Samsung Captivate Glide and DoubleTime hands-on

Samsung's got a pair of QWERTY-sporting Android handsets heading to AT&T, targeting distinctly different different ends of the smartphone spectrum. Sure, both the Captivate Glide and the DoubleTime attempt to woo messaging addicts with their physical keyboards, but that's about where the similarities end. The Glide is packing a full gig of RAM, a 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, 8GB of internal storage, an 8 megapixel camera (plus a 1.3MP front-facing cam), Gingerbread slathered with TouchWiz and a 4-inch Super AMOLED display. The 800 x 480 panel isn't the best we've ever seen, but it's brightness and superb contrast certainly don't disappoint. Like many Samsung handsets, the Glide is surprisingly light thanks to its all plastic construction, but the textured battery plate and satisfyingly firm sliding mechanism keep it from feeling cheap. The landscape keyboard is quite pleasant. The keys don't have much travel, but they're well spaced and we had no trouble quickly banging out a bunch of texts right away.
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The DoubleTime, on the other hand, is a decidedly less high-end device. The rather beefy clamshell boasts a pair of 3.2-inch HVGA screens (hence the name) -- one on the font of the device and another on the inside, above the QWERTY keypad. The single-core 600MHz processor under the hood should be fine for texting and placing calls, but it did stutter a bit when navigating the heavily skinned Froyo. Oh, and yes, we're looking at Android 2.2 on this messaging-focused handset. And we wouldn't hold out hope for an update to Gingerbread, none the less Ice Cream Sandwich. The keyboard itself wasn't the worst we've ever used, but it was a bit cramped. Despite its rather plasticky and cheap feeling body, the hinge was surprisingly robust -- but we wouldn't suggest subjecting it to a rigorous durability test. Don't expect to load the DoubleTime up with piles of media either. Internal storage is practically nonexistent and Sammy only saw fit to bundle a 2GB microSD card with the handset. Unfortunately the company didn't have information regarding availability or price to share with us just yet, so you'll just have to be a little more patient if you're itching to get your QWERTY-equipped TouchWiz on.