Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO review: Type and go

Organizer

The Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO has a number of useful time-management applications.

For starters, the calendar offers three views - daily, weekly and monthly. You can choose which calendar view should be default and you can pick the starting day of the week - the options are Monday or Sunday. However, with the Samsung B5310 there is only a single type of event available in the calendar. You can set the starting date and time of the event and set an alarm to act as a reminder.

The calendar monthly and weekly view modes • setting up an event

The alarm is quite customizable. You can set up to 10 alarms, each with the following configurable options - custom ringtone, volume, repetition days and name.

Alarm clock application • world clock • the nice unit converter

The calculator of the Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO is very basic. Among the other organizer offerings are a voice recorder, a world time application and a unit converter. The voice recorder limit is set to 60 minutes. A countdown timer and a stopwatch also come in useful.

The calculator is simple • voice recorder • stopwatch • timer

There are also to-do and memo apps for jotting down tasks and notes. You can also use the memo widget to place a memo on the homescreen where you're unlikely to miss it. The widget and the application are separate so don't expect your memos to automatically pop up on screen.

Finally, the Samsung B5310 comes with an office document viewer that supports Word, Excel, Powerpoint and PDF files. It's an application developed by Access and is one of the nicest additions to the software package.

Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO has no problems handling office documents

The document viewer is quick enough when opening files; however, panning is rather slow.

Only trial games, again

Typical of Samsung recently, the B5310 CorbyPRO offers only a bunch of trial games - Rollercoaster 3D, PyramidBloxx, Crazy penguin, Brain Challenge 2, and Bobble Popper.

The other disappointment when it comes to applications is the lack of any preloaded GPS navigation software despite the phone having a built-in GPS receiver. Well, yes, you've got the Google Maps app but we all know what it can and can't do.

The Google Maps application

Final words

The original Corby and the Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO which showed up less than a month later are like brothers from different mothers. They are so much alike, yet so different. And it is exactly this versatility that keeps the Corby range up and running. A glance at all the Corby devices reveals something this article started with: there is a Corby for everyone.

But, having seen the CorbyPRO in action, we can safely conclude: there is a Corby that wants to be the top Corby. If you are into texting, into web surfing, into music and pictures, and want to give touchscreen a try but don’t want a smartphone, the CorbyPRO is a nice choice. Yes, the Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO has a lot to offer, but why does it get the PRO label?

Well, it's definitely not because the B5310 is the ultimate feature phone. There are some downsides but none of them are a deal breaker. It's all plastic and looks and feels a bit cheap, the camera lacks autofocus and the screen could have been a lot better (both in terms of size and image quality).

If there’s one reason why it deserves to be called a Pro it’s a darn good one. The CorbyPRO has a QWERTY keyboard it can be proud of. In fact, it’s an absolute surprise given the relatively low cost, the plastic build and the not-too-demanding target audience.

The current street price of the Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO is somewhere below 300 US dollars. In its price group there are quite a few competitors to match it. Some of them have a side-slide QWERTY keyboard, while the others are candybar messengers.

If you are keen on sliders, before you head for the store to buy a CorbyPRO you should also consider the following threesome: the LG GW520, the Samsung B3410 and the Nokia 6760 slide. All of them skimp on Wi-Fi support (the B3410 has no 3G either), the 6760 slide is a non-touchscreen phone and the GW520 has no 3.5mm audio jack. On the other hand, the B3410 is considerably cheaper, the 6760 slide is a smartphone and the GW520 comes with a much larger screen.

LG GW520 • Samsung B3410 • Nokia 6760 slide

The other group of competitors feature the Samsung B3210 CorbyTXT, LG GW300 and the Nokia E63. None of them is a touchscreen and the CorbyTXT display is on the small side and has a shockingly low resolution. The GW300 has a worse camera and loses points due to its limited connectivity options. The E63 is a powerful yet affordable smartphone with rich connectivity capabilities so you might be willing to forgive the disappointing snapper.

Samsung B3210 CorbyTXT • LG GW300 • Nokia E63

So, as you can see, there is a long list of competitors waiting to stand face to face with the Samsung B5310 CorbyPRO. Some of them hold some really strong cards up their sleeves while the greatest strength of some others is simply that they cost a lot less.

Honestly though, the CorbyPRO has the form factor and the feature set to find itself right in the thick of heavyweight smart messenger action. No, we’re not saying it’s a viable alternative for QWERTY touchscreen smartphones – no way. But it seems capable of carving its own niche and serving it well.