Hands-on review: Samsung Rant

It's not the thinnest or lightest QWERTY slider I've ever tried, but it's easy to use, boasts 3G access and streaming video, and the price—just $49.99 with a new service agreement—is right.

The Rant falls into a broad category of what I call bargain messaging slider—a category that typically includes (on the plus side) a full, slide-out QWERTY keypad, some solid messaging features (Web mail access, instant messaing, texting), and WAP browsing, along with (on the minus side) a bulky form factor, a cut-rate display, and middling multimedia features.

What I like about the Rant (available now on Sprint for $49.99 with a new, two-year contract), though, is that it manages to throw in some relatively high-end features into the bargain-messaging mix.

The Rant follows the standard bargain-messaging slider pattern with its bulky shell: At 4.5 by 2.1 by 0.7 inches and a hefty 4.6 ounces, the Rant is certainly no lightweight. And its two-inch color display, while easily readable, looks a bit washed-out compared to pricier phones, especially if you're looking at it from an angle. That said, style mavens will like the extra, "tattooed" backplate that comes with the Rant (which is available in red, purple, and black).

Slide the Rant open, though, and you'll find a roomy, backlit QWERTY keypad, complete with rubberized keys and a dedicated period key (no dedicated comma or "@" sign, though, and the number keys share space with letter keys). The display switches automatically to landscape mode when they keypad slides out, and tapping out text and e-mail messages on the Rant was a breeze.

The Rant shares the same "One Click" interface that I admired on Sprint's LG Lotus and Katana Eclipse X phones; a "carousel" of icons along the bottom of the screen lets you browse through the Rant's various functions, and you can customize the UI by adding widget-like "bubbles" for the latest news, weather, stock prices, and so on.

The Rant's solid messaging features include the standard SMS and picture messaging options, along with instant messaging (AIM, Windows Live, and Yahoo! Messenger are supported), and an e-mail client that supports popular Web mail services (AOL, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, etc.), Exchange, and POP/IMAP accounts.

I was also impressed by the 3G-enabled Rant's streaming multimedia options, including access to the Sprint TV streaming video service and full-track music downloads via the Sprint Music Store. The Rant comes with a relatively solid music player, a 256MB microSD memory card for storing your tunes, and support for stereo Bluetooth headsets—not bad for a $50 messaging phone.

Other features include GPS (plus Sprint's TeleNav navigation software), a 2MP camera (good, not great), voice commands, and a (pretty basic) WAP browser.

So, would I call the Rant a cutting-edge QWERTY phone? Well, no—namely because it's a little too heavy and bulky, and the display isn't the greatest. That said, for $49 (with a two-year contract), you're getting a lot of bang for your buck. Worth a serious look if you're a bargain hunter.