Samsung Rant Phone, Red (Sprint) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Pros: The haptic feedback is very responsive, the business card reader works fantastic (take a picture of a business card and it stores it as a new contact), the etiquette mode (face down the phone doesn't ring) is really nice too. Easy sync with e-mail.
Cons: I really didn't like the widget interface, but thankfully it is easy to change and aftermarket options like SPB are great alternatives. It is pretty crucial to remap the task switcher to a key so you can kill programs, otherwise windows slows down.Summary: I have been a long time Treo user, and my last one ran windows mobile instead of the palm system. Windows mobile is really very functional but it tends to leave programs running in the background regardless of what phone you use. Dell addressed this in their PDAs with a task switcher, and I'm very glad to see a similar program employed on the Omnia. Remapping the keys on the side is very simple and makes pulling up the task switcher very easy and keeps windows running smoothly.
Before I go into details on some of the various qualities of this phone I want to emphasize a couple of things. First, while this phone is advertised as having GPS abilities, these are strictly tied to Verizon's Navigator Service, if you're looking to replace your stand alone GPS with a phone and don't want to pay $9.95 a month this phone currently locks you from using any other navigation service. Accordingly the "GeoTagging" feature for photos that is available on the unlocked version of this phone isn't currently available on the Verizon version. I say right now because it is always possible that Verizon will release a firmware update down the road that allows some of these features, but you should know before you buy just what you're getting. That said, still a pretty awesome phone!
The size and weight of the phone is great, it isn't heavy, doesn't weigh down your pockets, but it has some heft to it so you don't feel like you're playing with a toy or something easily broken (that said, I don't think this phone would do well being dropped much). It fits comfortably in my pocket, no bulge. There is an available holster case for it, but personally I've never liked having my phone on my waist.
Typing --
This was where I really expected the most trouble with the phone. I'm used to real keys and so the touch screen keyboard worried me. It's not as effective or quick as my Treo, but I think speed will improve with some practice. That said, typing in portrait mode is very difficult and it is almost a requirement to turn the phone to landscape to type any message. You can change the type method from keyboard to a T9 style number pad which does help vertical typing considerably.
Call Quality --
After all, this is a phone. Calls came through very clearly, and the people on the other end had no trouble hearing me. The speaker phone is loud enough to be heard over ambient noise and does a good job of picking up voice too. The listener on the other end did say they could hear a lot of background noise when on speaker phone so it might be better used in an office setting or someplace where you can limit the amount of noise around you. Still, for as often as anyone uses speakerphone it is more than adequate.
The interface --
I have to give credit to Samsung for their widget interface. I personally don't like it, but I am a creature of habit and know where stuff is on my old phone and just wanted to recreate that. My girlfriend loved the widgets, they were simple enough to her to be able to be comfortable navigating the phone in about half an hour. They might not be the first choice for more serious users, but they do a good job making windows mobile a bit more finger friendly.
Battery Life --
Well this depends... I've enjoyed playing with my phone pretty much nonstop since I got it, and that screen does seem to kill the battery pretty quick. I haven't made it all the way through the day without needing to plug it in, but I've found that if I plug it into my computer while at my desk, or into my car while I'm driving it will do very well staying fully charged. Wouldn't wander off without a power source for more than a day though.
The stylus--
I seriously doubt anyone will use this thing, it might have been a nice addition had they been able to build it into the body of the phone instead but putting it on a little leash just makes it impractical.
The Camera--
I haven't fully explored all of the built in options as far as editing goes, but so far it seems pretty good. The flash isn't a flash in the traditional sense you might be used to. It is a very bright LED that does a good job for subjects that aren't more than maybe 4 or 5 feet away, but you're not going to light up a room with it or anything, keep your expectation reasonable and you'll be pleasantly surprised with it's effectiveness. (The flash also doubles as a flashlight which is an interesting feature). The downside to the LED flash is that I'm having trouble with Red Eye, but that is so easy to edit these days that it's hardly worth mentioning.
All in all... If you're looking for a multimedia phone with smart phone abilities this is a great phone. If you're looking primarily for a phone to handle e-mails then you might find the touch keyboard on this a little aggravating. If you're a seasoned windows mobile user the phone is exactly what you're used to but better, if you're a cross over from Blackberry, or this is your first foray into the smart phone world the widget interface is simple enough you should be comfortable within half an hour or so. The phone has put an emphasis on media playback, and if you're looking for a phone that can handle e-mail but really serves as an mp3 player, decent camera, web-browsing, and occasional video watching, this is about as good as they come.
I would absolutely recommend this phone to anyone looking for a good all in one sort of phone, with the caveat that long e-mails aren't as easy as they might be on other devices. It's still windows, it still slows down some, and it is almost impossible to respond to messages one handed (which I suppose you shouldn't be doing anyway) and I kind of wish they had built in a stylus (could have even made it the FM's ant. since to use that feature you have to plug something else in). All those things in mind I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Hope my review helps. Happy Holidays!

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An easily pocketable messaging powerhouse, the Samsung Rant for Sprint has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard that lets you quickly type out e-mail messages, IMs, and text messages so you can get the word out fast. In addition to fast 3G speeds from Sprint's high-speed EV-DO network, you'll enjoy GPS navigation capabilities for accessing the optional Sprint Navigation turn-by-turn direction service as well as access to Sprint TV's video-on-demand with full-motion video and vivid sound. The Rant is also a great choice for a cellular audio player, with access to the Sprint Music Store for over-the-air downloads and wide multiformat support for loading your music onto optional microSD memory cards (up to 16 GB in size).
Capture and share photographs with family and friends with the Rant's built-in 2-megapixel camera with night shot mode, PictBridge printing support, and video capture capabilities. Other features include Bluetooth for hands-free devices and stereo music streaming, a 600-number internal phonebook, speaker-independent voice dialing, and up to 5.6 hours of talk time.
Sprint Service Supporting the EV-DO high-speed data standard, this phone enables you to download and stream high-quality video, straight onto your phone. Where coverage is available, EV-DO connectivity provides average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps, with peak rates up to 2 Mbps. With Sprint TV, you can make your cell phone your always-on source for news, weather, sports and more. This comprehensive video service combines high-quality streaming audio and video from channels including ABC, The Weather Channel, Fox Sports, E!, CNN, The Discovery Channel, and more.
The Sprint Music Store enables you to buy, download, and then jam out wherever you are with new songs or old favorites. Offering a growing selection of more than 1.6 million songs, the store provides you two copies of each song--one for the phone and another for the PC, as well as the ability to burn songs to a CD using Windows Media Player. Save your songs to a memory card with a capacity that's right for you.
This GPS-enabled phone provides optional access to Sprint Navigation for driving directions on your mobile phone--by voice and onscreen. Along the way, turn-by-turn directions will be announced in a clear voice and displayed on your phone. For example, Sprint Navigation will say, "Go 1.2 miles and turn right on Elm Street." As you approach the turn, you will hear, "Turn right on Elm Street." Sprint Navigation also provides proactive traffic alerts with one click re-routing. And it's easy to find restaurants, banks, cafes, hotels and more from over 10 million points of interest across the U.S.
Give your Sprint Mobile e-mail a boost with seamless access to your corporate e-mail and contacts. With the Sprint Mobile e-mail Work service, you can receive e-mail from Microsoft Exchange 2000, 2003, 2007 and Lotus Notes Domino versions 6.0, 6.5 and 7.0.
This phone also provides access to Sprint Football Live--free for any phone with a data plan. You'll be able to follow all the live play-by-play action with the Live Game Center for both pro and college football games, as well as stay on top of the pro football draft with a Live Draft Tracker and in-depth analysis and bios on nearly 500 top prospects. Access by texting "FOOTBALL" to 7777 on the handset to download Sprint Football Live from Sprint Digital Lounge (standard text messaging and data rates apply).
Phone Features Named Best Cell Phone at the 2008 CTIA Wireless IT and Entertainment conference, the Samsung Rant offers the hallmarks of a classic candybar-style phone, with alpha-numeric keypad, five way navigator and send/end/soft-navigation keys on the face, sitting below a 2.1-inch LCD screen with a a 176 x 220-pixel resolution and 262K color depth. But the Rant transforms into a messaging powerhouse thanks to the smooth horizontal slide-out, full QWERTY keyboard, which lets you type as fast as you talk.
The phone has an internal 64 MB memory, which can be expanded via optional microSD memory cards (up to 16 GB in size). The phonebook can store up to 600 contacts with room for up to six phone numbers, two e-mail addresses, an IM screen name, web address, and a picture ID for each entry. Other features include display of the last 20 received/missed/outgoing calls and ringer ID capability.
This phone features Sprint's new One Click navigation interface, which places eight shortcut tiles along the bottom of the home screen. Instead of navigating through endless phone menus, you can put the things you use the most--features like call logs, texting, Web access and GPS navigation--right up front with instant information related to each feature. For example, when you scroll to text messaging, you'll see the number of new messages received and a single click takes take you to the newest messages. Here's how it works:
Add your favorite items to the carousel, which is a row of tiles along the bottom of your phone's home screen.
The carousel can hold up to 15 tiles, which you can add, remove and rearrange to suit your needs.
Highlight a tile to reveal its menu on your home screen.
Add up to 8 "bubbles"--at-a-glance items that display on your home screen, like the weather or your daily horoscope.
Browse and download new tiles from your phone's "Personalize Home Screen" tile. New tiles are available every two weeks.
Press your navigation left or right key to select a tile; up or down to select a bubble or menu item.
The "Home" tile always stays put, so you can easily get back to your default display.
hands-free communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2.0), and includes profiles for communication headset, hands-free car kits, and file transfer. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking--surf the Internet, send e-mail, and access files from a server.
The 2.0-megapixel camera can shoot still images in four resolutions--including 1600 x 1200 (2MP) 1280 x 960 (1 MP)--with three quality settings (high, medium, low). It also features a 4x digital zoom, white balance settings (Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent), multi-shot capabilities, multiple shutter sounds, and a self-timer (2-, 5-, and 10-second). You can also add color effects (including aqua, sepia, negative, and green) using the in-phone editor. In addition to stills, you can also capture video clips in short (for sending via messaging) and extended (for saving) lengths.
Other features include:
MP3 player with airplane mode that turns off cellular connectivity while allowing you to continue to play music
Background music mode allows you to play music while text messaging, playing games or surfing the Internet
Live Search for Sprint, powered by Microsoft, provides easy access to directory information, integrated GPS-enabled directions, interactive maps and one-touch click to call access
More than a dozen streaming-radio applications, including Sprint Radio with more than 150 channels
Access to corporate and consumer (POP3) e-mail, including AOL, Gmail and Yahoo!
Speaker-independent Voice Dialing, including audible status reports on phone coverage, signal strength and battery life
Voice to Action button, including call, text, picture messaging, traffic, movie, sports, news and search functions
Multiple messaging options, including SMS, voice SMS and instant messaging
T9 predictive text entry
Organizer tools: Calendar, alarm clock, memo pad, world, time, calculator, tip calculator
Vibration alert; 72-chord polyphonic ringtones
Multilingual menus (English and Spanish)
Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) rating: M4/T4
Bluetooth version 2.0 with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), BPP (basic printing profile for text, e-mail), DUN (dial-up networking), FTP (file transfer), OPP (object push for business cards, calendar items, and pictures), PBA (transfer contacts)

Vital Statistics The Samsung Rant weighs 4.58 ounces and measures 4.5 x 2.1 x 0.7 inches. Its 960 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5.6 hours of talk time. It runs on the CDMA 800/1900 frequencies as well as Sprint's EV-DO data network.

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