| The last Mobile World Congress is not all about | | | | local data synching options for wired USB 2.0 or |
| blockbuster mobile phones or pioneering smartphones | | | | wireless Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP. No GPS. The Ch@t |
| and the like. It also has its fair share of some of the | | | | comes with a decent 2.6-inch TFT resistive |
| most boring pedestrian entry level and average | | | | touchscreen display with QVGA resolution and 256k |
| handsets you can expect to start appearing in stores | | | | colors and a scratch resistant surface. |
| next month or next quarter. | | | | Imaging gets a basic 2 megapixel fixed focus camera |
| The Samsung that showcased a jaw-dropping Beam | | | | and QVGA video recording. Multimedia gets the usual |
| and Wave smartphones also got to introduce | | | | media playback for popular audio and video file |
| updated versions of old feature phones. One of them | | | | codecs, stereo FM with RDS and broadcast |
| is the Samsung Ch@t B3410W which is just an | | | | recording, DNSe sound enhancement options and a |
| updated WiFi version of the affordable B3410 Corby | | | | 3.5 mm headphone jack on top of its A2DP support. |
| Plus released in October last year. | | | | The phone memory is just 45 MB with a maximum |
| This time pitched to the social networking crowd, the | | | | storage of up to 1,000 phonebook entries with |
| new Ch@t remains in the entry-level QWERTY slider | | | | Photocall. You also get microSD external memory |
| category but makes your online presence a much | | | | expandability for up to 16 GB. It uses the same 960 |
| better experience now with WiFi for high speed | | | | mAh Li-Ion battery as the Corby Plus but with a |
| surfing without incurring the added expense of data | | | | reduced talk time of 7.5 hours compared to the |
| plans. That of course, assumes you can ride on free | | | | Corby’s 10.6 hours on a single charge. We can |
| hotspots near you. | | | | guess that the power-hungry WiFi added to it |
| The Corby’s social networking abilities like a | | | | accounts for that but you can always turn off the |
| bundled SNS apps that support live updates for your | | | | WiFi sensitivity when not in use. |
| Facebook, MySpace and media sharing sites like Flickr | | | | Availability |
| and YouTube as well as SNS widgets on the | | | | The Samsung Ch@t B3410W is coming in two body |
| TouchWiz home screen for quick access to SNS sites | | | | colors you can choose from – romantic pink and |
| make for a better SNS experience with WiFi on the | | | | titan grey. But it’s among those new handsets |
| Ch@t. | | | | exhibited at the MWC that have no definite |
| Corby Plus Features | | | | timeframe of release except to say that they will be |
| Apart from those pre-bundled SNS capability and | | | | coming out soon. |
| WiFi, the Ch@t is every inch, inside and out, your | | | | Hopefully that means within the first half of the year |
| B3410 Corby Plus handset. It has the same tactile | | | | or at the latest in time for the 2010 Christmas |
| Full-QWERTY side sliding form factor and even the | | | | holidays. As usual, you can’t expect a price tag |
| same measurements at 102.3 x 52.4 x 16.2 mm and | | | | this early for these mobile phones but if the current |
| the same weight at 113.7g. That just goes to show | | | | B3410 Corby Plus retailing SIM-free at €150, we |
| that an added WiFi chip won’t make much of a | | | | should expect the new Ch@t to be asking slightly |
| difference in this area. | | | | more than that for just an added WiFi chip installed. |
| It’s the same 2G handset on the quad band | | | | Now if all you want is a socially aware handset on |
| GMS/GPRS/EDGE with WiFi 802.11b/g and the usual | | | | WiFi, there are many other cheaper brands out there. |