Introduction

The Samsung Alias 2 could 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 the phone's new E-Ink system.

Samsung Alias 2 (SCH-U750)

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E-Ink keypads can change and rotate key symbols based on whether a phone is open horizontally or vertically.

The Alias 2, like the Alias, opens both ways. In horizontal mode, the keys have numbers, symbols and a QWERTY keypad 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.

Getting a feel for the short cuts and the key changes takes some time, and the system isn't perfect. But users have found one person's frustration can be another person's joy, if more keys and more short cuts make that person's life easier.

The phone's second most notorious attraction is its sound. The phone has music sync, download and plentiful storage options, and songs pipe through the phone's speakers and a headset outlet with equal volume strength and sound quality.

The phone also has a 2.0-megapixel camera, loads of memory and lots of messaging opportunities. It also has limited ways to connect to the Internet (although connecting to the Web is fast, thanks to 3G), few out of the box entertainment options, and possibly too many opportunities to raise a person's bill.

Design

The most prominent and unique design feature on the Alias 2 is its keypad. It can also be its biggest drawback for being struggling to get a handle on it. The keypad has E-Ink technology, which means its slick, soft keys are backlit by white light -- a definite asset in the dark -- and the numbers, letters, or symbols on each key appear, disappear or rotate based on how the phone is opened.

When opened like a regular flip-phone, the keys have vertical navigation, short cut and numerical buttons. The numbers can change to multi-tap letter keys as well. When the phone opens horizontally, users can select three key settings, including one with a QWERTY keyboard, one with numbers and one with symbols.

The pluses to this design include having more keys without having a huge keypad, the ability to switch from multi-tap to QWERTY keypad in the flip of a phone, and more short cuts than are usually available.

Drawbacks to E-Ink technology also exist. Some shortcuts have to be used as soon as the phone is opened or they disappear or become ineffective. The QWERTY keypad, probably the most used keypad in horizontal view on any other phone, comes in as the second, not the first keypad display option in landscape view.

The keypad also flickers when adjusted after switching from one view to another, and sometimes rotating the phone causes the user to lose the item they've just been viewing. Also, having empty white keys in vertical view isn't aesthetically pleasing.

The Alias 2 comes in one color, charcoal gray, and has a black border around its 1.3-inch exterior LCD screen. The screen and the black border are framed by silver piping, and a set of music forward, back, play and pause buttons are located under the screen.

A camera lens is above the screen. The back is solid gray. The left side of the phone has a headset jack, a power/accessory connector, volume keys, and a voice command key, while the right side features a microSD memory card slot, a hold key, and an on/off button.

Inside, the phone has a keypad, a large screen, and speakers. Flipping the phone open vertically is easy, but opening the phone horizontally can be a bit more of a task.

Overall, the phone's design is different, but whether that's a good thing or not depends on how willing a person is to learn a new keypad system.

Out of the box, the Samsung Alias 2 comes with a standard Lithium Ion battery, a quick reference guide, a user manual and a wall charger.

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