The Samsung SGH-i600, Ultra Messaging is very similar to the Samsung Blackjack (AKA SGH-i607). The differences of the two smart phones are the presence of a built-in Wi-Fi and a second VGA Video call camera on the SGH-i600. The SGH-i600 overcomes two of the major disadvantages of Samsung Blackjack, the lack of wi-fi and the absence of a Video Calling camera on the front (since both devices have support for 3G). Having these characteristics the Samsung Ultra Messaging SGH-i600 is one of the best smart phones we ever seen.
Appearance and design
Dimension: 113 x 59 x 11.8 mm; weight: 99g.At first glance, the BlackJack looks like a black-clad Moto Q clone. But while this device has all the sex appeal of a scientific calculator, it's lighter (3.5 ounces vs. 4.1 ounces), a hair thinner (0.46 inches vs. 0.47 inches), and noticeably narrower (2.3 inches vs. 2.5 inches) than the Q. The soft-touch finish gives the BlackJack a good grip, and despite its tiny dimensions, the keyboard didn't feel cramped. There is no trouble typing e-mail or URLs at a quick pace. Like the Q, the BlackJack sports a thumbwheel on the right side for scrolling through menus and Web pages, along with a corresponding Back/Clear key.
I have noticed only two complaints about the design: 1) The BlackJack's four-way navigation key is too close to the Send and End keys; so you accidentally enter the phone menu or exit an application on more than one occasion. 2) With the way the dial pad is arranged on the QWERTY layout, a letter falls between each number (going from left to right), which slows dialing.
Keypad
The i600's controls consist of two soft keys, a shortcut to the Today screen, a back button, Talk and End keys, and a four-way directional toggle. All the buttons are rather slippery, and we really struggled with the toggle switch. Set amid the rest of the controls, the toggle switch is flush with other buttons--so when we'd try to scroll right, I'd often hit the End key instead.
The full QWERTY keyboard is fairly easy to use. The oval buttons--very similar to the keys on the Moto Q--are tactile and adequately backlit for typing in dim light. While I give an edge to the i600 over the C720W, which has a keyboard with smaller keys, we do think the Q's keyboard is easiest to use because of its well-spaced keys. There are no dedicated number buttons, but numbers are highlighted in gray to make them easier to identify in a sea of black keys. Also, numbers aren't grouped in a cluster but instead the three columns of numbers are separated by a column of letters and symbols in between.
Additional buttons
On the left side of the phone you can see volume control wheel button that can also serve for activation the voice commands.
The Samsung i600 has also a Jog Wheel on the right side of the device together with a button. It is a very nice feature that can enable one-handed use and navigation. The Jog Wheel can be used to navigate though the menu options and make a selection by pressing the wheel. To escape from a menu or go back you can click the button that is located under the wheel. These controls have also some other useful features. For example by pressing the Jog Wheel of a few seconds you get a ‘quick launch’ menu for opening the task manager or calendar. Likewise if you press the button (located behind the wheel) for a few seconds the camera will be activated.
Sizes, Ports and Slots
The right side of the device is where you'll also find the microSD Card slot to supplement the 64MB of built-in RAM (about 40MB of it is user-accessible), and a proprietary USB/charger jack line the left side. The optional stereo headset uses the same jack, but we'd suggest springing for a stereo Bluetooth headset so you can talk and listen to music wirelessly. A raised portion on the back of the device houses the camera lens, self-portrait mirror, and speaker. This protrusion makes the BlackJack easy to hold during calls.
Display
TFT, 240х320, 2,4”, 65536 colors
The phone's screen is not a touch screen, and is smaller at 2.25 inches on the diagonal when compared with the Q's 2.50-inch display and the C720W's 2.4-inch display. Yet it is the best you can find at any Windows Mobile Smartphone today. I've never seen such bright and crisp displays at any Windows Mobile Smartphone before as used for the i320 and now for the i600 with a 65,000-color output and 320x320 pixel resolution; images and video look great, colors are bright, and text is extra sharp.
As always, also the i600 includes Samsung's customized Homescreen which is pretty handy and nice implemented, if you get used to it.
Camera
1.3 Mpx, videorecorder
This smart phone comes equipped with a 1.3-megapixel camera, complete with video recording capabilities and a 2X digital zoom lens and self timer. You have the option of shooting in various modes and multiple resolutions, ranging from 1,280x960 to 176x144, for still images. There is no flash, but there are white balance settings. You can also enhance your photos with various effects and frames. Editing options are a little more limited in video mode, but you do get a choice of two shooting modes (limited for MMS or normal), two sizes (320x240 and 176x144), and three quality settings (fine, normal, and economy).
If you're the silent-move type, there's also a selection to turn off audio. Overall, the i600 took decent photos with good color and definition, and video quality was above par, as we didn't witness as much pixilation as we have with other camera phones.
Menu
Another cool feature is the Samsung specific quick-menu which is customizable. It's started by pressing and holding the jog wheel and it starts out of any application. From here you can open other applications directly without going through the Windows Mobile Start menu.
The Start menu features the Windows Mobile 5.0 typical grid view (which can be changed to List view) and the most important folders here are the Internet and Contents Manager folders.
The Internet folder includes the Windows Mobile typical Internet Explorer Mobile, Pocket MSN and Internet Sharing but the i600 features two more Internet related applications: a Podcast catcher and a RSS reader (the additional Browser is a stand-alone WAP browser).
The Contents Manager allows to open pictures/photos, videos, sounds and Notes from one handy place (again, Samsung licensed Syncdata's SmartphoneNotes since Windows Mobile devices still lacks native support for Outlook Notes).
Also from here, you can easily open the File Explorer (which is Microsoft's AKU 2.5 File Explorer now, not Samsungs own one anymore).
Let me come to the communication features of the SGH-i600. Maybe most notable might be the fact, that the device is a UMTS device with support for the faster HSDPA standard as well as it features W-LAN b/g (If you are out of UMTS coverage or you simply want to access your home network you can use the inbuilt WiFi functionality).
Also you get an application called Picsel Viewer Suite, which allows you to only open and view Word and Excel documents, PowerPoint presentations, and PDFs. We were able to transfer and open such files successfully with the i600. Other tools include: A calendar; contacts lists; task lists; other notes; a voice recorder; a calculator; a stopwatch; a world clock; and a unit converter.
The i600 can handle everything from corporate to personal e-mail; you can access Outlook messages as well as POP3, IMAP, and SMTP accounts. In addition, push technology for real-time e-mail delivery is available through several services, including Microsoft Direct Push and Good Mobile Messaging. The i600 also supports instant messaging (AOL, MSN, and Yahoo) as well as text and multimedia messages.
It also includes a speakerphone, three-way calling, and conference calling. The address book is limited only by available memory (the SIM card holds an additional 250 contacts), and each entry can accommodate up to 12 numbers, several e-mail addresses, IM handles, job titles, and additional details. For caller ID, you can assign a contact a group ID, one of 20 ring tones, or a picture. The phone also supports MP3 ring tones, and you can always download more through the Web. If you want to use a wireless headset, that's also possible; the i600 has integrated Bluetooth 2.0. There is also integrated Wi-Fi, which is nice addition for customers outside of the 3G network.
Imaging
1.3 Megapixel Camera
Digital Zoom
Flash
Photo Effects & Frames
Quality Settings
Second VGA Camera
Video Calling
Video Recorder
Video Player
Photo Caller ID
Messaging
SMS (Text Messaging)
EMS (Enhanced Messaging)
MMS (Multimedia Messaging)
Email
Push Email
Instant Messaging
Predictive Text
Sound
Music Player
Stereo Sound
Polyphonic Ringtones
MP3 Ringtones
Vibration Alert
Handsfree Speaker
Voice Recognition
Entertainment
Embedded Java™ Games
Downloadable Java™ Games
Organiser
Phonebook
Clock
Alarm
Currency Converter
Calculator
Calendar
To Do List
Stop Watch
Call Timer
QWERTY Keyboard
OS Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0
Document Viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint & PDF)
Image Viewer (BMP, JPEG & GIF)
Connectivity
3G HSDPA
Bluetooth™
USB
EDGE
Wi-Fi
Network
Quad Band (GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800 & GSM 1900)
Internet
WAP 2.0
XHTML
RSS Feeds
Podcasting
Memory & Talk Time
64 Mbytes RAM & 128 Mbytes ROM Memory Plus MicroSD™ Memory Card
Talk Time: 2.3 Hours
Standby: 192 Hours
Weight & Size
99 g
113 x 59 x 11.8 mm
Pluses
High-speed HSDPA data
Note application and RSS reader included
Lots of helpful shortcuts
Minuses
HSDPA network still being rolled out
Navigation key too close to Talk and End keys
Sluggish camera
Conclusion
The Samsung SGH-i600 is a slim, compact and stylish smartphone. It is a very good choice for those who want a mobile device powered with Windows Mobile 5.0 that has a design similar to the normal cell phones. It has 3G support, built-in Bluetooth and built-in Wi-Fi. Of course some people want to have touch screen necessarily, and then one of several nice Pocket PC phones can fullfill their demands. However Samsung SGH-i600 is also very small - and 100% usable with single hand, so indeed it may be the best Windows Mobile phone for many users.
