Boost Mobile will get its first CDMA Android device in late April, but CNET has a hands-on preview right now. Check out the Samsung Galaxy Prevail.
Bonnie Cha
Bonnie Cha was a former chief correspondent for CNET Crave, covering every kind of tech toy imaginable (with a special obsession for robots and Star Wars-related stuff). When she's not scoping out stories, you can find her checking out live music or surfing in the chilly waters of Northern California.
The Samsung Galaxy Prevail is Boost Mobile's first CDMA Android smartphone. It will be available in late April for a no-contract price of $179.99 and with Boost's $50 unlimited voice, text, and data plan. Not a bad deal in our book.
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Android 2.2
Though it carries the Galaxy name, the Prevail doesn't share all the same features as the other Galaxy smartphones. It runs Android 2.2 but without the TouchWiz interface (just stock Android--nice) and doesn't support Samsung Media Hub.
It also has a smaller 3.5-inch HVGA touch screen, an 800MHz processor, and 348MB RAM/512MB ROM.
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Left side
On the left spine, there is a volume rocker and a microSD expansion slot. Boost ships the Galaxy Prevail with a 2GB microSD card, but it supports up to 32GB.
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Top view
The top of the phone houses the 3.5mm headphone jack and power button.
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Bottom view
Meanwhile, there's a sole Micro-USB port on the bottom of the handset.
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Camera
The Galaxy Prevail is equipped with a 2-megapixel camera with video recording capabilities. It lacks a flash, but we did a couple of quick test photos and were pleasantly surprised by the decent picture quality.
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Swype
The smartphone comes preloaded with the Swype virtual keyboard.
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Web browser
The Galaxy Prevail offers the full range of wireless options, including Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth, GPS, and 3G support. We were able to load Web pages, like CNET's full site, with no problem and data speeds were admirable.
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Extra apps
Boost preloads the Samsung Galaxy Prevail with a handful of extra apps, including Hookt, twidroyed, Poynt, Scvngr.
