Sleek, But Don't Touch: Samsung's Glyde Disappoints

Touchscreen cell phones are everywhere these days. Yet precious few offer the finger-swipe scrolling and dragging of the iPhone's display. Most of these phones merely let you poke an icon rather than scoot around the screen with a flick or drag of a finger.

There are some notable exceptions. One is the Storm [BusinessWeek, 10/8/08], from BlackBerry maker Research In Motion.

Another is the Samsung Glyde, available through Verizon Wireless for about $80, when purchased online with a two-year contract. The Glyde is a sleek, compact device with several high-end capabilities, including a full-typewriter keyboard that slides out from behind the screen. You can also swipe your finger along the display to move the image up and down, side to side, or even diagonally. No, you can't flick it with the same dexterity as you can an iPhone screen, but even limited swipe-ability makes the Glyde's touchscreen a whole lot more useful -- at least in theory. As full-featured and handsome as the device is, I found working with its screen too taxing to make the Glyde a phone I'd strongly recommend.

Native Format Viewing

The Glyde's screen is incredibly fickle. All too often during testing, I found myself poking on an icon three or four times, if not more, just to get my command to register -- this despite the fact that I felt a small vibrational feedback in my fingertip, presumably confirming that my pokes had hit their mark. Even after I adjusted the screen settings for maximum touch sensitivity, I had to stub my finger with maddening regularity to get my commands to register.

To its credit, the Glyde lets users connect with the Internet and view Web pages in their native format, rather than in the "optimized" mobile versions that Verizon and other cellular providers feature on most mobile phones. Of...