LG’s Dare would really like to be an iPhone


Verizon today began shipping the LG Dare, and has finally revealed the price of the new device. The handset should be available for purchase online by Thursday, and will hit retail stores on July 3rd.

The phone will retail for $250. You then get a $50 mail-in-rebate…which will bring the cost down to $200 when you eventually get your rebate check in the mail.

The Dare is smaller than the iPhone (and is missing the iPhone’s built in storage), but it does have some features that the iPhone itself lacks. For example, it has a 3.2-megapixel camera with flash. It also has a 120 frames per second video capture mode, and a microSD slot which allows for memory expansion.

It does feature a “full HTML browser”, 3G (through EVDO Revision A) and GPS through Verizon’s Navigator.

None of that, however, changes the fact that if you buy one of these you’ll be walking around with a device that looks like a knock-off of the iPhone.

Obviously there is plenty that the LG DOESN’T have that the iPhone will – including the App Store, and multi-touch – but honestly, why would anyone want to run around with something that looks like this?

I mean, seriously, if you don’t want an iPhone why on earth would you want a phone that LOOKS like an iPhone? If you do want an iPhone, and you’re waiting for your contract to come up – why would you want this knock-off looking phone when you can just wait out your contract?

These kinds of phones are SAD as far as I’m concerned. I am not near fanboy enough to suggest that Apple is the only one that knows how to make a good phone. The lack of original thinking on the part of these other phone designers is just appalling, though.

You can make a touch screen phone that doesn’t look completely like a knock off of the iPhone. I know its possible…someone please at least TRY.

Update: Since this article is getting so much traffic let me clarify a few things.

The LG Dare is a reworked LG Prada, which is a touch screen phone that came out shortly before the iPhone. If you look at the original Prada, its design is quite different from the Dare. For one, it has original and unique icons, that don’t look like they are copied from Mac OS X. The design of the Prada doesn’t look quite as influenced by the iPhone either (which should be obvious, since it would have been impossible for the Prada to have been influenced by the iPhone…because the Prada came first).

This is my entire point. The LG Dare has been made to look like the iPhone. They already had a great looking, original, phone in the Prada, and LG decided it was a better idea to make the Dare look like a cheap iPhone knock-off..when it ISN’T an iPhone knock-off.

It is sad and depressing to me to think that the cellphone industry is just going to tuck tail and start making their phones look and feel like the more popular iPhone. It would be better for everyone involved, including Apple, if they would try to do their own thing, instead of going to such great lengths to imitate the iPhone.

Michael Murphey is primary blogger on Apple Gazette.com, Travelbrook.com and a contributor to TVJab.com for Bloggy Network. He also hosts a daily audio podcast, and weekly video podcast for Apple Gazette. When he’s not blogging you can find him on Twitter.


Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo is a stalwart in the tech journalism community, has been chronicling the ever-evolving world of Apple products and innovations for over a decade. As a Senior Author at Apple Gazette, Kokou combines a deep passion for technology with an innate ability to translate complex tech jargon into relatable insights for everyday users.

120 Comments

  1. @Melissa

    You’re welcome to read the comments for the answer to that question. We’ve been over it several times. In short, the Prada was not a copy of the iPhone – LG stripped the Prada down and dressed it in iPhone clothes. It’s sad, but it’s true.

  2. I have the Dare, only because we dont have AT&T service here..so to say that anyone that has bought one of these is an idiot, isnt fair. I’ve wanted an iphone since they came out and have been waiting for service ever since. We probably wont get AT&T for another so until then this will do. So please dont put all of us in the category of “whoever buys this phone doesnt have a clue how good the iphone really is and they’re an idiot for it” because its just not a valid point. The dare is truly a knockoff, but its also a nice phone.

  3. well I’ve made this comment before but no one took any notice of it. But has anyone taken a look at the iphone next to the instinct? The similarities are much more noticeable than with the dare. And I realize that this article is about the dare and thats why were talking about it but after slamming the dare so hard I would like to hear the iphone users opinions on the instinct.
    https://www.crunchgear.com/wp-content/photos/iphone_instinct.jpg
    again there is the side-by-side.

  4. @Josh S

    I think the Instinct is even more guilty of the iPhone copy syndrome than the Dare. At least the Dare, under the hood, was an original device. The Instinct was designed from the ground up to be nothing by a knock-off of the iPhone.

    The Instinct is the kind of phone that is actually going to set cell phone evolution back, because if it sells well these companies will continue to just wait for someone else to innovate, and copy that, instead of trying to actually produce an original device of their own.

    That’s the biggest problem I have with the Dare – it was an original device, and they covered that up with an iPhone skin. They should have released the Prada over here and shown it for what it was – a good looking, smartly designed phone.

    The Instinct, on the other hand just reeks of “wanna be” in all the worst ways.

  5. I owned the iphone, the Voyager and now I am getting the Dare. It doesn’t matter which came first. As long as Verizon is my carrier, I know I will get my calls.

    True, the safari browser is the best. But the rev. A speed makes the Dare browser almost as fast as wifi.

    Once a feature is on a devcice, other companies reverse engineer it and add it to their device…hey, all cars have steering wheels!

    This is how we make progress. A few years ago, no phone had internet…then we got wap browsers and now, html browsers…if it is important to you who came first, you just might miss out on who does it the best…for the entire package of phone, browser, music, etc., I go with the Dare. Some would pick the iphone and some, the Voyager. No one in their right mind would pick the Glyde or Instinct!

  6. Recently purchased the Dare phone and it is really not a bad phone. However, I believe there is an issue already with the phone. While recording video clips there is a problem with the audio. The audio the sound is so garbled, you can’t understand anything on the video clip. This problem surfaced within two days of owning the phone. I immediately took the phone back to Verizon who also hear the problem and the phone was replaced with another Dare. The replacement phone has the same problem. They again replaced the phone with my THIRD Dare phone and this phone too is having the problem. The store was closing and we did not have time to try yet the fourth replacement phone. So in a day I plan on trying one more phone if not, then I’ll switch to the LG Voyager.

    Oh, yes I did call LG customer support and they do not have a reported issue recorded as of 7/11/08. However, tech support at the Verizon store “clearly” heard the problem.

    Record video on your Dare phone before you leave the store and listen to the audio.

  7. To be honest, I really do like the iPhone, but it is in no way worth having AT&T’s service for. And I think the point of LG making the Dare look closer to the iPhone is because that is what is in demand right now. People like the look of the iPhone; for good reason, too. And what about the Instinct? It is an almost exact replica of the iPhone. Besides, with all the trouble the iPhone is having right now with their activation issues and their updates making late model iPhones stop working correctly, I would much rather have a phone that is one, cheaper, and two, accompanied by a lot less problems. Yes the iPhone has features the Dare, along with other “iPhone copies” don’t have, and guess what, the Dare and others have features the iPhone doesn’t have. One phone cannot have everything, and you certainly can’t please everyone. Big deal. People will either love it or hate it. That’s their decision. Don’t try to make it for them. No person, phone company, or phone can make everyone happy. It’s just not going to happen. I happen to like the Dare and, come next paycheck, plan on buying it. Now as for all the voyager, venus (although it is not entirely touchscreen), and other sliding, flipping “iPhone copies”, well i’m not a big fan of those. Just for the simple reason that it’s much simpler just to have one solid piece with no worries of accidentally breaking off the bottom half like we would with flip phones. We used to have “one-pieced” phone in the 90’s why not have them again. Of course not as bulky and crudely designed. Bottom line: there’s a reason phone companies make more than just one phone. Different phones, for different people. People are different, so why should our phones all be the same? Certain features are too much, (or in my mother’s case) too confusing and complicated for some people, and other’s like (in my case) GPS, come in handy and are very useful. It’s all up to what people need, and moreover now what they want. Let people try out the phones before you go smashing them. There’s no “super-all-in-one-phone” You’re going to like certain features of this phone and certain on that one, but you can’t mix and match. All you can do is either one of two things: Go make your own phone company with your own “perfect” phones or when life gives you lemons, just make the damn lemonade already. Excuse my french, but you get the point.

  8. I want an iPhone, but I hate AT&T. So unil the iPhone is available on the Verizon network, LG Dare all the way!

  9. Here is my Problem. I want an iphone for a 2 reasons. 1. it will sync with my apple powerbook, 2. it has the same browser and look as a full size computer, with the awesome GPS. But, AT&T just does not offer service to areas where I travel and play. If I just stayed at home or metropolitan areas I would be fine. However, I travel to rural places all the time. Verizon I have found to offer the best service for this.

    Ok so can the dare fill the void. NO. the is no way to sync it with my powerbook. Actually I believe verizon runs the own software on all of their phones which blocks many of these capabilities. Why? because they want you pay for their vcast features and what not. My powerbook has bluetooth and so does the dare right. No syncy. I can do this if I had an iphone though. AT&T must not block this. I actually believe when you add unlimited web, text and the bluetooth syncing ability AT&T is probably at a better price point. I can’t believe people dare to say the dare blows the iphone away. Does the dare have built in Wifi? Does it have GPS directions and satalite maps?

    So here I am unhappy with my service and phone but just as unhappy with AT&T coverage area. I might just wait for my contract to run out and switch to AT&T and an iPhone. Then keep my wife and verizon and trade her phones when I go to rural areas.

  10. I have one and love it. Also has stereo jack you can use with any stereo headphone. This is a great phone no matter what.

  11. @ Michael

    I believe in the end, the consumer is the winner. Here’s what it comes down to: Competitive Marketing. Regardless of who came out with what first, the simple fact that there is competition over the “hot” new phone brings in more features and lowers the price of everyone’s “version” of the iPhone. It’s a win, win situation. If there weren’t any competition we’d all be running around carrying the huge brick cell phones that Zack from Saved by the Bell used to use!

  12. I don’t understand you people… any touch screen phone is going to look like the iPhone. There is nothing you can do about that. It’s a touch screen… it’s gonna be a big screen! Kind of like how all cars are gonna have four wheels, two headlights, and an engine. It’s just part of the design of a touch screen phone.

    Somebody accused LG of “copying” Apple for making the Dare black and silver. Did you think they were gonna make pink and purple just to be different than an iPhone? No, they are gonna make it the colors that the consumer wants. Also, last time I checked, ALL phones, computers, and other consumer electronics used the same icons to represent the same things; a letter for an inbox, a speaker for the volume, etc. You can’t accuse LG of copying Apple for using simular icons, since all Apple did was use the icons that everyone uses because people recognize them. I almost feel like LG came up with that messy looking main menu just so people like you wouldn’t accuse them of “copying” Apple.

    The bottom line is Apple, although not the first one’s to do it, is responsible for making the touchscreen phone popular to consumers (they did it through their ingenious marketing of making people think they are better than other people by buying their stuff). So naturally other companies are going to come out with other touchscreen phones. And since touch screen phones consist of, well, a screen, they are gonna all look the same.

  13. @Eric

    Competition is exactly the point I was trying to make from the beginning. It’s not a win-win for anyone if the other companies try to make their version of the iPhone – that looks like the iPhone. They need to look at their own devices and think of innovative ways to use the touchscreen that is obviously going to be popular…even if they do draw heavily from the iPhone (which LG obviously didn’t do with the Prada) they shouldn’t skin it to resemble the iPhone. They should make it their own.

    That’s all I’ve been saying this whole time.

  14. @Nick

    You kind of destroyed your argument with the mention of the cars. Of course all cars are going to have the same basic elements – yet, we have hundreds of different car designs to choose from.

    You don’t have to make a phone that looks like the iPhone just because you have a touch screen. See the OpenMoko Freerunner for a nice example…or the original LG Prada, which used the black and silver without matching the iPhone’s trim.

  15. I’d take the dare. I like my MMS, video camera, and flash. I will admit I HATE the verizon OS but I’ll deal with it.

  16. main reason the dare is so appealing is because of the verizon network. verizon phones suck but their coverage and plans are great. i was going to buy a 3g iphone until i saw this and decided to stick with verizon. why would i pay for a 3g data plan when the nearest 3g area is 50 miles east? not to mention atts coverage in general is terrible. the only reason to not like this verizon phone is no wifi. this phone has picture messaging, much much better call quality, stereo blutooth, camera flash, you can use your fingernails, expandable memory, and useful external buttons; compared to the iphone. the iphone isnt the all knowing and powerful item you make it to be in this review. the dare is a very good alternative for people on verizon or just in general.

  17. Dude your just salty because verizon has a phone that is just as good as the iphone with a lot better network.

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