So, I know, it' s January, I really should have added Samsung f700 to my Christmas list earlier, but alas.

Since buying my Blackberry Curve, I find it hard to even consider a phone if it doesn' t have a qwerty keyboard. Maybe that' s cutting out too much of the competition...But I do love a qwerty.

Having spent months trying to decide between something like a blackberry or sidekick seemed like pain enough at the time, and now I am faced with a veritable feast of qwerty devices that aren' t too business focused for someone who, well, isn' t all that business focused.

I' m assuming Samsung has come up with the "croix" moniker for my latest obsession because of the, well, the "cross" that you use to navigate around the menu. I am, however going to stick with the name f700 as, well, I don' t feel like a fool when I say it.

Let' s look at the reasons I find the Samsung f700 so appealing!!

Firstly, I mentioned the qwerty keyboard right!? Now, there is nothing wrong with a qwerty that doesn' t neatly slide away, as I said, the blackberry curve is great, and surprisingly easy to use...However, the sliding away option on the f700 really makes me grin. Grin grin grin! And for generation me, messaging plays a big part of the actual use of a mobile phone. I' m sure it should be referred to as the sms age. And there' s nothing like a qwerty to speed up those thumb reflewes.

Touch screens. Now, to be really, really honest, I could care less about a touch screen!! Especially if you need to use a stylus, I just couldn' t be bothered. It' s all extra effort and bits and pieces that we don' t all need. I want to be able to press a button and go where I want, not pull out a stylus and tap each letter/number with a  tiny little stick that I will surely break/lose very soon after buying the device, and even the manufacturers are adding extra styli because they know that most consumers are infact prone to breaking/losing/dropping in the toilet..... The Samsung f700 however, seems to have that covered. Great touch screen interface, and did I mention the slide out keyboard. It works for me!

Samsung itself, I' ve never had a problem with any samsung product I' ve used. And they' ve certainly come out with some nice sleek devices. I wasn' t enamored with any of the Ultra range, (plus I think the thin phone thing is going a little too far since motorola went RAZR mad) but I will let the f700' s ultra family tree slide...(slide!)

Now my only decision is whether I buy the f700 or wait around and see if the LG Voyager is released in Aussie land.

I;ve never owned an LG product, but the Voyager looks rather pretty. Although, maybe it' s the similarity to the f700 that has got me interested. Sure it doesn' t slide, it flips, but it has a touch screen. I believe the Voyager is slightly chunkier than the f700 and from what I' ve seen, the user interface isn' t quite as pretty as the Croixs' cross. And to be honest, the voyager doesn' t look quite as polished, though it does look like fun. I guess it' s all about appearances isn' t it.

Apparently, I' m inpatient, so with the f700 being available to me, maybe that is why I will buy it. Maybe I want the polished f700 not the gamer looking voyager (not that I don' t enjoy anything gamer-esque...). Maybe it' s the fact that it' s Samsung.

Or maybe it' s that inexplicable bond between a girl and her gadgets that will be the ultimate decider!

 x-shell