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The Samsung Galaxy Pro had us spitting feathers at times, while at other times we really enjoyed using it. It was a real love/hate affair, caused by the two key features of the smartphone.
We liked
The keyboard. We've seen lots of these mini-keyboards, and we have to say that this is one of the better ones. Not as good as the best that BlackBerry or Nokia can offer, but certainly up there with the front-runners. If you're an inveterate texter, it could appeal.
The price of the phone is certainly impressive too - it's a lot cheaper than the likes of the forthcoming Nokia E6, and although it has a much lower-res screen, it's still the equal in terms of performance.
We disliked
The small screen. Both the size and the low resolution are issues when using a media-friendly operating system such as Android, and we often found ourselves squinting at data or scrolling and scrolling.
This is made more irritating still by the lack of multitouch and pinch to zoom, even though the screen is capacitive.
The HTC ChaCha out-does it in terms of similar form factor and Android power, but does cost a fair bit more. If you're a dedicated Facebook fan though, we'd recommend you look at HTC's QWERTY offering.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Pro is a slippery little fish. We want to praise it for its keyboard, but berate it for its screen. Samsung could have helped matters by offering a higher resolution on the screen.
If you want a handset of this design, take a look at the HTC ChaCha or Nokia E6. But don't forget the Sony Ericsson Xperia 10 Mini Pro which, while it is a side-slider, is teeny - or, indeed, any of the larger side-sliders that offer a more desirable, larger screen.
