Lightning Round: T-Mobile Samsung Blast

The Gadget: The T-Mobile Blast, a medium-to-low-end red and black slider from Samsung.

The Verdict: Decent call quality, thin but solid build, nice red and black finish, but the half-QWERTY SureType is a bit tough to use.

The Catch:
Instead of a standard dialpad like regular phones, the Blast has a SureType two-letters-per-key typing scheme. It's a bitch to use at first, but gets slightly better after you get used to it. Whether you're willing to put in the effort is up to you.

The Performance: Calling and basic functions are there, but the menus don't look that great. It may be faster than T9 once you get used to the keyboard.

The Price: $99
The Recommendation: There aren't all that many other choices on T-Mobile, so if you're looking for a slider and you like texting (and don't mind putting some effort into learning the Suretype system), this could be the one for you. Plus, it's nice looking and thin.

[T-Mobile]

T-Mobile Bound Samsung Blast Is Not a Normal Slider Phone

On the surface, the Samsung Blast -- destined for T-Mobile stores with a mere $99 asking price -- looks like any other thin Samsung slider phone.

Look a little further and you'll find something quite different altogether.

That's because when you slide out the keypad, it's not of the conventional numerical variety. Instead, it's got a SureType keyboard designed for text message aficionados and email enthusiasts. It's not quite as exciting as the sliding QWERTY on the Samsung i570 smartphone, but the Blast is much more consumer friendly, both in terms of functionality and price.

Other than the unique SureType keyboard, the Samsung Blast comes equipped with a 176x220 LCD display, microSD expansion, Bluetooth, and a music player. And let's not forget that the $99 bargain price is more than a little appealing.