![\"\"](\"https:\/\/techcitement.comadmin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Stratosphere-Side-e1322062631195.jpg\" "\\"Stratosphere")
<\/a><\/p>\nGiven those features, it\u2019s not as huge as I\u2019d have expected. The back of the device has a slight hump at the top and bottom, but it\u2019s slight enough to be unnoticeable most of the time. Samsung seems to like adding these extra contours to their devices for no particular reason, but at least this time it didn\u2019t make the phone any less appealing. The textured back panel makes for a solid grip, and makes the device a breeze to slide open one-handed. It\u2019s not as solid feeling as the Motorola Droid 2\u2019s mechanism, but by no means does it feel cheap or fragile. The phone also has more weight to it than many Samsung devices, leading to a general feeling of quality build.<\/p>\n
The keyboard was a major disappointment. The square, flat keys make touch typing virtually impossible. They don\u2019t rise high enough above the surface to be noticed individually, and they aren\u2019t even as well spaced apart as the round keys on the Gravity Smart. I found myself relying exclusively on the pre-installed Swype keyboard. Given that the keyboard is this device\u2019s greatest differentiator from some of the higher-end Verizon models, this speaks volumes about the usefulness of the Stratosphere in Verizon\u2019s nearly endless lineup of smartphones.<\/p>\n
The Stratosphere is also one of Verizon\u2019s first mid-range LTE devices, priced at $149.99, roughly half the starting price of devices like the Motorola Droid Razr and HTC Rezound. You do pay a penalty in specs for the lower price, but it\u2019s not as steep a drop as it could have been. Samsung promotes the Stratosphere as a Galaxy S phone, and that\u2019s basically what you end up getting. This is essentially the LTE version of Sprint\u2019s Epic 4G. The Stratosphere has the same 1 GHz processor, Super AMOLED display (it\u2019s missing the Plus of the Droid Charge, but looks amazing), and 5 MP rear camera. The front-facing camera is improved to 1.3 MP, but you only get a 4 GB micro-SD card pre-installed. These aren\u2019t cutting edge specs by any means, but they\u2019re plenty for a smooth Android experience under most circumstances, from web browsing to streaming Netflix.<\/p>\n Battery life, on the other hand, was probably the single worst feature of this phone. That\u2019s not actually the battery\u2019s fault. Rated at 1800 mAH, I expected the battery to deliver even better performance than what I saw in the Droid Charge. Unfortunately, the LTE radio proved to be unreliable, dropping me down to a 3G connection in places that previously had good 4G reception. This happened with alarming regularity and meant the phone constantly drained itself searching for an LTE signal. The Stratosphere brings all the battery life issues of LTE to the table and more, but often leaves behind the advantages. It doesn\u2019t seem worth the discounted price when an extra $50 gets you the far more reliable LTE of the Droid Charge or the slower but longer-lasting 3G of the Droid 3.<\/p>\n On the software side, Samsung has once again buried a great OS under its TouchWiz user interface. Samsung is clearly trying to improve the software\u2019s usability (though not its cartoon-like appearance), but there are times when I wonder whether they test some of the changes they make.<\/p>\n For example I really appreciate the new option to organize apps in the main app drawer however you want. Putting frequently used apps on the first page, while hiding less-used ones farther back, is a useful feature that saves me home screen space. But the Stratosphere comes with a lot of apps already in the menu, and the first thing I do when I get a new device is install a bunch of my own favorites. So it would be really nice to see an option to alphabetize the app drawer. Instead, everything gets piled in based on the order it was installed in. A couple of dozen apps later it becomes impossible to find anything. Once again I can only recommend a custom launcher instead of the Samsung default.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the new WiFi notification. The one feature of Touchwiz I really like is the wonderful power widget in the notification shade, allowing easy access to enable or disable five common functions like Bluetooth or GPS. A WiFi button on that widget would be great, allowing users to save battery by turning off WiFi on the go and turning it back on again when near a hotspot. WiFi could easily have replaced airplane mode (accessible via a long-press of the power button) on the widget. Instead, Samsung gave WiFi an entire notification of its own. That shade doesn\u2019t have room for a lot to begin with, and the TouchWiz widget already costs a nice chunk of the available real estate. It’s worth it, because there’s so much functionality there. But if my WiFi is off, I don\u2019t need a notification permanently telling me it\u2019s off. I like the notification all Android devices give that a hotspot is in range, but if I don\u2019t plan on using that hotspot, I can turn off WiFi and the notification disappears. Not so on the new TouchWiz. And even worse, the notification remains even when connected to a WiFi network. The only thing I need less than a notification that my WiFi is off is one that my WiFi is on and working normally.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n