The Samsung M540 Rant is one of the latest QWERTY messaging devices to be put on the market by Sprint. The Rant features a 2 megapixel camera, Sprint’s new One Click standby screen user interface, and 3G data. All of this adds up to a device that seems ready for text or picture messaging as well as dealing with other more ordinary tasks.
The Rant weighs in at a somewhat hefty 130g (4.6oz), but still measures only 114mm x 53mm x 18mm (4.5″ x 2.1″ x 0.7″) in size, which seems spot on for QWERTY keyboard messaging tasks. The keyboard slides in and out from the side with a solid clunk, thanks to a decent set of internal springs. The fact that the keyboard has 4 full rows of keys makes the Rant a lot simpler to use than those devices that try to cram a full keyboard worth of functionality into 3 measly rows. The keyboard’s key are made of rubber, but are stiff enough to provide good tactile feedback. The exception is the space bar, which is a bit more finicky and generally prefers to be hit on its ends, not working as well when pressed in the middle.
The alphanumeric keypad on the rant is conventional, if a bit tight, and the d-pad and softkeys work well enough. For those times when the QWERTY keyboard is being used, users will find a second set of softkeys available along the bottom edge of the display. The camera and its self-portrait mirror sit on the otherwise plain looking rear cover of the Rant. You have to remove this cover to access the built-in microSD memory card slot, but you don’t have to remove the battery to get to it.
We’re pretty pleased to see Samsung using the standard micro-USB connector for power on the Rant, but a bit less pleased with its choice of a 2.5mm headphone socket instead of the more popular 3.5mm type. The display also failed to wow us. While Samsung tells us that the Rant uses a 262k color TFT display, our eyes try to convince us otherwise. The Rant’s screen just appears a bit washed out from certain angles, and looks something like an older tech passive matrix type display.