It’s a unique touchscreen phone, but it might be more trouble than it’s worth. The LG Versa from Verizon Wireless ($199 with two-year contract and rebate) includes a combination keyboard-case that you can attach for heavy-duty messaging or leave behind when you want to travel light. The device also sports an attractive 3D interface you can populate with shortcuts to your favorite contacts, Web sites, and other apps and a relatively responsive accelerometer than changes the display’s orientation and lets you play motion-controlled games.
However, attaching and removing the keyboard is a bit of a pain, and using the Versa as a phone with the keyboard connected is awkward. We also don’t understand why LG didn’t include a full-size 3.5mm headphone jack. The Versa is an interesting concept, but only some will find its versatility worth the high price.
Design
If you like the idea of having a detachable keyboard, be prepared for some trade-offs. By itself, the Versa is pretty light and easy to carry, measuring 4.2 x 2.1 x 0.5 inches and weighing 3.8 ounces. The phone is noticeably narrower but a bit heavier than the 3.7-ounce LG Dare. Although it’s getting a little tired, we still like the black-on-chrome look of LG’s touchscreen phones, and the Versa fits easily into a pocket sans keyboard.
Adding the keyboard balloons the weight of the Versa up to 5.6 ounces, but does not add too much in the way of bulk. The good news is that the hinge is sturdy, and this attachment doubles as a pleather cover, complete with a small 0.9-inch OLED screen for peeking at incoming calls. Unfortunately, you have to remove the battery cover to attach the keyboard, all but guaranteeing that many users will lose it. (The cover also obscures the microSD Card slot on the right side of the phone, but that’s more forgivable.)
The left side of the Versa has the ever-annoying 2.5mm headphone jack (which won’t accept standard 3.5mm headphones without an adapter), volume controls, the camera button, and a proprietary charging/USB port. Here is where you’ll also find the unlocking mechanism for the battery cover and keyboard attachment. Removing both is relatively simple: just push the switch downward while you pull on a little lip of plastic that’s conveniently built-in.
Keyboard and Other Attachment Possibilities
Typing using the Versa’s 3-inch touchscreen is not a fun experience. We like that a QWERTY layout shows up when you turn the phone to landscape mode, and that letters pop up after you hit them to confirm your entries, but too often the Versa typed the wrong letter or didn’t register our first touch. The physical keyboard attachment is a completely different story: The keys are large and backlit, make a satisfying click, and have a good amount of travel for rapid text entry. Our only real beef is that the period key is in an unusual spot—to the right of the L key. LG could have easily put the period key in the bottom row if they just got rid of the arrow keys, which seem unnecessary with a touchscreen.
Though the keyboard doubles as a pleather cover with an external display and dedicated Send and End keys, and you can still hold a conversation with the cover closed, using the Versa in this mode can be awkward. For starters, you can only call the last number dialed; you’ll have to open the phone to cycle through other recently dialed numbers, or use the dialpad. And if you’re dialing a number that requires entering numbers after you dial, like an extension or menu option for voicemail or customer support, you’ll have to open and then close the cover to continue your conversation.
The LG Versa could be become more compelling over time as Verizon Wireless and LG make available additional attachment modules. Though nothing is confirmed, there has been talk of speakers and game controllers.
