T-Mobile's latest messaging slider features a SureType keypad for QWERTY-like typing. Did it keep up with our furious fingers?
Review summary of the Samsung Blast:
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 The Blast could have been a better phone. With a snazzier interface, and robust yet simple messaging options, the Blast could have been a much more interesting messaging phone. We might quibble about the keypad, but the SureType layout works for us, so we'd like to see it pop up on more phones. Still, messaging phones are a special breed, appealing to a younger, more hip audience, and the interface needs to reflect that. Also, except for business users, we can't imagine an audience looking for advanced messaging options, but minimal multimedia. As it stands, the Blast feels like a first generation product, and we'd like to see a refinement once T-Mobile finally rolls out its 3G network. Release: August 2007. Price: $100.
Pros: SureType keypad is better than numeric for messaging. Full range of messaging options, including IM, e-mail and SMS. Nice color scheme.
Cons: Keys are a bit flat, shaped oddly. Call quality was average at best. Messaging options lack compelling interface. Multimedia options are very basic.
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Full Samsung Blast Review:
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Design – Good
The Samsung Blast has an intriguing design, thanks to its SureType keypad. The SureType layout, which first made an appearance on RIM's BlackBerry devices, is a neat compromise between 12-key keypads and full QWERTY keys. We've heard a lot of naysayers, but we like the SureType keys, and think that the learning curve is nice and gentle. Still, the Blast keys were very flat, and some of the keys at the edges were angled strangely. Overall, the Blast's implementation of the SureType layout was our least favorite of the SureType phones we've tested.
We definitely like the black and red color scheme, but the device has a cheap feeling to it overall. Compared to some of Samsung's smaller, tighter sliders like the Helio Heat, the Blast feels a bit more loose, lacking the build quality of the smaller phone. The display was nice, but not very impressive. If our memory servesus well, we saw a brighter, more colorful screen on Samsung's last T-Mobile SureType phone, the SGH-T719. Menus on the Blast were also rather dull, something you'd expect to find on one of T-Mobile's budget handsets. Menus were colorful with well-drawn icons, but nothing new in terms of organization or structure.
Calling – Good
Calls on the Samsung Blast sounded good, but not great. We encountered a range of audio issues, but none of them were ever serious enough to end a call. Static and tunneling were common, but when reception was good, calls sounded better. The phone has a nice range of calling features, including a speakerphone, Bluetooth, voice dialing and conference calling. All of these worked as expected, with no real standouts in the bunch. The address book was a bit more simple than we like to see on a messaging phone. It certainly doesn't stand up to the Sidekick 3, and isn't any better than a standard calling phone. Reception on the phone in lower Manhattan was average, about three bars. Battery life was good; we got about 5.5 hours out of the phone in a single call, which was more than Samsung estimated.
Messaging – Good
From a messaging phone, we expect e-mail, instant messaging and SMS, and while the Blast delivers all three, we thought the more advanced messaging options could have been better. We had no problem signing onto our MSN Messenger accounts, and the Blast did a fine job of keeping us signed on, even if we did lose the connection a few times. Setting up AOL, Yahoo and MSN for IM and e-mail, as well as Gmail, was easy with the preset options. IMAP and POP accounts were more difficult, but not impossible. Our e-mail boxes populated surprisingly fast over T-Mobile's EDGE network. Typing wasn't a problem, either, as we're already fans of the SureType layout over numeric keypads. In our tests, the Blast never guessed our words incorrectly, though we didn't break out the Oxford English Dictionary this time around.
What disappointed us about the Blast's messaging wasn't any specific feature or lack thereof, it was the overall presentation. For a messaging phone, messaging isn't exactly given a special place either in the menus or with a dedicated key. Strangely, the slow, disappointing T-Zones internet deck gets a key, but messaging does not. The best messaging phones, like the Sidekick 3 and the Helio Ocean, aggregate their messaging, and feature an interface tailored for messaging addicts, who are usually younger users. Though the T719 features BlackBerry connect, and thus might have been aimed at an older crowd, we can't imagine a business user choosing the Blast over a smartphone if messaging is their priority.
Multimedia – Mediocre
Though the Blast has a nice set of multimedia abilities, it simply lacks the polished feel of a true multimedia smartphone. The Web browsing experience is second-rate (as it is with most T-Mobile phones), thanks not only to slower EDGE networking, but also because of the poor, blocky-looking browser rendering. The camera was average, which really means poor, if you're comparing the lens to a true point-and-shoot camera. The phone features a microSD slot for storing pictures and music. The Blast can play MP3 files, but the music player is very basic. Still, this is one feature the Sidekick lacks, but the Sidekick may be the only phone these days without a basic MP3 player. Stereo Bluetooth works well, and the setup was very easy.
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