Verizon will launch Chocolate 3 on July 14

Sue Marek — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:02:58 -0400

The much-anticipated LG Chocolate 3 will make its debut with Verizon Wireless Monday, July 14 with a price-tag of $129 with a two-year contract and $50 rebate. The Chocolate 3, is the first phone released with one-button access to the VCAST Music with Rhapsody service that launched last week. Although the service is accessible with nine other Verizon handsets, the LG Chocolate 3 with its one-button access is intended to really showcase the service because it makes it extremely easy for consumers to find their tunes.

The handset sports a clamshell form factor and works on Verizon's EVDO network. It comes with a two-megapixel camera, an FM transmitter and a microSD card slot. The phone is expected to launch in two colors--black and baby blue.

VCAST Music with Rhapsody offers unlimited access to music on up to three compatible handsets, portable media devices and/or PCs for $14.99 per month. In addition, the service enables a la carte purchases for $1.99 per download.

For more:
- see these images of the Chocolate 3
- see this story

Related stories:
V CAST, Rhapsody deal...for real
V Cast Music with Rhapsody launches on Verizon

iPhone: Here's what the naysayers are saying

Sue Marek — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:53:58 -0400

Not everyone is happy with the new iPhone 3G, which made its official debut yesterday at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. Critics say the iPhone 3G doesn't have any new exciting application to make it a "must have." Others say that while HSPA will certainly help the user experience, as will the promise of third-party applications, they were hoping for more capabilities. Here's a breakdown of some of the most vocal critics:

-- Ovum analyst Steven Hartley says that despite the iPhone's support for things such as Exchange and Cisco's VPN, most IT departments will be fearful of using iTunes to synchronize enterprise applications. "Fundamentally, the 3G iPhone is little different from its forebear. It offers nothing that many other devices can not offer."

-- John Wang, HTC's chief marketing officer, told Forbes that Apple's announcements were "old news." HTC, he notes, has been making "enterprise-ready" phones for five years, 3G phones for nearly a year and phones with global positioning system technology for more than six months.

-- Speaking at an event hosted by iHollywood Forum yesterday, Anu Kirk director of product management at Rhapsody, said that he doesn't think the iPhone 3G can duplicate iPod's success, at least not with just AT&T as the phone's only carrier. He also said that Rhapsody isn't threatened because the iPhone still doesn't provide over the air downloads on AT&T's 3G network, only over WiFi.

For more:
- see this Forbes article
- see this CNET article