Unfortunately, the Samsung Solstice’s UI isn’t that great. It’s called TouchWiz, and is supposed to work wonders, but it didn’t live up to the hype (for me anyway). And as with a lot of virtual QWERTY keyboards, this one just doesn’t feel as comfortable as real buttons. A couple other things I found disappointing are: it doesn’t have WiFi, the web browser could be better, it only features a 2 megapixel camera & messaging features aren’t that impressive.

Even with those few gripes, the Samsung Solstice is still a good buy - especially at its current $100 price tag. It’s very thin and light, and while the feature set isn’t spectacular, it should still have everything most people will need.

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Features on the Samsung Rogue include: EVDO Rev. A data, 3G, 3 megapixel camera with video support, microSD slot, video & MP3 players, WAP 2.0 browser, Stereo Bluetooth 2.1, full QWERTY keyboard, GPS, 2.5mm headset jack, touchscreen, and of course email, text & IM.

The Samsung Rogue has enough features to keep most people happy, and the QWERTY keyboard works great for messaging users. It’s not the most powerful phone out there, but it’s still a good option for someone looking for a powerful messaging handset.

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So, it all comes down to what you want in a phone. If you are looking for a great digital camera with a decent cell phone attached, the Sony Ericsson C905a might be for you. However, at $179.99 after 2-year agreement and rebates, a lot of users would be better off with another AT&T handset.

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The AT&T Samsung Solstice is almost here. The AT&T Samsung Solstice is a brand new quad-band GSM touchscreen handset. It actually looks a lot like the Sprint Instinct. The 3″ QVGA screen is brilliant and features haptic feedback touch.

The At&T Samsung Solstice’s other features include: Accelerometer, full-touch virtual QWERTY keyboard, 3G, a 2 megapixel camera with 3X zoom, aGPS, video share, AT&T music, Stereo Bluetooth, microSD slot (up to 16GB), text, video & picture messaging, and a widget toolbar with social networking site shortcuts.

The price should be in the $100 range after a 2-year contract & rebates. That’s not a bad deal for this beautiful new handset. If you’ve been looking for a feature packed yet budget-friendly touchscreen cell phone, the AT&T Samsung Solstice may be exactly what you’re looking for.

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My Samsung Comeback review: The Samsung Comeback is a brand new messaging cell phone for T-Mobile. Like the enV3 and the Alias2, this handset’s most prominent feature is it’s flip-open QWERTY keyboard. The exterior screen is rather small and is mainly used for making calls, while the larger interior screen is where all the messaging action is. The full HTML browser with Flash support is wonderful. That alone gives it a real edge over some competitors. The 3G support, excellent call quality & GPS round out it’s best features.

The Samsung Comeback does have a couple issues though. First off, it’s a little clunky. You can expect some bulkiness with a flip-open QWERTY handset, however this seems especially big. Also, the microSD slot is hidden behind the battery. I’m sure they had a good reason to put it there, but it’s still flat out annoying. Still, even with it’s faults, the Samsung Comeback is one of T-Mobile’s best messaging handsets. It’s positives outweigh the negatives for sure. You can get it now for $129.99.

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The AT&T Sony Ericsson W518a is now available. The AT&T Sony Ericsson W518a is the newest member of the Walkman phone family. Being a music-centric device, it features dedicated music controls on the front. The Advanced Shake Control is a pretty neat little feature that allows users to change the song or volume with just a flip of the wrist. Also, you can download music over the air. The Facebook app allows you to never lose access to your favorite social media site.

Other features on the AT&T Sony Ericsson W518a include: M2 memory slot, 100MB built-in memory, 3.2 megapixel camera with video capabilities, additional camera for video calls, quad-band GSM, 2.2″ QVGA main display, music player with FM radio, Bluetooth, GPS and an organizer. With new features and low price of only $49.99 after 2 year agreement and rebates, this little handset may be a decent replacement for your MP3 player/phone.

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My Nokia Surge review: The Nokia Surge is a brand new compact messaging device for AT&T. The full QWERTY keyboard definitely does not disappoint. It’s one of the smoothest and easiest to use of all compact messaging phones. Also, the Symbian S60 OS works great. And even though there are some better UI’s out there, it still does the job. The 2.4″ display isn’t huge, but it’s not that big of deal when using it horizontally. I also have to mention the full HTML browser. This really gives the handset an edge over some competitor models.
The Nokia Surge’s other features include: Symbian 9.3, s60 3rd edition, microSD slot, 120 MB built-in memory, 2 megapixel camera with video support, 3G, GPS, full QWERTY keyboard, 2.5mm headset jack, full HTML browser, MP3 & video players, FM radio, email and EDGE data. I think the Nokia Surge is AT&T’s best option, when it comes to compact messaging phones. It has plenty of features and the price is a very reasonable $80 (after 2 year agreement and rebates). If you’re looking for a new QWERTY handset with AT&T, be sure to at least check into this one.

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My Cricket TXTM8 review: The Cricket TXTM8, as its name suggests, is a brand new QWERTY cell phone with a major emphasis on text and picture messaging. The vertical slide-out QWERTY keyboard is perfect for texting and IMing. The 2.2″ screen is brilliant and works fine, however some may find it a little small. The 1.3 megapixel camera works fine, but certainly isn’t a good enough reason to choose this phone over another.

The Cricket TXTM8’s other features include: MP3 player, microSD slot, WAP 2.0 browser, predictive text input, 2.5mm headset jack, bluetooth, voice recognition and of course, easy access to social media sites and other Cricket apps. All in all, the Cricket TXTM8 is a decent choice for the heavy messaging crowd. It doesn’t have all the high-end features as some other handsets might, but it’s still a good option for what it’s designed for: messaging. You can buy it now for $159.99.

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My Verizon BlackBerry Tour review: The Verizon BlackBerry Tour is finally available, after months and months of rumors and speculation. While the wait was long, I think most users of the new handset will agree that it was worth the wait. In fact, this new phone is probably the best business-centric device to come from RIM to date. The QWERTY keyboard & overall design is a combination of the Bold, Storm & Curve.

The Verizon BlackBerry Tour’s features are very similar to the Curve. The biggest change is the Tour’s GSM / CDMA hybrid radios. Basically, it’s now a world phone. The UI is also slightly revamped. It’s very easy to use and navigate around. Other features you’ll find on the Verizon BlackBerry Tour include: EVDO Rev. A data, 3G, a 2.4″ display, 3.2 megapixel camera with video capabilities, microSD slot, BlackBerry OS, GPS, full QWERTY keyboard, BlackBerry browser, Stereo Bluetooth 2.0, a 3.5 mm headset jack and various other business-centric apps.

Unfortunately, the Verizon BlackBerry Tour is not WiFi equipped. I think this will be the most frustrating issue users will have with this phone. Also, there is a mysterious black border around the display screen. It seems like that screen real estate could have been used better. If those issues aren’t a turn off for you, then I would definitely recommend taking a look at this handset.

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My Samsung Highlight review: The Samsung Highlight is a brand new, youthful touchscreen device now available at T-Mobile. The handset’s TouchWiz interface is pretty interesting. It actually works quite well and is easy to use - which is a nice surprise for a more budget-friendly touchscreen. The 3″ display is large enough to text with ease, and the colors are a little better than I first expected.

The Samsung Highlight’s most notable features include: a 3 megapixel camera with video, 3G, GPS, Stereo Bluetooth 2.1, USB 2.0 port, MP3 & video players, microSD slot, email, text messaging, IM, predictive text input & of course the 3″ touchscreen display. The specs aren’t quite top-of-the-line, but they’re not too shabby either. With a current price of $150 after rebates & 2 year agreement, I think the phone is a little over-priced. If you have the money to spend, then by all means go for it - it’s a cool little cell phone. But, when you can get the Samsung Highlight for under $75, that’s when it becomes a much more attractive handset for the average user.

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The Samsung Code is almost here. The Samsung Code is a new, full QWERTY handset for US Cellular & MetroPCS. The smartphone runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard & features a decent sized QVGA display. The QWERTY keyboard is fairly compact, so those of you with large fingers may have a little trouble.

The Samsung Code’s feature list includes: EVDO Rev. 0, a 2 megapixel camera with video capabilities, video & MP3 players, microSD slot, 128 MB RAM / 128 MB ROM, IE Mobile with HTML support, Bluetooth 2.0, E911 GPS, USB, predictive text input, picture messaging, full QWERTY keyboard & of course the Windows Mobile 6.1 OS. The Samsung Code should attract a varied group of users from the messaging crowd to business folks. As long as the pricing isn’t sky-high, it’s a worthwhile handset.

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The Nokia Surge is on its way. The Nokia Surge is a brand new side-slider handset available at AT&T. With a full QWERTY keyboard and JuiceCaster app, the phone is definitely targeted towards the messaging crowd. The JuiceCaster app allows you to upload pictures & videos to all the popular networking sites. The handsets main display is 2.4″, which is a pretty good size when using it horizontally. There is also built-in support for online Flash content, which allows you to watch videos on YouTube, etc.

Other features on the Nokia Surge include: Symbian 9.3, s60 3rd edition, 2 megapixel camera with video support, 3G, GPS, full QWERTY keyboard, 2.5mm headset jack, MP3 & video players, FM radio, s60 OSS browser, microSD slot, 120 MB built-in memory, email and EDGE data. There are some definite advantages this handset has over competitors (video support, JuiceCaster, Flash support, QWERTY keyboard, etc). If messaging & social networking are your main use of a cell phone, this handset will be right up your alley. It’s available for $79.99 after a 2-year agreement with AT&T and $50 rebate.

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My LG LX290 review: The LG LX290, for Sprint, is a fairly basic slider handset which still packs a decent amount of features. The design is nothing fancy - just a 2.17″ QVGA display with a couple shortcut keys and a slide-out number pad. Even so, it’s still a very attractive little handset. It’s just over 1/2″ thick, so it fits great in a pocket or in your hand.

The LG LX290 doesn’t have any high-end features on board, but it does at least cover all the basics. The most notable specs include: texting / IM, email, GPS (Sprint Navigation), a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.1, one-touch speakerphone, dedicated keys (text, email, alarm and calendar), T9 predictive text, slider keypad, 22 MB of memory, WAP 2.0 browser & cdma2000 1xRTT data connection.

You can buy the LG LX290 now for just $29.99, after a 2 year agreement with Sprint. The design of the phone, decent features & good price make this a good deal - especially as a starter handset.

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