The i600's crisp display made accessing the Internet about as pleasant as it could be given the current limitations of handheld browsing. The i600 uses CDMA2000 1X for accessing data services, a protocol that is capable of about a 144 Mbps transfer rate. There is a slight initial delay when accessing the network, though.

Like the MPx200, another clamshell type Windows Mobile Smartphone, text input on the i600 is not done via a stylus but rather through the numeric keypad. Two modes are supported—cycling through the characters in each key, or T9 predictive text.


Front View with D-Pad, Keypad

For some strange reason, the feature didn't work on our review unit, but having worked with T9 on other devices, I know that it does a fair job of guessing what you're trying to type as you go along.

Voice Signals
Another option to interact with the phone is via the included voice recognition feature. Called VoiceSignal, it can be used to dial phone numbers by speaking either digits or names from the speed dial list. Because the system doesn't need to be trained to understand your voice, you needn't pre-record voice tags to associate with speed dial entries (though you still can if you want to).

Aside from the ability to dial phone numbers, VoiceSignal can also be used to open entries from the contact list or a few of the major applications, including Internet Explorer, Inbox, and the Calendar.

The VoiceSignal feature proved reasonably adept at deciphering voice commands, at least when there wasn't a lot of ambient noise in the background. On the other hand, while the VoiceSignal feature can be useful, it does have some significant limitations.

For starters, it must be invoked before it can be used, either from the Programs menu or the phone's right-side button (held down for two seconds). So you can't simply start speaking because the phone won't be listening.

Also, it won't take very long to realize the boundaries of the i600's voice recognition capabilities. For example, you can use the system to dial a number, but not to hang up the line if the person doesn't answer. Similarly, while you can use VoiceSignal to launch a handful of applications, your fingers will still need to do the walking if you actually want to use them.

If you're looking for Windows Mobile-based PDA that's also a cell phone, there are now several choices with larger screens and stylus input. But if you want a more compact device with real buttons, the Samsung SCH-i600 is worth a look.