I recently upgraded my Razr flip phone, for a LG Dare smartphone. I, like most other people loved the idea of having a smartphone. It looked cool, easy to view, type and text and had access to my email as well as any other online applications. It can be viewed horizontally or vertically and I just touch the screen and pages change, pictures get bigger or smaller. So admittedly, I fell for all the bells and whistles. I will try to be unbiased in writing this review; however you already are aware of my excitement.



Firstly, I would highly suggest reading the user guide. I understand that in this new technological world we are inundated with user guides and installation booklets, etc. Personally, I usually like the trial and error approach. I like to get right to figuring it out on my own then reading about what I might have missed. This time, however, I was a bit lost in the set up section and needed to refer to the guide right away. You may be a bit quicker than me, or have already used a smartphone, so use your own judgment and don't be embarrassed if the guide leads the way.

For the set up you have to first unlock the screen every time you use it. At first this seemed quite the frustration but admittedly, it makes sense since it is a touch screen and can be activated in your hand, pocket, carry case, etc. After about a week and a half it was an automatic step in using the phone and forgot all about that frustration. Not so with the touch screen. I have small, delicate fingers, with sensibly filed nails. I assumed this would be fine when using the keypad for texting. Not so. It's a bit finicky and I still have to delete and fix on the QWERTY keyboard every time. I prefer the horizontal keypad since it's larger. I finally found the settings for touch pad sensitivity; this will save you a lot of time if you set that up right in the beginning.

I know myself and I wanted all the bells and whistles. I purchased the upgraded SD-card and adapter because I didn't want any visual limitations for myself or people whom I send pictures and videos. It's not that much more and it will save you so much stress and frustrations. Most of you already know what the SD-card does, but for those of you who don't, it allows you to transfer pictures and videos to your computer and vise versa. The SD-card slot on the LG Dare is really slim. Even with my little fingers I found it hard, so I suggest tweezers or something similar to insert and release. Otherwise, it's the typical slot you find in digital phones and the like. You push in until it clicks to stay and push in until it clicks to release. The pictures are truly fantastic. I loved playing with the picture and video functions; I'm still playing in fact. Once again use the user guide for ideas.

The browser was great. It's not my large computer screen so it takes a bit of time to get used to, but it's definitely user friendly. I set up my email accounts to the Dare, as well as my facebook account. I would suggest not adding the alert however, unless you want to have a smartphone constantly beeping. I don't. Also, scrolling on the smartphone is a bit tricky at first. Tapping opens objects and touch scrolls through them. Time and practice will train you pretty quickly, but be patient.

Overall, I love the new LG Dare. It's definitely a step up from my Razr, and fun to use. It's light and ergonomically designed for easy use. I imagine this is just the beginning for LG and their smartphone line. I can't imagine what will be next, but I know I'll love it!