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.

Menu System

The Rant’s menu system has Sprint’s new one-click interface. It’s clear this new interface is Sprint’s attempt at allowing easier access to frequently used applications. However, this is a good thing; I can’t complain about the one-click interface. It allows you to customize some of the phone’s tiles (one-click shortcut functions) and add/remove tiles. I found that the one-click interface allowed me to access many features without going into the phone’s main menu system. Although it took a little while for me to get acclimated, I found that the one-click interface is the best phone menu system I’ve ever used.

As for main menu system, the Rant pretty much has the exact, 12-icon menu system that I’ve grown accustomed to over the past six years, which isn’t a bad thing. If you don’t like the one-click interface, you can always use the main menu system exclusively. For my needs, I find that I rarely have to go into the main menu system since nearly everything I access is on the one-click interface.

Another feature I like is the ability to add/remove “bubbles” on the home title. Bubbles can best be described as mini applications that allow you instant access to certain features. For example, there are horoscope, weather, finance, news, and sports news bubbles. At the most, you can view two bubbles from the phone’s screen without having to scroll and view the others.

Phone Features

Where the LG Rumor lacks Sprint’s broadband services (Sprint TV, Sprint Music, etc.) and 3G Internet speed, the Rant has those features. The Rant also includes the following:

• Sprint Navigator and Family Locator services
• 2.0 megapixel camera (with a self-portrait mirror but no flash)
• Video camera
• Threaded text messages (by conversation)
• Messaging options – email, text, IM, and Voice SMS
• Bluetooth
• Organizer options – calendar, tip calculator, alarm, etc.
• Other standard mobile phone features

One of the Rant’s main attractions is the slide out, QWERTY keyboard. It was the one main feature that drew me to the phone; however, it is also the phone’s main disappointment for me. The keys are rubberized (which is fine) and really stiff (not fine), especially the Space bar key. I had to press each key hard while typing. Having used a BlackBerry before (setting things up for my mom and dad), I don’t know of any logical reason why the Rant’s keyboard is so stiff. The stiffness of the keys initially slowed me down while texting, but I must say it did loosen up some over the past few weeks. Typing (in terms of the stiffness) is better, but IM conversations make my thumbs sore from having to press the keys with more force. Additionally, the spacing of the Rant’s keys makes it easy for typing mistakes to occur. I know I’m transitioning from being a T9 texter to a QWERTY texter, but I’ve had a QWERTY style phone before. I never had the rate of typing errors on that phone like I have on the Rant.

Call Quality

For me, the Rant’s call quality is fine…if I’m using speakerphone or a Bluetooth headset. The Rant has one small circle at the bottom of the phone, which serves as a speaker when you’re talking directly into the phone. Some people have complained that they couldn’t hear me that well when I wasn’t using my headset or speakerphone. I have no idea why Samsung (and other manufacturers) adopted this type of design for the phone’s speaker; it’s also on the Samsung M520 that I have, and I had the same call quality issues. Maybe Samsung feels most people are using headsets anyway, so they don’t feel the need to design a better speaker for talking directly into the phone. For me, this isn’t a big deal since I talk on my phone via a Bluetooth headset 99% of the time. However, if you’re the kind of talker who holds the phone up to your head all the time (and why would you being doing this?), then be aware that callers on the other side may not be able to hear you as well, even in quiet environments.

As for hearing the callers via the Rant’s earpiece, I had no problems. Callers on the other end sounded pretty clear, and I had no issues hearing them while holding the phone up to my ear. The same can be said for the speakerphone when placing it on my desk.

Battery Life

According to the user guide, the Samsung Rant offers 5.5 hours of talk time. Since I’m the kind of person who rarely talks more than an hour on my phone, it was hard for me to ascertain if this talk time estimate is accurate. Plus, I have more things to do with my time than talk for hours to test talk time; I’m not CNET. However, I can say that the standby on this phone is pretty excellent…if you’re using the phone within normal parameters. Normal parameters mean the following: that you don’t keep Bluetooth on all the time; that you’re not watching Sprint TV for 30 minutes to an hour or more daily; that you have the backlight settings on the lowest setting possible; and that you’re not constantly texting, instant messaging, or surfing the Internet. Now, this doesn’t mean the phone’s battery life is bad because it’s not. There have been times when I’ve watched Sprint TV for an hour and a half, and the battery drain was hardly noticeable (if I had a full or near fully charged battery). If I use the Rant sparingly and leave it on 24/7, the battery typically lasts for 3-4 days. However, if you’re a heavy phone user (not just voice), I suggest charging it every night. Overall, I’m happy with the battery life and standby time on the Rant. On a typical day of usage (moderate texting, moderate Internet surfing, and some talking), my Rant’s battery meter only drops down halfway by the end of the workday. Obviously usage amount affects the life of the battery, but even on heavy days of usage, I have no fears about my Rant making it through a workday.

Overall Take

I love the addition of threaded text messages (thank you iPhone), the one-click interface, and the improved email inbox layout for my various email accounts. The Rant is really feature-packed and is a phone that will garnish attention with its looks. It’s also a good option for people who don’t want or need a smart phone. I would say that it’s a phone geared towards the younger set, but that’s not to say that older adults who like to text and IM won’t like the Rant.

The biggest disappointment for me is the QWERTY keyboard. I have a feeling that as I grow more accustomed to QWERTY typing, I will become more dissatisfied with the Rant’s stiff keyboard. If you’ve had your eye on the Rant, you might want to try out the QWERTY keyboard in the store before buying. Again, it loosened up for me over the past month, but it still requires more force than I typically have to apply on a phone’s keyboard. If you’re accustomed to QWERTY style typing, the Rant’s stiff keyboard will slow you down so beware. I have a feeling that QWERTY typists will not like the keyboard and might end up returning the phone if they’re use to a less-stiff keyboard.

I also noticed that the phone has frozen and locked up on me a couple of times. This has happened when I finished typing a text message QWERTY style (in landscape mode) and then closed the slide out keyboard to return to portrait mode. Normally a reboot (powering the phone off and back on) resolves any issues. Unfortunately, phone freezes are something I’ve come to expect in all phones as they become more all around devices rather than just phones; however, the Rant’s phone freezes (at this point) aren’t so terrible where I would suggest you stay away from it. Additionally, when the phone switches from portrait mode to landscape mode, there are times when the Rant’s “Send Message” menu doesn’t display (if and only if the phone is on the home title when switching from portrait to landscape mode). This is slightly annoying, and navigating to the messaging tile is something you shouldn’t to resort to. It just would be better if the phone would be consistent in bringing up the “Send Message” menu when it’s suppose to instead of most of the time. I suspect Samsung will address some of these issues in a future firmware update. But again, in my experience, the little quirks and phone hiccups aren’t enough for me to wave the red flag.

Despite some issues, the Samsung Rant is one of better phones I’ve owned in recent years. Although some people say that Samsung is “hit or miss” with their phones, I think the Rant is a hit…at least for me. There’s a reason why Sprint is marketing the Samsung Rant heavily. Sprint is hoping it will bring in new customers and retain current customers. If you’re a potential, new customer, I would advise you to think long and hard about switching to Sprint for the Samsung Rant. If you’re an existing customer, it might be enough for you to hang with Sprint for a while longer…assuming you’re happy with your service. The Samsung Rant is a nice little mobile phone, but Sprint being the carrier for the phone might be one thing that holds it back, unfortunately.

In the Box

The Samsung Rant was packaged with the following items:

• 256MB Micro SD card and adapter
• Standard Li-Ion battery
• Phone charger
• USB cable
• Standard back plate (for the battery cover)
• Tattooed style changeable back plate (for the battery cover)
• User guides

• 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.

The Motorazr2 has a large internal and external display in which the latter has already spoiled me. I have noticed that the external display is not as bright and colorfully vibrant as the internal display, but it’s entirely suitable and nothing to complain about. The external display’s vibra touch buttons for Sprint TV, the Sprint Music Store, and the camera phone are thoughtful add-ons that I appreciate. I must admit that for my purposes, I only use the Sprint TV vibra touch button. I refuse to buy songs from the Sprint Music Store, and I rarely use my camera phone. There are times when the vibra touch buttons don’t respond to finger presses if you don’t press the button just right; however, this happens rarely in my experience.

Once you flip open the phone, you are dazzled with a shiny keypad that’s “normal” in comparison to the previous versions of the Razr. The keypad is flat; however, each key is lined with a slightly raised textured surface for the numbers, back button, talk/end keys, and soft-key menu buttons. The keypad is a little slippery, but the textured keys helps. The menu rocker is designed well enough where you won’t make mistakes selecting menu options. This is a fact I appreciate after using the horrible menu rocker on the Samsung M510, my backup (cheap) cell phone. As for the menu itself, the deal-breaker for me would have been the menu interface. I remember the days when Motorola had the most confusing menu interface on cell phones, which was completely opposite of the easiness of Nokia phone menu systems. Motorola’s horrible menu interfaces was one of the reasons why I ditched the brand several years ago. Fortunately, Sprint incorporated their menu interface, which I’m well familiar with after upgrading to the UpStage. Setting up my phone and customizing the features were easy since I didn’t have to learn an entirely new menu system. As I was setting up my phone’s features, I did notice a bit of slow responses to button actions. This is particularly noticeable when selecting a screensaver. I also noticed that Motorola’s screen colors and menu icons are dim and a little boring in comparison to what’s available on Samsung phones. I’m use to vibrantly, colorful icons that do more than zoom in and out on the screen since I’ve been a Samsung owner for several years, so for me, it was a step backwards. Also, when you are in the menu system, the background screensaver loses quality, taking on a GIF-like design rather than the lowest compressed JPEG graphic. I find this a bit disappointing but again, is something I can live with.

The Motorazr2 as an actual phone has mixed results. I have good call quality and better reception, in terms of signal strength, than I had with my UpStage and even my old Toshiba. The speaker phone is okay; it’s nothing to write home about. The one thing I don’t like is Motorola’s decision to place the speaker phone on the back of the phone. When I use speakerphone, I have a habit of sitting it on a desk or my lap. Because of the speaker phone placement, I can’t really do this without sounding muffled to the other caller. However, I’m a Bluetooth headset power-user, so the Motorazr2’s speakerphone isn’t a feature I will use often. I’ll just have to remember not to sit it on my lap. No one I talk to complains that I sound like I’m under a water tank when I’m talking on my phone, so that’s a good sign.

Call quality aside, the Motorazr2’s big downside is the battery life. The battery standby and talk time is way below what I’ve been use to for several years. I have to charge the phone nearly every day even with limited talking. I’m not a big cell phone talker, but I do other activities on my phone. I’m aware that any usage affects battery life, but battery life is sub-standard considering that I’m texting most of the time or browsing the Internet. I’m also one of those persons who never turns off their cell phone other than to “reboot” it once a day. I was charging it every day for the first two weeks until I turned off the battery draining features: deactivating Bluetooth when I’m not using it and often using “Silence All” instead of “Vibrate All.” This helped, but I still have to charge the phone nearly every day. If I don’t plug it into the charger, I risk seeing a blinking red battery icon on my phone midway through the following workday. Talk time is supposed to be approximately three hours. Since many of my cell phone conversations last less than an hour per day (if that), I have no way of knowing if you get three hours of continuous talk time. At the most, I have managed to hold a two-hour conversation without having to plug my phone into the charger, factoring in standby time. While the talk time is on the low side from me – I’m use to phones with 4-6 hours talk time – it’s not something I’m likely to gripe about. My main problem is the standby time. I called Sprint’s customer service line to complain about charging the battery on a daily basis, and they advised me to take my phone to the nearest store to have it inspected, which I did. They gave me a replacement battery, and while the standby is a little better, I’ve determined that low talk time and standby time is a “feature,” not a “bug.”

Since I’m a big texter, I found the Motorazr2’s custom dictionary lackluster and downright inefficient. Even with this feature turned on, I spend a lot of time typing words I’ve previously spelled out using Multi-Tap – the opposite of the T9 method. The dictionary seems to retain only words I recently typed rather than storing them indefinitely. It slows me down and can be a little aggravating, but over the past month, I have figured out the words I have to type via Multi-Tap. As a side note, I found that texting with the phone’s protective, wraparound case increases keystroke mistakes. It’s difficult to believe that a piece of clear plastic makes a difference when you’re texting, but it really does. I would advise you to buy a case where you can slip the phone into a pouch.

Overall, I find that Motorazr2 a far better experience over my previous Motorola phone experiences; however, I wouldn’t say I’m falling back into their fan corner. I’m in-like with my Motorazr2 but am not in-love with it. The Motorazr2 has faults, some I’m willing to live with (the talk time), and others I’m not (the battery life). For me, the Motorazr2 proves why Motorola lags behind Samsung. Despite the success of the Razr series, I see why Samsung is a fan favorite and has a high rate of loyal consumers. This phone would be nearly perfect it kept the phone’s beautiful design and had Samsung’s vibrant colors/icons, features, and battery standby/life. Unfortunately, one can’t always have everything in life.

Positives

• Stylish, head-turning design
• Large external display with three vibra-touch buttons
• Ability to view Sprint TV and camera display on the external display

Negatives

• Substandard battery talk time/standby time
• Inefficient custom dictionary for texting
• Picks up finger smudges easily