Whether you like it or not, the comparisons to the Apple iPhone and the Samsung Instinct will continue. And while the LG Versa is far from an iPhone killer, it does resemble LG’s own Dare and it has some interesting and intuitive features that differentiate it from the leaders in the cell phone market. These degrees of separation are most apparent as soon as you open the box to discover a QWERTY keyboard module, which you can attach to the LG Versa and unfortunately requires you to open up the battery compartment to do so.

On the bright side, there are other modules (which reminds me of Wii-type accessories) offered as well, including an optional gaming controller for use with the, count ‘em, three preloaded games. However, the LG Versa is also heavily lacking in other areas that keep it from entering the smartphone fray of the market. Such oversights include the lack of Wi-Fi certification and Exchange mobile e-mail service.

So far this review has been pretty underwhelming, and undressing the LG Versa isn’t going to reveal anything much sexier. What’s inside is pretty standard fair with regards to cell phones, which should make the novice user, or even the guy looking for a relatively basic phone, pretty happy. With a two-year contract and $199, the LG Versa offers a run-of-the-mill two-megapixel digital camera, although it takes decent pictures at five different resolutions and five different white balance presets. Also onboard with the camera are a number of features such as AF, panorama mode, SmartPic technology, and editing tools.

The LG Versa comes with basically four home screens (one for applications, one for media and web bookmarks, one for contacts, and, if you attach the QWERTY module, one for its dedicated functions), and while the first three function well with the touch interface (and are customizable), if you plan on doing any navigation with the web browser, be prepared to execute some patience, as it’s fairly unresponsive. However, the three-inch TFT LCD with accelerometer is a decent enough size while the 240 x 480 pixels and 262,000 colors provide crisp images.

The 3.8-ounce LG Versa with 290 minutes of talk time also features Flash Lite, V Cast Video and Music (although songs cost $1.99 to download with a Rhapsody subscription), EV-DO, GPS, and stereo Bluetooth. Despite all its eccentricities, I like how the volume rocker can be used to zoom in and out of web pages. The most disappointing thing for me is that fact that the LG Versa offers a 2.5 mm headphone jack instead of the industry standard 3.5 mm jack. Boo, LG.

All in all, it’s a solid phone, but it’s nothing to call home about.