SONY ERICSSON K 600
Sony ericsson K600 specifications
Frequency range: GSM900 / 1800/1900, UMTS
Dimensions (edit): 104.3 x 43 x 18.9 mm
Weight: 105 g.
Battery: Li-Pol, 900 mAh
Talk / standby time: 7 h. / 300 h.
Display: TFT, 176x220 pixels, 262 thousand. flowers
Memory: 34 Mb
Data transfer: Bluetooth, IrDA, SMS, MMS, EMS, video calls (in UMTS networks)
Camera: 1.3 Megapixel CMOS + Front VGA Camera for Video Call
Additionally: FM radio, MP3 player
Sony Ericsson has decided to seriously fight for a place under the sun of third generation mobile communications. Why not? After all, the Japanese-Swedish concern has at least two good reasons for solving this ambitious task: First, the avant-garde engineering developments have already built SE's reputation as a manufacturer of extremely functional and advanced business devices.
Secondly, few competitors are able to fit such technical stuffing into a case of a traditional size and classic form factor. A striking example is the triumphant in demand K750 / W800 models.
It is not excluded that the Sony Ericsson K600 will become the same exclusive, only among the phones supporting 3G connections. The developers set the task to create a mobile terminal accessible to a "wide range" of third-generation communication users. The goal is to convince subscribers that “3G is easy”. The phone should perfectly cope with work in European and American GSM networks, as well as support new generation services, such as video calls in the UMTS standard. Sony Ericsson intends to bypass the competition by providing a convenient and customary in size universal device at an affordable price.
Design
Sony Ericsson K600 was announced at 3GSM congress in Cannes. Shown it together with the famous "big brother" - V800. The relationship of the two 3G phones from SE is visible to the naked eye. The futuristic design is common to both models, but the style and execution of the KK600 looks more refined and perfect. In our subjective opinion, this is one of the best design products from SE. The design of the back panel / battery cover is unusual: it opens like a book. The plastic solution of the speaker with a video camera eye, a joystick, an elegant and well-thought-out design of the camera shutter - any detail suggests that we have an outstanding phone. The same can be said about the build quality and materials (aluminum, silver and black plastic). The ergonomics are almost as flawless, except perhaps for the alphanumeric keyboard, where convenience was sacrificed for style. Unlike the keyboard, the buttons and keys of the side faces are made with rare ingenuity and artistry. We remember that the side interface was often a tough nut to crack for designers. So in the K700 they coped with this problem brilliantly. If we are to compare Sony Ericsson K600 with the famous V800 / Z800, then the younger brother is clearly preferable.
Functionality
The display of Sony Ericsson K600 is beyond praise - clear, contrasting - it looks at least as good as that of the K750 / W800. TFT, 176x200 pixels and 262K colors. It fits up to seven lines of text, and even the brightness is adjustable. Moreover, the brightness level can be safely set at 50% - this is quite enough, and energy saving is more noticeable.
The menu has all the advantages of the new Sony Ericsson platform. This has already been written many times. Let's just remind that the memory of the notebook now contains not 500 numbers, but 500 contacts. For each contact, up to five number fields are filled in, the date of birth, as a recurring date, and, a feature of Sony Ericsson K600, three fields for e-mail addresses. All these details are good news. But the company has a somewhat prejudiced attitude towards the SIM-card memory. Apparently, the manufacturer believes that the SIM-card and its memory can be used by the user only in extreme cases, and not for storing permanent information.Therefore, you can view the contacts saved on the SIM-card only from a separate menu item, which, by the way, is not so easy to find.
One of the most valuable innovations of the K750 / W800 is also present - the “Activity Menu” button. It is located unusually, but very conveniently - along the rounded edge of the side edge, vis-a-vis with a video call button. Previously, this solution was used by Sony Ericsson only in phones made for Japan.
In addition to the usual vertical organization of the menu, there are also horizontal items. So, by pressing the "Call" button, you can see not only the last dialed numbers, but also the received / missed numbers. The latter are accessible by horizontal deflection of the joystick. A similar approach is applied in various places in the menu, which generally improves the ergonomics of the phone.
The functionality of Sony Ericsson K600 is very high, as well as all models based on this platform. It is quite expandable with support for USB connections, but is significantly limited by the lack of a memory card slot. Navigation is convenient, as always, joystick deflections are programmed for your favorite functions. The amount of built-in memory has been repeatedly varied, according to official information, it is 34 MB. This is especially frustrating when you have a full-fledged MP3 player. The FM-radio in the device is the same as in the K750 / W800 - the interface and capabilities have not changed. It is important that both the player and the radio are able to work in the background, allowing you to receive and make calls and surf the Internet. Thus, the Sony Ericsson K600 is a real multi-tasking device. This new valuable quality is not yet fully understood by all users and is not fully realized. The same can be said for the Video DJ, Music DJ and Photo DJ functions. They greatly expand the multimedia capabilities of the device. In addition to the 1.3 megapixel camera, there is a front-facing video camera for video calls in the UMTS standard. Its resolution is VGA.
In addition to the classic SE set of wireless interfaces, the phone also supports USB connection. Conservative connoisseurs will be pleased with the combination of the new platform with classic connectors from the "Ericksonian" times. Perhaps the K600 is the last model with a traditional connector.
All voice communication functions are implemented at the usual level for Sony Ericsson. The phone is very convenient and pleasant to use. Unfortunately, the 1.3 megapixel camera is significantly inferior to the S700 camera of the same resolution. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the S700 has a CCD, K600 - CMOS. The video turned out to be even weaker. But there are also enough advantages. I was surprised, for example, by the battery. Tested - one charge with economical operation can be enough for five days. Voiced and varied ringtones in MIDI, MP3 and other standards sound great. Now you can set your own ringtone for notification of CMC reception, which was not in previous models. In contrast to the extraordinary design, we can say that the phone functions quite normally. But do not forget that its main highlight is the ability to work in third-generation networks.
Outcomes
The developers of Sony Ericsson K600 managed to create an original and attractive phone that can meet the requirements of communication networks of all continents and two generations. At the same time, the usual functions did not suffer from its versatility. If some of them are cut, then not for the sake of 3G, but rather to exclude internal competition with neighboring SE models. The market fate of a phone is largely dependent on the dealers' common sense.
Benefits: good design and ergonomics, powerful battery, support for 3G at an affordable price.
disadvantages: weak camera, lack of support for memory cards
