Introduction

The Samsung Rogue has a touch screen handset with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It comes with a 3.0-megapixel camera and camcorder with outstanding in-phone editing options.

Samsung Rogue (SCH-U960)

Your Price: $79.99 with service

While the handset isn't considered a true "smartphone," as it lacks a robust operating system such as Microsoft's Windows Mobile or Google's Android platform, 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.

Users can customize the device by adding "widgets" -- icons on the home screen, much like the iPhone -- for one-touch access to applications like Facebook.

The Rogue is a bit bulky, video quality isn't the best, and the widgets a lot to handle. But for the person looking to stay connected and entertained, the handset is worth checking out.

Design

The Rogue is a bit bulky -- much thicker than it's Samsung cousin, the Impression. Samsung added stylish touches to the design, such as a black frame around the screen, silver on its edges and a gray, textured back side.

The handset has the advantage of offering two ways to type -- on the 3.1-inch touch screen or the slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

Although the touch screen is not ideal for typing, it is ideal for viewing -- made from AMOLED technology for brighter, more vivid images. Turned off, the reflective face can double as a mirror.

On the back side houses the handset's 3.0-megapixel camera, flash and self-portrait mirror.

The left side has volume keys and a USB/charger port. The right side has buttons to launch the speakerphone, camera and voice recognition features.

The Rogue is a bit hefty for those used to clamshells or sleek Blackberry phones, but it's actually average sized for a touch screen that includes a horizontal keypad. The coloring is dark and discreet, making images pop on the screen, and the keypad helps make typing easier.

The buttons on the front of the phone tend to beep (but not unlock the phone) when jostled in a hand bag, and it's too bad the screen only offer multi-tap typing, but that's why the keypad comes in handy.

Out of the box, the Samsung Rogue comes with a standard Lithium Ion battery, a USB/wall charger, a quick reference guide and a product safety and warranty guide.

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