In some ways the phone is like the Samsung Epic 4G

The Samsung Transform is a phone that actually lives up to its name—with VGP-BPS13 Sprint ID packs, the phone’s Android software can “transform” into a different phone experience. But even with this idea behind it, the phone is too pricey to be VGP-BPS13A/S an extremely average offering.

In some ways the phone is like the Samsung Epic 4G, except shrunk down and without 4G. On the plus side, the device has a great QWERTY VGP-BPS13A/B keyboard, nice Android 2.1 software, and good call quality. On the downside, it has a low-resolution 3.5-inch HVGA screen at VGP-BPS9 480 x 320 pixels, an 800-MHz processor that gets bogged down easily by the software, and slightly slow load times on the web.

The Samsung Transform is one of the first Sprint ID Android VGP-BPS8 phones, along with the Kyocera Zio and the LG Optimus S. This allows the user to switch between different profiles like EA Games, which lets the user demo games and use EA titles for your wallpaper, or The Big Apple, which has New-York-centric apps VGP-BPS9A/B and wallpaper.
At $149, the Transform doesn’t price right and doesn’t fit well into Sprint’s competition. For those VGP-BPS9/B who want a low-end QWERTY Android phone, there is the Samsung Intercept for $99. If you can live without a keyboard, the $199 HTC Evo VGP-BPS9/S 4G is a better deal. If you need a keyboard, the $249 Epic 4G is worth the investment, especially when considering the cost over two years

A lot of phone names these days seem pretty random, but in this case, the name actually fits the product. Thanks to the new Sprint ID feature, the VGP-BPS8A Samsung Transform lets you download different packs of apps, widgets, and shortcuts to literally transform this Android phone's VGP-BPS2 personality. Choices range from branded ID packs such as Yahoo and EA to themes including Golf Enthusiast and Entertainment. This $149 device also VGP-BPS2A features a comfy slide-out keyboard and a front-facing camera for video calls, perks lower-end Sprint ID-capable phones such as the LG Optimus S ($49) and the Sanyo Zio ($99) lack. Still, $149 is a lot to spend on a device that doesn't have 4G data capability or a high-res screen. Does VGP-BPS2B the Transform have enough going for it, or would that dough be better spent on an Evo 4G or Epic 4G?

Design
At least with the 3.5-inch screen off, the Transform could easily be mistaken for the Epic 4G. They're VGP-BPS2C both solidly built handsets with unassuming rounded edged and hard black plastic on the back. The Transform measures 4.6 x 2.4 x .6 inches VGP-BPS13A/Q and weighs 5.4 ounces, while the Epic is taller and slightly wider and heavier (4.9 x 2.5 x 0.6 inches and 5.5 ounces), owing to its larger 4-inch display. This is a reasonable size and weight for a phone with a physical keyboard, which slides out VGP-BPS13/B easily.

The top of the device has a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microUSB port. The right side VGP-BPS13B/B has a volume rocker, and the left side has three buttons--one for power/sleep, one for voice commands, and one for the VGP-BPS13B/Q camera.

Display
The Transform has a 3.5-inch HVGA touch screen with 480 x 320 resolution. The screen can get plenty bright if the user chooses, but VGP-BPS13/Q colors are muted and text looked fuzzy on some pages. The screen takes to fingerprints and smudges easily. Compared to the good battery Epic 4G's 4-inch Super AMOLED screen with 800 x 480 resolution, the Transform's display looks lackluster.

Keyboards
The full QWERTY keyboard on the Transform is dell battery the best feature the device has to offer. Gray keys and orange accents give it a hip feel. It's very comfortable overall, and there is enough spacing to type quickly and accurately. We only wish that the flat keys were raised a little more. The virtual Android keyboard works fine, but it doesn't hp battery have Swype pre-installed like the Epic 4G. Since the physical keyboard is available, we'd much rather use that dell battery anyway.