Worried that the Samsung Transform would be a slatephone? Don't be -- it's more of a miniature Epic 4G.
The Android 2.1 device's got a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen, 800MHz
processor and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, plus front- and rear-facing
cameras for video chat -- though they're pretty low resolution and
there's no 4G to pump their streaming video data. We just got hands-on
with the phone, and came away mildly impressed -- though it's a little
sluggish compared to the Epic, it's got much the same build quality,
and the exact same hinge and buzzy vibrator if you want to get
specific. There aren't a lot of fancy functions on the keyboard, but
it's arguably got an even better layout that caters to landscape
touch-typists like us -- the keys are plasticy little numbers like
those on the Samsung Intercept,
but they've got a nice click and this time, a logical arrangement. The
screen's bright and clear enough, but unless our eyes deceive us it's
no AMOLED. Expect it to drop on October 10th for $150 after a $100
mail-in rebate, and be sure to watch a Sprint rep show off the phone's
Sprint ID functions after the break.
