LG Dare Review
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One of the best features of the Dare is the 3.2MP autofocus camera. It can be launched through the main menu, or by pressing the dedicated button on the right side of the phone. The application only takes 1 second to load, opposed to 3 seconds on the Voyager. The camera button has a two-stop design just like a real digital camera, where you press it down half-way to focus and then all the way down to capture the image. The time required to focus is a reasonable 2 seconds, with a 1 second lag to capture the image and then 2 seconds to save. The total turn around time to take one picture, save it, and take a second picture for saving is 9 seconds, which is only 1 second less than with the Voyager. If you need to take pictures closer together, you can turn off the autofocus feature and it will cut the amount of time down to 5 seconds.
Pictures taken by the Dare are the best that we’ve seen from a Verizon device, which is probably due to the Schneider Kreuznach lens that is used. Images that were took outside during the day have excellent detail and realistic color representation, which completely blows away the pictures we got using Verizon’s only other 3MP cameraphone, the Samsung FlipShot. However, once you move inside, the quality starts to go down hill due to lower light levels, but this is a problem with most cameraphones. The built in flash does help, but range is limited to about 6 feet. You can also select the Night Mode, which slows down the shutter, but in doing so, most pictures will look blurry do to camera shake.
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Outdoor Samples | ||
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Strong | Medium | Low | Darkness | With Flash |
Indoor Photos | ||||
Camera Options:
Resolution: 2048x1536, 1600x1200, 1280x960, 640x240, 320x240
White Balance: Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Glow
Shutter Sound: Shutter, No Sound, Say Cheese, Ready 123
Color Effects: Normal, Negative, Aqua, Sepia, B&W
ISO: Auto, 100, 200, 400
Photometry: Average, Spot
Smart Pic: On, Off
Face Detection: On, Off
Save Option: Internal, External
Multi Shot: Off, 3, 6, 9
Shot Type: Normal, Panorama, Split, Frame
Scene Mode: Normal, Sports, Night, Portrait, Landscape, Beach
Auto Focus: On, Off
Self Timer: Off, 3 sec, 5 sec, 10 sec
Flash: Off, On, Auto
Two new camera options are the Smart Pic and Face Detection. While the Face Detection worked as advertised, the Smart Pic seemed to have some issues with making images look overly sharp and pixilated. Because of this, we left it turned off.
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Camera Options | ||
When viewing saved images, you can place the phone in landscape mode and move them across the screen to go to the next picture. There are also intergraded photo editing tools, allowing you to zoom, rotate, crop, adjust contract, sharpness, blur, brightness, add borders and draw on the image.
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Multimedia:
Clicking on “My Music” in the main menu will access the new music player. From there you can select to show all songs, playlists, artists, genres, and albums. Unfortunately, it will organize the music alphabetically, instead of by using the ID3 track order, which makes it impossible to play songs in the same order as they are listed on the original CD. Once the song begins playback, the album art will be shown in the center, with the track info listed above it, and icons for rewind/skip-back, play/pause, and fast-forward/skip-ahead at the bottom. You can also rotate the phone 360 degrees, with the album art and player changing orientation. There are 12 different sound effects to choose from, but we found that “flat” sounds the best. Clicking on the Home icon at the top will keep the music playing and return you back to the home screen. This multitasking allows you to send and receive text message, browse the web, and perform other function while the music continues playback. This is very useful, and it has only been offered on the Chocolate, Venus, and Juke models.
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Music Player |
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Video playback is limited to Verizon VCast Video Service, which streams prerecord clips over the EVDO network. Quality is limited to 320x240 resolution at 15FPS, with images looking somewhat pixilated.
Software:
The Dare uses Qualcomm’s BREW for all its applications. The most useful is VZ Navigator, which is used for GPS guided directions. It comes preloaded with Version 3, but can download the updated Version 4, which allows for new 3D maps, traffic congestion and accident re-routing, as well as the ability to find local gas stations, restaurants, movie theaters, show times, and local events. Even though it can be used with the phone in portrait mode, it looks best while in landscape. We were able to use VZ Navigator around South FL without problem. The updated 3D maps are easy to follow and are more professional looking than the previous version. These added improvements are well worth the $10 per month price.
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No games come preloaded on the Dare, but can be purchased and download over the air directly from Verizon.
Another feature is the support of Verizon’s FOTA (firmware over the air). This will allow customers to download the latest firmware for the phone without the need for visiting a store and having a technician install it. This is a valuable time-saver for both consumers and employees and we are pleased to see it starting to be implemented on more devices. We tested the FOTA, but since our Dare has the latest firmware (V03), it did not download or install any updates.
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154 Comments
1. ChocolateGirl (unregistered) posted on 20 Oct 2010, 01:55 0 0
No mention of the touchscreen's subpar performance? It is unresponsive at times, which especially makes messaging cumbersome. When using it I will touch the screen and it will vibrate and make a sound, but the action won't be taken. It only happens 10% of the time, but it is enough to frustrate you. My sister has the Venus and her touchpad does the same thing, which leads me to believe there is an underlying issue with LG's touch technology. Its annoying when navigating the menus, but it is utterly infuriating when trying to type messages and keypresses are missed despite feedback being given! Even if everything else was perfect (which it is not...very good, but not perfect), with the touchscreen issues alone I could not give this phone more than an 8/10. This phone is going back, I may have to give the Instinct a try or break down for the iPhone 3G.
3. (unregistered) posted on 03 Jul 2008, 12:47 0 0
Hold your touch for another 0.5 second, it will help.
8. (unregistered) posted on 03 Jul 2008, 14:39 0 0
0.5s doesnt sound like much, but i doubt my fingers are on the keyboard for even 0.25s when typing. a minimum threefold decrease in efficiency to make the screen work as it should is unacceptable. try the instinct, itll accurately keep up with even the fastest typers
10. (unregistered) posted on 03 Jul 2008, 15:57 0 0
im curious to see how this touch screen responds in person. very few people have complained about its responsiveness but im sure ill become one of them based on how picky i am. i think it just takes some getting used to before you should return the device. i know people that hated the iphone when they first got it and now they cant put it down (i mention that b/c i think the iphone has a great touch screen response). the learning curve should kick in soon and you'll be typing fast again. if not...just return it, buy a real qwerty phone, and wait until technology catches up so that touch screens are more bearable.
16. atakid (unregistered) posted on 03 Jul 2008, 18:18 0 0
have you ever considered the fact that you may have a deffective handset? if it something like what you descrided were to occur, sites like these would tell you about them.
26. (unregistered) posted on 04 Jul 2008, 09:00 0 0
I also calibrated mine with a stylus and have had none of the touchscreen problems described by Chocolategirl... i've texted my face off, set up mobile e-mail and surfed the net alot and have had touch problems less than 1% of the time, and those extremly rare issues only happened for the first day or so as i was getting used to my first touch screen phone...glad she managed to get that I-Phone plug in though, wouldn't be a good thread around here without it also, when the reviewer mentioned his dissapointment that Mobile e-mail didn't offer Corporate capabilities he apparrently didn't browse the phone applications for "remote Sync" which allows you to recieve corp e-mail on the Dare
51. ata_isbankrupt (unregistered) posted on 08 Jul 2008, 14:41 0 0
atakid, you have deffective spelling. by what you've descrided, i think you meant "defective" and "described". and yes i spelled them wrong the first time on purpose and for clarification.
63. jd (unregistered) posted on 10 Jul 2008, 19:14 0 0
I'm interested in getting the Dare. I've heard that it's a good thing to calibrate it with a stylus for better touchscreen accuracy...but do you HAVE to use it with a stylus or can you still use your finger or thumb and get accurate results? Thanks!
67. (unregistered) posted on 11 Jul 2008, 22:38 0 0
it's nice, responsive but the signal is not as good
68. (unregistered) posted on 11 Jul 2008, 22:39 0 0
calibrateif u want to work right for your finger
96. (unregistered) posted on 19 Jul 2008, 04:29 0 0
yea you can still use your finger cause i do and i love my new dare and i dont kno why so many people are haveing problems with it but it is a GREAT phone to have
133. (unregistered) posted on 17 Aug 2008, 16:24 0 0
Yeah, if it vibrated like it registered the touch but nothing showed up, that means you missed the button. Trust me, I've tested the hell out of that theory. If you hit the button on the side of the key, chances are as your finger pulls up, the last past that gets registered is an area outside of the button. Therefore, it acknowledges that you touched the screen, but since at the last moment you finger was no longer in the button, it do do what you though it would. This can vary a lot depending on your calibration. So try recalibrating and test it again.
151. vaan144 posted on 20 Sep 2009, 18:27 0 0
you can press for any amount of time, just hard enough and in the right spot. sometimes my callibration is off so touching the screen misses the icon and i just get haptic feedback.
2. Mr LaZy (unregistered) posted on 03 Jul 2008, 12:44 0 0
Does this phone have the ability to turn off Vibrate on touch like the Voyager? I wouldn't see a problem with the touchvibe and no response if I turned it off. You'd never notice anything except the fact that you have to touch it again.
6. XxTNTxX posted on 03 Jul 2008, 13:31 0 0
yes you can turn off the haptic feedback on the Dare
152. vaan144 posted on 20 Sep 2009, 18:31 0 0
yes it is you can turn off the feedback or turn it to a different level of vibration or even type of vibration. so yes, you definetly can turn it off...
4. (unregistered) posted on 03 Jul 2008, 12:55 0 0
this faired better then i thought, but people will always complain about the touch technology in phones, there getting better but they wont be perfect for some time, not to mention this isnt a smartphone so it isnt going to have that awesome touch tech seen on smartphones...bet in like a year or 2 the touch screens will be near perfect
5. (unregistered) posted on 03 Jul 2008, 13:28 0 0
the iphone is perfect, and the instinct is damn close. the dare doesnt compare to them
13. (unregistered) posted on 03 Jul 2008, 17:12 0 0
having a heat sensitive touch screen does not depend on the phone beinng a smartphone or not. Most smartphones have almost dont even have heat sensitive touch. If LG probably can put it in but I think they are too sprung on the haptic feedack thing. The original chcolate was heat sensitive, and it wasn't a smartphone. I know that they are two different types of technology but I don't think that heat sensitive touch screen and heat sensitive keypad are too far off from each other.
