Samsung have equipped the chat fully with applications and support a wide range of networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace right out of the box, allowing users to fully access all of their networking information while on the go. In terms of its all-round applications and specifications the Ch@t would appear to be aimed mainly at a mid-range market, although no price has been finalised as yet.

In order to help target the messaging market the Ch@t features a built-in QWERTY sliding out keyboard that is primed for use as soon as the user slides the phone open in order to use it. The keys are well-sized and reasonably ergonomically spaced, affording ease of use and preventing many typing errors when texting or composing e-mails. Like many of even the higher-end smartphones the Ch@t also features an on-screen touchpad that functions well, affording user a decent choice between integrated QWERTY keyboard and on-screen keyboard.

As far as connectivity is concerned it is a little disappointing to see that the Ch@t does not support 3G connectivity – especially as the device is primarily geared towards a smart, network-savvy type of user. This detraction also puts it a little behind some of the other competitors currently on the market, and it remains to be seen if this will affect the phone’s appeal.

Samsung appear to have cut back a little on some of the device’s specs in order to keep the end cost to the consumer down, although one or two extra tweaks would not have gone amiss. Luckily Samsung have included Wi-Fi on the device as well as Bluetooth and USB connectivity, enabling the user to easily transfer data to and from the phone both wirelessly and via a USB cable. The device also supports a range of Quad Band networks and offers an internal memory capacity of 1/2GB, allowing ample storage room for user information such as phone contacts as well as being able to display up to 30 missed calls, dialled calls and received calls. The user can also choose to bolster the storage capacity by using the integral microSD Transflash card slot, allowing a huge memory upgrade to 16GB.

The Ch@t itself is sleek black and quite appealing to look at, sliding horizontally to the right in order to access the integral QWERTY keyboard. As stated before the keyboard is quite responsive and allows messages to be typed quickly on the 2.6-inch screen display. The device’s on-screen touch-pad features TocuhWiz U12.0 which further allows for fairly seamless and error-free text input, though some people may not like this compared to other input programs found on competing devices.

At just 113.7 grams and measuring 103×52.5×16.2mm the Ch@t is also easy to hold in the hand as well as to transport in the pocket. Another big disappointment about the phone, though, coming in at a mere 2 megapixels – simply not as good as it might have been compared to many other devices sporting 8+ megapixels these days. It does, however, come with a useful auto-focus facility and can record video at QVGA 13fps.

For those concerned about music and other bonuses, however, it does come with few decent entertainment features including an FM radio and a music player capable of playing a range of files including MP3, eAAC and WAV.

Overall the Ch@t is a decent enough mid-range option, although it remains to be seen if some of the lower specs on the device will dissuade some from looking closer once it is finally released on the market.