Last year, Sprint struck a chord with the popular LG Rumor, a dual-keyboard slider handset that gave messaging fans an affordable QWERTY option. The carrier aims to do it again with the Samsung Rant, a similar model at the same price: just $49 with a two-year agreement, after a $50 mail-in rebate. The Rant builds on the Rumor's feature set by offering an EV-DO data radio, which provides access to Sprint's TV, navigation, and music services, in addition to faster e-mail and instant messaging. It also includes a microSD card slot, a 2-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth for wireless music playback, and Sprint's new One Click user interface (more on this below).

The blocky 4.6-ounce Samsung Rant measures 4.5 by 2.1 by 0.7 inches (HWD)—midsize for a smartphone. My test handset was fashioned in a matte black plastic that does a good job of resisting fingerprints; you can also opt for bright red. The back of the phone looks like black plastic, but it's actually made of a hard rubber that's a little more comfortable to hold. There's also a single mono speaker, the camera lens, and a mirror for self-portraits. The right side of the handset features a covered USB port and a camera button, while the left side houses a silver volume rocker and a nonstandard 2.5mm headphone jack, which makes buying aftermarket music earphones a bit tough.

On the front panel, the 262k-color, 176-by-220-pixel LCD is similar to the one on the LG Rumor, but falls behind class leaders that offer full VGA (240-by-320-pixel) resolution. The numeric keypad sports big, comfortable raised keys that offer a positive click, as does the five-way control pad above the keypad. But the surrounding Send, Call, and programmable soft keys are slippery and a bit difficult to press.

I'm a big fan of the Rant's slider design: Turn the phone sideways and flick it up to reveal the full QWERTY keyboard, which contains four rows of slightly raised rubber keys—one row more than the cramped arrangement found on most horizontal sliders. I was able to type quickly, comfortably, and accurately. The sliding mechanism feels sturdy and ready to withstand heavy usage. The LCD turns 90 degrees within a second after the keyboard slides out, and a pop-up window immediately asks whether you want to send a text message, picture mail, voice SMS, e-mail, or IM. Two plastic programmable soft keys along the edge replace the ones surrounding the control pad in this mode.

The LG Rumor was a solid voice phone, and the Samsung Rant continues that tradition, with crisp, loud sound in the earpiece, decent reception, and a mono speakerphone that's powerful enough for use outdoors. The phone paired quickly with an Aliph New Jawbone mono Bluetooth headset without my having to enter a passcode—but then it didn't work correctly: Choppy audio was split between the headset and the handset's earpiece, making calls impossible despite repeated attempts. Voice calls were fine when the phone was paired with a set of Cardo S-2 stereo Bluetooth headphones, however. The Rant also features speaker-independent voice dialing and Bluetooth Caller ID, which speaks a caller's name into your headset. The handset lasted 4 hours 39 minutes on a continuous talk time run-down test, average for a Sprint EV-DO device.

A dual-band (800/1,900-MHz) CDMA EV-DO handset, the Rant offers a big improvement over the Rumor's 2G-only radio. However, the phone is still saddled with a slow, clumsy WAP browser and the aforementioned low-resolution LCD; browsing the Web was painful. Instead of using the WAP browser, I downloaded and installed the free Opera Mini 4.1, which improved the experience markedly. The faster data radio is great for multimedia, though; the Rumor works with Sprint TV, Sprint Music, and, thanks to the built-in GPS chipset, TeleNav-powered Sprint Navigation and Family Locator services (all at extra cost).

One of the best things about the Rant is its One Click interface, which lets you customize the home screen icons and create a nifty carousel of your favorite apps and Web bookmarks. This makes it easy to, say, fire up Sprint GPS Navigation, check Gmail, and visit Facebook without having to dive into the phone's Web browser. I had no problem shifting around icons and adding new ones to the carousel.

Checking e-mail is simple with the phone's integrated POP and IMAP clients, the Google icon in the carousel, and support for Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Domino accounts. You can also send and receive instant messages over AIM, MSN, and Yahoo! Messenger. My mobile AIM buddy list (but not the full one) popped up quickly when I logged in. An added bonus: Since the IM clients are tabbed, you can keep all three running simultaneously and switch between them with a touch of the control pad.

Despite offering easy access to the Sprint Music Store, the Rant lacks dedicated music keys, a minus for anyone who wants to use the handset as a primary MP3 player. It does play music in the background while you play games, surf the Web, or send and receive text messages. But the built-in music player software is clumsy and difficult to navigate. There's a microSD card slot located underneath the battery cover along the side; fortunately, you don't have to remove the battery to access it. Sprint throws in a 256MB card; an 8GB SanDisk microSDHC card worked fine, and the Rant can read cards up to 16GB. Music sounded full, if somewhat muddy, over the aforementioned Cardo S-2 stereo Bluetooth headphones.

The 2MP camera lacks autofocus and flash. On my tests, it took dim, flat pictures with middling detail in shots both indoors and out. Video recording maxed out at just 176-by-144-pixel resolution but played back smoothly and clearly.

The value-priced Rant definitely has crossover appeal. On one hand, it functions as a no-nonsense messaging handset for texting, e-mail, and IM enthusiasts. But it also offers some of the same power you'd get with a low-end smartphone like the Palm Centro, sans the higher data plan costs. Sprint fans who are looking for a smaller, top-notch voice phone but don't need a QWERTY keyboard should check out the Motorola RAZR² V9m or the Motorola RAZR VE20. Mobile Web mavens should stick with the Centro or try the touch-screen Samsung Instinct. Overall, though, at $49, the Rant is a viable contender.

Benchmark Test Results
Continuous talk time: 4 hours 39 minutes

Compare the Samsung Rant with several other mobile phones side by side.