SlashGear Japan
Whodathunkit, AT&T are getting an iPhone competitor when they are the sole US retailer of the iPhone. Maybe they want a New Deal, Roosevelt style.
Regardless, this LG phone looks a lot like the iPhone, and appears to have a touch-only interface like the iPhone. The difference would lie in the addition of 3G via HSDPA.
The LG device is also rumored to run the upcoming mobile version of FireFox too, instead of Safari. Other than those differences it looks like it will work exactly like the iPhone, no word on whether it will have the flash storage though.
AT&T to offer LG iPhone rival [via macnn]
33 Responses to “AT&T getting LG CU920”
Wayne Bienek October 15, 2007
Good! This will help push Apple to open up to 3rd party developers! All this reminds me of the original Mac days, when Apple was on the ball (Sorta) and they let it slip by being greedy and bull headed (Hey Steve! :) ) .. The ‘clones’ came in and surpassed apple’s technology.. or should I say.. 3RD PARTY DEVELOPERS surpassed Apple?!? :)
Wayne Bienek
-3http://www.humblebrain.com (Podcast)
jcy October 15, 2007
“exactly like an iphone”?
we’ll need to see screenshots of multi-touch, music/video functionality, visual voicemail, automatic screen orientation, youtube, and wifi before those kinds of claims can be made
-5Karl October 15, 2007
No Wayne, you shouldn’t say that, because it’s wrong and sounds silly. Conflating the Mac hardware clones (which were created with Apple’s blessing, and ran Apple’s software) with 3rd party software developers makes no sense.
+2Aaron Vegh October 15, 2007
It’s way too early to know if this phone will truly compete with the iPhone on the features that best-define it: a thoughtful user interface — from what we see here — doesn’t appear to be one of those features. Note the use of scrollbars in the web browser. That’s a pixel-wasting design that’s probably emblematic of the entire experience. Or the egregious waste of space in the Dashboard (or whatever it’s called). The interface doesn’t look polished.
That’s not to say the phone wouldn’t do well; most users aren’t sophisticated enough to appreciate the difference. But I would guess anyone who’s actually handled an iPhone, and then used this, would find the difference significant.
+5derek martin October 15, 2007
The reason iPod won the mp3-player wars is at least 50% due to iTunes.
NeutralIt upgrades itself automatically, and it works flawlessly & simply.
The reason the iPhone is great is that it upgrades itself automatically, and works simply.
Apple’s hardware is okay, but its software is unparalleled.
Unless LG, or Nokia, or whoever wants to get into really *designing* software, none of their phones will be *real* competitors for the iPhone.
Phones are 50% form, and 50% software.
Even if people can copy the look of iPhone, it will, as Apple has said, take them at least 5 years to copy the software the iPhone is running today.
In the meantime, iPhone will be continuously upgrading its software, making it better and better.
Good luck catching up.
craig October 15, 2007
“Note the use of scrollbars in the web browser. That’s a pixel-wasting design that’s probably emblematic of the entire experience.”
Don’t be so quick to judge. The iPhone’s implementation lacks scroll bars but it sacrifices the ability to implement drag and drop, cut and paste, etc. It’s easy to be elegant when you don’t get much right. The fact that Apple claims it’s a real web experience is a joke. The configuration page on my personal home page doesn’t even work.
Just because Apple does it different doesn’t mean they do it better. The iPhone’s scroll solution is backwards from every web browser ever made.
“Or the egregious waste of space in the Dashboard (or whatever it’s called).”
Like the iPhone doesn’t do exactly the same. You don’t know the screen dimensions on this devices or what it’s state of development is.
“The interface doesn’t look polished.”
“That’s not to say the phone wouldn’t do well; most users aren’t sophisticated enough to appreciate the difference.”
After all, the iPhone has done well for exactly that reason.
“But I would guess anyone who’s actually handled an iPhone, and then used this, would find the difference significant.”
How would you know? This phone doesn’t even exist.
Nice to see you’ve passed judgement on a device that you know nothing about. If only “thoughtful interface” extended to fanboys.
And finally:
“we’ll need to see screenshots of multi-touch…”
What is a screenshot of multitouch? Do you mean the pinch zoom feature? That’s that crappiest, most poorly functioning feature of the entire device. If only Apple didn’t rely on such gimmicks.
-2James October 15, 2007
[quote comment="29753"]The reason iPod won the mp3-player wars is at least 50% due to iTunes.
It upgrades itself automatically, and it works flawlessly & simply.
The reason the iPhone is great is that it upgrades itself automatically, and works simply.
Apple’s hardware is okay, but its software is unparalleled.
Unless LG, or Nokia, or whoever wants to get into really *designing* software, none of their phones will be *real* competitors for the iPhone.
quote]
what
Seriously, Apple’s software is it’s weakest point, by far. I think what you mean is that it streamlines simple stuff for “stupid” people assuming that most people can screw up an upgrade etc. The software itself is generally buggy, flawed, inconsistant, or just plain bad.
Their UIs are pretty nice though. Most people equate software with interface, and as a software developer nothing could be further from the truth.
+3Phoenix October 15, 2007
The pinch zoom feature is crap? Does anyone have a better way to zoom in? Look at Palm and windows CE/Pocket/whatever version it is at now, their way of doing it is slow and isn’t as fast.
Unless this LG does that well, it won’t be the same. Sorry but the reason iPod is king is because the scroll wheel can’t be beat for the average consumer. There are better mp3 players out there but the interface is easy to use. I have professors and people who aren’t tech savy using the iphone and most of the features compared to their PDA or cell phones.
I cut my teeth on PC and manage a large scale windows 2k3 network but like derek said, I never had to help my users sync or manage their iphone versus PDAs, blackberries, and junk tech. By being transparent, Apple doesn’t bother me to get on my disapprove list and I won’t bother them…
+3craig October 15, 2007
“The reason iPod won the mp3-player wars is at least 50% due to iTunes.”
I disagree. The reason Apple won was that it was a major name in an emerging market filled with 2nd tier companies much the same as IBM won with the PC. With the iPhone, Apple is not in that position.
“Apple’s hardware is okay, but its software is unparalleled.
Unless LG, or Nokia, or whoever wants to get into really *designing* software, none of their phones will be *real* competitors for the iPhone.
Phones are 50% form, and 50% software.”
I agree with that, but some phones have underlying software that is likely the equal or superior of OS X for the job at hand. The problem is that phone makers do a terrible job with stability and UI. Frankly, the iPhone isn’t stable either. The iPhone has a nice screen, a nice form factor, the best soft keyboard ever (but still not as good as the real thing), and mediocre software that’s better than competitive phones. It could easily be rendered obsolete.
“Even if people can copy the look of iPhone, it will, as Apple has said, take them at least 5 years to copy the software the iPhone is running today.”
I disagree with that. The iPhone apps could be duplicated in virtually no time. Mail sucks, the SMS app is a poor ripoff of existing SMS apps, there’s no IM, no MMS, no special web browser. The remaining widgets are a joke except for the one developed by 3rd parties. Frankly, duplicating the iPhone software would be relatively easy. It didn’t take “5 years” for Apple to do it in the first place.
“In the meantime, iPhone will be continuously upgrading its software, making it better and better.”
Right. ;-) We’ve seen evidence of continuous updates but none making it better and better.
“Good luck catching up.”
Same could be said to Apple. Now that Apple has “upgraded” us with the ability to buy crap from their store and have us pay $2 for the world’s crappiest quality ringtones, perhaps they could get busy “catching up” and offer us an IM app. If Steve Jobs had actually ever used a cellphone before he “reinvented” it for us, he’d realize that people don’t use email exclusively, they like SMS, MMS, and IM as much if not more. How about letting us choose our main screen apps and offer innovative companies a chance to compete on the platform. Apple doesn’t allow 3rd party apps because it’s afraid of the competition and wants all the profits for themselves. Apple is the one that has the catching up to do.
+2craig October 15, 2007
“The pinch zoom feature is crap?”
Yes
“Does anyone have a better way to zoom in?”
Yes, any that works. With the iPhone you frequently have to try multiple times to do it at all, and when you are successful you have no idea how much or little you will get. It’s crap.
“Look at Palm and windows CE/Pocket/whatever version it is at now, their way of doing it is slow and isn’t as fast.”
It’s “slow and isn’t as fast”? Their way of “doing it”? Thanks for the breakdown ;-)
“Unless this LG does that well, it won’t be the same.”
If LG does it well, it will be better.
“Sorry but the reason iPod is king is because the scroll wheel can’t be beat for the average consumer.”
Then why have they abandoned it on their flagship versions?
“There are better mp3 players out there but the interface is easy to use.”
Apple myth.
“I have professors and people who aren’t tech savy using the iphone and most of the features compared to their PDA or cell phones.”
As long as they don’t look too closely. It takes no effort to enumerate the shortcomings of the iPhone compared to true smartphones.
“I cut my teeth on PC and manage a large scale windows 2k3 network but like derek said, I never had to help my users sync or manage their iphone versus PDAs, blackberries, and junk tech.”
That explains your ignorance. You’re an IT guy and a student.
Why does Apple have to devote so much of its “Genius Bar” time to iPod training if users don’t need to be taught how it works?
Neutralsm October 15, 2007
good thing that lg developed touch screen tech before apple..gg
NeutralChris October 15, 2007
“I cut my teeth on PC and manage a large scale windows 2k3 network but like derek said, I never had to help my users sync or manage their iphone versus PDAs, blackberries, and junk tech.”
NeutralI would doubt the expertise of a win2k3 network whose users run as administrators. Blackberries, Palm, and Win PDAs all can sync w/o desktop interfaces, users can actually set them up themselves while retaining a secure network environment.
Google Releases Maps For Nokia Mobiles October 15, 2007
I’m not much bothered about iPhone or its competitors like this one. Can any of these mobiles get software support like Nokia has? I don’t think so. Google recently release Nokia mobile version of GooleMapsApplication. It’s too good. You can’t resist it.
+1kev October 15, 2007
there is alot of bashing of this phone before any concrete details, but i do think that it will have a decent amount going for it. i am excited about the firefox mobile. I am sometimes annoyed with my 3G speeds, so EDGE is almost intolerable for me. So thats another plus. Isn’t LG’s CU line also the one that supports at&t’s video calling? the phone is probably still not for me, but neither is the iphone. doesn’t mean that it won’t be a great phone in its own right. i think the iphone has some cool features as well.
on a side not, if you are defending your choice in phone like someone insulted your mom, or religion. you might need to examine your priorities in life
+4Trev October 15, 2007
Craig, do yourself a favour and go and use the iPhone. You clearly have no experience with it beyond what you’ve seen on the internet. Specifically, your gripes about scrolling and the pinch-and-zoom feature are rediculous. Scrolling on the iPhone is completely natural and intuitive (and fast!). Scrolling would be horribly backward if it worked like a PC. With a PC you’re working with a mouse so the mechanics are different. On the iPhone its all touch so Apple has engineered it to work the way your mind works when doing things like flipping through your photos (it works and feels the same as if you were flipping through a photo album page by page) or using your finger to scroll a page. If you have a very long document on your actual desk and that document is hanging off the edge, you wouldn’t take your finger and move it down to see the rest, you would move it up to bring the document onto the desk in front of you. You have to understand that the interface is a whole new way of working with objects on the screen…but its actually a very old way of working with them insofar as you work with the the same way you would work with them physically.
The pinch-and-zoom is a neat way to get a close-up view of what you’re looking at. You certainly don’t have to use that at all (a double-tap of the screen will zoom in as well), but its certainly a creative use of the multi-touch technology and will enable some really interesting new ways to manipulate on screen objects. It doesn’t sound like you’ve ever demoed the iPhone at all the way you talk about pinch-and-zoom not working. The iPhone has a finite zoom level, so pinching-and-zooming will get you to that level, and it goes as fast or slow as you want. Pinch and move your fingers out fast and it does it fast, or pinch and move them slow and it does it slow. What was your problem using it? Works 100% of the time when I use it.
Seriously, go out and use one. You’ll be surprised.
-1Anti-Craig October 15, 2007
Bored much? So you are not a fanboy… just a technical contrarian averse to following the crowd. Congrats, but you shouldn’t be convinced that you are smarter than everyone else. I won’t try to convert you here (I know that would require you to recompile your kernel).
You can argue point by point if you wish, but the most important factor is perception. I perceive my iPhone to be the best integrated phone software and hardware since my Sidekick II. iPhone doesn’t have a wealth of features, but in true Apple style, what it does it does well. What makes iPhone one of the most desired gadgets/phones is not only the hardware and software, but marketing and hype. I doubt we’ll see LG beat Apple in the perception game even IF the hardware or software is even close.
NeutralCraig October 15, 2007
[quote comment="29759"]“The pinch zoom feature is crap?”
Yes
“Does anyone have a better way to zoom in?”
Yes, any that works. With the iPhone you frequently have to try multiple times to do it at all, and when you are successful you have no idea how much or little you will get. It’s crap.
“Look at Palm and windows CE/Pocket/whatever version it is at now, their way of doing it is slow and isn’t as fast.”
It’s “slow and isn’t as fast”?
Their way of “doing it”? Thanks for the breakdown ;-)
“Unless this LG does that well, it won’t be the same.”
If LG does it well, it will be better.
“Sorry but the reason iPod is king is because the scroll wheel can’t be beat for the average consumer.”
Then why have they abandoned it on their flagship versions?
“There are better mp3 players out there but the interface is easy to use.”
Apple myth.
“I have professors and people who aren’t tech savy using the iphone and most of the features compared to their PDA or cell phones.”
As long as they don’t look too closely. It takes no effort to enumerate the shortcomings of the iPhone compared to true smartphones.
“I cut my teeth on PC and manage a large scale windows 2k3 network but like derek said, I never had to help my users sync or manage their iphone versus PDAs, blackberries, and junk tech.”
That explains your ignorance. You’re an IT guy and a student.
Why does Apple have to devote so much of its “Genius Bar” time to iPod training if users don’t need to be taught how it works?[/quote]
NeutralHave you ever even used an iPhone?
James Allan Brady October 15, 2007
wow, i had no idea this one article was going to cause such a heated debate.
note to self, refrain from comparing any other phone to the iPhone
+2Pete October 17, 2007
A lot of people don’t realize that LG CU920 is far superior than the iPhone. They look at the media buzz instead of the technical limitations of the iPhone. The LG CU920 is a world phone and it is a 3G UMTS/HSDPA phone whereas the iPhone is a 2G phone. From a technical standpoint the iPhone is a step backward. It doesn’t support high speed data transfer without using wi-fi. It doesn’t support video either. The iPhone has limited GPRS capabilities. Apple knows it very well and I am 110% sure that they will soon release a 3G iPhone which will be UMTS/HSDPA compatible.
+3Sam October 18, 2007
Practice makes perfect right, the earliest Prada released was in december of 2006, that’s a feww months before the iPhone was released, LG has already released at least two pradas overseas, AT&T is doing PC users (not mac haters) a favor by bringing it to the states.
The phones are comparable but not the same, both have pros and cons no one is perfect.
+2Xaneth November 30, 2007
This phone also sports live TV broadcasts. 5 to 6 channels for $15 a month.
NeutralChristopher Cox January 10, 2008
[quote comment="29755"]What is a screenshot of multitouch? Do you mean the pinch zoom feature? That’s that crappiest, most poorly functioning feature of the entire device. If only Apple didn’t rely on such gimmicks.[/quote]
Pinch feature aside, the touch screen of the iPhone surpasses all others and is far more responsive. Every other touch screen on ALL Windows mobile type phones, and on the Voyager cannot compare. They do not recognize multiple touches, AND, if if you put too much surface area on the screen at once it does not recognize, or recognize accurately. That is why most people end up using their fingernail or a stylus. The iPhone is perfect in that it recognizes exactly where you touch and is predictably so. I don’t have to worry about putting too much surface area on the screen, and definitely don’t have to use my fingernail or stylus to be accurate with it.
AND, the screen on the iPhone is not soft like everywhere else … it is actually rigid glass, which gives a better feel and lasts longer resisting more scratches. Like the iPhone or hate it, they are the only ones that have done touch screens right, and will be the one people compare other touch screens against. The problem is, nothing else compares yet.
NeutralCounsel January 10, 2008
Trev and others:
Lets not pre-judge the device. It will be different from the iPhone, and the difference might not be bad.
The iPhone, with all of its wonderful interface, is a thin-client phone. With no network connection, the iPhone is a iTouch unless you have hacked the device.
My OLD treo 650 can look up numbers, dial them when displayed on the screen, and is still useful with NO network–apps run ON the phone, not ON the network.
Now, the iPhone is a phem. device. It does what it does well. To say it started all of the “touch” fad is wrong–see Treo. To say it bundled everything in a nice GUI and “intuitive” controls may be correct.
I had one. I like it for what it was, but it was not enough for me. Most of these “opinions” are based on SUBJECTIVE issues. They are, after all, opinions. You don’t have to agree with me, and I don’t think you can change my mind either :)
I travel in areas without GSM coverage. Go 2 days with no network with your iPhone. Will you still find it as “useful” as you do now?
I want a smartphone that runs apps ON the phone rather than on the network. No thin-client phone for me..
NeutralFrisby January 30, 2008
Hey. Jcy, your claims are stupid the iphone first of sucks and it has takin’ 3 updates just to make it half way functional. i have a gay i phone and it makes a great wifi tablet, but other then that it is the worst phone i have ever touched, this new lg already has a flipped touch keybopard that rotates with the screen unlike the iphone, that alone makes this 5 times the iphone plus it is 3g. don’t talk unless you know any thing about phones thanks.
NeutralSandra D. August 11, 2008
The cool thing about this LG is that unlike the I-Phone you can remove the battery once it dies (after a year or so of recharging) and replace it without having to send in the device and having to buy a new one. The I-Phone on average has a battery life of 16 months, the warranty is only good for 12, once it dies you have to buy a new one and you loose all of your information as well. My husband wanted the I-Phone and I instead got him the LG, better phone, cheaper price. HE LOVES IT!!! and me for buying it for him. 8-.)
NeutralTech Wiz October 25, 2008
Iphone is about to get a rude awakening. The LG Vu is amazing. I’ve had my chance to toy with an iphone and the vu is SO much easier and apple also needs to look out for Blackberry as they are also releasing the “Storm”. Every business man and woman will be after it. Iphone’s days are numbered as competitors create better models of the touch screen technology.
Neutral