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When it comes to touchscreen phones, the one thing nobody can agree on is the onscreen keyboard.  Some people don’t mind using it at all, while others refuse to buy an iPhone because it lacks a physical keyboard.  With their new phone, LG is looking to appeal to both crowds, and surprisingly, the phone has an interesting new design.

The LG Versa, at first glance looks like the LG EnV2 that’s also on Verizon’s network, but it lacks a keypad on the front of the device.  Instead, it is covered in what appears to be a faux leather exterior with OLED display, and call/end buttons.  Opening up the case reveals the touchscreen and the keyboard, again taking a cue from the EnV2.  The phone can be taken out of the case and carried around without it, limiting it’s usage to the onscreen keyboard on the 3-inch screen.

The Versa looks to be a good compromise between touchscreen and physical keyboard, even if it looks to be a bit top-heavy when using the physical keyboard.  The interface is similar to that of the Arena, which should give jealous Verizon members an excuse as to why they don’t want an iPhone.  Or those Verizon users could just load up YouTube on the Versa and show off its flash support to those poor flash-less iPhone users.

The Versa won’t be cheap, it’ll run $200 after $50 rebate and a two-year contract.  So it might be hard justifying it over an iPhone or G1 unless you really hate using anything other than Verizon.

Read [Electronista]