Verizon unveils holiday lineup

Verizon targets iPhone's appeal
Wireless provider unveils holiday lineup, including a phone with touch screen, Web browsing and hardware keyboard.
October 3 2007: 4:10 AM EDT


NEW YORK (AP) -- In time for the holidays, Verizon Wireless is launching a cell phone that looks a lot like the hottest phone so far this year: Apple Inc.'s iPhone.

Like the iPhone, the LG Voyager features a large touch screen, a camera and extensive multimedia, Web browsing and e-mail capabilities.

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However, it one-ups the iPhone by folding open lengthwise to reveal a QWERTY keyboard and a second, non-touch sensitive screen. The lack of a hardware keyboard has been one of the main complaints about the iPhone.

The Voyager will connect to Verizon Wireless' latest data network, providing speeds much higher than the AT&T network the iPhone uses. The Voyager also has direct access to Verizon Wireless' online music store.

However, the Voyager will not come with a large built-in memory for songs and video, offering instead a slot for memory cards up to 8 gigabytes. Nor are its screens as large as the iPhone's.

It's an open question whether the Voyager can encroach on the iPhone's cachet or match its ease of use. Apple (Charts, Fortune 500) has sold more than 1 million units since the phone-cum-iPod hit the market June 29.

In announcing its holiday lineup Wednesday, Verizon Wireless did not say how much the Voyager or three other new phones would cost. It also didn't give a specific launch date, saying only that they would be in stores before Thanksgiving.

Verizon also showed off an LG phone called the Venus. It has two screens on its face, of which the smaller is touch sensitive, with controls for the phone's music player and camera. The phone slides open to reveal a numeric keypad.

Verizon Wireless is also bringing out a version of the BlackBerry Pearl, with fast data network access. The slim e-mail oriented phone is already available on the slower networks of AT&T (Charts, Fortune 500) and T-Mobile USA. (Like Verizon, AT&T has a third-generation cellular broadband network, but it's not used by the AT&T Pearl.)

The fourth phone in the lineup is the Juke, by Samsung. A small unit that flips open like a jackknife, it features an iPod-like wheel to control the music player.

Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc. (Charts, Fortune 500) of New York and Vodafone Group PLC (Charts) of Britain.

 

Reuters
Verizon unveils iPhone rival
Wednesday October 3, 9:46 am ET
By Sinead Carew


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Verizon Wireless unveiled three new cell phones on Wednesday for the holiday season, including a high-end handset named Voyager that will compete with Apple Inc's (NasdaqGS:AAPL - News) iPhone.

The Voyager, made by LG Electronics (066570.KS), trumps the iPhone by offering faster wireless Web access. But in a nod to the Apple device, which is only available to AT&T Inc (NYSE:T - News) subscribers, it has a large touch screen and full Web browser.

Verizon Wireless hopes the new phone will attract customers put off by the iPhone's lack of a traditional keypad -- the Voyager hinges open to reveal a small computer keypad and a second screen.

"We think it'll be the best phone ... this year. It will kill the iPhone," Verizon Wireless Chief Marketing Officer Mike Lanman said in an interview.

Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart said the Voyager may attract existing Verizon subscribers who do not want to switch service providers, but he doubted it would hurt iPhone sales.

"People who want a high-end media phone and want to stay with Verizon will certainly give that one a hard look. I don't know that it would pull anybody away from an iPhone," he said.

The battle for cell phone buyers' hearts this holiday shopping season is shaping up to be even fiercer than usual, as rivals to Apple and AT&T launch new challengers.

Verizon Wireless, owned by Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE:VZ - News) and Vodafone Group Plc (LSE:VOD.L - News), has not been first with the hippest phones, but said this line-up is its best yet.

"Typically a carrier brings one, maybe two exciting products to the market in a year. We're bringing four," Lanman said, referring to the three new models and its existing LG Chocolate phone.

Verizon also introduced Juke, an ultra-narrow phone that comes in three colors and is shaped like a chocolate bar. The phone, made by Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), is less than 1 inch wide.

It also unveiled another LG phone, the Venus, which comes in black and pink, and has a phone keypad that slides out from under a touch screen. As with Voyager, it vibrates when a user taps a menu option on the screen.

Verizon Wireless would not give exact pricing beyond saying each phone would target a different segment and range from under $100 to about $400. The iPhone costs $399.

Greengart at Current Analysis said the new Verizon range is a step forward for a company that has been trumped before by AT&T, which sold Motorola Inc's (NYSE:MOT - News) Razr long before Verizon did.

"This is something Verizon had to do," Greengart said. "It's been a long time coming for them to get hotter devices."

Venus and Voyager both have 2-megapixel cameras, and high-speed wireless connections for fast music and video downloads, and a slot for 8 gigabytes of extra memory. The iPhone has 8 gigabytes of built-in storage.

Venus and Voyager will launch before the end of November

The cheapest phone in the range is the Juke, which is narrower than any U.S. phone so far and will go on sale on October 19, Lanman said.

The Juke slides open to reveal a tiny keypad and comes in dark blue, red and teal. It has dedicated keys for playing music but does not have a high-speed wireless link.

Verizon Wireless said it expects to attract more fashion-conscious young users to Juke than those who want to constantly e-mail or Web-surf on cell phones.

 

I could not have said it any better.