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CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 05/23/2008
Most phones available for Virgin Mobile are from UTStarcom, Pantech, Kyocera, and LG, and the handsets are typically basic entry-level phones with minimal features. The latest phone to join Virgin Mobile is the Samsung Slash, which is the first Samsung handset for the MVNO carrier. Though it's still fairly basic, the Slash does come with a VGA camera, Bluetooth, voice dialing, and a Web browser. However, it's quite affordable at only $79.99 with no contract required.
Design
We were expecting a bit more luster to the Slash, based on its name alone, but we were ultimately disappointed by its boring run-of-the-mill slider design. Measuring 3.8 inches long by 1.8 inches wide by 0.7 inch thick, the Slash is fairly light and compact, and it does have soft curves along its sides that make it comfortable to hold in the hand. It's clad mostly in black with silver trim around the display.
The Slash has a 1.9-inch diagonal display, which is decent for a phone this size. However, it only displays 65,000 colors and doesn't have a very good resolution, resulting in lackluster colors and imagery. You can adjust the menu style, the backlight timer, and the incoming call screen. Underneath the display is a slightly raised rim that can be used to anchor your thumb for sliding the phone open and close.
Right under that is the navigation array, which consists of a circular toggle, two soft keys, the Talk and End/Power keys, and a Back key. The up toggle doubles as a shortcut to your VirginXL account to see how many minutes you have, and the down toggle doubles as a shortcut to your recent calls. The left and right toggles are configurable to whatever shortcuts you want. If you slide open the phone, you'll find the number keypad. Though we liked that the keys are all nicely raised above the surface, we did find the Talk, Back, and End/Power keys a bit too cramped for our liking. Similarly, we found the bottom keys of the number keypad quite crowded as well.
Rounding out the design of the phone are the volume rocker and charger/headset jack on the left spine, plus a dedicated speaker and dedicated camera buttons on the right. When you slide the phone open, you'll find a camera lens and self-portrait mirror on the back.
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