ‘buy’!
Update: The buzzing in the power supply seems to have subsided. I spoke with the founder of AudioEngine and they’ve sold hundreds without a reported problem. I am going to write it off as an isolated incident.
I recently got my mitts on the 2P Slim Mouse. Clearly its designed for the road warrior as its footprint is slighty larger then a credit card and just 3-4 credit cards thick. Unfortunately, its slender physique makes too many sacrafices.
Comfort
The Slim Mouse is all straight lines with no soft curves - i.e. ergonomics are lacking. Again, this is largely attributable to its slender size but still, I’d like to go more then 15 minutes without direct pressure on my palm.
Design
Its slim, there’s no doubt about that. Unfortunately, the manufacture, 2p, had to make some sacrifices to accomplish this. The USB plug is no more then the USB chip itself which makes it difficult to plug-in, especially under poor lighting conditions. The cord running from mouse to USB is very thin and often gets caught when unravelling it from its built-in spool. Lastly, it take more a then a minute to get the Slim Mouse setup for use - you have to fiddle with the USB plug and unravel the cord. I am confident that after one unspooling most users would just wrap the cord around the body of the Slim Mouse like most folks do - no one wants to insert the USB plug and then carefully wind it up insuring that the cord doesn’t get caught in the devices body.
Operation
Once plugged in the Slim Mouse seems to suprisingly well. Its appears to be optical, which is nice but pretty standard these days. As it should, the Slim Mouse has two button (aka right click). In my initial testing with my MacBook the optic wasn’t steady, but it seemed to be a fluke. I’d be worried that if I pulled too hard on the cord it might snap off - I often do this to allow for more slack.
Conclusion
The Slim Mouse is ’slim’, easy to pack away - even in your pocket although its a little heavy - comes in Blue, Pink, Silver and Ivory, and includes a 2 year warranty. Unfortunately, I’d just as soon take a portable mouse that is better suited for long term use. In fact, Google recently gave me a chatsky portable mouse that has a smaller foot print, glows when plugged in and includes a scroll wheel - plus its FREE. So would I spend $70 on the Slim Mouse? No.
By Ian S. Gertler
