Samsung SGH G600

...the new phones from the Samsung line. With the company being known to have great phones and be famously free with contracts nationwide I couldn't help but get this as my most recent upgrade.

'''Contents'''
When purchasing the G600 you get several different items within the box. Starting with a 1GB memory card which normally retails at £10 this is the first bargain. Next you have a Bluetooth headset with the Samsung logo. Most ...
...slightly different to the other Samsung phones I have used. If you prefer the traditional was then you can type your letters individually but personally my favorite is predictive text. The twist from the Samsungs old mobiles with predictive text is as you start to type out the word a small menu appears below enabling you to scroll down and pick the correct word instead of guessing and pressing next word and hoping for the best. It is easy to add ... more

The G600 is one of the new phones from the Samsung line. With the company being known to have great phones and be famously free with contracts nationwide I couldn't help but get this as my most recent upgrade.

Contents
When purchasing the G600 you get several different items within the box. Starting with a 1GB memory card which normally retails at £10 this is the first bargain. Next you have a Bluetooth headset with the Samsung logo. Most of these will start at £15 if they are branded. You get earphones with a power part in the middle to pick up local radio signals, a charger for your phone and your Bluetooth headset, software CD which serves as an instruction manual and links your phone to your computer so you can download music, photos etc. This leads to the final item - a USB cable so you can connect the two.

Look/Memory
The phone is 102 mm in height and 14.9 mm wide. It also weighs in at a massive 104g. Now all of this doesn't seem like a big phone and it isn't but in comparison to the D900 before it there is a 19g difference (for all those bad at math - 85g).
The color is shiny silver with a smooth metallic feel. As it slides up with ease the 240 x 320 color pixel screen lights up with the keys making the phone easy to use.

The memory on the phone itself is 55MB. If you are just using your phone for messages etc then this won't be a problem however if you are using your phone for all the extras such as MP3 player, video player and lots of photos then you will find the memory is soon used up and the 1GB memory stick included won't last you long.

Menu
The main menu screen can be opened by pressing the top left button next to the display screen. Depending on your personal preference you will either see 12 options 3 by 4 or one option at a time. In the top left hand corner you will see the time (24 or 12 hours once again at your preference), the profile type you are on (silent, loud etc) and other extras such as if you have your alarm on, if you have a sim card in the phone and/or if you have your SOS messages on (which will be explained later).

Phonebook/Call log
Options: Fifteen
The phone and sim can carry up to 1200 different name details. Each name detail can hold mobile, home, office, fax and 'other' number. A first and last name, email address, details on which group they are in, own photo and ringer tone, their birthday which can also be added to the calendar and even notes on the person like how you know them etc. Creating a contact can be done though the phonebook direct, added if they ring you or just put their number on the main menu and then select add contact.

Groups enable you to have one ringer tone and photo for a selected group of people. The main groups are family, office and friends but you can add or change these. Once you have set up a group all you have to do is add a ring tone and photo which you can either choose from the default list already on the phone or you can choose from things you have downloaded yourself. This can make identifying people who are calling simple. I can now tell if it is my family, fiancée or work from the ringer tone alone.

Speed dial is a simple but incredibly useful function to have. Option one is reserved for voicemail but after this buttons two though nine you can choose one number. After this all you have to do is press and hold the button and it will ring the person of choice.

Management allows you to copy all your phone contacts to or from your sim making life easier if you choose to have a new phone and don't want to have to do each contact individually. It also allows you to list names by either first or second name and if you wish then delete all with a single click.

The call log lists who has called you, who you have called and the time you have spent on the phone. The reject list stops people from ringing or texting you totally. If they ring you the phone is simply cut off meaning they can't even shout abuse at you though your answering machine. If they try and text you then it will simply fall into a black hole not even showing an 'undelivered' delivery report to the sender.

Making and receiving phone calls is as simple as any other phone. The signal and quality of sound is great meaning I don't have to go into a quiet place to hear. A great little extra is the whisper option. Choosing this means I can whisper into the speaker and the person on the other side can still hear me perfectly allowing me to be discreet. With the talk time being at a huge 7 hours I also don't have a worry about charging my phone for a couple of days.

Music
Options: Ten
This enables you to listen to the music you have downloaded to your mobile via the computer software. The amount of music you can download depends on how big each file is. My average file size was about 3500 KB which meant that after five songs I didn't have much room left without purchasing an original memory stick. If you just want one or two songs to lift you up then you will have no problems adding these onto your phone. On the other side this could serve as your MP3 if you're willing to splash out for the memory card. The sound quality is as good as any MP3 I have owned and with the earphones already included you don't have to worry about that either.

You are able you put all your songs on shuffle or hand pick each one. You are also able to create as many play lists as you like enabling you to listen to one type of music or a mix of your favorites. You also have the choices of most played, artists, genres, albums, composers and even podcasts.

Browser
Options: Six
If you are unfamiliar with a browser it is the internet for your phone. Most phones link to their networks homepage with quick links to games and ringer tones to purchase. You are able to bookmark pages, check a history if you're unsure where you have been and change settings like deleting cookies, font sizes and if you do or don't want javascript.

Personally I won't recommend using the internet with this phone unless you want to purchase games etc. Despite the screen being able to show all the images as well as a computer the loading is still slow, going though links though a single button instead of a mouse is tedious and some mobile networks charge a fair amount for the time you spend on there as well as charging separately for how much information you download.

Messages
Options: Eight
This option enables text, picture and SOS messaging.
Text messaging is slightly different to the other Samsung phones I have used. If you prefer the traditional was then you can type your letters individually but personally my favorite is predictive text. The twist from the Samsungs old mobiles with predictive text is as you start to type out the word a small menu appears below enabling you to scroll down and pick the correct word instead of guessing and pressing next word and hoping for the best. It is easy to add words to the dictionary so if you like your odd swear then you don't have to worry about putting shiv instead of….
Sending the final message is slightly different too with you having to pick the person after you have written the message. You can send to multiple people by either picking each or picking by a group.

The thing that I enjoy about messaging most is being able to add photos, sounds, animations with ease to others with Samsung phones. I constantly send my little sister an animation of a dancing devil which makes her laugh and I wouldn't be able to do with my Nokia. I can also cruelly send her text messages with a very loud sound clip to scare her. All photos are easy to add to your text message. If your photo is too big then the phone will readjust it so that the quality isn't lost but is sendable. You will also receive a delivery report when the other person has opened it.

One of the features that impressed me the most was the SOS message option. If enabled all you have to do is press the volume key on the side of the phone four times when the phone is locked (slide down). Having tried it myself the action is very discreet and the best option has been picked. This sends an SOS message to the people you select which are normally those close. The pre-selected message reads "I am in an emergency. Please help me" but you are able to change this to what suits you. Once SOS is activated the phone is disabled until you press the red button. If someone rings you while the phone is disabled the phone will immediately pick up the call without you having to press it. This means that if you are in an emergency someone can hear what you are saying without the person with you being aware. You can have the message sent one or repeated up to five times. If someone else has the same phone as you and you send them a message then a siren sound will take over their phone until you pick it up. I was unfortunate enough to experience the use of this quite recently. My sister was out clubbing and sent me the message at 2AM. My phone despite being on silent started its siren noise and refused to stop until I acknowledged it. I called her and found out she was in a club stick in the toilet with some girls screaming outside. I called the security and they took over. I have no doubt that this function stopped my sister from suffering a severe beating if not worse.

My files
Options: Eight
This allows you to directly access your image, video, music and game files either on the phone or on the memory stick. You are also able to check your memory status, Bluetooth information to other phones, delete files, download game and transfer from sim to phone.
There isn't anything special with the function as you are able to find all the information here elsewhere. It just means it is all in one easy to find place.

Calendar
Options: Eight
This sends you straight to the calendar page which shows the month you are currently in. You can view by day, week or month and are able to create events to add. You can add anniversaries, appointments and tasks which when added are represented by a different color and corner. This means that if you look at the calendar from month view little dots in the corners of each date show that not only is there but also what type. If you wish you can also add alarms to your events as a quick reminder. Little extras include being able to choose the start of your week as Sunday or Monday and seeing missed alarm events.

Camera
Options: Six
The big thing that sells this phone is the 5 mega pixel camera. Boosting 4 x zoom, camcorder, backgrounds and loads more extras unfortunately it still falls short. The camera itself is still far better quality then any other camera phone I have seen but still has simple faults such as blurry photos and color inconsistencies. The menu is messy and I still find it difficult to grasp despite having it several months. The novelty extras such as background photos meaning I can give my other half an afro is fun and the camcorder is good quality sound and picture. I just find the photos themselves to be hit and miss and becoming increasingly frustrating with use.

The camera/camcorder can be used either landscape or portrait and can be tilted during use. When you take a photo the result shows up within seconds and you can choose if you want to keep it or not. Sizes can also be picked from 2560 x 1920 to 320 x 240. The flash is bright and woks very well just as the timer can go up to 10 seconds if you wish.

To be honest I found the camera a serious disappointment considering this is the point that Samsung boasts about the most. Yes being able to have a photo in black and white or sketch is nice to I would rather just have a good photo in the first place.

Radio
Options: Seven
To use your radio you need to have your earphones. The small black box in the middle of the wire is what picks up the local radio stations. All you need to do is insert then in the slot on the left side of the phone and turn the radio on. You can listen to it on speakerphone but you still need to have the earphones plugged in. Using the left or right button allows you to go though all the radio waves where as clicking up and down goes straight to the next available channel.

You can save the radio stations that you like most so it is easy to skip to them and if you wish you are also able to record what you are listening to. This is a bit naughty as you can record your favorite songs and then add them to your play list. Personally this is my favorite option as I can listen to the radio where ever I go now and I don't have to carry something extra. The only bad thing is that if there is no signal there is no radio and when on the bus I sometimes find my radio turning into static and back again.Applications
Options: Ten
There are several little fun extra in here. They are:

• Voice Recorder - This allows you to record for up to an hour. However the range on this is poor so don't expect to use it in a lecture.
• Image Editor - Any photos that you have taken can be loaded here and then played with. You can make it black and white, sketch or be naughty and add a smiley face over something rude.
• Image Stamp - You choose two photos that you have taken and stamp one on top of the other. This would just be a little fun extra but doesn't have any real use.
• Bluetooth - Enables you to be able to swap information with other phone with Bluetooth, send photos to kiosks and print them out or information to and from your phone. You are also able to change the name that people see when they Bluetooth to you and choose whether to leave it on or off.
• Memo - You are given 1000 characters to write a little bit of information down. It can then be saved with the date on and either kept or sent to another photo via Bluetooth.
• World clock - This enables you to see the time all over the world and chose two places to have main time on. For me it means that I can see the time here in England and the time in Australia where my Father lives. For my father it means that when he moves around the world with a click of a button the time on his phone has changed.
• Calculator - Self explanatory. It can only do simple equations so I wouldn't advise taking this in a math's lesson.
• Converter - Converts Lengths, weights and temperature. Nifty little extra that does the job.
• Timer - Allows you to set up to 99 hours 99 minutes and 99 seconds and counts down. When it gets to zero an alarm goes off. Useful for cooking.
• Stopwatch - Allows you to take five different timeframes and can be useful for sports events.

Alarms
Options: Three
Originally set with five alarms but you are able to add as many as you like as well as name them as you please. Each alarm can be set to the time you please as well as the alarm sound that you choose. This means that I can wake up to music from my MP3 player in the morning instead of an annoying bell sound.Settings
Options: Fourteen
This one area allows you to run your mobile the way you see fit. From security passwords and pins to your wallpaper of choice it is all laid out in a simple way. Almost everything here can be found elsewhere but once again it makes it easier to have it all in one place.

Computer Disc
The disc that comes with the phone is an important extra. Place the disc in your computer and it will load up. You are then presented with an easy to follow screen which allows you to check the instruction manual or download music from discs to your phone. You can even send a text message from your computer if you want to be a show off! It is exactly the same searching though documents on your phone as it is checking though files on your computer and I sailed though the options. From here I can transfer files from or to my phone, delete messages and make sure everything is in working order.

Overall
There are so many more features that the phone has to offer from shortcuts to game demos. With the catch line 'Imagine a phone that is image conscious' Samsung isn't far off. The phone shows style with ease and doesn't have to work hard to please.
The phone is amazingly durable. Recently I accidentally dropped it down 30 stone stairs at the local night club. It came out without a scratch on it and unlike most phones it stayed in one piece.
When it comes to charging I was really shocked. On an average day I listen to my radio for two hours, talk for another two and send several text messages yet I still only have to charge it every 48. My old phone needed to be charged every day and when I forgot it was a pain. Makes life far easier!
Something that I haven't mentioned already is if you have used a Samsung before it may take a little time to adjust to the buttons. They are a bit harder then the D900 before it and there is a noticeable difference.
Apart from that there is little negative to say. Yes of course my opinion on the camera has been made clear but if I want to take a good photo I'm not going to reach for my mobile anyway. Things such as being able to listen to my music/radio while writing a text message or even over riding the music on my games is what makes this phone exceptional and by far the best one I have owned.
If you are looking for a new phone brand then this is the way to go…just remember that Samsungs way of texting is different from most and you will struggle for a couple of days. I would recommend this phone to anyone who loves their Samsungs.

Tech stuff
Talk time: 7 Hours
Standby: 380 hours
Display type: 16M colors TFT screen
Resolution: 240 x 320 pixels
Weight: 104G
Height: 102 mm
Width: 14.9mm
Length: 47.8 mm
Camera: 5 MP
Memory: 55 MB
Wireless interface: Bluetooth
Manufacture: Samsung 

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