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Folks who want a compact smartphone with a QWERTY thumb-keyboard and the works running Microsoft’s mobile-device platform don't really have any good choices right now. There's Motorola's Q, but that's missing a couple of key ingredients, such Wi-Fi. There's Samsung's even smaller SGH-i320. Problem is that GSM device hasn't shipped in the U.S, and maybe never will.

It also doesn't integrate 3G cellular wireless broadband, just 2.5 G EDGE. As for the Q, that smartphone and its 3G EV-DO technology is available only to subscribers of CDMA carrier Verizon at the moment. And then there's HTC's Excalibur, yet another communicator-class Windows Smartphone that seems to have a lot going for it, and it is purportedly on the road to this country. Excalibur supposedly lacks GSM's UMTS high-speed technology, however.

At the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, Germany , engadget reports Samsung has been showing off another new Windows Mobile Smartphone, the SGH-i600. This one doesn't appear to skimp on anything. And, like the SGH-i320, it has already been approved for release in the U.S. by the Fedearal Communications Commission.

The tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900) SGH-i600 includes EDGE like the SGH-i320, but adds HSDPA cellular-broadband. HSDPA is an evolution over HTMS technology, and is backwards compatible. It is the type of 3G network Cingular Wireless has been rolling out since late last year. There's also 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Additional known features include a microSD slot for up to 2 GB of extra storage, 128 MB of ROM, 64 MB of RAM, a Texas Instruments OMAP 1710 processor, and a 2.3-inch, QVGA (320 x 240) and 65k color display. On the back is a 1.3 megapixel camera with a second in front for video calling.

The SGH-i320's HSDPA radio can serve as a dial-up-networking modem for laptops to connect to the Internet for browsing the Web and accessing e-mail. The smartphone itself supports Microsoft's Exchange server push e-mail solution. You can also use the SGH-i320 as a USB mass storage device to drag-n-drop files from a PC.

As with all Windows Smartphones, and unlike the new Palm Treo 700wx for Sprint and other Pocket PC Phones, the SGH-i320's screen isn't touch.