We can’t find any details on Verizon’s website about the LG Ally (aka Aloha) but all the rumours are indicating it’ll be available from them on the 20th of May. Originally named Aloha, the LG LU2300 slider handset sports a SnapDragon CPU and a 3.5 inch AMOLED touchscreen. Here are the full details for you Verizon and LG fans out there
* 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250
* 3.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen at 480×800 pixels
* QWERTY keyboard
* Android 2.1
* 720p video out
* 5MP camera
* D-pad
* RAM capacity 512 MB
* ROM capacity 512 MB
* Mono speaker
* 3.5 mm audio jack
* Networks GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS900, UMTS2100
* microSD, microSDHC, TransFlash expansion slots
* USB 2.0 client, 480Mbit/s micro-USB
* 802.11b, 802.11g connectivity
No news on a price tag yet, but we would imagine it’ll be on the cheap side. The unit sports all the expected bells and whistles but on the looks front we just think it’s a bit, well, ugly. Brushed metal on the keyboard and the D-pad on the front of the unit? Just not quite what we expected from the usually stylish LG boffins. Oh well, may be the price tag will make it more attractive, guess we’ll find out on the 20th of the month.
As of Thursday you will be able to get hold of the Samsung Reality slider cellphone courtesy of Verizon Wireless. The Reality is a QWERTY slider with a 3 inch touchscreen display and sports the Communities Widget which allows you to update your status on your fav social networking site at the touch of a button. Here are the rest of the details on the Samsung Reality
* Colour options - Piano Black and City Red
* 3 inch WQVGA (240 x 400) full touch screen
* Horizontal slide-out QWERTY keyboard
* Text, picture, video and voice messaging; Mobile IM; Mobile Chat; Mobile Email; and Mobile Web Email
* 3.2 megapixel camera
* Bluetooth® technology
* Corporate Email support for Microsoft Office Exchange
* microSD™ card slot with support for up to 16 GB
* Access to social networking services
* VZ Navigator® capable
The Samsung Reality will set you back $80 after a $50 credit rebate as long as you purchase an appropriate two year plan from Verizon. It seems these days that the line between smartphone and ordinary cellphone is blurring and the reality is that consumers are now getting better units for less of their hard-earned cash. The Samsung Reality is just another example of this phenomenon in action and if you’re after a neat slider social networking unit, then the Samsung Reality may just be the answer for you.
On the look out for a bargain? Who isn’t these days. Well today we spotted Walmart offering up the HTC Droid Eris candybar cellphone for only $30. At this price the unit still comes with a two year Verizon plan but on the upside the HTC Droid Eris sports the following bells and whistles
* 3.2″ 320 x 480 HVGA resolution 262K Color Touchscreen with Trackball
* Fully rubberized matte black skin
* Google’s Android 1.5 operating system
* 5 Megapixel Camera with Autofocus
* Bluetooth v2.0
* Full HTML Browser with Wi-Fi
* 4.45 x 2.19 x 0.51 in
* 4.2 oz
* Virtual QWERTY keyboard / Touchscreen
* Plays nicely with MIDI / M4A / QCP / AMR / AAC / AAC+ / eAAC+ / WAV / WMA / MP3/ EVRC-B audio formats
* 3.5mm Headset plug
* Plays nicely with MPEG4 / H.263 / H.264 / WMV video formats
* Up to 16 GB Micro SD memory
* Talk Time - up to 214 mins
* Standby Time - up to 373 hrs
* Micro-USB connectivity
We also managed to dig up this hands on video from phonedog, which was made when the Droid Eris was originally released at the beginning of the month for $100.
They generally give the HTC Droid Eris the thumbs up and we agree as it certainly sports a great list of functions and at $30 it has to be a bargain. Well done to Verizon for dropping the price.
It appears as if the Verizon LG VX8360 has become quite a popular phone and just to encourage a few more of you to invest in the VX8360 clam unit here’s a video review from phoneArena.
Whilst the LG VX8360 is not exactly ground breaking in the cellphone world, it has to be a bargain at US$40 with the usual Verizon two year plan. If anyone has a VX8360, please let us know what you think.
Browsing around the Verizon website as we do from time to time, we came across the HTC Touch Pro SmartPhone which caught our eye. The Touch Pro is available for US$350 woth a two year contract and sports a QWERTY slider key pad, Windows Mobile 6.1 and of course HTC’s TouchFlo navigation. Here are some more details about the Touch Pro
* Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
* Microsoft Office Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile
* Opera Mobile
* Windows Media Player 10
* 512MB Flash/192MB RAM memory
* 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi connectivity
* Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
* 2.8 inch 480×640 res VGA display
* Touch–sensitive LCD display
* Portrait and landscape orientation
* Slide Out QWERTY Keyboard
* 3.2 Mp camera
* microSD slot
* Text, Picture and Video messaging
* Wireless Sync capable
* HTC Touch FLO 3D Navigation
* 4.17″ (H) x 2.04″ (W) x 0.71″ (D)
* 4.94 ounces
* Up 250 minutes of usage time
* Up to 350 hours on standby
We also found this video from HTC themselves which gives you an idea of how the TouchFlo interface works. It looks quite impressive to us, but check out the video for yourself.
Not a bad looking unit to be honest, we’re all for QWERTY sliders, and the TouchFlo interface looks good too. If you’re after further details pop over to the Verizon site and check out the HTC Touch Pro.
On March 1st Verizon will be unleashing the LG Versa, a novel cellphone in many ways. The phone can be customized to your individual taste, the unit coming with a detachable QWERTY keypad to complement the three inch touchscreen display. Another option is a US$30 game controller to replace the keypad. Certainly the LG Versa is a novel concept. Here’s what the basic unit gives you
* OLED display in the cover
* Three inch 480 x 240 res internal display
* EV-DO connectivity
* 2 Mp camera
* microSD expansion slot (up to 16 GB)
* HTML web browser
* Verizon’s V Cast Music, V Cast Video, Visual Voice Mail, GPS with VZ Navigator
* modem functionality for your laptop
* Bluetooth connectivity
What will the LG Versa set you back? Well Verizon are offering the unit for US$200 with a two year plan after a $50 rebate. To be honest that sounds a lot for what really is just a basic phone with add-ons which cost extra. Whilst the concept is good unfortunately the pricing misses the mark.
Verizon have just launched the LG VX8360 which apparently is a dream come true for music lovers
Download V CAST music with Rhapsody and then crank up the tunes with the dual speakers for stereo sound.
Oh yeah, you can make calls with it too! Here are the rest of the VX8360’s features for you to drool over before cranking it up.
* music player handles MP3, WMA, AAC & AAC+ formats
* Sync Music from PC to Phone
* microSD slot for up to 8 GB of tunes
* Text, Picture, Video & Voice Messaging
* Mobile Email, Mobile Web Email, Mobile IM & Chat
* VZ Navigator Capable
* Chaperone® Parent/Child
* Bluetooth connectivity
* 1.3 Mp 1280 x 960 res camera with video capture
* 1.9 GHz CDMA PCS, 800 MHz CDMA
* High–Speed EV–DO data transmission
* 3.64″ (H) x 1.91″ (W) x 0.78″ (D)
* 3.35 oz
* Internal 240 x 320 res 2.00 inch display
* External 96 x 96 res 1.17 inch display
* 641 hours of standby time
* 316 minutes of talk time
How about the price, we hear you ask? Well, if you attach a two year plan then this little sucker will set you back a mere US$50 after a mail-in rebate. Unshackled on a month by month plan the VX8360 will set you back $240. Not bad for a nice looking unit, we just feel this end of the market is a bit swamped at the moment and despite its appeal to music fans, the VX8360 may well get lost in a sea of cheap cellphones. Shame really.
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