Announced today is the intention of Verizon to release its own answer to the iPhone. The phone is built by LG and called the VX 10000 Voyager.

If models number size foretells quality, this will be the be all, end all to phones! 5 digits, wow!

The phone, pictured below, certainly looks like an iPhone.

The VX 10000 Voyager has a screen of 400 x 240 pixels, and certainly seems adequately styled. Verizon thinks it will work more than adequately, showing itself as much better than the Apple device. The picture above shows the front of the phone, but hidden in the picture is the QWERTY keyboard, much like the one on the other Verizon handheld device by LG, the enV.

Verizon seems to feel that the keyboard will be used very infrequently, as the user interface accessed by touch on the face of the phone will obviate any other needs.

Full HTML browsing, VCAST support, a new Verizon mobile e-mail service and mobile IM client are some of the features of the Voyager.

The handset also includes a 2-megapixel camera, and a music player that supports .mp3, .wma, and .aac files. To accompany the music player, the unit has stereo speakers, an external headphone jack, as well as support for stereo Bluetooth headsets. Memory is expandable to 8GB via microSD.

Verizon has arguably the strongest network in the United States, so this device starts with a leg up in what appears to be the battle to topple the iPhone’s cachet.

The last paragraph tells the tale. This phone will not have to be any better than an iPhone - just equal. The Verizon network be the kicker for many, as talking is the primary purpose of any phone. When faced with the choice of the Apple status, plus AT&T, or a comparable Verizon phone from LG, with a superior network, the choice will be easy.

All Verizon has to do is pray for good QC from LG - something that would be new from that company.

Tags: verizon, iphone, lg, vx 10000 voyager, at&t, superior network, qc