LG Dare FAQ (READ THIS if you are new and have questions)

Introduction...

Congratulations, you have a Dare - one of the coolest phones currently available!  Hopefully this thread will keep some of the most commonly asked questions in one place.  If anyone has anything to add, please leave a reply (try to type it as well as you can, punctuation, capitalization etc.) and I will update the OP with your info.

Also I'd like to add that the board has a search function that works really well!  Give it a try and you might be surprised that your question was already asked...and answered!

Customizable Home screen...

The Dare has a customizable home screen - you can drag whichever things you use the most onto the home screen for easy access!

• Open the Shortcut Menu.
• Press and hold your finger on an Icon.
• Drag it up above the Shortcut Menu and drop.

Voila, you can now move it to where you wish on the home screen.  To undo this drag the icon back to the little triangle that brings you to the Shortcut Menu.  If a feature you would like on the homescreen is not on the Shortcut Menu, simply press "set" and put what you would like into the shortcut menu, then drag it to the home screen.

Battery Life...

The general concensus is 1.5-4 daysdepending on use.  Here are a couple threads.

• Battery Life
• Hows the Battery Life

How to get content (music, videos) from the phone to your computer...

• Plug your phone into the computer and if it asks, put it in Data Mode.
• Go to the Tools Menu (Shortcut Menu) and scroll all the way down to USB Mass Storage.
• Browse to your phone on the computer.

Folders:
           

• media = System Folder used by Dare Operating System.
• my_flix = Movies and/or Videos
• my_music = Music
• my_pix = Pictures and Animated GIF Files.  GIF files can be loaded onto the phone just like normal pictures.
                 GIF files are just images which replay in a loop.
• my_sounds = Voice Memo Recordings

Is texting easy on the Dare...

For most people texting is not a problem on this phone or it takes some time to get used to and some people even grow to like it more than a physical QWERTY keyboard.

Can I download Applications, etc...

Verizon locks down its phones.  Although there are rumors of the Dare being opened up to 3rd party developers - there is no public plan to do so.

• VZ Navigator - A very good GPS app that talks to you.  ($9.99 subscription, $2.99 one day use, free with a premium plan)
• Mobile Email - A way to check POP and IMAP accounts from your phone.  ($5 subscription, free with a premium plan)
• VCAST Song ID - A very cool program that will tell you what song you are hearing.  It is pretty accurate even with some obscure music.  It has done well with every kind of music I have tested it with except classical and world music.  Sometimes it will stop working, though, and not recognise anything - in this case restart your phone and it should be fixed.  (Free, accessible via Main Menu > Music & Tones > Get New Ringtones)
• Visual Voicemail - a new feature that will be added in the near future.  ($2.99 subscription, free with a premium plan)

There are a few other Applications (which I don't use so I won't go into them) accessable through Main Menu > Media Center > Browse and Download.

Music Player issues...

Before you ask - here are some known issues with the music player.  There is a chance that these will be fixed in a future update.

• The Dare plays songs alphabetically - not by how they are ordered on an album. (FIXED - FirmWare V05)
• You cannot skip to a certain point in a song - you must slooowly fast forward/rewind your way there.
• If you use the shuffle feature and have more than 250 songs - it will not pick any songs past that number. (FIXED - FirmWare V05)

How to take good pictures using the Dare...

• Get the most out of your Dare's Picture Camera.
• For all you people who get amazing pictures. What are your settings...

What uses MB and what doesn't?  I don't want to be charged for data usage because I don't have VPak...

If you want to do just about anything other than text and call from your Dare - I would DEFINITELY recommend getting the VPAK, which gives you unlimited MB usage (i.e. you won't be charged anything extra for looking on the web, which can add up MB's very quickly...I know from experience unfortunately...)

• What uses data? Which data programs incur MB Charges?

How to check if you are eligible for a work discount via your work email address...

For the longest time I didn't know about this, and after finding it I was happy to see I can get 15% off my bill and 25% of all accessories.  Students might want to check too - my work is connected to a University and is a .edu address.  I would think the students at this school could get the discount too.

• Employee Discount Program

great post, it will probably help a lot of people. you get a cookie 



thanks a lot for this! its amazing!  !!

doesn't it cost money to buy songs on VCAST? is there a cheaper way to download music.? i tried putting it on my phone through the usb connecion on the computer it says the song from itunes si on my phone but it doesnt show up in my songs.

wow. this took alot of work. good job

You could download an audio book and then transfer it to the Dare, but there is no way to buy the book directly from the phone.  Unless vcast starts getting audio books in the future.  Do you know how to transfer music to the phone?  You would transfer the audiobook the same way.

Only down side is that the dare will not save your spot when you stop the book, and when you restart it there is no easy way to skip to where you left off.

the faq looks awesome guys,  keep up the great work.

is it possible to watch movies on this phone i already have some on my computer. please help

great post! i dont have a dare yet but im getting it tomorrow and i looked at the texting thread you had and i will try that out thanks. and you seemed to have helped alot of people.