Samsung Propel Goes Pro

Samsung's Propel is a popular messaging phone, but its features are a bit limited. If you like the Propel's look and feel, but wish it could do more, you'll love the Propel Pro. It retains the slider design of the Propel, but adds true smartphone features, starting with its Windows Mobile operating system.

The Samsung Propel Pro is available from AT&T for $199.99, though you will be eligible for a $50 rebate in the form of an AT&T promotion card. That's significantly more expensive than the Propel, which will cost you just $79.99 before the same $50 rebate. So, is the Propel Pro worth the premium price?

The Samsung Propel Pro sports a nice-looking silver and gray design, but the shiny finish is very prone to fingerprints smudges. Beyond its color scheme, though, the Propel Pro is an unusual-looking smartphone. It's a slider style phone that, when closed, is thick and boxy; it's nearly the same size as most regular smartphones (like the Samsung Jack).

The reason for the thickness is the hidden QWERTY keyboard, which slides out from beneath the display. I'd be happy to accept the Propel Pro's thick size if the tradeoff was a roomy keyboard. But it's not: The keyboard is cramped and too slick for my taste.

The 2.55-inch display feels relatively roomy, though, and its 320-by-320 resolution is an upgrade over the lower-res screen found on the Samsung Jack. The navigation controls sit below the screen: two soft keys, talk and end call buttons, a home button, and a back button. All of these are easy to use. What's not as intuitive is the joystick-like knob that sits in between all of them. You move it to scroll through items on the screen, and press it to make a selection, but it feels awkward to use.

Call quality was decent in my test calls. Voices sounded loud and clear, both on the handset itself and over the speakerphone. I did notice a slight echo during calls, though. And because the Propel Pro's display is not a touch screen, you have to slide the phone open to dial numbers.

Software

The Samsung Propel Pro runs version 6.1 of the Windows Mobile operating system. That means you get the familiar Windows-like environment, as well as a host of productivity apps, including the mobile version of Microsoft Office. While this Office suite is handy to have, using it on the Jack can be a challenge, given the phone's slick keyboard.

Another drawback is the lack of any on-board applications store, like you get on the iPhone, Palm Pre, Google Android phones, and newer BlackBerrys. Microsoft reportedly is working on its application marketplace for Windows Mobile phones, but it's not available yet. Still, you will find plenty of third-party software available for the Jack; you just have to go out and find it on your own.

Browsing the Web

The good news is that the Samsung Propel Pro supports AT&T's speedy HSDPA 3G network, as well as Wi-Fi wireless networks so you have plenty of options for high-speed Web browsing.

The bad news is that the on-board browser, Internet Explorer Mobile, remains a mixed bag. Some pages looked very good, but others were mangled enough to be unreadable. I do like how you can easily zoom in and out on Web pages with the click of a button, though.

The Propel Pro's-mail handling is excellent. Adding e-mail accounts is a breeze, and the included e-mail client keeps different accounts nicely organized. It supports POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts, and will sync with desktop Outlook accounts. It also comes with AT&T's Xpress Mail e-mail client, too.

The Propel Pro's-mail handling is excellent. Adding e-mail accounts is a breeze, and the included e-mail client keeps different accounts nicely organized. It supports POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts, and will sync with desktop Outlook accounts. It also comes with AT&T's Xpress Mail e-mail client, too.

The Propel Pro supports both text and MMS messaging, and comes with AOL, Windows Live, and Yahoo Messenger instant messaging clients installed.

The Propel Pro includes a 3-megapixel camera that captured some very good photos and video clips. Like the Samsung Jack, the Propel Pro includes support for AT&Ts Video Share service. (This $5-per-month service allows you to make video calls, but only to other Video Share users.)

The Propel Pro includes built-in GPS and comes with the AT&T GPS app pre-loaded. This $10-per-month service delivers accurate and timely spoken driving directions to your phone.

Additional multimedia features include access to AT&T Music, which lets you purchase songs directly from your handset. The Propel Pro, though, does not include a standard headset jack, so you'll have to use Samsung's included adapter to connect your headphone. Alternatively, you can pair the phone with a stereo Bluetooth headset.

Video services include both AT&T's CV service, which offers a collection of pre-packaged video clips (both short clips and some full episodes) and MobiTV, which offers access to a selection of live mobile TV stations.

The Samsung Propel Pro offers a decent mix of features for both work and play. But its bulky design and the hard-to-use joystick make it difficult to recommend. The innards of this phone are nearly identical to what you'll find on the Samsung Jack. Given that the Jack is $50 cheaper, I'd opt for that smartphone instead.