Samsung SGH-D500 mobile phone

Samsung SGH-D500 is a tri-band cameraphone, which makes it suitable for worldwide roaming. Aimed at the business user, this attractive mobile phone comes in a sleek shiny black case, and it is another of Samsung’s slider designed models. The handset is constructed in two halves that are joined by a semi-automatic mechanism, enabling the user to smoothly slide up the display section to reveal the alphanumeric keypad, when you need to use it. Texting and the entering of phone numbers requires the use of the keypad, but for most other operations the phone may be used in its closed position, and the external buttons can then handle all the control functions.

Samsung SGH-D500This is a well-featured phone, and it is also Samsung’s first megapixel camphone and first Bluetooth™ phone to appear in the UK. The specifications of this model are quite impressive for a small phone, including as they do a list of such desirable features as its Bluetooth™ wireless technology, GPRS and WAP, MP3 and MPEG4 players for video and audio streaming, video capture download and playback, MMS multimedia messaging, voice memo recorder (up to 60 minutes recording time), speakerphone for hands-free conversations, Java™ enabled, active slider, and an e-mail client. Echo and noise cancellation technology is also incorporated in the phone to improve the sound quality and clarity of your voice, when you are in a noisy environment. In addition, when using the speakerphone, the D500 uses technology to suppress the ambient noise around you. The Sound Mate (plug-in speaker) is a supplied accessory, and this improves the sound quality from the phone.

The display on the Samsung SGH-D500 is a high quality TFT active matrix type of LCD screen, which offers a good resolution of 176 x 220 pixels, that can also reproduce up to 262,144 different colours - as good as anything else available so far. The impressive definition and colour capability of this screen will make a difference to the quality of the pictures you wish to view on it, and it will also provide an easier tool for examining the menu system, or running games and applications on the phone.

An obvious plus for the D500 is its integrated SXGA camera, with the capability to shoot pictures of 1.3 megapixel resolution, which is about the best available in Europe or North America at the end of 2004. When not in use the camera lens is hidden inside the phone, behind the display, and to take photos the lens is exposed by sliding open the phone; this feature helps to protect the lens against scratches and dirt. The best picture resolution produces photographs of 1280 x 1024 pixels, although there are several other resolutions available, depending on the memory limitations and the use you have for the pictures; the other resolutions are: Mega, VGA, QVGA and QCIF (i.e. 1152 x 864, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 and 176 x 144 pixels). The camera also offers three picture qualities of superfine, fine and normal.

The D500’s camera has a zoom facility, providing a chance to use up to 4x of digital zoom, and there is also the means to adjust the exposure to match the surrounding light conditions. Another camera feature is the ability to take a rapid sequence of shots using the multishot mode. When you wish to take pictures in poor light, there is a night mode to increase the exposure, and an LED type of flashlight is provided to illuminate the scene. It is possible to modify your pictures using the picture editor, and you can enhance them by the addition of a frame, or you may also use some special effects to edit your pictures; the special effects include Black and White, Negative, Sepia, Emboss, and Sketch. To assist with the taking of self-portraits a small mirror is provided near the camera lens, and a timer is also available to ensure that you can get yourself into the picture.

As you would expect in a mobile phone of this quality, it has the capability to capture video with a simultaneous sound track, and this camcorder has a very useful maximum recording time of 60 minutes. The best resolution for video is QCIF (176 x 144 pixels), which is not as good as for still pictures, but then this reflects the drawback that video is more demanding on bandwidth than still photography. It is also a feature of this phone to be able to download and play video clips, which will enable you to watch for example, news items, sports highlights or music videos.

Being MMS enabled, the Samsung SGH-500 is a valuable instrument when you wish to exchange multimedia messages with other MMS compatible phones, or you might prefer to send such messages to an e-mail address. It will make much more impact on the recipient when a message contains more than one type of media, and a multimedia message may contain a combination of video clip, picture, audio, and text, and each message may be up to 300 kB in size.

The addition of an MP3 player in the D500 will be a welcome bonus for some users, with the usual controls being provided for playing the tracks, and it is even possible to create playlists. Although only 15-20 MP3 or AAC tracks may be stored, it is at least practical to carry around your favourite pieces of music. However, music tracks, videos, and images all eat into the available memory, and luckily this model comes with a sizeable memory capacity of 96 MB, of which 4 MB is dedicated for downloading new Java™ games and applications. The onboard memory should be sufficient for most users’ needs, but if it is not then it will be a problem because there is no memory card slot to expand it.

In common with nearly all mobile phones, this handset may be personalised by changing the themes, wallpapers, screensavers and ringtones. The phone supports polyphonic ringtones up to 64-tone polyphony, and it can also use the more lifelike MP3 ringtones. When you want to add some new content to the phone, it is an easy matter to visit a Web or WAP site and to find some new pictures and ringtones to customise the look and sound of your phone. Photographs taken with the phone’s camera may be used for caller ID, to identify your contacts more easily, and you can also allocate a unique ringtone for contacts to help with caller ID.

The D500’s Java™ capability provides users with the opportunity to run a wide range of Java programs, such as games and applications. There are 3 games preloaded in the phone - ArchAngel, Freekick and Forgotten Warrior - although it is possible to download more Java games over-the-air, and you can also download any other applications you need for business or leisure use.

Data handling is always an important issue in a phone like this, and the integrated GPRS technology will ensure that you get fast access to the network, with the bonus of an “always on" connection. A WAP browser allows you to access the mobile Internet and to seek out the information and services that interest you, and the many WAP sites now available provide a good source for finding everything you need by way of news, sports, entertainment, shopping, banking, traffic, weather, business, and many other services. An e-mail client is included so that you can access your email correspondence while on the move, and this e-mail engine uses the standard POP3 and SMTP protocols. To help with your business work, this phone also supports the exchange of vCard business cards and vCalendar formats.

A good choice of connectivity options is offered by the D500. There are the wireless options of using either Bluetooth™ or an infrared link, to connect with compatible Bluetooth and IrDA devices, or alternatively you may use a USB data cable to connect by wire to a PC or PDA. A PC Data Link Kit (USB cable and EasyStudio CD) is available as an optional accessory. Once a connection has been established, you can then synchronise your personal information in the calendar or phonebook with that on your PC. There is also the possibility of performing a remote synchronisation, as this phone supports the SyncML standard.

The D500 has several organiser features, including a large phonebook of 1,000 contacts, Calendar, Schedule, To Do, Memo, World Clock, Alarms, Timer, Stopwatch, Calculator, and a Unit Converter. The standard features of a vibrating alert and T9™ predictive text input are also provided in this phone.

Samsung SGH-D500 Cameraphone specification

Samsung SGH-D500 FAQs
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Last updated 30th January 2008, 14:39 GMT