Pros: Fast & Clear 3G Network Access, Sleek Form Factor, Great Universal Device, etc.
Cons: Keypad Requires Some Getting Used To, Daylight Savings Time Glitch, No Included Belt Pouch/Earpiece, etc.
The Bottom Line: This is a very strong, suitable, easy to use, and feature packed PDA/SmartPhone for someone wanting to organize their life into one small/sleek device.
lilviv's Full Review: Samsung BlackJack Smartphone
REASON FOR PURCHASE: I was switching from a Nokia 9300 (Communicator) on the Cingular/AT&T Network. I wanted a phone with a smaller phone factor, the convenience/compatibility of Windows Mobile, and a SmartPhone with 3G Network Access. Having had horrible experiences with AudioVox/HTC devices, the Samsung Blackjack was the only choice. Luckily, it was a great choice.
WINDOWS MOBILE: One of the greatest things about this phone is the Windows Mobile OS & its integration with Microsoft Outlook. I use this phone to coordinate my Contacts & Calendar with Microsoft Outlook 2007 all the time. So, if on Outlook . . . I organize and setup my contacts (with pictures, birthdays, and everything), it will sync. right to the phone. Further, Outlook lets me set the time zone, and when it is synchronized to my phone and I am traveling, it auto-adjusts as I travel around. This is a priceless feature. This motivated me to finally have an organized and backed up contact list, in addition to actively using my calendar. :) This all was very crucial in me getting my life organized. Not to mention, when I switch phones to another PDA in the future, I can continue to Sync. the same data.
I also enjoy the Media Player & High Speed Video to see occasional news, video, & music.
This software also allowed me to install some of my favorite software packages like Cubicle Chaos (game), AOL Instant Messenger, Google Maps, Yahoo! To Go, and more.
OTHER SOFTWARE:
The phone also came with an E-Mail client, which allowed me to continually monitor my personal and multiple business E-Mail addresses.
It came with something called a "Picsel Viewer" which allows viewing of images. This turned out most helpful when viewing .PDF's I received as attachments to business E-Mail.
It came with a Multi-Client Chat software that allows access to Windows Messenger, Yahoo!, and AIM . . . and although I've used it occasionally, it's not something I use often.
INTERNET & VOICE PERFORMANCE: When on the 3G network, the internet is ultra fast, and it lived up to the expectations I held for it. Off this network and roaming on the Edge network, it can be a bit sluggish. I have never had voice problems or connectivity issues, although I have had some dropped calls as of recent . . . which may be more of a network issue.
I paired the BlueTooth with various devices including factory in car systems, and it performed wonderfully.
FORM FACTOR & INCLUDED ACCESSORIES: This phone is great, sleek, and small . . . even with the higher capacity battery. I liked that this phone can with an extra high capacity batter (which is the only one I use, really), a standalone charger, and more. What I was discouraged to see that it did not come with was a belt clip carrying case. I had to purchase one off of eBay. I realize that I might be one of the last people who wanted a wired earpiece as a backup, but it did not come with that, either. After I got my carrying case, I had what I needed to have a wonderful experience with this phone.
STRANGE KEYBOARD LAYOUT: At first, I was a bit flustered by the keyboard layout. Each row of numbers was spaced out by another row. With time, I found that this was more convenient going forward than a clustered set of numbers. Dialing numbers with "letters" in it is still challenging, as it is on other phones like the Motorola Q. But, I got very used to this keyboard and consider it a positive, now.
ONE BIG DOWNSIDE: It does not appear that this phone handled the Daylight Savings Time (DST) Change properly. Right around the time of DST changes, my appointments will all be off by an hour, which wreaks havoc on my syncing, the time on the phone, etc. This causes major problems and frustration for me right around that time of year.
All things considered, this phone has given me an extremely positive experience for well over a year, now, already (a long lifetime in the cellular phone/PDA/technology world) . . . and earns one of my highest ratings.
The SAMSUNG BlackJack™ was designed from the chips up for one purpose -- to make you look smart. It comes loaded with Windows® mobile 5.0 software.More at TigerDirect.com
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