The Samsung Sunburst is one of four new phones released by AT&T as affordable messaging phones that are a step-up from their predecessors, but not yet as feature rich as smartphones. Out of those 4, two are by Samsung, the Sunburst which is the fully touch-screen model of it’s counterpart the Strive which features a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The Sunburst appears to be the more modern of the two in terms of raw technology usage, but for those that prefer a physical keyboard they might want to take a peek at the Strive. The Sunburst will be available on March 22nd, 2010 and will cost $39.99 with a two-year contract(I personally believe the price is ridiculous and it should definitely be one of the free phones offered, but we’ll see how that pans out for AT&T). Considering it’s class of mobile device, it is surprisingly feature rich and the 3-inch resistive touchscreen display is actually incredibly responsive and easy to use. There are plenty of widgets on the newly upgraded TouchWiz 2.0 interface that give the user one-touch access to an array of applications such as; mobile-email, a two megapixel camera, blue-tooth, and AT&T’s Social Net, Music, and Navigation features. From my experience with the phone it appears to not offer any form of live TV or streaming, though in the future that may be added as the device’s 3G connectivity is more than capable and the phone does utilize video playback. The two-megapixel camera is a bit disappointing as i’m sure a 3.2 could have easily been integrated for significantly better picture quality. However for those simply looking for a messaging phone with a bit of pizazz the Samsung Sunburst may fit the bill.

The Samsung Sunburst may look look shiny with it’s polished chrome strips on each side of the device and burnished metal at the bottom, but overall they took a pretty minimalist approach on the exterior of this incredibly lightweight device measuring a rather compact 4.33 x 2.08 x 0.51 inches and a mere 3.08 ounces. They stripped the phone of nearly every button besides those which are absolutely necessary, and it looks as if my one phone design theory is coming ever closer to fruition, I’ll leave that for another time though. The face of the phone houses the call, end call/power, and back buttons. The left spine is where the volume rocker and MicroSD card slot are located while the right side holds the Samsung proprietary charging port/headset jack, lock key, and camera button. Finally the speaker and camera are located on the back along with an interesting bunch of hexagonal looking dots littering the bottom back portion. The screen is fairly vibrant and clear considering it’s only 3 inches, and definitely dominates the device aesthetically speaking. The UI has a more traditional feel, and is fairly easy to use though I keep hoping all phones begin adopting a smartphone interface, but those who prefer simple will enjoy the TouchWiz UI.

Using the Samsung Sunburst is sure to provide a user-friendly experience so long as you know what you are getting into. The interface is far more complicated than standard messaging phones you may be used to, and not nearly as feature-rich for those accustomed to smartphones. The 3-inch LCD resistive touch screen is incredibly responsive which is a very welcomed addition to affordable touch devices and typing is a breeze on either the on-screen 12 button keypad when held vertically and a full QWERTY keyboard when rotated into a horizontal position. The 2 megapixel camera is fairly easy to figure out, but provides below average quality on both the picture and video fronts which is to be expected though it definitely cut some corners and should have brought at least a 3.2 megapixel camera to the table. I’d say the biggest nuisance involved when learning to use the Sunburst is the fact that so many widgets/icons are picture only and don’t offer any text description so make sure you read the manual as that’s the fastest way to figure them out. I’d say my personal favorite on the phone is the browser, which loads incredibly quick and easily navigates pages which is shocking due to the fact that it only has a 200mhz processor. If video streaming is ever allowed I’d have almost no negative comments about the phone as a whole considering it’s class of mobile device and affordability, but no video streaming is a major bummer.

As with all mobile devices in today’s market the Samsung Sunburst definitely has it’s targeted audience which lies between a basic user that uses their phone simply for communication and the savvy gadget user that can never satiate their appetite for a more feature rich device. It definitely provides all of the essential functions necessary for the former, and enough widgets and applications for the latter so I’m sure it can provide a pleasant experience for nearly all besides the hardcore enthusiast. The browsing experience is incredibly pleasant with excellent page load times and hopefully at some point an update will allow streaming video which is not currently offered at this time. The camera and video qualities are less than favorable and misleading as when taking the picture it looks great on the screen, but once captured significantly reduces the resolution. It may take a bit longer to figure out than some of the simpler messaging phone predecessors, but becomes more enjoyable as you become more familiar with the TouchWiz 2.0 UI. The App center is also rather primitive and offers an interface more reminiscent of the old-school application marketplaces. Overall I don’t have too many complaints and it looks good and has some great features considering the $39.99 price tag which happens to be one of my larger complaints, the Sunburst may be a decent phone, but it should definitely positively absolutely should be offered as a free phone and there’s no reason it isn’t. But if you’d like starting March 21st go to any AT&T location and check out the Sunburst for yourself and see how correct i really am.