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| LG Incite |
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 LG has mostly missed the target so far with touchscreen phones, never coming close to what Apple has achieved on the iPhone, and even lagging behind native rival Samsung on all-touch devices. Is it a coincidence that in the same week Samsung brought their all-touch, Windows Mobile-powered Samsung Omnia to Verizon Wireless, LG dropped the LG Incite on AT&T? Who knows. But even with all the problems we had with Samsung's device, the LG Incite suffers even more under the crushing weight of Windows Mobile, an interface that was not remotely designed for touch. LG has added a menu atop the professional interface, but hasn't extended any style or ease-of-use beyond the menu screens. This would be injury enough, but to add insult, the LG Incite is just not a responsive touchscreen device, and that's what's most important to us. Throw in the boxy styling and cheap build quality, and it's easy to see how LG missed again with this device. Release: November 2008. Price: $200.
Pros: Good connectivity, with 3G networking and Wi-Fi. Web browser does an acceptable job.
Cons: Cheap design and build. Unresponsive touchscreen. Sluggish performance. No improvements to Windows Mobile beyond the main menu screens.
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61%
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| LG Lotus |
| Full review » Video » Scoreboard » Specs » Gallery » |
 The LG Lotus is about as smart as a phone gets before we call it a smartphone, thanks mostly to Sprint's excellent new One Touch menu application. Despite its haunting resemblance to a compact makeup mirror, we even like the form factor, as it provides a nice, comfortable QWERTY keyboard and keeps a classy look. The external screen is unfortunately an afterthought, even with the dedicated music keys, and call quality could have been much better. But for dedicated messaging fans, even those with corporate e-mail to read, this phone provides an interesting alternative to the more complicated smartphone set. Plus, with access to Google Docs, a capable (though not desktop-grade) Web browser and tethered modem support, maybe this phone is even smarter than we thought. Knock $100 off the price, and we'll take two. Release: October 2008. Price: $150.
Pros: One Touch is great looking and convenient. Keyboard is tall and comfortable. Capable Web browser. Surprisingly good (and corporate) messaging options.
Cons: Call quality isn't great. Interface could react more quickly to navigation. Camera is lousy. Phone is pricey.
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69%
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| LG Chocolate 3 |
| Full review » Video » Scoreboard » Specs » Gallery » |
 The transition from the LG VX8550 Chocolate 2 to the LG Chocolate 3 is kind of like moving from middle school to high school. It's time to be a little less goofy and rambunctious, and instead get serious. In some ways, especially in terms of the music features like the 1GB of onboard memory and the FM transmitter, we like the more grown-up Chocolate. But we miss the dancing lights and fun interface of the original phone, even if it was a bit harder to use and less organized. In making the leap, the phone has settled nicely into the mid-range of 3G multimedia phones, but it has lost a lot of personality in the process. Still, this is Verizon Wireless' most capable mass market phone to date, and perhaps even the best mass market phone in general to be had right now. Release: July 2008. Price: $100.
Pros: Great new music features, including 1GB of onboard memory, FM transmitter and a real headphone jack. Navigation worked well. No more touch sensitive buttons to deal with.
Cons: Not as fun as the last version. Messaging and Web browsing unimproved in the last year. Interface better organized, but less flashy and fun.
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70%
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| LG Dare VX9700 |
| Full review » Video » Scoreboard » Specs » Gallery » |
 This is what we worry about the most when we hear of a new all-touch phone, that the screen and interface won't be able to keep up or respond properly to user input. With no buttons to fall back on, the LG Dare can be very difficult to use, due to the way it handles touch input. It's too bad, because some features, like the camera and the fast Web browser, deserve to be part of a great all-round package. Clearly a lot of effort went into the interface design. It's unique, intuitive and very customizable. It looks great and the polish extends deep into the phone's menu structure, making the entire package feel modern. Unfortunately, serious hardware flaws stymie the designer's efforts, and where the phone should shine, it's more frustrating than fun. Release: June 2008. Price: $200.
Pros: Good camera. Very fast networking. Unique, customizable interface design.
Cons: Serious responsiveness issues make almost every feature much more difficult to use.
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59%
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| LG Decoy VX8610 |
| Full review » Video » Scoreboard » Specs » Gallery » |
 The real question with the LG Decory VX8610 is whether the phone is a better buy than a multimedia slider and a Bluetooth headset separately. We were inclined to say it is not, but then we remembered all the Bluetooth headsets we've misplaced, or kept just out of reach. Oh, and there's that police ticket we could have avoided with a handsfree device. Bluetooth call quality is usually poor anyway, so it would be redundant to complain about the poor quality of the Decoy headset, though we wish it could have recognized our voice commands, at least. In any case, it's a design that makes so much sense it just has to exist, and Verizon Wireless' effort is solid, if imperfect. Release: June 2008. Price: $180.
Pros: Headset and handset in one neat package. Dedicated keys for useful calling features. VZ Navigator worked well, sensitive GPS.
Cons: Bluetooth call quality is unsurprisingly poor. Lacks some IM and e-mail messaging clients. V Cast music and video aging, not worth the cost of entry.
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65%
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