Verizon Wireless and LG have teamed up to bring the LG Dare to the masses - at least those who are currently subscribing to Verizon Wireless’ mobile service. This summer looks set to be a hot one not only in terms of temperature (no thanks to global warming), but in the world of cell phones as well. While we all know that the 3G iPhone is set to take the whole world by storm, this doesn’t mean we ought to overlook other handsets. The LG Dare features a roomy 3″ touch screen display complete with handwriting recognition, along with a host of other features found in high end handsets. It will hit Verizon Wireless Communications Stores from July 3rd onwards.

Features found on the LG Dare include the following :-

• V CAST Music-capable - access more than 3 million full-length songs from well-known and independent artists that can be purchased and downloaded over-the-air directly to the phone
• Music Player for .mp3, .wma, unprotected .aac, and unprotected .aac+ files
• microSD card memory port - with up to 8 GB support with an optional memory card
• USB Mass Storage - transfer files between microSD card and PC
• 3.2 megapixel Camera and Camcorder
• Schneider-Kreuznach certified lens for optimal picture quality
• Camera Resolutions: 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 pixels
• SmartPic technology and manual ISO adjustment for improved image quality
• Face Detection - detects a face when taking a picture
• Panorama, split shot and frame camera settings
• Scene Mode - automatically makes adjustments to camera settings for improved quality in different environments
• Zoom: up to 2x
• Image Editor - zoom, rotate, crop, add frames and icons and write over images
• Video Resolutions: 640 x 480, 320 x 240, 176 x 144 pixels
• Video Recording Speed: up to 120 frames per second for slow video playback
• Video Recording Time: 30 seconds (for sending); up to 1 hour (for saving) depending on memory
• Video Player for WMV, MP4, 3GP, 3G2 formats
• Customizable brightness, white balance, shutter sound, color effects, night and preview mode, photometry, self-timer
• Bluetooth Version 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
• One-touch speakerphone
• Speaker-independent voice commands
• Voice Recording: 1 minute or 1 hour (standby)
• Music ringer support (clips from hit songs)
• HTML Web browsing with touch navigation and favorites
• Text, picture, video messaging-capable
• Mobile Email - access MSN Hotmail, America Online and Yahoo! accounts to exchange e-mail
• Mobile IM capabilities
• Speed Dial (up to 996 entries)
• Display: 260K Color TFT, 240 x 400 pixels, 3.0″
• Standard Battery: 1,100 mAh
• Usage Time: up to 280 minutes
• Standby Time: up to 360 hours

The LG Dare will retail for $199.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.

Press Release