Samsung Genoa C3510 | Reviews | Techie.com.ph
7:11 PM | Wednesday | 08 September 2010

Here's the thing: We want to like (sincerely and honestly like) the Samsung Genoa (aka the Corby Pop in other territories). There is something likable about how it wants to simplify everything, put all your wants and your needs at just a button's reach away, and become your servant. But where it succeeds in its intentions, it fails miserably in execution.

First the keypad. We reckon, it's the single most important component of telephones, cellphones, and smartphones, touch screens included. Besides its size, there's the lack of intuitiveness with the Genoa's buttons and keys. The space bar is at the right, along with cursor arrows and backspace.

And because they're small, you often get them wrong, which, frustratingly, complicates things especially when all you really wanted to do was to delete that last letter. Now you're sending a half-baked, horribly incohesive message to your boss, which you'll have to apologize for with another SMS. Sigh.

As we mentioned, there's the issue about buttons being everywhere. We appreciate that having numerous buttons is an effort to make things more accessible, but sheer number makes handling the phone rather difficult. "Yikes, what did I press this time?" might be something you would utter from time to time. In stark contrast, the touch screen lacks sensitivity and will leave you guessing if you've successfully hit a command or not.

The Genoa has loads to offer to today's multitaskers. Fun stuff like Facebook and Friendster – the usual suspects – have preinstalled apps, making them just as accessible as the email and Google search.

You will want to use its camera, too, because it's a joy to use even if there isn't a zoom button. Every photo, no matter how crappily thought out it may be, will look vibrant and inspired on the beautiful screen. There is a multitude of editing functions available on board, but using them on the insensitive touch screen may be more infuriating than necessary.

Click here to see the Samsung Genoa C3510 in the Buyer's Guide.