LG

Yeah, it’s supposed to be Apple’s day to shine with the 3G iPhone, but we have enough Chocolate here to make a cell phone fondue. Verizon Wireless’ latest LG Chocolate phone, the $129 (after $50 rebate) LG Chocolate 3 is here.

As a reviewer, there’s nothing more frustrating than having a “music phone” dropped on my desk with a 2.5mm headphone jack or even a proprietary one. That’s useless to the everyday consumer that has drawer full of 3.5mm headsets at home. LG hit the nail on the head this time around, and replaced the 2.5mm jack on its VX8550 (Chocolate 2) with a legitimate 3.5mm one. Bravo, LG.

Read on for a full gallery and more first impressions.

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On Monday, Verizon Wireless announced that it has partnered with Rhapsody to offer a DRM-free option for downloading music. The new alliance will allow users with the LG Voyager, Dare, and other handsets, to download a track on their phone, and another DRM-free track on their computer using Rhapsody’s software.

Once you’ve purchased a track on your phone, you can open up Rhapsody and download another copy.

Here’s how:

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Verizon Wireless has had a pretty spotty track record with touchscreen phones. The LG Voyager is a solid messaging and multimedia device, but it’s pretty bulky. And the Samsung Glyde is just a mess, with a touchscreen that often requires multiple presses to get anything done. Enter LG’s Dare ($199), which is basically the LG Vu for Verizon customers. But instead of focusing on mobile TV like the Vu, the Dare goes its own way with a sharper 3-MP camera, funky menus with drag-and-drop customizability, and GPS via VZ Navigator (a feature the Vu lacks). You also get fast EV-DO Rev. A data, a first for Verizon’s touch lineup.

I had the pleasure of going hands-on with this slim (0.5 inches thick) and relatively light (3.8 ounces vs. the Vu’s 3.2 ounces) touchscreen phone, and was pleasantly surprised by the fluid and speedy interface. While a few touches didn’t respond on the large 3-inch 400 x 240-pixel haptic display, I really liked using the Dare’s UI. In other words, it’s not Verizon’s.

Read on for the rest of my first impressions and our full video if you… dare.  Sorry. I had to.

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Last night, I had the chance to see the new Iron Man movie, a must for any fan of mobile technology. In the film, hero Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., builds a robotic suit of armor, complete with jet boots and a cybernetic helmet. Yet, despite all of his tech savvy, Stark is shown carrying an LG VX9400 (a good phone, but it’s so last year) and (gasp!) using a landline cordless handset in his AI-powered smart home!

To be fair, the VX9400 that Stark uses in the film has some features that Verizon Wireless just doesn’t offer. At one point, the protagonist uses his phone to make a video call to villain Obediah Stane from the desert of Afghanistan. The VX9400 is great for watching V Cast but, according to LG’s published specs, is only capable of capturing and sending 15-second video clips. Also, the CDMA VX9400, is incompatible with the GSM Global Phone coverage Verizon has available in Afghanistan. Hm.

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The Vu takes entertainment on the go to the next level. The 3-inch touchscreen on this sexy and lightweight device is the perfect canvas for the new AT&T Mobile TV service ($15 per month). Powered by MediaFLO technology, you can watch crystal-clear video on the go from such content providers as CNN and ESPN as well as movies from Sony Pictures Television.

The overall touch user interface is refreshingly simple, providing quick access to the Vu’s many features, including a 2-MP autofocus camera, instant messaging, an HTML browser, and eMusic downloads. At $100 less than the iPhone, the LG Vu is a compelling bang-for-your-buck multimedia device.

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We just had the chance to examine LG’s new enV2 phone and put it next to the first generation enV. What a difference!

As you can see in the picture at right, the enV2 is much thinner, lighter, and just plain better looking than the original.

Oh and did we mention that the keyboard has been completely redesigned and the interface has changed too.

You can see all the improvements in the video below.

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Yesterday, we had a chance to take a quick look at the LG Vu, but not to play with it.

Today, we stopped by the LG booth and got to spend some quality time touching the screen and feeling the haptic feedback. Needless to say we were pretty impressed with what we saw.

The video below should give you a good idea of what to expect.

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