Hands-on review: Samsung Propel Pro

Expect solid Windows Mobile performance in a flashy—if somewhat boxy—slider form factor, although you'll need nimble fingertips to manage the diminutive QWERTY keypad.

Available now on AT&T, the Propel Pro ($149 with a two-year contract and mail-in rebate) was one of the few new smartphones to come out of CTIA Wireless earlier this month in Las Vegas, and for a Windows Mobile handset, it's something of a looker.

At 0.6 inches thick, there's nothing particularly svelte about the 3G-, Wi-Fi-, and GPS-enabled Propel, but its silver finish and mirrored front are certainly arresting—and at 4.83 ounces, the slider actually feels a bit light for its size.

Slide the Propel Pro open and its tight, vivid 2.55-inch LCD display springs to life, and you'll also reveal the full QWERTY keypad that's typically hidden beneath the screen.

The Propel's keypad is about the same size as that of a BlackBerry or the upcoming Palm Pre, but I still found the thin rectangular keys a bit small for my taste; I was especially unhappy with the tiny "Space" bar, which (unfortunately) is becoming more and more common on smartphones.

The Propel runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard, a pared-down version of Windows Mobile that doesn't use a touchscreen or a stylus; instead, you navigate the various menus with a little joystick. The Propel's joystick works reasonably well, although it felt a bit too loose at times; for example, the cursor occasionally moved up or down when I thought I was nudging it to the side.

Back on the plus side, I was pleasantly surprised by the Propel Pro's performance running Windows Mobile. I've had some bad experiences with Microsoft's mobile OS slowing to a crawl on various handsets, but Windows Mobile felt refreshingly peppy on the Propel, with menus and applications zipping along at a reasonably rapid clip.

Besides the standard Windows Mobile apps (including Exchange e-mail/contacts/events and mobile versions of Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Internet Explorer, and Windows Media Player), you also get access to AT&T's streaming Cellular Video clips and Napster-powered music download store, along with a streaming XM radio app ($8.99 a month if you decide to sign up), and AT&T's Navigator service.

Also on board: A three-megapixel camera (not 2MP as I previously reported) with autofocus (my test snapshots looked solid, if somewhat shy of eye-popping), along with a slot along the side for microSD memory expansion.

Last but not least, call quality was surprisingly loud and clear. I tested the Propel Pro in my Brooklyn brownstone, where I get reliably cruddy reception on my AT&T-bound iPhone; calls sounded good on the Propel, though, with little in the way of echoes or dropped connections. (AT&T promises six hours of talk time and up to 12 days of standby time.)

Overall? A solid Windows Mobile slider, as long as you can deal with the smallish keypad and loosy-goosy joystick. That said, if you're a Windows Mobile power user who isn't a fan of sliders, I still recommend the Palm Treo Pro (now available on Sprint) above the rest.