Samsung G600 review: Slide and snap

Making connections

With the Samsung G600 you can count on EDGE and GPRS for browsing internet on the go. As we've already mentioned, the G600 also comes equipped with Bluetooth which even allows listening to music on a stereo headset (A2DP profile support). Bluetooth works seamlessly when transferring data to and from a PC too. You can set certain files or folders visible or invisible to the Bluetooth File Browser service according to your needs. A data cable will allow for even faster file transfers. Using the phone as a modem with a PC is also an option.

Speaking of cable connections we should point out once again that the Samsung G600 uses a new connectivity port that is incompatible with older peripherals from previous Samsung handsets. The Samsung G800 is another handset that uses the same port. Such a step seems an odd decision and we just can't understand it.

The NetFront 3.4 web browser of the Samsung G600 is excellent for a feature phone - it renders pages well. EDGE doesn't provide great speeds, however we are content with the browser. It offers a mini-map so that you know where you are on large pages, and it even has a virtual cursor, which highlights the currently active hyperlink or field. There are three different zoom levels and you have a text search function.

Browsing GSMArena.com: there are three zoom levels • the mini-map shows you the whole page

The NetFront browser also offers landscape browsing.

GSMArena.com and the mini-map in landscape mode

Making the most of your time

The Samsung G600 calendar offers three views - daily, weekly and monthly. There are three types of events available: appointment, anniversary and task. Much like on previous Samsung handsets, you can choose which calendar view should be default and you can pick which day the week starts on - Monday or Sunday. Up to five alarms are available and each can be set to repeat on given days of the week. There's a separate setting for the type of snooze you would like to have for each alarm. You can of course choose a custom ringtone to wake you up at a preset volume level.

Calendar • alarm list • setting an alarm

The phone also offers a To-do manager, a voice recorder, a world time application, a calculator, and a unit converter. A countdown timer and a stopwatch will cater to sports-minded users. Samsung G600 supports Java, so downloading additional applications or games is not a problem. The interesting thing about the Calculator is that it offers a direct link to the Converter, it can save your calculations and it offers some advanced mathematical functions to choose from.

Unlimited voice recording • calculator • unit converter • world time application

Stamp it!

When it comes to additional applications, Samsung gets a well deserved pat on the shoulder for the integrated Office documents viewer. The Picsel viewer is a nice application, and it runs faster on the Samsung G600 than on previous handsets.

When it comes to additional applications, Samsung gets a well deserved pat on the shoulder for the integrated Office documents viewer. The Picsel viewer is a nice application, and it runs faster on the Samsung G600 than on previous handsets.

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There are also several other noteworthy applications. The Image Stamp application allows users to watermark their images - simply select a watermark imprint, then select the image to be watermarked. Hardly a must-have on a mobile platform, this application is obviously meant for fun mostly.

Image stamp

Yahoo! search and Yahoo! Messenger were integrated into Samsung E950, while the Samsung U700 came with Google search integration. Well, none of those is available with Samsung G600, although you will find Google search on the Samsung G800, for example.

While the Samsung E950 was equipped with the Smart search application, which used to search throughout the whole handset content, such as contacts, menus, messages, etc., the Samsung G600 has a cut down version of it that only searches interactively through your contacts while you are typing a number to dial. Further on, the Smart Search activates automatically when you start dialing a number and shows you all the available contacts, which have this number combination.

Here's a sample search

The Samsung G600 is also equipped with the Mobile Tracker application, which allows you to protect your investment. The application starts secretly sending tracking messages to a number you define, in case another SIM card is put in the handset.

Another clever (to an extent!) functionality is the SOS messaging. Once you predefine an SOS message and several recipient numbers, you can send those numbers distress messages by simply pressing the volume keys several times.