Samsung Phones

It's one of the best Android devices -- just don't expect true innovation.

The rugged shell and walkie-talkie service make it ideal for outdoorsy types and fleet workers.

If you need a keyboard, it's okay. But otherwise, you can do better.

For the outdoorsman or construction worker that needs a touch of Android.

Nothing stands out, except for its cheap price.

It's good for calling, texting... and not much more.

Android and 4G LTE are nice, but the cheap price means sacrifices to the camera and display.

One of the better QWERTYs and misleading 4G speeds make it a decent mid-range device.

It's not easy to hold, but it's the best phablet out there.

It's cheap but a little too cheap. Spend a little more and get a lot more.

If you love the Galaxy S3, but are bored of Android -- give this a look.

A decent basic phone, but consider low-end Android devices too.

It makes calls and send texts -- that's it.

If you like Windows, look past the anonymous design and you'll see a decent deal -- flaws and all.

It's a superb all-around device and the Android phone to beat.

The rugged design can't hide the middle-of-the-road features.

It takes a while to get used to the 5.8-inch display, but the bigger features more than make up for it.

Aside from the large and vibrant screen, everything else is decidedly average.

The bigger screen -- coupled with AT&T's LTE service -- does a number on the battery life.

It's one of the first phones to run on Android ICS, but the memory is a bit small.

The slide-out keyboard on the Captivate Glide sets it apart from competitors. The design looks like a bunch of Samsung phones cobbled together -- a Franken-phone, if you will -- producing a thick brick of a device. That sounds bad -- and it is chunky -- but it's also very practical with a lot of attractive features, from a beautiful screen to a whiplash-inducing processor.

If you want to do more than call and text, just buy a smartphone -- it's cheaper in the long run.

Fast hardware, smooth software makes it the Android phone to beat.

The Samsung Focus, one of the first smartphones using Windows Phone 7, is a solid device that provides an interesting alternative to Android phones and is worth considering if you're not an iPhone fan.

The latest in the Samsung Galaxy family of phones, Sprint's Epic 4G runs on the Google Android 2.1 platform and features a 4-inch "Super AMOLED" touch screen display. The lightweight handset is powered by a 1-gigahertz processor and supports blazing-fast WiMax 4G connectivity for data downloads.

Samsung's new touch screen Galaxy smartphone is one of the handsets in the pack still chasing the iPhone. And despite innovations on Apple's new iPhone, the Galaxy is an example of how some phones are getting more competitive with the iconic device. The Vibrant reviewed here is T-Mobile's version of the Samsung Galaxy, and AT&T is also offering it as the Captivate. Verizon's version is called the Fascinate and Sprint's, the Epic.

Android is quickly becoming a household name. Each month, a new smartphone running Google's operating system is released to the market. After dominating the handset market, Samsung fell behind to Apple. But now the South Korean electronics giant is making a coordinated push by introducing its Galaxy S line of Android smartphones on all four major U.S. carriers. In addition to the Captivate for AT&T, Samsung is launching the Vibrant for T-Mobile and Epic 4G for Sprint.

The Intrepid is Sprint's first smartphone to run Windows Mobile 6.5 -- for an improved Internet Explore Mobile browser with Flash support, new "MyPhone" backup service and access to applications and games through Windows Marketplace for Mobile. The handset comes with a touch screen display, keyboard, games, music and video players, and a 3.2-megapixel camera. There's even "TellMe" technology for voice-activated commands.

Samsung's Rogue is a new touch screen device with a slide-out keyboard and a 3-megapixel camera with outstanding in-phone editing options. While it's not considered a true smartphone -- since it lacks a robust operating system like Android or Windows -- it can still keeping track of email accounts, instant messages and text and multimedia messages. Additional features include high-speed Internet and access to Verizon's services -- VCast Music with Rhapsody to download songs, VCast Video to watch clips and VZ Navigator for turn-by-turn navigation.

The Samsung Alias 2 may influence the keypad design of millions of future phones, or prove too tricky to handle, depending on how willing shoppers are to try a learn its new E-Ink system. E-Ink keypads can change and rotate key symbols based on whether a phone is open horizontally or vertically. And the Alias 2, like the Alias, opens both ways. In horizontal mode, the keys have numbers, symbols and a keyboard as key options. Open the phone vertically, and the keys face vertically and change to numbers or a multi-tap keypad, complemented with short cut and navigation keys.