*Edited to add later*: As a time-saver, if you are considering Corby Pro, skip it and buy the newly launched, much more ossum Nokia C6. Samsung sucks, period :).

I am known to be a very passionate person - to the extent that sometimes I even get "impetuous" in my job appraisals :), and I bring the same passion to my gadgets. It has been a month since my Blackberry curve 8310 lost out to the touchscreen value-for-money Corby Pro. In the interim, I have gone all out experimenting with my Corby - Firmware, Apps et al. And since when I was purchasing the B5310, there was no site which told me actually how it is (the reviews are all standard-issue junk, please google and you will know) - I decided to put down an actual user review for all the hopefuls :) [Disclaimer : It has no details you will find on other sites anyways, it is an actual user experience :)].

What I hate (lets get this out of the way, heh !):

1) No "cut / copy and paste" feature for text / numbers - Samsung guys, seriously - its shocking - and they say "I text" in the advertisements

2) Even though it sports a resistive touchscreen (it only functions when you actually "press"), the screen gets locked automatically when you make calls - it is painful to unlock and select other options like conference call etc. - they should have made it optional, not heaped on the customer !

3) "Memo" size limited to 100 characters and further no. of notes limited to 100 characters - haha, they could have simply skipped it !

4) Calendar limited to 200 entries - obv. the Samsung engineers work in silos :)

5) Pressing the "send" button doesn't take you automatically to "phone calls" screen - yeh toh 1200 rs. waale mobile mein bhi hota hai yaar !!

6) The GPS sucks - best fix is within 100 meters, and they tom-tom it as an Assisted GPS phone, A-GPS my ass !

7) No option to move / create shortcuts / icons for one's apps, utilities on the menu screen !!7

8) No option to auto-rotate the screen even when the slider is closed (and thence a missing on-screen qwerty keyboard).

9) No option to automatically force user-installed apps to auto-rotate - the java code has to be manipulated - do the engineers make the fone for themselves only ?

10) Very poor online apps store - hey, it is downright non-existent :)

11) The advertised "socializing apps" are way slower than others available on internet / mobile avatars (m.facebook.com / m.twitter.com etc.)

12) There is no way to use the front camera - at best you can use it as a mirror, but it can only be used for video calling !!

13) Inability to delete SMS by dates (or auto-deletion of messages / mails before a certain date)

14) No search function - for either numbers / messages etc. - Once you forget it, you lose it !!!

15) Even though you have a voice recorder, you can't record your calls :).

16) And yes, the delivery reports are "separate messages" - no auto-delete etc., smartphone, my ass :-).

Heh, if that discourages you - don't buy it or better take mine for half the price :) !

And, now moving onto brighter things, tweaks that I have done to Corby which has made life a lot better for now !

1) Auto-rotated all apps through manipulation of the java code.

2) J1ck twitter app - bherry, bherry nice !

3) m.facebook.com - nothing beats it

4) Opera Mini v5.2 - a masterclass in browsers.

5) Activesync with Google Mail, Calendar and contacts (+ syncing Google Mail with Desktop Outlook calendar (via Gmail calendar app) and contacts (Gocontacts sync app)

6) www.upvise.com for keeping notes

7) Cellbox for secret info :P, and what might that be :) ?

Hope this helps guys. Corby Pro is a real value-for-money device, but if you are a gadget purist, the software disappoints you in more, more ways than one - so think b4 you leap - else you will be waiting for the "8-month mobile turnover period" with baited breath to get the next one !

And Hey Samsung Engineers - guys can you step down from your Citadel and help us sufferers out ? Can you ?

Ranjan