Contest Winner Announced: At long last we have a winner! ”Noodles”, your answer made us smile and proved you worthy of a brand new Galaxy mini from Mobilicity. Please email contact at thecellularguru dot com to claim your prize! Thanks to all who entered!

Whether we like it or not, in regards to cell phone width “thin is in”; as our jeans get tighter (dang hipsters) manufacturers must accommodate with devices that can slide in/out comfortably, and of course, still work with blazing speeds hiccup free. But what about size? Along with said “thin” widths, manufacturers also understand we users’ like our screen real estate large, so they throw massive screens on these devices, making them borderline tablet-esque. As you may have guessed, they all sell like hot cakes. So we’ve now decided that 4.5-inch screens are acceptable so long as the phone is paper thin, right? Cool. But what about the market of people who prefer a smaller device? Something easy to maneuver, pass around, and of course, last longer; screen size means nothing because said market doesn’t care about media/browser consumption. These people care about phone calls, text messaging and light emailing here and there; music/portable MP3 playing is a cool add-on, and browsing, yes THAT browsing, is limited to that powerful tool known as “Google”, that’s really it. If you’re reading this post right now and find yourself relating to the latter scenario, this phone is totally for you, no bones about it. Read on to find out my thoughts a week into using the Galaxy mini.

Overall Usability:

For some devices I’ve been forced to create an acronym to help users’ like myself filter through the good and bad; those of us who often have issues using all-touch devices; the acronym is “FTF” (which stands for “Fat Thumb Friendly”) and applies to all devices - like the mini - which have small screens and even smaller on screen keyboards. Said devices are generally a pain to use unless they fall into the FTF category, in which they get the seal of approval to purchase; they’re then dubbed “Fat Finger Friendly”. How do I test it? I ask my 61 year old father - whose thumbs pushed together are larger than a childs hand - to dial a number, then send a text. If he encounters ANY inconvenience at all (and I mean any) the phone is a wash in the FTF category; needless to say, the device passed. You see, like most smaller devices , the target market (children, teenagers and/or older basic users) isn’t looking for a sexy screen, the best camera, or for that matter, the best performance; they’re looking for a device to work when they need it, be easy to use, and bluntly, to be cheap - the Galaxy mini falls into all of said categories.

Screen:

3.14-inches, but it holds its own against the big boys. It’s small enough to accommodate the form factor of the device itself, but big enough to make everything going on clear and legible. Alas, like all touchscreen-only phones, there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to familiarizing yourself with the actual landscape, however, getting to said comfort zone is a cinch - re: my father learning over the course of one evening with it. The one REAL downside to such a small screen is the resolution, which is nowhere near that of its big brother the Galaxy. At 240 x 320 pixels it’s quite bland, but of course, when buying a device like this, you aren’t buying it for the visuals or performance for that matter.

Calls and Battery Life:

GTA (Greater Toronto Area) is a prime hub for Mobilicity, so the calls were all crisp, clear and on-point a majority of the time. That is, however, until I went inside larger buildings, where it seemed as though the device was struggling to stay connected to both voice and data networks. This caused not only personal annoyance (cause you know, I NEED to always be connected, lulz), but also increased battery drain from the 3G radio desperately searching for network to grab.

Camera:

Listen, in a world full of 5-8MP wonder cameras and stuff and such, this one falls squarely into the “entry-level” department. Further, 3MP is nothing to brag about as it is, but to release ANY phone without a flash is a waste of time/money; I am not impressed with Samsung on this oversight. Rather not put a camera on it, than put a low MP camera without a flash to enhance the picture quality.

Overall:

Kind of like the HTC Status, this phone is marketed, made, and priced for Bieber-ites and Gen-X’ers. Why? They’re the market who don’t generally know what “dual-core”, “gorilla glass” or simply even “LTE” stand for. So long as their phone works when needed, they are happy and will use said device until it literally falls apart in their hands. If you fall into that category, $169.99 for a decent Android 2.2 powered phone off-contract is worth every penny, if not, there are plenty of other options that are better worth your time and money.

Contest:

So you now know my un-bias thoughts on this recently released toy; it serves its purpose to those who want it. Being said, if you’re still reading this review, chances are you may just fall into the category of users’ who find the mini to be a “must-have”. If so, we’ve spoken to our good friends over at Mobilicity who have graciously given us one to contest off! Here’s how to win:

1. Leave a comment stating your favorite feature of the Galaxy mini and why you think it compliments Mobilicity so much. Also, don’t forget to leave your twitter handle so we can reach you if you win.

2. Follow TheCellularGuru on Twitter and Like Us on Facebook.

3. Be patient

This contest will end on Sunday Oct 23rd at 11:59PM EST. Good luck to all who enter!