iPhone vs. LG Voyager

VS.

Alright. So, tonight was interesting. I brought Vicki to the Verizon store to get her a new phone. To cut the main part of my story, she was checking out phones and he was making his sales pitch about how one of the Verizon phones had broadband connection. I kinda mumbled to her that I wish my phone has that and he asked what phone I had and I told him the iPhone. After he jokingly told me to get out (or was he really joking?), he was basically putting down my phone any chance he got. Saying that their new Voyager is just as good as the iPhone.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love electronic high-tech gadgets - even if they are better than the ones I have. They had a usable version of the Voyager out for use and let me tell you, it's nothing compared to the iPhone. Here is my quick comparison.

1) The overall biggest difference is interface. The iPhone's interface, menu system and options are all so smooth. Nothing feels clunky or hard to use. The Voyager's interface just doesn't match up. It's not bad, but it's just not nearly as smooth.

2) The iPod's touchscreen is superior. The Voyager's touchscreen does offer feedback, but does that really make a difference? Do you need the phone to vibrate everytime you touch your screen? Also, the Voyager is pressure sensative meaning you need to press down onto the screen for the phone to know you are trying to do something. I'm not sure if it was because of the pressure touchscreen or because it was a floor model, but the touch screen on the Voyager wasn't easy to use. I repeatedly had to press a button 2 or 3 times for it to work. The iPhone is thermal sensative and reactions to any touch of the finger, even with no pressure. When you press a button, the phone reacts to it. You won't have to press down 2 or 3 times for the phone to understand what you are doing.

3) Internet Browsing - After the interface, this is the next biggest difference between the phones. The internet browser on the iPhone is a true Safari web browser. It looks exactly as it does on your computer. This is where the iPhone beats most cell phones. I dont know of any phones that offer true Computer-like images of the internet. You can even double-tab with your finger on a specific paragraph and the screen auto-zooms to fit the paragraph to your screen perfectly. The Voyager's internet browsing is just like any other cellphone. I went to 2 sites and they were both pretty ugly. ESPN.com and NewYorkTimes.com both looks like text messes on the Voyager, but on the iPhone, they looked just like they do on your computer (well, except neither phone has Flash... which is kinda annoying. You MIGHT be able to install flash on the Voyager, but I doubt it based on it's browser).

3a) Internet Speed - People make claims regarding the Voyager's G3 data speeds that are broadband and I'm sure they run faster than the slow-speed internet of the iPhone. In my test in the Verizon stores, however, the iPhone downloaded the 2 previous websites much faster than the Voyager. My only thought is that the G3 high-speed internet must need to be turned on.

It's true, if you compare both phones, the Voyager is a more traditional cell phone and has some deeper options, but it's just another phone. Except for it's touch screen, it's nothing different than what other phones are doing out there (and still, the touchscreen isn't as good as the iPhone's).

Sure, the iPhone doesn't have great cell phone options, but its the other things that the iPhone does so great and so easily that makes it stand out. It's internet browser, it's iChat interface is the best texting format I've seen on any phone, the Visual Voicemail is unmatched by any other phone, and it's got an iPod built in.