No, not the Samsung Strive you may know from its release just a little over a month ago, but the Stride, as in, “to move with or as if with long steps.” In a sign that a cell phone manufacturers may have run out of new names and begun replacing letters in old ones – and possibly run out of new ideas as well – Samsung released the budget-priced Stride flip phone on U.S. Cellular on Thursday.
The Stride, also known as the SCH-r330, returns to Samsung’s dead simple flip phone roots with just the basics: an alphanumeric keyboard, 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth and a 1-inch, 96-by-96 pixel display. Of course, it will also handle text and picture messaging, has a built-in speakerphone, and Samsung claims the battery is good for a solid 4.5 hours of talk time.
On the plus side, it weighs only 3.10 ounces and goes for just $30 on U.S. Cellular – with contract. On the down side, it’s probably still not a particularly compelling phone at the moment, considering U.S. Cellular customers can get a more capable LG Wine II UN430 flip phone or even a BlackBerry Curve 8530 for the same money, with rebate.
The Stride is available immediately on U.S. Cellular in one trim package: black and red.
