Filed under: Nokia

Ok Nokia, this is getting serious. The world’s largest cellphone maker just announced a 66 percent yearly drop in Q2 profit while lowering its 2009 market share target for its cellphones. Originally, Nokia had expected market share to rise in 2009, presumably based on a successful launch of the N97 flagship device. However, outside of a core group of S60 diehards, the N97 has been universally panned in both reviews and user forums alike. And with nothing but rumors of an Atom-based Nokia netbook on the immediate horizon, well, let’s just say that we’re suddenly concerned about the health of our friends from Espoo.

Nokia cuts market share targets as Q2 profits plummet originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.