Samsung Montage slides into texting action (pictures)

It isn't too fancy or flashy, but the Samsung Montage for Virgin Mobile looks pretty good for a $50 QWERTY phone.

The two buttons on the left of the screen have cropped up in several Samsung designs. They turn into soft keys when you turn the phone into landscape mode.

A microSD card is the key to unlocking the Montage's media player.

Not all budget phones include a 3.5mm headset jack, but the Montage does, so you can listen through a wired headset without any adapters.

I really like the keyboard's proportions, but the flatter buttons keep fingers from truly flying.

The 2-megapixel camera lacks a flash and autofocus, but it will take photos through the dedicated shutter button or when you press the Select button on the phone face. It also doubles as a camcorder.