Samsung BlackJack-SGH-i607 Review - Display & Audio
Display & Audio That 2.25" diagonal, 320x240 pixel display is quite easy on the eyes, even if it is a bit smaller than the ones found on Blackjack's closest competitors. While the display is limited to 65,000 colors, and not the 240k or 16 million found on state-of-the-art, it still worked very well for viewing documents (particularly via Picsel Viewer's smooth pan and zoom capabilities), reading messages, and watching movie clips.
As with the Q, Blackjack's display is not a touchscreen. As such, the handset runs WinMob Smartphone edition, and not the full PocketPC version. Navigation options are obviously more numerous on a stylus-enabled smartphone, but all of Blackjack's features are pretty easily accessible via the scroll wheel and various buttons on phone.
Windows Mobile 5 allows for customization of the display including installation of background images on the Today screen. Font styles and sizes can also be customized throughout the system.
Call quality on Blackjack was generally excellent, and voices came through loud clear through both the earpiece and speakerphone. Wired earpieces will work with via Samsung's proprietary accessory port, and a 2.5-to-3.5mm stereo adapter is available for use of standard stereo headphones with Blackjack. I find Samsung's one port-fits-all design (found on most of their handsets) needlessly frustrating, as it limits the user to connecting the handset to either an earpiece, USB cable, or AC charger, one at a time. The phone also supports stereo Bluetooth using the A2DP profile. Need to charge your phone while on a call using headphones? Those had better be Bluetooth headphones.
Windows Mobile allows for extensive customization of ringtones and system sounds on Blackjack. WAV and mp3 files can be assigned to ringtones, caller ID tones, and a plethora of system sounds. While Windows Media Player does a fine job of handling music playback, a variety of third-party audio applications are available.
As mentioned, Cingular also included their Cingular Music applications on Blackjack. Cingular Music is something of a compilation of other music services including Napster and Yahoo's streaming music offerings, and it also features MusicID, which lets you record a snippet of a song and submit it to Cingular's database of some 3 million + tracks. The service then tells you what song that snippet was from. It actually worked surprisingly well for me, and could come in handy on a road trip or other occasion when you're prone to grimace and say, "If only I knew what that song was! Then my life would be complete at last!"
Next: Messaging, Interent, & Connectivity »Fetch me more...Quickly jump to more information about related topics, cell phones, carriers or phone manufacturers mentioned in this In-Depth Review by using the links below. About our in-depth cell phone reviewsWe take great pride to ensure that the our reviews are thorough and accurate. In no way are our editors directed or influenced by any manufacturers, advertisers, or partners; we believe that honest, opinionated reviews -positive or negative - are the only way to maintain credibility and serve our users. Reviews by companyApple, BenQ, BlackBerry, Eten, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia, o2, Palm, Pantech, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony EricssonSamsung unveiled the Blackjack 2 today during Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's keynote address kicking off the CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment Conference in San Francisco, CA. The Blackjack 2 is the follow-up to the Blackjack smartphone, and will be available in two colors - Black and Wine Red - as an AT&T exclusive when it launches later this year.
Blackjack 2 features a slimmer form factor with a larger battery compartment that Samsung says... Samsung today released the popular BlackJack II WindowsMobile smartphone in two new colors - giving it the full on "Your a smart consumer phone, all WinMo AND fashiony!" treatment - while WMExperts dropped some details on the forthcoming Samsung i788, which apparently is going to be badged as the BlackJack III. First off the official stuff from Sammy PR: "The Samsung BlackJack II is now available in two new colors, Romantic Pink and Ocean Blue.... At a Glance: What’s Good: Compact, stylish Windows Mobile 6 smartphone; HSDPA (3G) high speed data; Improved battery life; GPS; Center mounted jog wheel
What’s Not Good: QWERTY keys are a little small and a little slippery; No touchscreen; Display is smallish for a smartphone
Bottom Line: Blackjack II is a solid improvement over its predecessor. There’s nothing revolutionary here, but faster hardware, improved battery life, and... Samsung’s BlackJack was a big hit amongst smartphone users in 2007 thanks to its compact candybar form factor, full QWERTY keyboard, and enterprise-friendly Windows Mobile operating system. But BlackJack suffered from a few flaws, inadequate battery life being the biggest offender; most BlackJack users I knew wound up buying an extended battery which all but negated the phone’s sleek body by adding a big ol’ bulge to its backside.... BlackJack II is sleek in a business-class sort of way. I don’t know that I could ever call a smart phone “sexy,” but the burgundy-finish review sample Samsung sent me certainly is handsome, anyway. The handset fits easily in one of my hands, and its center-mounted nav dial makes for easy left or right-handed operation Some folks have bemoaned Samsung’s decision to replace BJ1’s side-mounted scroll wheel with this new front... As a phone, BlackJack II was a solid performer. Signal strength was good, voice quality was generally quite good, and callers said I came through clearly on the other end. I found the integrated speakerphone to be so-so; sometimes calls sounded fine (if a bit hissy) while other times voices were garbled and folks on the other end said they couldn’t hear me so well. The phone paired up just fine with both mono and stereo... BlackJack II is a solid smartphone. I can’t get super-excited about because I’m not its target audience - I don’t like Windows Mobile and I do like touchscreens and snazzy features - but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate it. Samsung took a good thing in the original BlackJack, fixed its fatal flaw by upping the battery life, and boosted performance and features in the meantime.
If you’re wedded to the idea of being able to... I am currently deciding on the pantech duo, Samsung blackjack II, and the Htc tilt. Which one would be the best? I dont want the fuze also. I was playing around with the Black j 2 for a few minutes the other day and found it to be very comfortable and intuitive. There is almost no lag when switching between applications, but I'm not giving up my HTC just yet. I think with a smaller form factor, improved keypad layout, bigger battery and WM6 it could actually be a contender.
Although the new Imates are pretty cool $$$$ I just want a cell phone that makes phone calls. I have to agree with everyone, The Blackjack offers a nice package of tools, the 3g network is nice when its funtioning on US Networks, but more importantly the phone holds calls, its light weight, and it offers a slim design. If you want a phone that fits well in your pocket and isn't too cumbersome go with the Blackjack. Another big plus for the Blackjack is that it now comes with an extra battery [:D]If you plan on doing a lot of texting then the QWERTY keyboard is the only way to go.
I used a pearl 8100 for a week and had to bring it back because I could not get used to the Type keypad. Never mind the fact that if you have to dial a 1 800 "yadayada" phone # all of the letters no longer correspond to the correct numbers [:$]
Go with the blackjack... If you are like me who give more priority for Internet browsing and photography then just go for blackjack as fareed said. thats really cool phone. Hi,I have used all three of the phones and in my opinion the Blackjack is the best choice. The phone is small and super thin so you will not notice it in your pocket. For text messaging its also great and a lot better than the pearl's suretype keyboard. The camera is standard 1.3 megapixels like the others. Depending on how much you use the internet will determine how much it will cost, you should go with a data plan that is cheap but at the... I am a highschool student looking for a new phone mine broke during my spring break [:(]. We are allowed to have cellphones, but I like to tex under the desk b/c it looks rude just out in the open. Which phone is better for phone calls? Which one will feel like its not in your pocket? On the blackjack do you have to use the 3g speed? Is the internet cheaper on non 3g phones? Which one, I love to take pics, has the best camera? I know this... i would go with the blackjack is a second!! it has way more features and you can still use push email which blackberry offers.
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