With back to school time rapidly approaching, carriers are launching devices aimed directly at the school-age crowd. Offering a design similar to the Helio Ocean 2, the Samsung Exclaim offers the best of both worlds in a rare form factor - a dual sliding mechanism with a typical numeric keypad and a QWERTY keyboard. As a result, the device is on the bulky side, but makes up for it in performance and features.
The Samsung Exclaim is offered in raspberry and blueberry colors. Coming in at 4.45 inches by 2.24 inches by 0.67 inch, and with a weight of 4.69 ounces, the Exclaim is on the larger side. With size comes additional screen real estate, however, and the 2.6-inch, 262,000 color display is a welcome addition. It displays colors well, is vibrant, and easy to read. As with any non-PDA phone, the packaging is relatively sparse. Besides the device and battery, Sprint offers a home charger, 512 MB microSD card with adapter, and instruction manuals.
The front of the device contains two menu shortcut keys, a back button, a mute button, and talk and end keys. On the left side of the device, you'll find the volume rocker; on the top, the 2.5mm headphone jack; and on the right side, the microSD card slot, charging port, and a shortcut button to the device's media. Though Samsung made us very happy by finally opting to ditch the proprietary charging port in lieu of a microUSB one, the 2.5mm headphone jack seems like a step back. Should you want to listen to music, you'll need to purchase a 3.5mm adapter.
Sprint made a wise decision in implementing their "One Click" user interface onto all of their non-smartphone devices, and unlike other carrier-supplied interfaces, Sprint's is useful, and most importantly, customizable. The only small gripe that we had was the inability to change the font size; it was perfectly large enough for our tastes, but those with visual impairments should have a look at it in store prior to purchasing.
One thing we love about Sprint devices are the included features, and the Exclaim doesn't disappoint. Offering Sprint TV, Sprint Navigation, NFL Mobile, Twitter, MySpace, NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile, Google's various services, the Exclaim is ready to go out of the box. With most Sprint plans, the features are included, so they're definitely worth taking advantage if your plan supports it. The device also supports POP3/IMAP connectivity for e-mail accounts. Granted, it's not as fluid as a PDA, but it's much better than attempting to access the e-mail accounts via web.
The QWERTY keyboard offers a shortcut button to the text messaging menu, as well as two menu shortcut keys and four navigational arrow keys. Overall, we liked the keyboard, but it proved to be a challenge to type on at times. Though the keys are spaced, the actual keyboard itself is a bit cramped, leading to us typing several words incorrectly during our testing. 
The Samsung Exclaim ships with a 2.0 megapixel camera with a 3x zoom, and in our testing, image quality was generally decent, provided that the shots were taken in the light. When in low-light areas, the camera didn't perform as well. The Exclaim provides several editing features, including night mode, spot metering, five white-balance settings, a self-timer, and the ability to place the camera on silent. While providing similar features, the camcorder's performance was average. As with most devices, it's certainly not a replacement to a traditional video camera. We tested the Exclaim in the Charlotte area, and reception was strong. Callers said we sounded great, with one frequent caller saying that we sounded better than on any other phone. On our end, calls were crisp and clear. Minus some background noise, we couldn't detect any other issues.
We tested the device in a known fringe area, and though the calls were a bit choppy at times, none were lost. Speakerphone was clear, and despite being in a crowded store at the time of testing, we could hear our callers well. It was a bit different on the other end, however; in order for our callers to hear us, we had to speak quite close to the phone. Battery life was decent. With moderate use encompassing text messaging, calling, and the occasional internet browsing, we were able to make it just over two days before the device shut off. With little to no use, the device lasted just under six days. For those that are unable to charge during the day and need a battery warrior, the Exclaim would certainly be a device to consider.
Certainly a player in the back to school phone race, the Samsung Exclaim won't disappoint with its numerous features. Minus a few issues in regards to the headphone jack and speakerphone performance, the device is a worthy upgrade, and certainly worth a look. Text messaging addicts will appreciate the dual-slider functionality, and more importantly, the battery life needed to support the habit. For those that have trouble reading small print, we would recommend visiting a store to analyze the font size before purchase.
