I recently had the chance to test out Samsung’s Propel mobile phone. The Propel is a 3G enabled, multimedia heavy, slider phone. It is basically a starter smartphone, with all of the speed, expandable memory, IM and GPS features mixed in with the video and music capabilities you would find in a device designed specifically for multimedia use.
The Propel is a good looking phone; it takes the boxy rectangular shape of a smartphone and combines it with a slide down QWERTY keyboard. The model I had was blue but the phone also comes in green and two different red models. I would prefer a simple grey or black version option, but the available versions are cool.
The first thing I noticed about the menu operation of the Propel was that it was exceptionally intuitive. I did not even break the seal on the manual. The keys on the keyboard are raised and rounded which is great for texting.
In addition to the calling icons on the face, there are also quick launch buttons on the keyboard for video, the camera and vibrate mode. An interesting feature on the side is a toggle button that allows you to move from one operation (call, video, etc) to the home screen. So you don’t have to completely exit the browser just to take a call, you just toggle.
I liked that the 1.3 mp camera (w/3x digital zoom) is protected from scratches because it is on the inside of the sliding component and it also has a tiny little mirror for those social networking profile pic’s of yourself. The picture quality of the camera is fairly sharp and the colors are bright. There is also an in network video sharing feature available that allows you to share video one way, in real-time.
Yes, that is really my desk and yes I am a nerd. Click image to see in full size.
Easily the most impressive feature of the phone to me was the video capabilities. With the 3G speeds I was amazed at how quickly the phone connected to the web and loaded video. The selection of video was great and I was able to make a playlist of my favorite (Lost, Chappelle’s Show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force) shows.
Bottom line this is a really cool phone, good for folks who don’t want or need a smartphone but use the texting and multimedia features that many standard phones lack. For $49 bucks, this phone is a steal.
By the way, if you like the phone but you must have a full featured smartphone, keep an eye out for the Propel Pro (running Windows Mobile OS) phone, which may or may or may not be announced this week.
