Samsung a song to us with its D600 MP3 phone

While career naysayers dismiss the D600 as a podgy phone for fat men, the truth is much more complex. Despite its apparent overindulgence, put the D600 next to a normal mobile and the optical illusion reveals itself -- this phone is actually small.

The D600's user interface is a delight, and all the more impressive in the wake of Orange's stillborn efforts of yesterday. Though its cartoonish graphics will appeal mainly to preschoolers, its general functionality is excellent. Cynical bankers will waggle their cigars at you and smirk when you scroll through the bubbly icons on the D600, but your 2-megapixel photos will look better than the efforts from the grainy, decrepit cameras on their Motorola Razrs.

You can play MP3s on the phone using an interface that resembles the bridge on the starship Enterprise -- the D600 likes to flatter and patronise your ego in equal measure. Navigating through menus, you feel like you're participating in a sociological experiment into remedial adult learning, but playing songs back you feel as though you're in command of a batallion of space ships -- which is much more sensible. Expect a full review soon. -CS