LG Versa’s detachable QWERTY: $200 feature phone seeks attention at Verizon

Verizon Wireless will begin selling the Versa by LG Electronics Co. for $200 with rebate and two-year contract on March 1.
A multimedia handset with touchscreen and virtual QWERTY keypad that docks into a detachable base with an actual QWERTY keypad may test consumers’ interest in and knowledge of the difference between feature- and smartphones. The Versa appeared to be a feature phone with touchscreen, but a Verizon Wireless spokeswoman said the carrier considered phones with closed OSs, Web access and e-mail to be smartphones.
The intriguing design also appeared to reflect that the basic hardware designs of the past few years – slabs, clamshells, candybars and sliders – have run their course to some degree. In an era when the desktop has gone mobile with a PC-laptop-netbook-MID progression, mobile devices are hitting the market that aspire to give users a sense, however diminutive, of the desktop experience.
The Versa offers a 2-megapixel camera, a variety of music formats, an animated, 3D user interface and the detachable QWERTY module. It supports numerous Verizon Wireless services. The carrier suggested that buyers would optimize their experience with an $80/month nationwide premium calling plan with unlimited messaging and data.