r_liebo's Full Review: Samsung BlackJack II Smartphone
This is a review of the AT&T Blackjack II, recently updated with Windows Mobile 7.
Appearance and Functionality:
The Blackjack II is sleek and thin, with a nice contemporary appearance. The phone is thin enough and short enough to fit into your pocket, and the candy bar design keeps it sturdy and without the need to flip it up to turn it on. It comes in shiny black or red. Personal preference rules here (both are gender neutral), bu note that the black fingerprints and scratches much more easily and the red's textured back keeps it stable while resting on surfaces much more so than the black.
The screen size takes up the top third of the phone. While it is adequate for most uses such as email, pics and text, movie watching is a bit more difficult. It is big enough to watch, but I-phones are a much better choice for video.
The front features full keyboard and typing is easy with a bit of practice. The buttons are small, but still easy navigate for all but the fattest of fingers.
The mouse is a rotating circle right in the middle of the phone, offering a unique look (it looks just like an old 45 record). The Blackjack II upgrades its ease of use, and scrolling is now much smoother. Bluetooth is available, as well as all the basics (MP3, camera video player).
Text/work use: If you don't have the latest Windows mobile, get it. Functionality is greatly improved, and the home page interface really sets this phone apart from all Blackberry's. Blackberry home screens are plain awful. The look is spartan, and getting where you want to go isn't intuitive. With the Blackjack all key areas are right there on the home page, with sliding pane windows. Within a second or two you can tell the time, see if you have new emails texts, or reminders, pull up a pick, song or video, or change the settings.
The synchronization with Windows through ActiveSync is simple, a huge benefit for those needing calender and contact integration with your phone. The email still doesn't match Blackberry's push technology unless your company has an enterprise server, but you can just take the extra step of synching email through a 3rd party like Yahoo. This isn't as secure or convenient as Blackberry, but works fine for most users.
Typing emails or texts is on par with Blackberry, and world's easier than the I-phone, whose lack of real keys makes typing a nightmare. The I-phone is certainly a wonderful piece of technology, but it can't match good old buttons for extended typing.
Play: The Blackjack II on the Edge network is plenty fast for video and all webpages. You Tube Videos can be watched easily most of the time, and any mobile based webpages work seamlessly.
The drawback compared to the I-phone is that non-mobile webpages simply don't work well enough to use. Load time is monumental, and seeing all input requires infinite scrolling up/down and left/right. Most major sites are now mobile friendly, but if you go to more quaint sites frequently, look elsewhere for a phone. Also, surfing the web drains battery life VERY quickly.
With data cards this phone will hold and play music adequately, but with no Bluetooth music integration. It is fine for keeping a few songs here and there, but if want to use your phone regularly as an MP3 player, you are better served with an I-phone.
Picture taking with the 2 megapixel camera is also good enough for most users, and pics can be edited and sent out easily. The drawback is that the camera screen gets dirty very easily, and it must be cleaned before any snapshot or your pic will blur. Again, adequate for most users, but not photo buffs. Video taking and playback is also easy, as is sending out videos.
Overall: The Blackjack II is a great phone for those that want only one, device for work and play. Blackberry still rule the "work only" market, and the I-Phone is a much better "play" device, but both come with major drawbacks for combination use.
Blackjack II isn't without flaws, but is the best choice for those that balance work and play on their phone.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 75 Recommended for: Professionals On-the-Go - Internet and Email is a Must!
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