Sony Ericsson's M600 3G tri-band GSM cellphone

Sony Ericsson just announced their new M600 handset. This 15-milimeter-slim, 3G flip-less sibling of the P990 is a dual-mode communicator bringing UMTS and tri-band GSM/GPRS with a touch-sensitve, 2.6-inch 240x320 262K color display, dual-function QWERTY keyboard, RSS reader, and Bluetooth with A2DP stereo audio support for untethered playback of that MP3/AAC audio stored on the 80MB of internal memory or Memory Stick Micro expansion card. And like the P990, the M600 is the second SE phone to feature the Symbian 9.1 OS and UIQ 3.0 interface with support for a wide range of push email for business users including BlackBerry Connect, Seven, Vista, and more. Available Q2 for Europe and US in Black or White for a yet to be determined price. More pr0n after the break.

[Via InfoSyncWorld, Thanks Oliver and everyone who sent this in]

[Mainframe @ Feb 6th 2006 6:48AM]

farrrrk that thing is hideous

bring on the nokia E61.

[Paul Dunlop @ Feb 6th 2006 6:52AM]

That is an impressive looking phone. The size of it, compared to previous P9xx is fantastic. Damn..... I was all set on the phone I wanted. Now I'm not sure if I should wait or not!

[alvin @ Feb 6th 2006 6:56AM]

uhm, is it just me or does this NOT have a camera? i don't see anything that resembles a camera lens anywhere... p990 still rocks. my p900's getting ready to bid me farewelll as soon as p990 comes.

[hal9000 @ Feb 6th 2006 6:59AM]

looks like a squished k750

[Mike @ Feb 6th 2006 7:03AM]

Wow no camera! Its about time we get some decent business phones without a camera!

[Conrad Quilty-Harper @ Feb 6th 2006 7:05AM]

Just as I was starting to think that this was the perfect phone to get as my first contract phone, I find out there's no camera included. Dammit!

[Product Reviews @ Feb 6th 2006 7:10AM]

No camera being included is a big no buy for me, every phone should have a built in camera as its so easy to just take phones wherever you are and I also's forget to take my digital camera, so I will not buy this phone.

[shalalala @ Feb 6th 2006 7:11AM]

what is a memory stick micro. Please tell me that they are not coming out with a new form of the memory stick and that i will need to buy a new memory stick for all of new sony products. This sucks balls.

[cikembon @ Feb 6th 2006 7:21AM]

no wifi???? hands down to p990 then..

[xbit @ Feb 6th 2006 7:31AM]

Hmmm... with the Motorola Q gone, it looks like it's between this and the Nokia E61 for the GSM e-mail market.

I don't know which one I'd go for though. The m600 has touchscreen and a scrollwheel, but the E61 has WiFi. It's nice to see that they're both 3G though.

[Oliver @ Feb 6th 2006 7:56AM]

It's almost perfect. The only thing missing is WIFI and I'd rather see a pro duo card slot instead of micro. It will be tough to choose between this and the Nokia E60/61 phones.

[PEZ @ Feb 6th 2006 8:33AM]

The bastard child of the BB7100t and NE61.

Sony, of all companies, should be able to come up with a new design. OR at least something more interesting. A square phone with square buttons.

Its not all that bad, I always wished there was something to truly protect candybar type of phones, but wasnt a full-on case. Hmm..

[Ben @ Feb 6th 2006 8:40AM]

No camera, no WiFi - hard to see how this competes with its obvious rival, the N80. And please please please make sure the P990 is Pro Duo, not Micro, Sony! I just bought a Gb card for my P910...

[Version 1.0 @ Feb 6th 2006 8:50AM]

I shall describe this with one universal word... YUCK!

[John Belmont @ Feb 6th 2006 9:23AM]

Well, personally, I've never been a fan of Sony Ericsson anything, and this piece of gadgetry isn't pushing me any closer to likeing their products. It's boxy, thick, and it has no camera [from the looks of it]. I don't see why anyone would want something like this. Sony Ericsson's designs are all just ugly. I haven't seen one single Sony Ericcson gadget that I have liked from a visual standpoint.

[mike @ Feb 6th 2006 9:25AM]

Its great to see a phone with no camera. Since I am not allowed to have a camera phone at work.

[xbit @ Feb 6th 2006 9:59AM]

15:
"It's boxy, thick, and it has no camera [from the looks of it]."

It's 5mm thinner than the Motorola RAZR V3x and apparently it's the world's thinnest UMTS phone. I think it would be wrong to call it thick.

It's aimed at business and that's why there's no camera. It might not be the device for you, but it's obvious why they've designed it the way it is.

[JTB @ Feb 6th 2006 10:02AM]

I personally like it as much as I hate sucky cameras that take space and increase the price of a cellphone. If I want to take pictures, I get a compact camera. I'd like a side by side comparison with the p990 though.
If it's cheaper than the P990, I'm buying this thing.

[bigmouthstrikesagain @ Feb 6th 2006 11:19AM]

I think it looks quite nice! and I think this might be my next cellphone.

I don't care about there being no camera. wifi would have been nice though. but no dealbreaker.

[Richard @ Feb 6th 2006 11:41AM]

I haven't read anything about this other than here.

I agree with the sentiment on the camera: when I want a camera, I'll use a camera.

The form factor is very interesting - looks a little like the BlackBerry Phone in terms of two letters per key.

But it is only tri-band!? I wonder which "tri" the US will get (ie., is this a T-Mobile or a Cingular phone).

[Richard @ Feb 6th 2006 11:44AM]

I haven't read anything about this other than here.

I agree with the sentiment on the camera: when I want a camera, I'll use a camera.

The form factor is very interesting - looks a little like the BlackBerry Phone in terms of two letters per key.

But it is only tri-band!? I wonder which "tri" the US will get (ie., is this a T-Mobile or a Cingular phone).

[Richard @ Feb 6th 2006 11:46AM]

AND someone at SE - indeed at Sony - has to get the balls to take new memory card formats out of the revenue growth plans. Stupid Stupid Stupid!

[Anthony @ Feb 6th 2006 12:40PM]

I think it looks nice but I don't think either US gsm carrier is getting this version of the phone as it has UMTS 2100 for Europe. You'll be able to buy is sim free and use on tmobile as it supports GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900. Sorry Cingular folks. Hopefully SE will come out with a US only version. Maybe a M610?

As for the lack of camera, Mike said it best, "Its great to see a phone with no camera. Since I am not allowed to have a camera phone at work." Many companies don't allow camera phones. So this is targeted directly as business users as a blackberry type device. Lack of wi-fi is disappointing though.

[Juice @ Feb 6th 2006 12:53PM]

You people sound like you're from the stone ages. "When I want a camera I'll use a camera"... Grunt Grunt. I mean c'mon. It's the 21st Century . Sure the cams suck now but in a couple years they'll be top notch on cell phones. Most if not all people are likely to carry a cell phone but not a camera. You'll wish you had a camera with you when you see something amazing you want to capture but can't...

[John @ Feb 6th 2006 1:07PM]

Honestly, with regard to the camera, the back shot looks as though they might plan to make two versions of this--one with a camera, one without. At least that's the impression I got from the back shot of the phone, since it seems to have a covering about the size of a digital camera lens.

[Anthony @ Feb 6th 2006 2:01PM]

Juice I agree with you. I have a k750 and I love the 2mp camera I just think some people don't want them. If you want a camera in this type of device the p990 is pretty similar. Plus as John says maybe there will be a second version.

[Borre @ Feb 6th 2006 3:31PM]

#25; that cover is for external antenna, not a camera lens.

[patrick @ Feb 6th 2006 4:59PM]

Finally, a decent cell phone without a camera. I have nothing against cameras themselves, but do you know how hard it is to find a decent phone that doesn't have one?

And for the record, there are some of us who cannot have camera enabled cells due to security reasons. So, if two versions are planned, I'd call this a smart move.

[poetrytherapy @ Feb 6th 2006 5:55PM]

Ahaha! It's really looks like a squished K750!

[poetrytherapy @ Feb 6th 2006 6:00PM]

Ahaha! It's really looks like a squished K750!

[Ryukun @ Feb 6th 2006 6:21PM]

Yay, a boring square phone with no camera, I'm really sick of these new ugly rounded phones with useless cameras.
What could be next, a normal ring?

[JJ @ Feb 6th 2006 7:33PM]

# 21, # 23 You people are ignorant, or maybe just stupid. T-Mobile and Cingular in the US both use the same bands, that being 850/1900. Those two bands are the North American standard. GSM/SPRS 900/1800 are EU bands.

Any phone that supports 850/1900 will work on both networks, and any tri-band phone that is ment for EU markets and is 900/1800/1900 will work for BOTH T-mobile AND Cingular ONLY on the 1900 band.

So let me break this down "Barney style":
1900= worky both networks
850= worky both networks
900= no-worky in US
1800= no-worky in US

[GreenAlien @ Feb 6th 2006 7:44PM]

Sony Ericsson know how to fit video cameras into small phones, it's not rocket science, so there's obviously a reason for leaving it out other than for engineering reasons. There's a need for camera-less phones in companies which have a policy against them. Could be a similar reason for the lack of wifi too. Companies with stricy policies may find this phone fits the bill.

I'm a big fan of Sony Ericsson phones. They always seem to design no nonsence phones that you can pick up and use - and buttons you can actually press for frig sake (ahem Nokia). For me, Sony Ericsson are the Apple of mobile phones - simple elegant designs that work. Definately disagree with the comments about SE doing boring square phones. If you want silly round impractical phones then take a look at Nokia.

[greenalien @ Feb 6th 2006 7:45PM]

Sony Ericsson know how to fit video cameras into small phones, it's not rocket science, so there's obviously a reason for leaving it out other than for engineering reasons. There's a need for camera-less phones in companies which have a policy against them. Could be a similar reason for the lack of wifi too. Companies with stricy policies may find this phone fits the bill.

I'm a big fan of Sony Ericsson phones. They always seem to design no nonsence phones that you can pick up and use - and buttons you can actually press for frig sake (ahem Nokia). For me, Sony Ericsson are the Apple of mobile phones - simple elegant designs that work. Definately disagree with the comments about SE doing boring square phones. If you want silly round impractical phones then take a look at Nokia.

[U. Betchya @ Feb 6th 2006 7:53PM]

Nevermind the camera. What about the lame-ass keyboard?
Enough with the sorta qwerty sorta crackberry keyboard. Clearly Sony designers haven't got out of their cubicles in ages and are stuck in the "hey consumers would love to learn another hardware interface methodology cause we sure do since we're bored out of our SKULLS" thinking.

FUGLY!

[Anthony @ Feb 6th 2006 11:22PM]

Hey JJ, #31...it's Mr. #23

Cingular doesn't release ANY phones that don't have 850 on them...please show me one?

They are not getting this phone, in this configuration any time soon.

[Sergio @ Feb 6th 2006 11:29PM]

that is the greatest thing i have ever seen! i want one now!

[matt @ Feb 7th 2006 2:04AM]

if indeed there is no camera, that's great news (or if they do one w/ one w/o even better). there are quite a few of us out here who'd love a sweet phone packed with options WITHOUT A CAMERA because we can't bring them remotely near the office if they do have a crappy little camera.

personally, the crappy pics you can snap with a cell aren't all that great in the first place (though, i have no experience w/ a 1.3MP or 2MP camera phone) and i'll always lean toward having two devices anyhow. there's no way i'd be lending out my cell phone at a party for people to snap random pictures of drunken friends and strangers - that's what a little point and shoot nikon/canon/whatever is for.

[Cem @ Feb 7th 2006 3:38AM]

Sweet design and specs, this looks like a stylish little beast.

[JJ @ Feb 7th 2006 4:33AM]

Mr. 23....You said: "You'll be able to buy is sim free and use on tmobile as it supports GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900."

Your point, I assume, was that one could buy the phone out-right, insert a T-mobile sim, and use the phone on the T-mobile network.

My point was that one could do the same thing on the Cingular network. Either way, in the 900/1800/1900 configuration, the phone will only operate on the 1900 band in the US. So regardless of whether Cingular has ever released a phone w/out 850 you are still wrong in stating that Cingular customers would have to wait for a US version. If you still think T-mo customers could use this phone and Cing. customers would have to wait then please explain.

[boyarul @ Feb 7th 2006 7:14AM]

Great job that SE did NOT included a camera.
Hey, guys! For photos you shoul use a photocam. Don't be such an "ICEHOLES"... ;-)
EXCELENT< EXCELENT< EXCELENT !!!

[JB @ Feb 8th 2006 5:43AM]

Looks-wise I think it's ok but each to their own. To all those who expect any new gadget to have everything that's ever been invented before, and then some more, just get real. This is a compact 3G smartphone. If you want wi-fi, camera, did you not notice that they also announced the 990? Duhh. It's called a product *range* for a reason. Cameras on phones are rubbish quality anyway -- and I have a 750i. Megapixels mean nothing when the lens/imaging system is poor.

[Aniruddh @ Feb 8th 2006 6:00AM]

The camera on my K750 is good enough to take a picture of restaurants called "Gaylord" and people who look funny on the road when you're waiting for the lights to change. This is a demographic that Sony would be wise to chase.

[balabok @ Feb 8th 2006 12:46PM]

I really like this phone. So what if it doesn't have a camera. They could always add it as an accessory module like on the T-68i. Besides if your a photobug, get a IXUS or a ExilSlim and be done with it.

[flurdy @ Feb 9th 2006 10:44AM]

Like it.
I miss my qwerty keyboard when i switched from Treo 600 to Sony k600.
Looked good size, mem stick, big screen, etc .
Then I realised no camera...

I know compromises have to be had. Looks like it got everything else and doesnt look too big.

But Ive become dependant on my phone camera now they progress into megapixels, so i dont have to cary phone and digi camera round.

Hope there will be a M650 or similar soon with 2 cameras, one being a 2MP. Whats the point of 3g with video calls with no camera?

[Rod @ Feb 10th 2006 4:29AM]

I am a power 910 user .. the phone is brilliant for business and with some sensible software additions is a really usesable tool. On the 910 the camera is awful but still gets used every so often .. the screen scratching (yup i can write at speed) with the supplied pen is an obvious nonsense and smacks of poor R & D .. if it scratches SONY then YOU put a pack of screen protectors in the box dont expect me to pay for them. I will buy the 990 when available and trash the Blackberry I also carry .. this phone seems a bit of an afterthought .. no camera , no wifi WHY? and what in the flying f*** is a micro card .. do me a favour!
The Duo just about because of the size element but where on earth does it stop! SONY please listen to your customers I will remain loyal at present because of the product but others are chasing at your heels.

[gregory @ Feb 10th 2006 4:38AM]

It looks very good, having all the range from the P800 -900 and 910 wanted the 990, but suddenly the M600, i think i will go for it, the P990 has things that i do not need, and a Camera, to be honest the pictures are always bad in quality nothing is better than a decent camera T9 from sony, the phone looks good and is perfect for me, not a toy

[flim @ Feb 10th 2006 6:10AM]

The arguments about camera/no camera are valid only to those who are interested either way. If your company disallows cameras, it's good that there isn't one included. Indeed, this is likely the reason SE chose not to include one, as they want to market their products to everyone.
From a marketing stand-point, I think SE are right on the button. The M600 is stylish without being outlandish and will be evaluated by companies with camera/wi-fi restrictions. For other, less restrictive companies, they'll likely look at the P990. Looks like SE just got everyone interested in their products. Well done, I say.

IMHO, SE make the best phones. They pioneer new tech (like Bluetooth) and implement it well. The phones are robust enough not to need a (Nokia-style) shock/dust/water-resistant version. I'm not careful with my phones, but since I've been buying Ericssons, I've never killed one. My T28 got run over by a Metro and survived. My T68 visited a bucket of water twice and survived. My P800 visited a pint of Guinness and the sea and survived...
I like their style. I like their easy to use interface. I like them. I won't be buying this, though. I'm out for either a P990 or whatever follows in the footsteps of the W900...

[mr. LAD @ Feb 12th 2006 7:41AM]

i was to buy a handheld, but now will wait for this phone.

[sizzler @ Feb 15th 2006 6:51PM]

Why would someones work not allow them to have a camera on their phone?