Not an iPhone Killer... Still a Quality Phone

Most of the negative reviews for this phone are a result of the faulty original software. Taking a phone to a Verizon store and presenting it to the tech support desk will get you a free software upgrade, which took 35 minutes for me.

The new software addresses many touch screen issues and improves some features of the user interface.

Cons: Not many ring tones are included. Sometimes the touch interface can be confusing, but I got the hang of it in about a day. It cannot load some pages, but I have a computer for that. The built in speaker is OK for conversations, but is tinny and distorts music or dialogue in videos. The headphone jack is the smaller 2.5mm that cell headsets use, so headphones with this size jack or an (relatively bulky, available at Radio Shack) adapter is needed. Sometimes it can be hard to tap a link without zooming or use of arrow keys. Keyboard has small keys. I found that I am fast enough at typing, but using the keys as directional arrows or "ok" and other functions in games is a bit cumbersome and requires some practice. Does not seem very durable. Accessing the battery/memory card compartment can be tricky (use light pressure in the middle and slide the cover down). The automatic screen lock can be frustrating, and it takes a few touches to access commonly used features, but with practice it becomes second nature. It takes some practice to search through contacts.

Pros: Played 45 minutes of video without stopping and with minimal artifacting, with audio understandable in a quiet room. Plays YouTube mobile problem free saving time-outs (Verizon network lag). Played all of my mp3s without fail in a Verizon app which is nearly the same on all phones. tWorked with my 1gb microSD card without problems (place mp3s in the media folder). Built in "smart view" of web pages, adjustable zoom modes, arrow key link navigation, switchable java, clearable cache, user/pass saving, cookies, adjustable time-out delays and more made web browsing nice between classes and on break at work. Most (all I have found) games do not use the touch screen but all of them work better than on other handsets. The screen is bright and readable in your own shadow in bright sun. Battery life is better than expected. Looking forward to testing the GPS function, which is integrated and even advertised in the menu. The touch screen stopped working for about 45 seconds while a complex page was loading, but the browser recovered and it let me use the page without issue once it was done loading. A shortcut menu puts 9 features, including downloaded content, two taps away.

There have been many poor reviews of this handset. I think many of these revolve around failures from moderate abuse, or from dissatisfaction with the original software. I am happy with my purchase and would recommend this device for people who are technically inclined and careful with their phones who do not want to pay for a Touch or Blackberry, or for heavy texters who want some tech to show off.

The only things I would improve are sound clarity, durability and qwerty key size. Get some earbuds, be careful with it and get used to the keyboard and you're going to like this phone.

samsung glyde

The Glyde is Samsungs first haptic touchscreen phone to hit the U.S. market, just ahead of the Samsung Instinct, and its expected on Sprint later this summer. At $249, it’s priced $50 below the LG Voyager and is chock-full of multimedia and messaging capabilities. However, you will miss out on V CAST Mobile TV and the directional pad the Voyager offers. Text-heavy users will appreciate the responsive keyboard, but most will be put off by its slow and sometimes unresponsive UI.


The Glyde is Samsung’s first haptic touchscreen phone to hit the U.S. market, just ahead of the Samsung Instinct, and it’s expected on Sprint later this summer. At $249, it’s priced $50 below the LG Voyager and is chock-full of multimedia and messaging capabilities. However, you’ll miss out on V CAST Mobile TV and the directional pad the Voyager offers. Text-heavy users will appreciate the responsive keyboard, but most will be put off by its slow and sometimes unresponsive UI.

View our hands-on video of the Samsung Glyde

Glyde Design
The midnight blue Samsung Glyde is reminiscent of the LG Voyager for its touchscreen capability and its full QWERTY keyboard. But the Voyager, while also on Verizon’s network, is more expensive and has a second display with a full on-screen QWERTY keypad. The Glyde doesn’t have a second display or a horizontal clamshell design. Instead, the full QWERTY keypad slides out from underneath it, horizontally. The motion is super smooth and sturdy.

The handset measures a pocket-size 4.1 x 2.0 x 0.7 inches and weighs in at 4.1 ounces, which makes it lighter and marginally smaller than the 4.6 x 2.1 x 0.7-inch, 4.7-ounce Voyager, although just as thick. We’re impressed by its dimensions, considering it has a higher-resolution display, (440 x 240 as opposed to the Voyager’s 400 x 240), while maintaining a similarly bright and colorful 2.8-inch display.

On the front of the device is a central Home button, but we really wish the Glyde also had Send and End call buttons. Along the device’s silver accents on the upper left is a charging slot, a 2.5mm headphone jack on the top right, and a lock/unlock button, along with volume controls and a camera button running down the right side. The 2-megapixel camera is on the back of the device with a small mirror for self-portraits.




You can add your own microSD Card (up to 8GB) to the Glyde, and the slot is right under the back cover, though thankfully, not under the battery. We wish Samsung had found a place for this slot on the outside of the phone, though.

Glyde Touchscreen Navigation
The Glyde has a unique user interface, with a host of preloaded interactive background images, including a Rubik’s Cube, but this feature is just for fun. A pulsating blue box in the middle of the background, when touched, launches the Shortcuts menu. You’ll also find plenty of other quick-launch buttons on the home screen, including: Dial Pad, Menu, Contacts, and Messaging, which run along the left side of the screen when the keyboard is extended. Along the bottom are more icons that light up or dim depending on whether you have an alarm set, a calendar appointment, a missed call, or a new message. Here’s where the UI gets a little confusing though: Simply put, the Glyde has too many menus.

Many Features, Small Size

I bought my phone used on Ebay about 4 months ago. I am used to using an ipod Touch and I have small hands, so I didn't find the touch screen on the phone a problem. The battery was not holding a charge very well but I turned off the vibration feature on the touch screen and it has been much better. I haven't updated the software on my phone because I haven't had any problems with it. Also I put a protective plastic on the front.

Pros: Small size. Choice of touch screen or keyboard, even when the keyboard is open. Keyboard makes internet easy using arrow keys to move around, stop loading a page, etc. Also you can use the keyboard arrows to scroll down menus. Touch screen locks automatically. It can be unlocked on the touch screen or by touching a key on the side of the phone, which also locks it. If you slide the keyboard open, the phone goes to speaker. Also a good way to answer quickly and then close it for a private conversation. It feels solid. Keyboard comes out easily. I love Verizon Navigator and the touch screen is large enough to see easily when driving. Takes a memory card. Easy to use camera.

Cons: The ringer was not very loud. I downloaded several song/ringers (from Verizon at $2.99 each until I found one I could hear. The Verizon browser is limited. I can't sign into some sites.

Samsung Glyde

When I first bought my Samsung Glyde. It was a great phone! Well....It still is!

Recently, Samsung has mandated an update to the firmware on the Glyde do to a high amount of glitches and problems, which may lead to why many people think the phone is a piece of junk. I have the updated version which works great. it is very nice, compact, and has a sleek appealing design that is very eye catching. It has loads of features like an mp3 music player, 2.0 megapixel auto focus built in digital camera/video recorder, full slide-out keyboard for easy texting and messaging, fast internet browser, and phenomenal signal strength as well as loads of other features that are just too much to list! The touch screen is great and the phone all together is very fast... (It waits for you, you don't wait for "it").

With all of these great things said, there are two things that I do find inferior.
-- To start off, the screen on the phone is not very bright and is very hard to look at especially outside in bright light.
-- Also.... the battery, if you use your phone a lot (like all the time) forget it! The battery has to be completely recharged practically every day. The combination of a large touch screen, and lighted keypad do a number on the small battery.
-- The ringer sound is great and is loud enough to hear. But the vibrate feature is junk. The vibrator makes more noise than it does "vibrate".

My Ratings:
Signal Strength.............5 stars
Touch Screen................4 stars
Texting and Messaging.......5 stars
Sound....................​...4 stars
Media and entertainment.....5 stars
Battery..................​...2 stars
Overall..................​...4 stars

Overall the pros outnumber the cons. I believe overall that this is a very good phone. So if you are into the more modern style phone with a touch screen. This a good and affordable model for you to own.

With all of that said. I hope this review helped.....Harry.

Samsung Glyde

Overall it works very well. I love the touch screen and qwerty key board style. The touch screen is easy to use and i've had no problems with it. I like that you can change the sensitivity levels for the touch screen also.

It is a little difficult to use the touch screen when there are small links on the web browser, but the phone can enlarge the image to make it easier for you to use.

Scrolling works fairly well with the touch screen, however whether it is just technique or not it does hesitate from time to time.

The qwerty keyboard is small which i like and very easy to use the your fingers/thumbs. It looks like it would be more difficult to use because of its size but its laid out in a way that its quite comfortable to use.

It also gives the option of using a touch key pad on the screen of the phone, for dialing and for texting, although for texting it does not give a full keyboard but one with the normal number/alphabet pad.

Using the phone for calls is also very easy and pretty normal. Just dial with the dial pad. You can also slide it open and it goes right to speaker phone.

Overall its a very good and fun phone and i would recommend it for those who are like me and like a full keyboard and a touch screen phone!