Samsung SCH-i600 / SP-i600
Average Ratings
Take it off the Market
The I600 is a compact package that promises alot but is not yet ready as it constantly has problems. I went through 3 units in 1.5 mos trying to make it work.
The reception is avg at best. Now using a LG VX4500 and my reception now is night and day better.
The small battery is worthless. Make one or 2 calls and you will be lucky to get through lunch with it. The large battery is decent, not great, and makes the phone heavy and bulky.
The active sync works well but is problematic to get it to see your computer. Usually must close all programs you are running and disable your anti virus software. I had one phone that just would not connect at all, one phone where the card reader stopped working and one phone that would lock up constantly when trying to speed dial forcing you to remove the battery which would then cause a hard reset and everything loaded on the phone would be lost. No big deal when can just sync info back but very problematic when traveling. Tried to download '03 software and would not install even with Level 2 Tech help. Was told to take it to local VZW store and they would load for you. No store in south Florida can do that for you. WPB Store Mgr was downright nasty about it and that was after waiting 1.5 hrs. VZW tech said he was uninformed and uncooperative after tech spoke with him.
Was able to view MS Word docs on phone by using Repligo after market software. Also as posted, tasks are very basic and Outlook notes do not transfer unless you buy after market software like usual. The SD Card ability is great as you can have unlimited memory.
No camera or blue tooth.
Overall, phone is very quirky and unreliable, especially for the price. Decent sized package for what it offers but it seems like the software is not quite there yet.
Worried at first, but very satisfied now
When I first received the phone, I had not heard about the caller ID problems, and was surprised once I loaded my contacts that the caller ID was not quickly present.
I was tempted to return until I found out that there are several photo caller ID programs that will fix this problem, I have loaded them and I now have caller id again.
Pro's
Size..although not as small as I want, still a major improvement over the i700
Extended Battery life...six hours of listening to music
Memory...nice to have all my contact's with me at all times.
Con's
Windows Media Player, when you are watching a video stored on your device if you stop the video or receive a call you have to start over at the begining...no fast forward or rewind.
Verizon does not allow registry editor software to load..,(useful for changing Internet Explorer settings on other Pocket PC's, so you can spoof some websites into thinking you are using a regular browser, for example my bank thinks that I need a more advanced browser to complete transactions.)
Earpieces, I at first loved the design, but the microphone quality is low and the earpieces hurt my ears...I have switched to a "regular" earpiece.
Excellent, But Not Perfect
This review is for the Verizon version with Windows Mobile 2003...
The i600 does a lot of things quite well, but it shouldn't be mistaken for a full-featured PDA or even a Treo. The 600 syncs with the desktop without much of a problem, makes calls quite well. RF performance seems moderate, but I usually have a strong signal at home and work. Earpice is loud and clear, speakerphone is as good as I've heard on a cell phone.
Having a full featured version of my Outlook calendar and contacts is why I bought the phone, and for that reason it's terrific. I didn't expect to do much more than read my e-mail and offer short replies, that's about all it's good for.
Battery life seems to be decent, but the included extended battery is necessary if you're not recharging every day.
The phone software does have a few minor bugs, and can lag significantly... having come from a Motorola phone, this doesn't bother me too much...
Verizon's wireless sync service is another story altogether. I didn't mark the phone down because of this, but I stopped using it because it wouldn't sync correctly with my desktop. Those syncing with a server and with a supporting IT department might find better luck than I did.
Lastly, the phone is expensive. I bought one on eBay, and I paid about two hundred less than retail... worth it at that price but not at five hundred or more.
i600 from Sprint
The i600 is now available from Sprint online (not in stores yet). Iâve been using it for a week and overall Iâm very impressed. Iâve been using the 2032ppc for the last 2 yrs but given its poor phone functionality Iâve been paying for two lines with Sprint and was still using my old sanyo clamshell. The i600 might finally do it all.
The sync feature works awesome! The phone comes with v3.7 for snycing, but Iâve been using 3.7.1 with my ppc - I just added a new partnership for this phone and I havenât had any of the problems reported in other reviews. All the functions are tightly integrated and easy to use. The design is solid, the screen is bright, and the size is surprisingly manageable. The phone key on the side provides instant access to the basic phone features. Email updates much faster than I expected. The waterfall keypad is awesome for one hand use.
There are some limitations though. This is not a good internet gadget. The lack of a touch screen is a drawback in this regard, but I donât expect much in the way of surfing capabilities from anything with this small of a screen. Itâs also not an e-mail workhorse. Receiving and reading messages is simple but composing, even with T9, is cumbersome for all but the shortest of messages.
Determine your needs before you buy. The calendar, contacts, and tasks are invaluable for me. I also listen to books (the pre-loaded program is awesome), and added software to keep notes on clients and pictures of my daughter.
If buying, take note that it comes with the leather case, the regular and extended batteries, the dual cradle/charger, usb cable and stereo earphones. (Itâs so new that the Sprint reps didnât know what it came with)
The users manual is hard to find. Sprint includes a basic guide and Samsung has the same. Go to the VZ site and download their guide â itâs much better. Thereâs also a vinyl keyboard on Samsungâs website that might solve some of the text entry limitations.
As advertised
Everything I had read here was mostly correct. The caller ID problem is patched on the web, as is a MSN IM bug. Samsung confirms an upgrade to 2003 later this year, registered user will get notification. There is a problem with the software for the phones prior to 3/1/04. Seems the microphone volume on the headset is too low. No one can really hear me well, and I use a headset a ton. Verizon was very helpful, and real bone-heads, depending on who answered my call. The local store is making good. Version WK05 of the software fixes the headset mic volume by increasing 6db. Email is great, outlook contacts, schedule and tasks are much needed on the road. Display is outstanding, and signal quality is very good. I travel constantly, and this is what I've been looking for!
Reception terrible
Reception is terrible!!! Only played with the phone for a couple of days so far, but I hope this is not another terrible disaster like the Kyocera 7135.
Not impressed so far....
Jared
It breaks my heart...
I love everything that this phone is "supposed" to be. But after several lock ups, the screen becoming garbled, the battery life being pathetic (less than a day on the standard battery with nominal use), somewhat poor signal strength, and the inexcusable bug that prevents the caller ID number from linking promptly to the person's name in your address book (it takes 5 or six rings, if at all), suffice it to say that I must return this brick. I had very high hopes because I could really benefit from the nice features of this phone. But the cons are pretty serious, thereby outweighing the pros. I called Samsung about the caller ID issue BTW -- they are well-aware of it, but made no promise of a fix. Granted, this phone is a first generation, but it seems more like a beta version to me. I'd love to carry on about all the things that I really like about this phone, but I just don't see the point. It'd sure be nice to think that Microsoft and Samsung are watching.
Beautiful combination of PDA and Phone
It amazes me that folks can be so picky and give such a negative review when a phone is lacking in one or two minor areas, while it exceeds their desires in many others. This phone has eliminated the need for me to carry two devices and is very easy to use. If you are looking for a compact phone first, and a PDA second, then this phone is absolutely for you. If you want full feature PDA usage, don't bother and buy a bulky Pocket PC Phone instead. It's an expensive device, but I've been needing something like this for over a year, so I feel it is a worthwhile investment.
Pros
- Superb one handed operation. I was concerned about no stylus and touch screen, but have found the multi-directional keypad and text entry even better than a stylus.
- T9 predictive text entry is very efficient, and the contact lookup is incredibly fast (it takes me about 3 seconds to get to any contact in my list of 500-600).
- Synching with Outlook is flawless and fast
- Speakerphone is great
- Voice recognition is great
Cons
- Battery life is very short with th standard battery
- Signal strength fluctuates between 2 and 3 bars (although actual calls never drop)
- Tasks are very limited (although if you buy Power Tasks, it has all the functionality of Outlook Tasks)
- This is one expensive phone ($500)
FYI - there is a patch available on Samsung's website that fixes the Caller ID issue.
High Hopes, Low Reality
After much anticipation and selling on Ebay, I got my I600! Something to replace my palm and phone, and still fit in one pocket.
Well, after shelling out major bucks for the device, I guess I'm not too willing to overlook some short comings. I mean, come on, caller ID not working until 5 or 6 rings?! For the money, I had a very hard time keeping the phone.
Now, I'm back to my Palm T-C, and an A530s. And I've got a few hundred bucks back too!
Come on Verizon. Test these things before you put them out there.
Back to the old days
This phone is huge, especially when the extended battery is in. It is almost like a small brick in your pocket.
Typing items into the phone book is easy, but the phone access is the worst. When I want to see my phone book listings under "L" for example, I would type "5" three time and this should get me to "L". Not this phone, it goes to the next word and says there are no listings for "555".
Half the INTERNET functionality does not work, like MSN Messenger, says the version of software is not compatible with the hardware. IT CAME PREPACKAGED!!
The external caller ID is horrible, it takes 5 rings for a name a number to appear. The Smart phone OS appears as 2002, we are entering 2004???
They eliminated GET IT NOW. Like that was some great option, but not the downloads from this phone cost $10 - $25. They are such money whores, not to mention the $500 I paid for this phone.
The syncing functionality does work well, just drop your phone in the supplied cradle and the phone seamlessly connects with Outlook without issue.
The SD card functionality is pretty cool as well, letting you store whatever you want on the SD card.
The Motorola version for AT&T is a much better, much small form factor. Once again Verizon Wireless strikes out with a behind the times release. We are back to 1996 folks. Thank goodness for number portability!
