We just had our hands on with Samsung's answer to the LG Chocolate, Sprint's brand new $99 Highnote. The phone sports a slider design which reveals either a keyboard if slid down, or a loudspeaker if you slide the phone upwards. You can navigate through Sprint's new One Click interface by using the device's central scroll wheel, and we like that the new menu system lets users quickly access Google searches, YouTube, the Web, and more. We appreciate that the Highnote has a 3.5mm headphone jack, too, a feature that Sprint's other new phone, the Rant, lacks. ]But consumers will have to decide whether the $40 premium is worth it for a speakerphone and a headphone jack, because the Rant has the same over-the-air capabilities but has a full QWERTY in place of that audio hardware. On the outside, the Highnote has a physical scroll wheel that feels pretty smooth but the Talk, Back, and End buttons are too small for our tastes. The dialpad provides pretty good feedback, but the keys themselves are small. The microSD card slot supports up to 16GB, which is plenty of room for your MP3s or tracks purchased via the Sprint Music Store. Other features include a 2MP camera, stereo Bluetooth, and dedicated buttons on the sides for launching the Music Store and Hold so you can rock out without worrying about changing tracks accidentally when the phone is in your pocket. Stay tuned for a full review. In the meantime, check out our hands-on video below. [flq:6a0495241f6d4c049d777ea133b5b915]
