The Samsung SGH-D600 is:
a quad-band GSM mobile phone with built-in handsfree function
a digital audio player with MP3 and AAC/AAC+ playback with stereo speakers and 3D stereo enhancement and 4 DSP effects (normal, classic, jazz, rock)
a 2 Megapixel digital camera (1600x1200 pixels resolution) with a flash and MPEG-4 video recording (at up to CIF (352x288) resolution)
an alarm clock with three per-weekday configurable alarms
an organizer
a dictation machine
a video player for TV sets
a Bluetooth dongle
The slider can be configured for accepting and closing calls as well as locking and unlocking the keys.
One of the available accessories for the D600 is a stereo headset with earplugs on a neck string, a microphone on one of the earplug cables and a detachable phone holder which attaches to its bottom. It can be also used for the handsfree function of the mobile phone.
Features and specifications
The Samsung SGH-D600 is the successor to the Samsung SGH-D500, and differs from it with a slightly revised design, a higher resolution camera which is located outside the sliding area instead of inside, TV output, and support for microSD external flash memory cards. It also includes a Picsel Viewer for Microsoft Office documents. It is available in black/grey and Chrome color variants, and has a rubberized finish to some areas of its body.
Battery performance:
Stand-by: Up to 300 hours
Talk time: Up to 7 hours
Still Camera features:
Resolutions: 1600x1200, 1152x864, 800x600, 640x480, 320x240, 240x320 and 240x180 (can be changed in photo mode using the number key "2")
Zoom: 4x digital zoom
Continuous shooting modes for 6, 9 and 15 quick shots in resolution of 320x240, 240x320 or 240x180 (key "4")
ISO sensitivity settings: Auto, 100, 200, 300 and 400 ISO (key "6")
White balance settings: Automatic and presests e.g. for sunlight, neon and bulb light (selected using the "#" keypad key)
Flash: A white LED light, not comparable to a real flashlight but usable for adding more light on short distance. Controlled by the "0" key in photo mode, the LED can also be manually turned on before taking a picture. This way it could also be used as a very short-lived emergency pocket lamp (if the battery is full)
Self-timer: 3, 5 and 10 seconds, controlled using the "8" key
Real-time effects including negative and sepia, controlled using the "5" key
Mosaic and overlay effect shooting (key "4")
Brightness and zoom can be adjusted using the menu toggle keys
In video camera mode (key "1" toggles between still and video modes), nearly the same features are available. Zooming is possible even during video capture. T9 predictive text is turned on and off by pressing and holding the star/asterisk ("*") key.
The Samsung SGH-D600 can play back .mp4, .3gp, .mp3, .amr and .aac files.
In the MP4 or 3GP multimedia containers the playback of the following tracks is supported:
video:
MPEG-4 SP (Simple Profile) up to PAL CIF resolution (352x288)
H.263 up to PAL CIF resolution (352x288)
audio:
AAC LC
AAC HE v1 - AAC HE v2 (with Parametric Stereo) is not supported
AMR-NB
All these features, combined with the TV-out port and the microSD card reader on the D600, make it a perfect multimedia solution that fits in a pocket.
Reception and criticism
Launch date: Q1, 2005
The Register praised its looks and small size. Trusted Reviews awarded it 9/10, calling it "a great looking phone with a screen that puts other handsets to shame". CNet gave a positive review scoring 3.5/5 suggesting it was good both for professionals and those looking for fun features.
A supposed 'killer app' feature of the D600 that has been the routine subject of critical review is the phone's poor visual TV out quality.
Other criticisms of the model include:
The phone can't be set to vibrate and ring at the same time, however it can be set to vibrate and then ring.
The MP3 Player does not work in background.
Java MIDlets can only be downloaded using GPRS via an online server, such as http://www.waphq.net which, although a free service still involves the service cost of the bandwidth to download. It is NOT officially possible to install Java MIDlets on the D600 via Bluetooth, IrDa, USB or Serial Cable.
The D600 does not support JSR 75 and has a relatively small RMS space despite having over 80MB of on-board memory.
The Text message ring tone is limited to the limited built in list.
Depending on the phone's firmware it does not support MicroSD-Cards larger than 1 GB.
The D600 has several hacks that can be used to overcome some of the shortcoming of the firmware shipped with the phone. Most of them will invalidate the warranty and may violate any network agreements.
It is possible to use the USB cable or Bluetooth to download Java Midlets to the phone by using engineer codes and 3rd party software see this Tutorial.
There have been several versions of modified firmware available for the D600, most of them addressing the shortcomings of the firmware shipped with the phone such as the selection of message tones, background music playing and automatic sms message saving. The use of custom firmware requires a serial cable compatible with the phone.
