One of the freshest-looking phones to come out of late, the Samsung B3310 (aka the Corby Mate) is a definite attention-getter.  If nothing else, people are bound to fawn over the unusual positioning for the T9-style keypad, which sees its keys lined up along one side.

Physically, it's a good-looking compact phone, with a youthful design.  The decision to place the number keys on the left hand side makes it possible to use them when you pull down the side-sliding QWERTY keyboard.  It sounds like a functional and novel idea, but the actual implementation isn't very comfortable.  In fact, it made typing numbers a bit cumbersome unless you've got the phone on landscape mode (and even then, it's not the best).  Build is entirely plastic, although construction feels solid.  The screen is a little too small at only 2 inches, but it does offer good resolution (320 x 240) and bright colors.

As a phone, the Corby Mate manages excellent calls, making for clear conversations and natural-sounding voices.  Those on the other end reported a similar pleasantly performance.  Speakerphone sounded a bit too tinny, but it could have been a problem on the unit.  Battery life is rated for five hours of talk time, which should be good for two or three days of normal use on a non-3G handset.

Considered a budget messaging phone, it does come with a small but tidy range of features.  It has the basics covered well, with a 1,000-entry phone book, messaging (SMS, MMS and email - no IM) and standard PIM tools.  There's also stereo Bluetooth, a web browser (strictly GPRS/EDGE, though) and an FM radio.

The music player (which you can load up with songs via SD card) is just average, but the big letdown is the lack of a 3.5mm jack.  It can be a real issue with "cheaper" phones and this one is no exception - the bundled buds are quite unappetizing.  The 2.0 megapixel camera manages decent-looking shots, however.

Overall, the Samsung B3310 is a slider with a very pronounced selling point - an unusual keypad configuration that you're likely to either love or hate.  It comes in a bevy of very bright colors, so the young ones should find it affable.  If you can get used to the slightly cramped keyboard (it's a compact phone, after all), it could be worth the $150 or so price (exact retail pricing depends on where you are).

Another budget touchscreen appears slated to add to Samsung's growing mid-range lineup.  Called the Samsung S3650 (codenamed Corby), the new handset sports an unusual form factor that uncharacteristically takes design cues from the Palm Pre.

That's right.  Just like Palm's not-quite-iPhone-killer, the S3650 looks like a bar of soap (even more so, actually, than the webOS-powered device).  Adding to the unconventional shape is a similarly unusual color scheme for the rear of the phone - a shiny, playful shade of yellow.

Slim at 13mm and weighing just 92 grams, the handset only offers basic GPRS and EDGE connectivity.  Details include a 2.8-inch 320 x 240 touchscreen panel, a 2.0 megapixel camera module, stereo Bluetooth, an integrated FM tuner and microSD card expansion.  It's running TouchWiz UI, with a few default widgets, quick links to social networking sites (YouTube, MySpace and Facebook), a capable messaging suite and an onboard music player.

Word is that the Samsung S3650 will be targeted to the same market as the ultra-successful Samsung Star.  With colors that bright, of course, you can bet it's geared towards the younger, not-so-professional crowd.

European rollout is pegged for September 10, with a US release expected shortly, as well (it already passed through the FCC).  Expect pricing to be around €200 ($286).

[via GSM Arena]