I purchased the Samsung Rant a little over a month ago from my nearest local Sprint store at the full retail price of 299.99. I had my eye on the phone after seeing the initial CNET FirstLook video for it at CTIA. I must say that I wasn’t necessarily planning on buying the Rant, but I’m weak; I fell for the advertising.

Phone Design

The one thing I immediately noticed about the Samsung Rant is that it looks almost exactly like the LG Rumor. Both phones are candy bar style phones with sideways, slide out QWERTY keyboards. Both phones are clearly geared towards people who are texting and IM fanatics who don’t want or can’t afford the expensive data plans with smart phones. Both phones are on the heftier and wider side, probably due to the sliding keyboard; however, I actually found that I like the phone’s thicker width, which makes it more comfortable for me to hold while talking without my headset. I also found that the Rant differs from the LG Rumor with a sexier design, especially the red version. It’s clear that the Rant is the successor to the Rumor, which has been around for well over a year now. In some ways, I’m a little disappointed that Sprint and Samsung couldn’t come up with a design that wasn’t so similar to the Rumor. It’s a clear copycat, but it’s something I obviously can live with since I purchased the phone. (more…)

My Samsung UpStage needed to be replaced, so I decided to bite the bullet and purchase a new phone at full price; I was concerned my UpStage wouldn’t make it until April. Therefore, I did some cell phone research on the latest cell phone lineup at Sprint. Of course, Sprint offered a weak lineup that gave me limited options on phones that I actually liked. The phones that made my shortlist included:

• LG Muziq
• Treo 755
• Motorazr2

I decided to go with the Motorazr2, which was my first Motorola cell phone in eight years. I drooled over the first Razr when the phone first launched a few years ago. I loved its keypad and thinness, but bad experiences with Motorola phones kept me away and faithful to European and Asian phones: Nokia, Siemens, Toshiba, and Samsung. However, the Motorazr2 finally lured me back to the brand, especially after discovering that Sprint put their menu system on the phone.

I’ve had the Motorazr2 now for approximately a month and a half, and while I can’t say it’s the best phone I’ve ever owned, it’s definitely the most stylish. I normally don’t factor looks highly when selecting a phone, preferring performance and reliability over looks. I was especially careful about doing my research after the issues I experienced with my UpStage. While my UpStage was a head turner, the Motorazr2 is head and shoulders above my previous phone. The steel and glass design provides a touch of class and sophistication; however, I have discovered that it can also be easy to drop because it can be a little slippery. Fortunately, the two times I dropped it was on carpet; I highly recommend purchasing a case for the phone. (more…)