Want a simple messaging phone with decent multimedia and a full touch experience?  You may want to pick up the Samsung Gravity T (aka Gravity Touch), a touchscreen feature phone with mid-range features, a QWERTY keyboard and Touchwiz UI.

Physically, the handset gets a sleeker, more rounded design than Samsung's usual slab.  It still does have some similarities to a few models, like the Messager Touch, but the form factor is visibly more oval.   Display is a 2.8-inch resistive touchscreen with 240 x 320 resolution, with vibrant colors and ample brightness.  Touch response is as good as you can expect a resistive panel to deliver.  The side-sliding QWERTY keypad is spacious, with a cushy feel, and we love that the numbers and arrows are all highlighted in red for quicker visibility.

As a phone, the Gravity T made for excellent call quality.  Voices came out exceptionally clear - very crisp and natural, almost like a landline.  Speakerphone added some echo, but it was still pretty impressive.   Battery is rated at six hours of talk time, making it good for a day or two of casual use.

It fits in the usual feature set, including a 2,000-entry address book, PIM tools and some advanced phone capabilities.  Messaging is pretty robust, with SMS, MMS, IM and email, complete with Exchange support.  It also comes preloaded with the Social Buzz app for access to a variety of social networking sites.

The phone comes with a full HTML browser (web2Go), along with good 3G speeds.  YouTube streaming had a bit of buffering, but is generally usable.  Other features include aGPS with Telenav, Bluetooth and serviceable multimedia playback (media player is a bit too rudimentary though).  It sports a 2.0 megapixel camera, with a number of editing settings and decent image quality (good sharpness, but slightly dark).

Overall, the Samsung Gravity T makes for a fairly solid messaging phone.  It's available for $74.99 with a two year agreement from T-Mobile.

An unannounced Samsung phone showed up on the company's USA website right before the weekend (and has now been pulled).  Called the Samsung Flight II (model A927), the handset takes on a messaging feature set similar to its predecessor, but comes equipped with a sliding landscape, rather than portrait, keyboard.

Slated to join AT&T's roster of feature phones, it bundles both a touchscreen and a four-row set of QWERTY keys.  The phone measures 4.4 x 2.1 x 0.5 inches with the keyboard tucked in and weighs 3.5 ounces.

Details of the Samsung Flight II include a 3-inch TFT touchscreen display (240 x 400 resolution), a 2.0 megapixel camera module, aGPS (with AT&T Navigator), stereo Bluetooth, 512MB of storage and microSD card expansion (up to 16GB).  Battery is good for 5 hours of talk time and 250 hours of standby.

The handset will run Samsung's finger-friendly TouchWiz UI, along with a decent-sounding range of features.  It gets the requite messaging capabilities (SMS, MMS, IM and mobile email), social networking access, a full HTML browser and support for AT&T's Mobile TV service.

A formal announcement for the Samsung Flight II may be coming, which is why it's been removed (as of now) from the Samsung USA website.  Given that the first Flight now costs free on contract, expect this to be somewhere near the budget range too.

[via Phone Scoop]

One of Verizon's messaging-centric Samsung phones just got its successor.  Billed as the Samsung Intensity II, the handset features dual keyboards, an alphanumeric one on the front panel and a slide-out QWERTY panel.

Made with the company's sustainability efforts in mind, the device comes with some minor eco-friendly features.  In particular, the exterior battery cover is fashioned from 35% recycled PET bottles, aside from coming pre-installed with an eco-calculator app for keeping track of your personal carbon footprints.

Details of the Samsung Intensity II include a 2.2-inch display (320 x 240 resolution), a 1.3 megapixel camera module, stereo Bluetooth, aGPS (with VZ Navigator) and microSD card expansion (up to 32GB).   It comes in two colors - deep gray and metallic blue.

Like any self-respecting messaging phone, it supports SMS and MMS (both voice and pictures), along with Mobile IM, Mobile Chat, Mobile Email and Mobile Web applications.  It comes with Social Beat, a social networking app with access to Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.  There's also support for Verizon's services, including V cast Music, V cast Song ID and V cast Tones.

The Samsung Intensity II is now available (strictly online for now, though) from Verizon's website, with the device hitting physical stores in the coming weeks.  Price is $49.99 with a two-year agreement.

[Samsung USA]

Bearing one of the most irritating phone names ever devised, the Samsung (that's Smiley for you) is a candybar handset with a slide-out, vertical QWERTY keyboard.  While the name might give you fits, the functional mid-range features and user-friendly interface makes it a solid option for messaging-heavy users.

Physically, it has a fairly attractive slider design, with rounded corners and a shiny black exterior.  It feels a bit weak in hand, so durability may be an issue.  We didn't try to slam it on the floor, although it did hold up well to regular handling.  It comes with a 2.6-inch TFT display with 320 x 240 resolution, making for sharp and colorful images.  It does wash out near completely under sunlight, though.  The keyboard is decent, but the keys are arranged too closely for my tastes.

As a phone, the Samsung "Smiley" made for good calls, with clear sound, loud volume and just a hint of background noise.  Those on the other end reported exactly the same quality.  Speakerphone sounded great, despite adding some harshness to the tone, especially at the higher levels.  Battery life is rated at 5.5 hours of talk time, which should be good for a day or more of casual use.

All the basic features are onboard, including a 1,000-person phone book, a number of PIM tools, stereo Bluetooth and advanced calling options.  Extra capabilities include aGPS (with Google Maps and Telenav support), an RSS reader and WiFi.

Being a messaging device, it comes with the usual SMS and MMS.  It expands the support with IM and email (POP, IMAP and Exchange).  Social networking is also built-in with Samsung's Social Buzz app.

The 1.3 megapixel camera takes decent shots for such a low-res set of optics.  You can save photos and music externally to microSD cards (up to 16B).  It comes with a pre-installed YouTube app.

Overall, the Samsung "Smiley" is a decent messaging phone, especially for the $19.99 price (with a two-year agreement).  The name is a tad irritating, but everything else fits nicely.

What do you do when three phones you manufacture for third party companies meet an untimely demise?  Why, release one yourself, of course.  That's exactly what Sharp did with the Sharp FX, a touchscreen-cum-QWERTY slider, that appears like a direct descendant of the discontinued Sidekick line.

During the past few months, Sharp has seen three of the hardware models it produces - Sidekick, Kin One and Kin Two - go bust.  So seeing them try to get a model in the US market under their own brand is quite an interesting move.

The Sharp FX is a feature phone that liberally takes from the Sidekick's unmistakable slider design.  Aimed at a messaging crowd, it goes heavy on the functionality, with standard SMS/MMS, full email capabilities, instant messaging and social networking applications  onboard.

Hardware details include a full touchscreen display, a four-row QWERTY keyboard, a 2.0 megapixel camera, aGPS, Bluetooth 2.1 and AT&T mobile TV support ($10/month).   It comes with a full HTML browser, along with compatibility to AT&T's various services, including AT&T Address Book, AT&T Navigator, AT&T Mobile Share and AT&T Social Net.

AT&T will sell the Sharp FX beginning July 25th, priced at $99.99 with a two-year agreement and a $50 mail-in rebate.  Old fans bemoaning Sidekick's loss might want to give this one a gander.

[AT&T]

Samsung just introduced a trio of new QWERTY handsets for T-Mobile USA.  Consisting of the Samsung Gravity T, Samsung Gravity 3 and Samsung (yes, a smiley), all three phones come with a messaging-centered design, highlighted by a side-sliding QWERTY keyboard.

Marketed as affordable, easy-to-use messaging phones, all three support standard messaging capabilities, including SMS, MMS, email and IM.  It also offers social networking access via T-Mobile Social Buzz, the carrier's proprietary all-in-one social networking app.

All three handsets run non-smartphone software, powered by a 184MHz processor.  Common details include aGPS support, Bluetooth, 3G connectivity and microSD card expansion (up to 16GB).

The Samsung Gravity T is the more featured of the bunch, adding a 2.8-inch resistive touchscreen (with 240 x 320 resolution) and a side-sliding QWERTY keypad.

The Gravity 3, on the other hand, gets a dual-keypad configuration, consisting of alphanumeric keys on the front panel, side-sliding QWERTY keys and a smaller non-touch display.  Both devices feature a 2.0 megapixel camera module, HSDPA broadband speeds and a full HTML browser.

On the low-end range is the Samsung , a compact phone with a slide-out portrait keypad, a 1.3 megapixel camera module and non-HSDPA 3G connectivity.

T-Mobile USA has the trio on retail now.

[Samsung USA News]

LG's latest eco-friendly effort comes in the form of the LG Remarq, a vertical-sliding messaging phone released by Sprint. Not only does the handset boast green credentials, it looks adorable in its squarish frame.

Physically, it takes on the short and cute form factor, with curved sides, rounded corners and overall compact design. Hard plastic construction looks tough and the phone handles with a good feel in hand. It sports a rather small 2.2-inch display (220x176 resolution), showing clear pictures and sharp lines. The navigation array right below it features a comfy design and easy operation. Slide up the front panel and you'll turn up the four-row QWERTY keyboard, with its well-spaced and raised keys.

As a phone, the Remarq makes for average calls. They're clear enough on both ends, but occasionally exhibits noticeable distortion. Speakerphone had even louder interference, made worse by the lacking volume. Battery is rated at 5.5 hours of talk time, which made good for close to two days of moderate use.

The green credentials come courtesy of the 19% recycled plastic used in the device's construction, 87% recyclable parts and an energy-efficient charger. It gets various eco-friendly apps bundled with the handset too.

It has all the feature phone basics, including a 600-entry phone book, PIM tools, stereo Bluetooth and a mobile web browser. There's also a GPS with Sprint Navigation and Family Locator. For messaging, you get the usual SMS and MMS, coupled with threaded view. It adds pretty robust IM and email (POP, IMAP and corporate are supported).

A number of Java-based social networking apps are also on board, such as Facebook, Twitter and Sprint's Social Zone. Connectivity is strictly GPRS/EDGE, so expect updates to run a tad slower than usual. It uses Sprint's standard music player, which is rather basic. The 1.3 megapixel camera offers a number of editing options, but captured photos just look washed out.

Overall, the LG Remarq is a solid messaging device with spiffy good looks. Beyond that, there literally isn't much else to crow about. It's free on a two-year agreement, though, so that's always a plus.

Samsung announced a new touchscreen phone for US Cellular. Called the Samsung Messager Touch, the curvy device combines a youthful design with the versatility of both a touchscreen panel and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

An attractive addition to the carrier's roster of entry-level messaging phones, the handset features Samsung's popular TouchWiz UI, along with a slew of preloaded widgets. It also has access to additional widgets, applications (including social networking and business titles) and games through EasyEdge, US Cellular's content download service.

Details of the Samsung Messager Touch include a 2.6-inch resistive touchscreen display (most likely 320 x 240 resolution), a four-row full QWERTY keyboard, a 2.0 megapixel camera module (with camcorder), stereo Bluetooth, built-in media player, microSD expansion (up to 16GB) and five hours of talk time. Phone dimensions are 2.12 x 4.13 x 0.59 inches, with a weight of 3.81 ounces. Oddly, there's no word on the full list of messaging capabilities (aside from SMS and MMS), but expect modest email and IM support, since it has neither 3G nor WiFi.

Available in black with blue accents, the Samsung Messager Touch is available now from both US Cellular locations and online. Price is $49.95 after a mail-in rebate with a two-year agreement.

[Samsung Press Release]

Another new phone in AT&T's messaging lineup, the Pantech Link is an affordable candybar with a full QWERTY keyboard. An excellent value, it's one of the cheapest handsets you can pick up in the category, despite packing features somewhere in the mid-range.

Physically, the device is slim and sleek - easily one of the thinnest phones you'll probably turn up. Construction is largely plastic, with a surprisingly sturdy build and a solid feel in hand. It comes with a 2.4-inch LCD, with 320 x 240 pixel resolution. Display is crisp and colorful, with sharp images and easy-to-read text. Both the control array and full QWERTY keys are well designed, making for comfortable navigation and typing.

As a phone, the Link managed a rather strange quality of calls. Reception on the phone was good with plenty of volume, but those on the other reported a very uneven experience. Some calls came through fine, while others went through very distorted. Speakerphone showed the same inconsistent performance.  Battery life is rated at three hours of talk time, which made for a day or so of regular use.

Intended for messaging, it supports the full suite: SMS, MMS, IM (AIM, Windows Live, and Yahoo) and mobile email using a web interface (POP3 and IMAP). It covers all the basics well with a 600-entry address book, PIM tools and stereo Bluetooth. It supports 3G with HSDPA, making for quick-loading web pages on the Opera-based browser. Because of the broadbamd speeds, it has access to AT&T's numerous media and cloud services, including Mobile Video, Mobile Music, Online Locker and Mobile Share.

The 1.3 megapixel camera offers a few editing options and turns out decent photos, especially for such low-res optics. It also has aGPS, with support for AT&T Navigator.

Overall, the Pantech Link is an excellent value for a messaging phone, especially at the $9.99 price with a two-year contract. Call quality could be improved, but it's more hit than miss, especially when you look at everything it brings to the table.

Similar to the LG Rumor 2 in many ways, the LG Cosmos is the latest messaging phone out of Verizon's roster. It doesn't come with a lot of features, but does its job of making sending messages easy like it's supposed to.

Physically, it's a near-copy of the Rumor 2, packing both a candaybar design with a T9-style keypad and a side-sliding QWERTY keyboard. It's a bit smaller in dimensions, though, and comes in a sleek black finish. Feel is light, but the overall build seems very sturdy.

It rocks a 2-inch LCD with a 320 x 240 resolution. Display is bright and sharp, with the screen real estate proving large enough for its intended purposes. Navigation array and keypads are actually an improvement from the Rumor 2. We love the texture on the keys, although the size will require some getting used to.

As a phone, the Cosmos makes for very good calls, with clear tone, excellent sound and just a hint of occasional harshness. Callers on the other end reported the same quality, although it still wasn't as crystal clear as on a landline. Speakerphone was also good, adding just a hint of echo to the conversations. Battery life is rated at six hours of talk time, making for a good two to three days (maybe even more) of normal use.

Connectivity is strictly GSM/EDGE, but this is neither for media consumption nor browsing anyway. Most of the basics are covered with a 1,000-entry phonebook, PIM tools, stereo Bluetooth and a wireless web browser. It also has a feature called Info Search that lets you find pretty much anything on the phone, aGPS (with Verizon Navigator) and a Bing app.

For messaging, it has both SMS, MMS, IM (AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live Messenger) and Mobile Email (web-based mail and personal POP3 accounts only - no support for corporate). There's a facility for sending updates to Facebook, Twitter and MySpace too, although it lacks dedicated apps. There's no music player, but it sports a 1.3 megapixel camera that takes decent photos. MicroSD card slot supports up to 16GB.

Overall, the LG Cosmos is a good entry-level messaging phone with a very useful form factor. Available for $29.99 with a two-year contract, it's priced affordably too.