Samsung CorbyPRO B5310 & CorbyTXT B3210 Preview

Interface:

Perhaps the most important aspect of all devices targeted at youngsters is their overall look. Still, no self-respecting kid would go for a cell phone that doesn’t come with proper functionality and funny software. Fortunately, the Samsung CorbyPRO B5310 and Samsung CorbyTXT B3210 are well prepared. The former runs the TouchWiz interface that (just like with the original Corby) looks appealing and boasts the cheerful theme that alters the background and all icons. The home screen of our prototype changes the way it looks depending on what time, at least to an extent - it gets darker at night or shows a sun during the day, although both birds visible on the screen never woke up during our tests. Perhaps, they are just hibernating, gathering their strength for the official release of the Samsung CorbyPRO B5310.



The main menu is easy to rearrange via the small icon in the top right corner. Unfortunately, the prototype just wouldn´t connect to the Internet and got restarted all by itself several times on our attempts. Judging by what we saw, the phone comes with own applications dedicated to Facebook and MySpace rather than just shortcuts to the websites. The internet browser is the same as the one found on the Corby. We have to say it´s quite good for an affordable device and allows smooth, single-finger zooming. The phone delivers support for Microsoft Exchange and Wi-Fi as well as a Java version of the popular chat client called Palringo that happens to be quite a capable application.



The Samsung CorbyTXT B3210 also comes preloaded with a youthful, cheerful theme that makes the home screen look a tad odd, but none the less, really funny and entertaining. It visualizes a hand with a wristwatch on it and a pair of shoes walking along a road. The row of shortcuts where you can place up to 15 overused applications makes for a handy extra feature. Unfortunately, there are no dedicated applications for social networking and the internet functionality is crippled by the lack of 3G and Wi-Fi support.




Camera and Multimedia:

The Samsung CorbyPRO B5310 sports a 3-megapixel camera, the Samsung CorbyTXT B3210 comes with a 2-megapixel one and they both lack autofocus. Generally, we don’t expect to see impressive snapshots, but we by no means mind getting pleasantly surprised. Both cameras save the pictures almost instantaneously and this is always a good thing. Take a look at the test stills we took with both devices, just keep in mind that the retail units will probably deliver better results. 







The presence of 3.5mm headphone jack on both devices, which is not the case with the Samsung Corby S3650, is a substantial improvement. This allows people to plug in a pair of earphones that have better quality than the boxed ones, which more often than not proves to be of crucial importance when it comes to proper audio playback. The Samsung CorbyPRO B5310 and Samsung CorbyTXT B3210 sport FM radio and the app interface on the handset equipped with touch-sensitive screen is really beautiful.



Just like we did when we first told you about the Corby, we simply must complain about the lack of preinstalled full games on either handset. The CorbyPRO comes with some titles, but they are trial versions, while going for the CorbyTXT means you are not getting even that, because the latter doesn’t sport any. Fingers crossed Samsung gets this fixed and provides full versions, especially the one called Crazy Penguin Catapult that happens to be one of our favorite. Oops, we shouldn’t have tipped the boss off on what we tend to do at work…




Expectations:

Having personally met the Samsung CorbyPRO B5310 and CorbyTXT B3210, we must say we start to develop a stronger liking for the manufacturer´s lineup of youthful devices. Both handsets seem able to meet the needs of the avid texters that most youngsters are, while retaining the cheerful overall look of the original Corby. We cannot wait to get our hands on retail versions of these two, so we can enjoy them and try to recall our long-gone happy-go-lucky years.


Samsung CorbyPRO B5310 and CorbyTXT B3210 Video preview: