BlackJack in Hand

I just received my brand new Cingular/Samsung Blackjack for review While the full review and testing are still in progress, I thought I would give you a little preview Is this little SmartPhone the true ‘Q’ killer like so many predicted? Is it the one that will make Treo users trade in their bulky bricks for the slim sexiness of this SmartPhone?

Read on for some initial thoughts.

I have been a Treo user for years I have always loved the design and I loved the power and flexibility My poison was the Palm OS for its simplicity, stability and abundance of third party applications.

Then, along came the Motorola Q and it stole my heart It was so thin, so powerful, so cool and, yes…so sexy in comparison to the Treo The Q soon became my favorite SmartPhone.

Now, as I have been eagerly awaiting the Sprint launch of the ‘Q’ comes the Samsung BlackJack – a thinner, smaller SmarPhone from Cingular.


The Official line on the BlackJack is:

With the BlackJack(tm) customers can get rich entertainment features, powerful business applications and the familiar look and feel of Windows Mobile(r) 5.0, turbo-charged by Cingular’s 3G-enabled BroadbandConnect service in an ultra sleek design.

The BlackJack(tm) offers users a host of entertainment options from listening to music to viewing video clips to browsing the Internet or shopping at Cingular’s MEdia Mall for ringtones, games and graphics. The BlackJack(tm) also includes access to Cingular’s latest, exciting entertainment offering, Cingular Music – an integrated, on-the-go music experience that delivers ‘your music, your way’ by providing simple access to the most robust collection of music content available today, including XM Satellite Radio, which comes pre-loaded on the device. BlackJack users can easily access and enjoy 25 commercial-free music channels from XM Satellite Radio through the XM Radio Mobile service.

With Cingular Music, the new BlackJack(tm) connects users to a one-stop shop for everything music on the handset, such as full-track songs, music videos, ringtones, music news, MusicID, music chat rooms, streaming music and more. Cingular is the first U.S. carrier to offer subscription music to the handset, including music from leading online retailers Napster, Yahoo! and eMusic.

For the visually oriented, the BlackJack(tm) will feature Cingular Video(tm), Cingular’s on-demand streaming video service. With Cingular Video(tm), users can watch a large selection of video clips of their favorite television shows, sports, news and weather, entertainment and premium content, including such hit HBO programs as ‘The Sopranos,’ ‘Entourage,’ ‘Sex and The City,’ and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm.’

With an amazing color screen, wireless broadband capabilities, 1.3 mega pixel digital camera that can record video and a full media experience with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, customers can stay entertained with the BlackJack(tm) while on the go. It also includes a speakerphone and features Bluetooth(r) version 2.0 with stereo headset support to enjoy music wirelessly.

Cingular customers who use the BlackJack(tm) can take the 3G-powered Cingular BroadbandConnect experience with them using the largest national wireless data network and get 3G performance in more than 130 markets in the U.S. surrounding more than 50 major metropolitan cities. They also can use the BlackJackTM seamlessly outside of BroadbandConnect coverage areas via Cingular’s nationwide* EDGE wireless data network as well as overseas in more than 115 countries.

Overview

The Samsung BlackJack is a Cingular exclusive that is a stylish and compact 3G PDA for both work and play. With Microsoft(r) Windows Mobile 5, personal and corporate email and support for Cingular Video and Cingular Music, the Samsung BlackJack does it all.

Included Features

  • Microsoft(r) Windows Mobile 5.0 Edition(TM)
  • Mobile versions of Microsoft(r) Office(TM) applications
  • Windows Media Player(r) 10 Mobile
  • Bluetooth v2.0(r) wireless connectivity
  • Simultaneous voice and data capabilities
  • Quad-band world phone with dual-band UMTS/HSDPA
  • Slim design PDA with full QWERTY keyboard
  • 1.3 megapixel camera with 2x zoom and video
  • Cingular Music, Cingular Video and MEdia Net capable
  • Microsoft(r) Direct Push for real-time email delivery
  • Mobile Outlook(r), Word(r), Excel(r), PowerPoint(r), and PDF support
  • Email – Xpress Mail, Good Mobile Messaging, ActiveSync, and more
  • Synchronize your desktop and calendar wirelessly
  • Hands-free loudspeaker and microphone
  • Instant messaging capabilities
  • Fast loading full HTML web browser

Technical Specs

  • Weight: 3.5 ounces
  • Dimensions:4.4 x 2.3 x .05 inches
  • Talk Time: Up to 5.5 hours
  • Standby Time: Up to 11 days
  • Dual-band domestic UMTS/HSDPA – 850/1900 MHz
  • Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE – 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
  • 220 MHz TI processor
  • 128 MB ROM / 64 MB RAM
  • Large 2.2′ 320×240 65k color screen with backlight
  • MicroSD(TM) expansion slot supports up to a 2 GB card
  • Bluetooth(r) v2.0 for up to six Bluetooth connections simultaneously
  • Warranty: 1 year on the phone and accessories
  • All talk, data and standby times depend on network configuration


Initial thoughts:

Goodbye Q, Hello BlackJack Yup, this thing is that cool It is smaller and thinner than the Q It feels great in my hands The Blackjack utilized a rubberized, black plastic case that seems so sturdy.

The keys are smaller than the Q, but it was easy enough to type on the QWERTY keyboard with pretty good accuracy.
The bundled software is very impressive – far much more so than on the Q or any Treo I have tested All the Cingular multi-media features are pre-loaded This little guy can stream videos, download music, organize playlists, get XM radio and more.

Also, Cingular added lots of new, proprietary software features to the Windows Mobile OS (I will detail them all in the full review.)

It feels much more like a phone than any other SmartPhone I have tested The camera seems to take better pictures than most 1.3 megapixel cameras I have seen.

Cingular bundles the Blackjack with two batteries and a separate battery charging device You can charge the phone with the battery in through the USB port or the external charger and you can charge your spare through the wall charger – a very nice feature.

So far, battery life is much better than the Q.
Stay tuned for the full review next week Below is the current pricing plan for the Blackjack.

Samsung BlackJack
Price: $424.99
2-yr Contract Price: $299.99
Mail-In Rebate: – $100.00

*Your Price:$199.99



Written by Gary