LG Versa VX9600

The LG Versa VX9600 is its own class, in one sense. It's a slab phone with virtual alphanumeric and QWERTY keyboards on its touch screen. But if that doesn't do it for you, you can attach the included QWERTY keyboard that reviewers describe as "roomy." Vice versa, get it? The LG Versa VX9600 is also unusual in supporting Flash Lite 3 (for ads and games, mostly). Still, reviews ding the LG Versa VX9600's Web-browsing experience, sometimes because of crashes while loading full HTML pages, sometimes because reviewers would like a larger screen -- although a 3-inch screen on a cell phone really isn't small, it's just smaller than the 3.5-incher on the Apple iPhone it's being compared against. Some reviews praise call quality, some say the LG Versa VX9600 has weak reception for a 3G-enabled handset. InfoSync's Philip Berne summarizes it this way: LG created a "great" phone, but "Verizon Wireless sat on their laurels, and the phone is saddled with some of the worst messaging, navigation and music apps in the industry." PCMag.com's Sascha Segan also says Verizon's email and IM support is lacking compared with Sprint's offerings.

The QWERTY keyboard is not the only attachable option. There is also a separate gamepad, but no one had reviewed it yet. Most reviews also say the 2-megapixel camera's autofocus really slows down picture-taking. But there is a flash for the camera. Reviews say the music and video players are nothing special. There is a microSD slot on the side. PCMag.com tested battery life at about 5.5 hours of talk time.

We found no shortage of credible, thorough reviews for the LG Versa VX9600. PCMag.com, CNET, InfoSync, MobileBurn.com and MobileTechReview.com are all thorough, unbiased sources of cell phone reviews. And if you have a subscription, Consumer Reports includes the LG Versa VX9600 in its handy ratings chart. Owner reviews are trickling in at CNET, Amazon.com, PhoneScoop.com and PhoneDog.com.