Verdict on the Voyager and Venus: Pretty

Though Verizon Wireless isn't announcing the LG Venus and Voyager at CTIA, the cell phones are making guest appearances. I got a few minutes to play with both handsets, the first time I've seen them in the flesh, and I all I can say is, "wow." Both the Venus and Voyager sport throughly lovely designs that will do a lot to bring more style to the formerly stodgy Verizon. Yes, they're a bit on the hefty side, but they back up their bulk with sleek and shiny profiles.

As an update the the LG enV, the Voyager features the same folding design that hides the full QWERTY keyboard. They keyboard itself is about the same as on the enV with a similar set of shortcut options. We noticed, however, that the keyboard feels a tad more spacious, and the redesigned toggle is somewhat easier to use. The internal screen doesn't show a lot of changes either, but its landscape orientation will lend itself well to displaying V Cast Mobile TV. The Voyager also has the same twin speakers on both sides of the display.

But it's the Voyager's exterior that holds the most changes. While the enV's exterior keypad and tiny external display were less than stellar, the Voyager's has an expansive touch screen. I gave the display a test run and was impressed with its vibrance and color resolution. The touch feedback felt a tad pokey, but that could be due to the sensitivity settings. I also fancied the rounded edges--it's not nearly as boxy as the enV--and the slick black color, though I didn't like that the rear-facing camera lens has no lens cover. But on the whole, this phone promises to be a design winner.

The Venus also has a large touch display, and I loved the design of the onscreen navigation controls. What's more, colors were bright and the graphics were sharp. Sliding up the display reveals a keypad in an attractive two-toned color. The keys were spacious and user-friendly, even if they are flush with the surface of the phone.

The Venus should be out November 7, while the Voyager is scheduled to be available one month later. We'll review both phones just as soon as we can get them, so stay tuned.