Samsung Droid Charge 4G Verizon Smartphone Review

As we mentioned, Samsung ships the Droid Charge with Android 2.2 aka Froyo. The user interface is pretty standard, though Samsung has included a few unique features. For example, Samsung enabled a thumbnail view of all seven home screens. From this view, you can select any of the screens to be the primary home screen.  

The Droid Charge ships with quite a few pre-installed applications and links. There are three full pages of apps from the start. Of course, you'll get your standard Google applications—Gmail, Google Search, Market, Navigation, etc. You'll also get a few Verizon Wireless applications such as V CAST Media, VZ Navigator, and V CAST Apps. Beyond these, you'll find icons such as Bitbop, Blockbuster, City ID, Desk Cradle, Media Hub, Lets Golf 2, and more in the application listing. Some of these applications are obviously more useful than others. The Samsung Media Hub is Samsung’s own content service. It offers a variety of films and TV programs for rent or purchase.

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Since there are so many applications already installed on the Droid Charge, we wish there was a way to categorize or file the application icons within the application menu for easier access. Since this option is unavailable, we resorted to placing shortcuts to our favorite apps on one of the seven home screens—something most users will likely do anyway.

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Samsung includes its own keyboard as well as the popular SWYPE keyboard with the Droid Charge. The phone also has a Mobile Hotspot feature which will let you share your 4G connection with up to 10 Wi-Fi enabled devices. You can also use Mobile Hotspot to share a 3G connection with up to 5 devices. The Mobile Hotspot feature will be included with the phone for a limited time at no additional charge.