Samsung Glyde Review - Design & Features



Details

W/new plan

W/family plan

Prepaid

Phone only

    Specs   Images   Expert reviews   User reviews   Manual   Compare   Accessories   Mobile Content

Noah Kravitz
Posted on Thursday, May 08, 2008
by Noah Kravitz, Senior Editor, Consumer Products and Services
Share/Save/Bookmark

Design & Features

 
When I first held Glyde I was really taken with how small it felt.  Granted it’s fairly thick, but it really felt much more like a “regular phone” than a messaging phone with a sliding — that is, “glyding” — keyboard hidden under its display.  Glyde’s rounded corners, deep blue glossy plastic body, and chromed plastic accents give it a fun-meets-high tech look, and its size makes it easy to hold and use with either one hand on the touchscreen or both thumbs on the keyboard.

Glyde’s front panel is dominated by a 2.8” touchscreen with a single button - the Home key - below and the speaker above.  The panel slides sideways to reveal a full QWERTY board with small but surprisingly comfortable backlit buttons finished in black on a black background bordered by a chrome strip with rounded corners.  The look says High-Tech Fun, and I really think Samsung did a great job packing a QWERTY board into Glyde without making it geeky looking.

Samsung Glyde text messaging image

Along the edges of the handset you’ll find plastic-capped headphone and charger jacks, a button for lock/power, a rocker switch for volume/zoom, and another button that activates the camera.  The back panel houses the camera’s lens, flash, and self portrait mirror, and sliding the panel off gains access to the microSD card slot and battery.  While you do have to remove the back panel to get to the memory card, it’s not hidden behind the battery and so is still hot-swappable.

What’s neat about Glyde is that it feels more like a phone than a smartphone or PDA when you’re holding or using it — I found Glyde to feel smaller than it actually is, and so constantly found myself thinking, “It’s so cool that they put a full QWERTY board in this cute little phone!”  A glance at the spec sheet revealed that Glyde isn’t exactly tiny - but it’s still quite a bit smaller than your average smartphone, and is easily used with one hand thanks to the touchscreen.

Glyde is compatible with VCAST music and videos, including the VCAST music store, and it also came with the latest build of Verizon’s VZ Navigator service, which works with the onboard GPS chip to provide location based services.  The phone also supports mobile Email and IM, and has a full HTML Web browser which also works with Verizon’s “Optimized Web” service.

Next: Usability & Performance »

Reviews by company

Apple,   BenQ,   BlackBerry,   Eten,   HTC,   LG,   Motorola,   Nokia,   o2,   Palm,   Pantech,   Samsung,   Sanyo,   Sharp,   Sony Ericsson

Our fancy algorithm says this stuff is related...

Fukudome Is My Homie
Sunday, August 17, 2008Ok, so i just ordered my glyde online yesterday so i guess it's just a little late to be asking questions, but here we go... i live waaaaaay out in the middle of nowhere, so i have a VERY weak signal, right now i have an LG chocolate, one of the first ones, and it does fairly well, i usually have one or on the rare occasion, two bars of signal strength. But it does well enough to text, usually from anywhere, and i can send and recieve calls, usually. Most of the time they eventually get dropped. But my question is, will i be able to get a signal with my new glyde? I've heard that the glyde's signal strength is weak. So I'm just a bit worried about not being able to use my phone at my house.
Eric Z
Saturday, August 16, 2008Dont listen to the touch screen rumors i got mine yesterday and it is fine
rocky cronel
Saturday, August 09, 2008the glyde ROX i luv it its the best phone ever created i think the only phone better than it is the sidekick 2008 but i luv the glyde SSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooo much
ian l
Friday, August 08, 2008i'v heard rumors about the touchscreen on the glyde. is it true that there are problems with it? or is it just that people have really bug finger and cant hit the button right on?
Jack Meoff
Wednesday, August 06, 2008The glyde sucks.
personthatlikescells hawkins
Thursday, July 31, 2008Is the glydes keyboard better than dares touch screen keyboard since the glydes keys are so small idk...
melissa kittavong
Wednesday, July 30, 2008hey i was wondering. for this phone i have the gylde and i love it to pieces =] but i was wondering can the gylde read text messages out loud to you ?
asdfg dsa
Tuesday, July 29, 2008yes there is a firmware update it should be available now
Alex C
Saturday, July 26, 2008Is there a firmware update coming out? i've heard rumors
asd asdf
Thursday, July 24, 2008it would be a big help if you could do a comparison between the three verizon touchscreens: dare, glyde, voyager.
will stadler
Sunday, July 20, 2008I just purchased this phone and absolutely love it!!! Yes the touchscreen is only sometimes a little sketchy but not much at all. Besides the keyboard feature is absolutely easy to use in place of touchscreen when on the browser. The pic quality, layout, thickness, and length are perfect. It took me almost 2 months to finally find a phone that I liked. The speakerphone is extremely clear and loud! you can set your wallpaper up as a slide show of pictures, I definitely recommend this phone to anyone who doesnt like the other touchscreen phones due to length.
Joey R
Monday, July 14, 2008Glyde is a sweet phone
viva la des
Monday, July 14, 2008I'm really really looking into getting this phone. I want it alottt, but the touch screen problems and the not-so-great service are making me second think.. I'm not on the phone alot, just a teen who text messages ALOT, I don't plan to use the internet, so this is a great phone to get right? the keyboard and touchscreen is what made me really want it; and i'm tired of a flip phone.
Alex C
Sunday, July 13, 2008I'm not sure whether to get the glyde or dare. I actually like the look of this phone, but the touchscreen problems are scaring me away. Im due for an upgrade in a few weeks and hopefully samsung will decide to make an update for the glyde. If they don't i'm going with the dare
Co. D
Tuesday, July 08, 2008I just got this phone and it's awesome. I love it and I'd reccomend it to everyone!
yo yooo
Saturday, July 05, 2008I luv the glyde best phone in history!!!!
Boo! <(*-*)>
Saturday, July 05, 2008The glyde is the best. I think it's also better than the Env2 but my question is ive herd lots of complaints about the touch screen. Is it not very good or what. I also have another question which should i rather get the glyde or the voyager.
sonny days
Saturday, July 05, 2008i have an orange enV but it has been having problems with buttons not working and i really want the glyde, if i take my enV in to a verizon store will they just give me a refurbished enV? or a diff phone? cuz they stopped making the enV and with my old phone they just gave me a new one of the same phone...
Zach Dalton
Wednesday, July 02, 2008I love this phone, thats just why i watned to keep it protected from scratches, dings, and everyday stuff that happens to phones. I did a little homeowrk and found Phantomskinz! They make protective non scratchable patterns for phones. I orderd it online at Phantomskinz.com and installed it myself. It fits like a glove and you cant even tell its on! i recomend this to anyone whos looking foor protection on their devices
graycenne llkaglk
Wednesday, June 25, 2008i think the LG enV2 is the best. the key board is modern, and usable, the size basically slim, the front is sleek, and overall its an amazing phone! especially 4 teenz, and collage studants itz really popular! evryone should have it

Add a comment

There are two easy ways to submit your comment
  1. Sign in if you are already a member, or join PhoneDog for a free account- this way you won't have to re-enter your information on subsequent comment posts. Additionally you'll receive all these great benefits of being a PhoneDog community member.
    Or,
  2. Submit your comment without registering by using the form below

About our reviews

More than just the specs, our in-depth reviews are the closest thing to "Try before you buy"!Or use your favorite online news reader
Google, My Yahoo, My MSN, Bloglines, Netvibes, Newsgator

Latest cell phone reviews

  • BlackBerry 9000-Bold
    BlackBerry 9000-BoldThe highly anticipated BlackBerry 9000 Bold has finally arrived and it just might have been worth
  • BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220
    BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220What’s Good: surprisingly music-friendly; external play/pause button; stereo bluetooth, standard
  • Samsung Highnote M630-Blue
    Samsung Highnote M630-BlueSprint and Samsung are unleashing the specialists this season, and the Highnote's role is obvious.
  • Samsung Rant Black
    Samsung Rant BlackReplacing the Rumor as Sprint's primary texter, Rant is a messaging powerhouse. The keyboard feels
  • HTC G1
    HTC G1What’s Good: Android experience is excellent; Web browser is amongst best available on cell phones;
  • Samsung i900-Omnia
    Samsung i900-OmniaWhat’s Good: Universal landscape mode and universal landscape QWERTY; optically-enhanced action
  • HTC Touch-Diamond
    HTC Touch-DiamondWhat’s Good: Stunning hardware design and elegant software user interface; front panel is subdued,
  • LG Dare
    LG DareWhat’s Good: Attractive, highly customizable UI with home screen shortcuts; Compact design with
  • Samsung Instinct-M800
    Samsung Instinct-M800What’s Good: Supports every feature Sprint offers; EV-DO Rev. A data speeds; Good touchscreen
  • LG enV2
    LG enV2What’s Good: Sleeker and smaller than the original EnV. Comfortable QWERTY keyboard and QVGA



|  HOME  |   ABOUT US  |   EMAIL  |
Phone: 800-500-5020
Copyright © Telecom Communications. All rights are reserved