Samsung SGH M100

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Samsung's latest Digitall marketing thrust seems to have put consumers at the top of their hit list, so it's no wonder that they've merged two of the hottest consumer tech devices into one and created the world's first MP3 phone, the SGH-M100.

Weighing in at a mere 100 grams, this miniscule wonder delivers superb performance both as a mobile phone and an MP3 player. Physically, the M100 resembles its older cousins-- SGH-600 and SGH-2400--with a couple of exceptions: it has a small badge on the flip that proudly bears the diamond-shaped MP3 player insignia, and it appears to be just slightly slimmer.

Not For An SMS Chatter
The phone provides dualband support and does everything a mobile phone should do. However, unlike many mobile phones released this year, the M100 does not have predictive text input, a major inconvenience if you're on SMS chatter who's been spoilt silly. Another feature that's missing, though I suspect it would not be sorely missed, is voice dialing. Frankly, I've never managed to get any phone with some form of voice recognition to perform commands reliably, so it's no big loss to me. Also, it appears that the M100 does not support conference calling, so arranging a movie outing with 5 other friends simultaneously is out of the question. What it does have, on the other hand, is an excellent Organizer that works in conjunction with a Windows PC or notebook via infrared. More on that later, but first, a look at the MP3 portion of the phone.

32MB, But Non-expandable
With a non-expandable on-board memory of 32 MB, hardcore music lovers will be hard pressed to decide which tracks make it into the player and which don't. On average, the player will hold approximately eight tracks of 3.5 minutes each, encoded at 128 kilobits per second. The player itself is relatively simple to use, offering basic functionality such as Play/Pause, Stop, Forward, Back, and track repeat. Six preset equalizer settings (Jazz. Classical, Rock, Metal, Flat and Disco) and two levels of bass control allow users to tweak output to personal preferences. The provided remote control and headphones are generally adequate, though the maximum volume setting seems to fall a little short for use in noisy places. Samsung also provides a special adapter that allows the use of normal headphones or connection to speakers via a stereo jack. Playback quality is excellent and most users should realistically be able to squeeze up to three hours of aural pleasure from the unit--barring excessive use of the phone.

Great Software
Of course, this unit wouldn't be complete without software to transfer music from PC to the phone; in this respect, Samsung has performed admirably. The included MP3 Manager software installed easily and without a hitch, quickly detecting the phone when it was connected to my PC's parallel port. The software itself is easy to use and users should be able to start transferring tracks in a matter of minutes. Transfer time for the same average track that was mentioned earlier is approximately two minutes.

Samsung has also taken the liberty of providing some excellent software for managing the phone itself. The EasyGSM software allows direct access to the Organizer (though if does not support syncing to desktop PIMs such as Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Organizer), Call lists, Contact list (Phone Book), and SMS messages. EasyGSM also supports composition of custom ringing tones, and primarily functions as a true desktop companion to the M100. And speaking of companions, the infrared port connects the M100 to PDAs and handhelds such as Palm connected organizers, Handspring Visors, Microsoft Pocket PC and Psion Series 5 and Revo Series handhelds using the industry-standard IrCOMM protocol.

No rave is without rant, and the M100 is certainly no exception to the rule. Besides the absence of memory expansion options (32MB is really too inadequate for me), predictive text input, and USB connectivity, users will not fail to notice that the phone and MP3 cannot run concurrently, so it's one or the other. Also, users should take note that the MP3 Manager does not encode, so you'll need a ripper to convert CD tracks to MP3 or download the music files off the Internet.

Conclusion
Still, the M100 is a solid performer as a phone and an MP3 player. The overall package is one of the most complete I've seen in a long time, and Samsung has maintained an extremely impressive record in terms of quality, reliability and innovation.