I can still remember the excitement of getting my first touch screen mobile phone. I thought it was the best thing I’d ever owned. I spent a couple of hours just dragging things around the screen, showing it off to friends, generally being a bit of a nerd.

But then touch-screen fatigue set in. Every phone going has one now; it’s no longer a novelty. I blame the iPhone. These days, if it’s not touch screen, people don’t want to know.

Right about the time I discovered how easy it is to mess up text messages on it, funnily enough. And then I got my hands on a Blackberry Curve and I remembered how much I like a proper keyboard, no matter how teeny. The touch screen had lost its appeal for me.

Enter the Samsung Tocco Ultra. Unlike its predecessor, the Ultra not only has the touch screen interface, but also a slide out keypad. Like a regular, normal phone. One I don’t want to throw across the room.

Three things I like about this mobile phone:

1. The keypad

2. The 8 megapixel camera

3. The ultra-bright screen (although less so when my phone rings at 2am)

Three things I don’t like about this phone:

1. Why it only has the ability to delete on the touch screen and not the keypad. Annoying and makes no sense.

2. They’ve changed the charger size. Again. Although happily, it’s the same size as my Blackberry charger, so one charger fits both.

3. I haven’t figured out where the GPS is just yet. The specs says it has GPS; I just can’t find it.

The camera has been cracked out on several occasions, and so far, it’s performed pretty well. It won’t be replacing my point and shoot any time soon, but at least it’s a good stand-in on the rare occasion I don’t have the camera with me.

Samsung has changed the position of the screen lock button, which makes it harder to accidentally unlock the phone while in your bag. And so far, despite rattling around in my bag for a few weeks, I’ve barely managed to scratch the screen.

The Tocco Ultra is also 3G, so high speed internet access is available on the handset.

Two thumbs up.