CNET Reviews the i600

[Robert Levy]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://reviews.cnet.com/Samsung_SCH_i600/4505-6452_7-30600476.html?tag=dir' target='_blank'>http://reviews.cnet.com/Samsung_SCH_i600/4505-6452_7-30600476.html?tag=dir</a><br /><br /></div>"Samsung currently has two very similar-looking smart phones on the market, the i500 and i600, but they run very different operating systems. While the former has a touch screen and is powered by the Palm OS, the i600 runs Microsoft's Windows Mobile 2002, a stripped-down version of the Pocket PC OS. There's a lot to like about this well-designed, feature-rich model for Verizon Wireless. However, the lack of a built-in keyboard limits the i600's wireless e-mail prowess. In other words, this won't replace a BlackBerry."<br /><br />The main gripe is that the lack of an integrated keyboard means that sending emails from the device isn't a very positive experience. Compared to a BlackBerry, he's probably right... but the trade off is that a Smartphone can do far more than any BlackBerry can. Personally, I don't think composing emails is too difficult once you've master T9 (which, unfortunately, few people on this side of the pond have taken the time to do), learn to be brief, and take advantage of the "insert voice recording" feature that lets you record a WAV file that gets attached to the message.

[ilscfn]

im dying to pick up the new motorolla or the samsung but i keep thinking that if i hold out for a little longer there will be a better option out there aka the same dilemma people have been dealing with ever since computers came out. my dream phone would do away with my laptop and pocketpc completely. here it is:

-hard drive based like the ipod so u dont have to deal with expensive and limited capacity sd cards
-built in 2 mp or higher camera
-text keyboard like the treo 600
-digital out so u can play music through a stereo
-bluetooth
-of course windows based like the smartphones
-wi-fi 802.11g compatible so we can surf at normal speeds when we are on a network

how much longer must i wait for this perfect phone? theres gotta be something like this in the works that will come out eventually! please somebody give me some good news! :D

[Jason Dunn]

...hard drive based like the ipod so u dont have to deal with expensive and limited capacity sd cards...

A hard drive in a phone? Very doubtful you'll ever see that - between the horrible battery life you'd get and the fact that hard drives are much more fragile than Flash-based memory, it wouldn't be much of a phone. Sorry to rain on your parade. :wink:

[ilscfn]

hard drive devices like the ipod are just about as fragile as a phone, u drop it from too high and too many times and they will break.

as for the battery life, my ipod's life is fairly decent (of course it doesnt use up battery as a phone as well, but i would gladly sacrafice a little battery life for the convenience of one device that does it all instead of pockets crammed full of electronics.)

btw i cant hold out any more and im ordering the mpx200 on amazon today. Maybe someday my dream device will exist.