Smartphone Review: The Samsung i760

	Photo: Samsung

The Samsung i760 from Verizon (VZ Quote) adds a sleek sparkle to an already bright market for -- do you dare call them mobile phones? -- this season.

With a faster processor, new operating system, bright touchscreen, a full slideout keyboard and quick Net connections, Samsung's i760 gives fans of so-called multifunction devices a gem to consider.

The Samsung i760 looks like a winner right out of the box, at least until you hold it.

Somehow, this newest smartphone from Verizon has a surprising heaviness that most phone makers have been staying away from for the past couple of years.

It is 3/4 of an inch thick and weighs 5.3 ounces, which is more than a quarter inch fatter and about a half ounce heavier than the new standard in slimness, Apple's (AAPL Quote) iPhone.

The i760, which hits stores next week priced at $300 with a two-year contract, is the first of a crop of new Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 phones from Verizon due out before the crucial holiday selling season.

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Despite its slightly cumbersome form, the phone has two great design features that give it an edge for those rare unconverted types who find they're not totally enamored with the iPhone or Research in Motion's (RIMM Quote) BlackBerry: The i760 has a slide-out qwerty keyboard and a bright color touchscreen.

The keyboard is ideally sized for thumb typists and the raised rubber backlit keys were exceptionally easy to use.

For big emailers and texting fans, the i760 keyboard provides a less compressed and compromised pecking process than you get with the BlackBerry and the iPhone.