Verizon, one of the leading U.S. mobile operators, on Wednesday unveiled three new mobile phones to compete with the iPhone, which is available only through Verizon’s rival AT&T. Among Verizon’s new products, the Voyager from LG Electronics has a touchscreen display as wide as that of the iPhone. And the Voyager uses a wireless Internet service that is faster than the one available for the iPhone. Beside the touchscreen, it also has a flip-open keypad, which is expected to attract iPhone admirers who want a traditional keypad. Another LG Electronics phone, the black and pink Venus, also has a touchscreen display with a keypad that slides beneath it. Both Venus and Voyager have 2-megapixel cameras and allow high-speed mobile Internet access for speedy music and movie downloads. Verizon will release the two phones next month.
The third phone competitor Juke from Samsung is an ultra-slim phone that looks like a bar-type but has a swivel keypad. Samsung Juke is among the shortest swivel phones ever launched in the U.S. It doesn’t support high-speed wireless Internet, but its high-tech design should appeal to young early adopters. The Samsung Juke will go on sale Oct. 19. Verizon’s new phones cost from US$100 to $400, less expensive than the iPhone ($399). It will kill the iPhone,” promised Mike Lanman, Verizon’s chief marketing officer. Verizon has the biggest subscriber base in the eastern U.S.