Samsung BlackJack II - black (AT&T)

• Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 117 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 6 stars

  The Blackjack II is an attractive, feature rich phone, but it doesn't fully deliver.

  by heartattackedx on December 7, 2007

  Pros: Attractive design, light weight, QEWRTY keypad, Bluetooth, GPS, 3G, etc.

  Cons: Windows Mobile 6, sluggish at times, hard to get fix on GPS, camera quality, etc.

  Summary: PREFACE
  
  About 2 months ago my friend dropped my iPhone, cracking the screen and making it difficult to use (unless I wanted cuts). I used the phone until about a
  
  ...

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  Summary: PREFACE
  
  About 2 months ago my friend dropped my iPhone, cracking the screen and making it difficult to use (unless I wanted cuts). I used the phone until about a week and a half ago, when the cracked glass actually started falling out. So, while waiting for my friend to pay me back to get a new iPhone (and waiting for the iPhone 3G due out in 2008), I ran to the nearest AT&T Corporate store to purchase a phone until the new iPhone comes out.
  
  PRICING
  
  The phone caught my eye was the Tilt, but the store said they were all out of it, and for it's price point I might as well get a new iPhone (which I loved). Now, I might get stricken down for being so in love with the iPhone, but read the full thing to get where i'm coming from.
  
  I asked the sales representative about the Blackjack II, I was curious if it had been released yet. He told me it had not been officially released, but they were selling them. He brought one out, let me take a look at it, and then told me the price. The phone was $199 with a $100 dollar mail-in rebate, price after MIR being $99 (with a 2 YR contract, and data plan). After briefly using the phone in the store, I thought why not.
  
  I purchased it, and took it home to begin playing with it.
  
  DESIGN
  
  Upon first impression, I loved the design. The keyboard was extremely easy to use (given i've never used a tactile QWERTY keyboard, and the small keys), the screen was beautiful, and the phone was extremely light! I'm not too big a fan of the plastic casing, seems kind of cheap. Also, it gets fingerprints like crazy!
  
  SYNCHRONIZATION and BLUETOOTH
  
  When I turned it on, the first thing I did was try to sync it through Bluetooth to my computer (being an Apple Powerbook G4). To my surprise, the phone did not support any services of syncing, file pushing / browsing, with my laptop. I was kind of disappointed considering the software cannot be installed on a Mac either. So, I have no way of really syncing my contacts, calendar, music, etc. The only possible way of doing this is to either purchase a separate program (Missing Sync for OSX for $39.99) or a MicroSD Card.
  
  TETHERING
  
  I wasn't too disappointed at this point, just a little let down, so I pushed forward. Windows Mobile 6 seems to have taken away the Internet Sharing application for tethering to a laptop, but with a little Google search I was able to tether my laptop through the USB cable that came with the phone. This was a definite plus, except that I don't want to pay the extra 10 - 20 bucks a month to get a tethering plan through AT&T, haha. =] But if this is something you might use, it was extremely fast with 3G, and was easy enough to set up.
  
  CALL QUALITY
  
  After charging the phone, it was time to go to work. My job has a lot of downtime and gives me a lot of opportunity to get to know my phones.
  
  On my way to work I called a few people and the call quality was excellent. The phone as great call quality, very crisp and great volume. Getting to speakerphone, however, is a pain in the ass (more on this later) and not worth it. The quality is not the best with speakerphone. Often times it sounded like the person on the other end was loudly mumbling, if that makes sense, ha. But besides this, call quality was excellent.
  
  MESSAGING
  
  At work the first thing I did was start text messaging. The keyboard is extremely well for being a QWERTY keypad. The layout of the buttons and the use of the period, comma, and question mark keys came in very handy compared to the layout of the Blackberry Curve, which I also tried out and was terrible. Overall, text messaging was a good experience on the Blackjack. Sending MMS were easy enough, and fast. Setting up my GMail account was easy as well, and worked pretty good.
  
  CAMERA
  
  I started to take a few pictures at my work, and realized that the camera on this thing is by far one of the worst i've ever used on a phone. I usually LOVE Samsung's picture quality, but this phone is absolutely terrible. My previous phones include: Sony Ericcson W600i, Samsung Sync, Samsung D807, Blackberry Curve 8310, and the iPhone. All of these phones have exceptional photo quality, the Blackberry Curve and iPhone especially. Color on the Blackjack II's pictures are washed out and faded, and they often times are not sharp or crisp at all. Not to mention, you have to have an extremely steady hand to get it to be not completely blurry. I have a steady hand, but they still come out not sharp at all. Video quality, however, was extremely well for being a phone. Seems like it has a high FPS, good color, brightness, etc. Not as grainy as other phones.
  
  INTERNET BROWSING
  
  The next thing I did was use the internet. This phone is fast! Just like when I had tethered to my laptop, speeds were really incredible while using 3G. I'm used to EDGE on the Curve, or the iPhone, so this was pleasant. Although, browsing was no where near as enjoyable as the iPhone. I downloaded Google Maps, Windows Live Search, and a few other things directly to the phone at great speed and precision. Viewing mobile.myspace.com was good too, loaded quickly. But, the browser is what lacks in the phone (more on this in the Windows Mobile section..)
  
  GPS
  
  After downloaded Google Maps and Windows Live Search, I wanted to check out the GPS! Immediately ran into problems when the GPS could not get a fix, no matter where I was! I went outside, I went inside, I tried it at home, at work, in the car, etc. The GPS always said "Unable to find current location at this time." When it did find it, it was within 1200 - 1700 meters of where I was, which isn't a big deal to me. I mean, I loved Maps on the iPhone, it was simple, looked good, and got me where I wanted. So, Google Maps with no GPS will due just fine, but for people looking for a serious GPS, I wouldn't say this would be your best bet. Maybe with TeleNav Navigator and an extra 10 bucks a month, yes, but who wants that?
  
  BATTERY LIFE
  
  Battery life was pretty good. I didn't really time it, but the phone was at about 20% at the end of my work shift (intensive use of phone!). Which was a little better than my iPhone.
  
  WINDOWS MOBILE 6
  
  Now we go to the biggest disappointment on the phone.. Windows Mobile 6.
  
  I know a lot of people are probably really into Windows Mobile 6, but I am definitely not a fan. It's not an Apple vs. PC thing, I just can't get into it. Coming from something as simple, and great working, as an iPhone, WM6 just doesn't deliver.
  
  How I explain this is simple.. Everything on WM6 takes twice as many steps to do as on my iPhone. I like to be able to do things quickly, and with precision. WM6 is slow at times (could be the BJ II processor?) and it takes too many steps to do anything. Sending a text message on the iPhone was as simple as going to Text, and clicking new. With a touch screen, that's 2 taps of the finger! With WM6, you have to go to Messaging, Messages, press the Menu button, and go to new. That's 4 steps with a jog wheel, and it's kind of annoying. That's one example, but it's like that with a lot of things in the phone. Turning speakerphone on, holding a call, changing settings, etc.
  
  Another big disappointment was the browser. Going from an iPhone full HTML browser to the IE on the BJ II was disappointment. I got annoyed with browsing websites like that at work. It just doesn't cut it for me.
  
  However, I really do like that I can download 3rd party applications, themes, homescreens, MP3 ringtones, and edit a lot of stuff on the phone. But i'd rather have the ease of use and simplicity of my iPhone.
  
  OVERVIEW
  
  What I say to everyone is this.. the Blackjack II and WM6, although have a lot more features, customization, etc. than the iPhone, everything on my iPhone worked perfectly. The features it did have were perfected, simple, and stunning. The BJ II and WM6 have a lot of cool features and customization, but it's hard to use and the features are lackluster and sub-par.
  
  This review was written with somewhat a comparison / bias, seeing as I loved my iPhone, and this phone is just a replacement until the 3G iPhone makes it's way onto the market. It's a good phone, it was the best option for me until the new iPhone comes out, but if this were my phone until my 2YR Contract was up, I would hate the thing.
  
  I gave it a 6 because it's a good phone, but nothing more.
  
  If you thought this was a helpful review, but I left something out, please let me know and i'll try to answer any questions that I can. =]
  
  Peace!

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  45 out of 50 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Great entry level smartphone

  by Steve1164 on December 10, 2007

  Pros: Design, GPS, 3G, Email, Keyboard

  Cons: Finger print prone, scroll wheel, IE, no voice

  Summary: I've had this phone for about a week. I got it with 2 year contract for $150 with unlimited data plan (needed.) By the way I think this is ...

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  Summary: I've had this phone for about a week. I got it with 2 year contract for $150 with unlimited data plan (needed.) By the way I think this is one of the few smartphones you can get with insurance.
  
  Design
  This is a very well designed phone, the keyboard is one of the best I've used among new phones. great feel, the only downside is the fixed shortcut keys at the bottom all leading to AT&T applications. The scroll wheel is nice in moderation but does feel a bit loose. The high gloss does attract fingerprints and smudges easily but they can be wiped off...I love how it still feels like a phone in the hand. I do wish they had added a voice activation feature and of course I wish AT&T would get over themselves and include WiFi. However, the screen is BEAUTIFUL! I love the color and detail.
  
  Sync
  I have windows xp and syncing was easy. Setting up bluetooth sync was also straight forward and syncing with windows media player was also very easy.
  
  Call Quality
  In my opinion call quality was great, as long as its not on speakerphone, not that it was horrible, just annoying, then again it may have been the process to turning it on that left me with a sour taste. Still sounded great with 2 bluetooth headsets.
  
  Email
  This was the hardest thing on the phone, after about 5 minutes I had it up and working with no problems, just do your research before setting it up. The keyboard makes it so easy to type out messages I'm starting to do it more often. This is also where Windows Mobile has an edge over the iphone, i think its much more business oriented and makes sense where it needs to, but a simpler setup is always great.
  
  Camera
  As others noted the camera itself is weak, but the video function is somehow incredible, whatever Samsung did there was really good. I wish there was a flash for dark situations.
  
  Internet
  IE is not my favorite mobile browser and of course this is where the iphones "real" browser is incredible, but man do the pages load fast on this thing, I mean really fast. I haven't had a page download for more than 30 seconds yet.
  
  GPS
  I was worried about this having read some other reviews, but after I downloaded Google Maps it worked fine. It takes a long time to first connect to satellites, but after about1-2 minutes I consistently held 4-8 satellites. It is very accurate, more so than another reviewers experience. I just wish they hadn't locked the assisted part of the GPS so it would catch quicker. And telenavs a joke, I'm not gonna spend $150 and then $10 per month on top of that for a 2.4 inch GPS, but google maps is great for quick searches in hostile places.
  
  Media
  Now i know this is a smartphone but i thought the media was pretty good on this phone. Music sounded great and streaming video turned out great ans smooth even fullscreen. Movies on my card were a little choppy at times but not so bad I couldn't watch, and av sync was very good.
  
  Battery
  I like that they integrated the extended battery this time and it shows, I got about 2.5 days with this with the following use.
  Constant email over 3G
  About 1hour of internet
  90 minutes of media
  1.5 hours talk time
  45 minutes GPS
  and a LOT of playing around.
  
  Windows Mobile 6
  I enjoy the windows mobile OS but do see how it can be complicated for some. I wish it didnt take as many actions to do some things but it also requires less for others. All I can say is that the phone does a great job with what it has to work with, I found it to be very snappy, as long as you clear your task manager about once or twice a day.
  
  Overall I would say this is a great entry level smartphone with some great features for the price. If you're very business oriented go for a blackberry, if you're media oriented go for the iPhone, but if you want a well rounded smartphone, this is it.

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  13 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 4 stars

  Hate this phone!

  by hn2008 on September 17, 2008

  Pros: Full key board, light weight, Bluetooth, Email

  Cons: Please see my list below :(

  Summary: I have actually stopped people on the street if I see them carrying the Blackjack II and so far, 5 out of 7 people hated it. At first I thought ...

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  Summary: I have actually stopped people on the street if I see them carrying the Blackjack II and so far, 5 out of 7 people hated it. At first I thought it was me but I now know, I am not the only one. I do not like many things about the phone such as:
  1.Speakerphone. It is hard to hear and you have to talk in the front of the phone and listen from the back of the phone to hear the other person.
  2.Calendar feature. If you I have it set up as month view and click on a specific date to see what I have going on for that day when I click back it wont take me back to monthly view. Also, when I set up reminders for the calendar events. Say I set it to go off 15 mins before 10. It will go off 15 mins before 10 .I will have to click okay to have it stop ringing and then 5 mins later it will do it again and then once more. I thought it was a setting issue but it doesn?t happen on all my calendar events??
  3. If you are on aim you have the option to have the phone vibrate when you receive an instant message. This option does not work. I tried bringing the phone into AT&T and have talked to Samsung. My phone is under warranty but neither will do anything about it because it is ?not a well known issue? If you have a blackjack II please complain to AT&T and Samsung so it becomes a ?well known issue? Also there is a delay in the instant messages. I timed it once and it was a 7 min delay from when the person sent me a message to when I actually received it.
  4. I travel a lot and when I am at the airports, I like to see what is going on in the news. The Internet feature is great but the articles do not fit on the page properly. So I have to scroll to the right to finish a sentence then scroll back to the left and down to continue to read the article then it starts all over again with scrolling to the right.
  5. Your headset and charger have the same outlet. So you cannot charge your phone while listening to music or talking on the phone using a headset.
  6. The phone volume is on the side and does not lock when you lock the phone. In other words when my phone is in my purse the volume either goes up to where its way too loud or all the way down low to where I cant hear anything. Great!
  7. I haven?t had too much problem with the battery. The only thing is that the alert that the battery is low goes off way too soon. My battery has been dying since 9/16/08 at 4pm and its 9/17/08 at 9am and the phone is still working fine. In between today and yesterday I have talked on the phone for 30+ mins, have done some texting, and have been on aim all morning.
  8. You are able to watch TV and or movies on the phone. But I noticed that if you do the phone freezes. I have attempted to watch music videos off the AT&T link and half way through the video, my phone freezes. What?s the point of having this if it doesn?t work properly.
  9. I hate and understand at the same time but I hate it when I am on an application such as google maps. I?m driving and my phone locks the application is no longer up and running (google) and it?s a pain to have to go back into the different screens to bring it back up. And even though it should be on the page that it was on before it takes a while to open it back up. This is to save battery life from what I am told.
  10. Because the phone works off the network and has the sim card in it. If my phone goes off line (which it does at least 4 times a week) I have to re program my phone to not show my contacts from the sim card so it doesn?t show doubles.
  11. Offline. When the network goes offline. I have to turn off my wireless capabilities and turn it back on again (which also sets # 10 to show doubles.) just so I can access the Internet or aim.
  12. Changing the set up of the main screen is limited. They have a few options for you but all of them suck! I have a really cute background and most of the options cover the background and if it shows the background then you have to go into all screens to get into the application you want. There really is no win/win situation here. If there was a way to create your own Id be willing to pay just so I can have it the way I like. Another thing is the size of the applications and profiles. They are either way too big or way too small and unfortunately, there is only large or small.
  12. Keys are too small. I love the full keyboard but they keys are too small. I am a fairly petite person and my fingers are a tad to big for the keys.
  
  I hope that is it. I am sure there is more but these are the things that bug me the most about this phone. I do not recommend this phone to anyone. I have had it for 9 months and have not hated a phone as much as I do this one. I am willing to pay $400 for another phone by either switching carriers or getting something like the iphone or blackberry. But this time I will be smart and really do my research and go into the stores to check out the phone features and reviews. I hope this review helps you!

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  12 out of 18 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  Great smartphone especially for beginners

  by ddelor on August 4, 2008

  Pros: Solid signal, fast internet, professional apps, GPS, 3G, perfect size

  Cons: No WiFi, scroll wheel a little imprecise, WM6, glossy exterior

  Summary: This is a great starter smartphone for anyone looking to climb the corporate ladder or just get more organized. The size is really great because it's thin enough to ...

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  Summary: This is a great starter smartphone for anyone looking to climb the corporate ladder or just get more organized. The size is really great because it's thin enough to slide into a pants pocket or inside a suit jacket without appearing bulky. Plus, it is the perfect width so that you can still type with one hand is necessary. The screen is a good size and bright. It can be a little tough to see in the sun, but I haven't found a smartphone that isn't. The glossy cover looks nice when you first get it then 10 seconds of handling it will leave it covered in fingerprints, not a dealbreaker by any means but if you're really vain about your phone's appearance you may want to stay away. It isn't as slick as some people say, I've never felt like I was holding a "bar of soap", it could just use a little improvement.
  
  WM6 gets a lot of bad feedback and it crashed a few times the first day when IE had problems connecting, but since then I haven't had a single problem. Even with IE mobile webpages display quickly. The Office apps are nice when you need to make a quick edit. It syncs with Outlook flawlessly and even has a great Automatic feature that changes your ringer to vibrate when your Outlook calendar says you're busy (a great feature for anyone who attends a lot of meetings and forgets to put the phone on silent).
  
  The battery like is exceptional, I charge mine every night and I haven't seen it lose a single bar yet even with heavy surfing and emailing. They keys are very easy to use, I haven't had a mistake yet. I can't attest to the bluetooth as my PC adapter hasn't arrived yet, but I'm confident it'll work just fine. Finally, the GPS is a nice feature and you don't have to subscribe to Telenav (which is a ripoff in my opinion) instead just download Google maps. It's a little imprecise in less urban areas, but it works great in downtown Chicago. Very handy for finding the nearest coffee shop or fast food place in neighborhoods you're not familiar with.

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  6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Awestruck by this phone.

  by azndudekamon74 on December 8, 2007

  Pros: Design alot better then BlackJack. Wheel. Numbers right next to each other. Fast connection. Applicaitons work great. Video is just awesome. Bluetooth. Keyboard easy to use. Battery Life.

  Cons: Wheel can feel loose. Finger smudges. Camera only good with still life. While talking without speakerphone, it is a bit quiet. ActiveSync.

  Summary: This phone in my oppinion is amazing. Compared to the BlackJack, it is a great improvement. You can do pretty much anything thats on a computer. Texting and surfing the ...

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  Summary: This phone in my oppinion is amazing. Compared to the BlackJack, it is a great improvement. You can do pretty much anything thats on a computer. Texting and surfing the internet is easy and simple. It's fast too. Streaming music is also amazing. The video recording is very good and the quality is good enough to be put on YouTube. Probably the most annoying thing though is ActiveSync. Everytime I plug it in, it would sometimes restart the computer giving me an error message. Also the camera isn't good at capturing things moving. And the phone shows finger smudges pretty easily. But besides those things, the phone is one of my best purchases ever.

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  4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 6 stars

  Great until Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrade

  by cmac0695 on September 24, 2008

  Pros: Good battery life, Intuitive layout, very good keypad

  Cons: Windows Mobile 6.1, speed, 3G connectivity questionable

  Summary: This phone worked great until upgrading to Windows Mobile 6.1. The OS seemed to make the phone sluggish, and the browser improvements are very minimal. If you purchase this ...

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  Summary: This phone worked great until upgrading to Windows Mobile 6.1. The OS seemed to make the phone sluggish, and the browser improvements are very minimal. If you purchase this phone, I would recommend leaving WM 6 on it until Samsung/Microsoft address some of the issues with WM 6.1.
  
  On the Microsoft end, there were improvements such as Text messages are now threaded, but it can be somewhat confusing; as there is no reply button anymore, you simply type as in an IM application. GPS is also a lot faster to pickup under 6.1. Onenote is added to the list of available MS Office products, which is great for anyone who has used the app. I am not sure if you can synch notes from a PC to the device yet. Depending on the layout, you will love or hate the Recent programs feature as it is repeated across the top of the task list if you are using Windows Default layout. Voice command has also been added, but can only be used in Hands free mode.
  
  The one glaring flaw that I have noticed is that several bluetooth devices are not functioning properly under the new ROM from Samsung. My bluetooth headset worked flawlessly prior to the WM 6.1 upgrade, and now I can not accept incoming phone calls with it. This would not be an issue if Samsung would list compatibility problems prior to upgrading. But between AT&T and Samsung, their only solution is to bring the phone in for a warranty replacement. So, if you have had your phone over one year, and you do not have insurance, you are SOL.

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  3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Great keyboard shortcuts, size, and scrolling

  by bradkevelin on January 23, 2008

  Pros: keyboard shortcuts, size, scroll pad, backlight

  Cons: keys hard to press, propietary charging/headset jack

  Summary: I just exchanged a Tilt to get the Blackjack II and I'm very happy with it. The only things better about the Tilt were the touch screen (although it ...

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  Summary: I just exchanged a Tilt to get the Blackjack II and I'm very happy with it. The only things better about the Tilt were the touch screen (although it was fuzzier) and better scrolling in Internet Explorer. (It will scroll a whole page at a time on text-heavy pages.) But the Tilt is a big heavy beast and I couldn't live with it. The other feature that is missing in the Tilt (in Windows PocketPC actually) is the ability to directly dial a phone number from an appointment. I use that feature all the time to call the person I'm meeting with. On a smartphone it's one click. On a touch screen phone, it's about 7 clicks to copy/paste the phone number into the dialer.
  
  On the Blackjack II, I especially like the new scroll wheel built-in to the navigation D-pad. It took some getting used to, and it scrolls slower than I'd like, but now I can't live without it. I especially like it for scrolling forward and backward through menus.
  
  The jaw-dropping awesome feature on the Blackjack II is the ability to program keyboard shortcuts using the Function key. Go to Start / Settings / Key Settings, and add all the keyboard shortcuts you want, for your most commonly used apps. It has several by default, including Fn-B to toggle Bluetooth on/off. You use these from the home screen with the FN key. I added shortcuts for Speed Dial, Calendar, Active Sync, Settings, Maps, etc. Very handy if you don't like hunting/scrolling through the Start menu. And the letter shortcuts are easier to remember than using speed dial.
  
  The screen on the Blackjack II is sharper, higher contrast, and easier to read than the Tilt. However, is does show smudges more, and on the Tilt touch screen they are not noticable.
  
  My old phone was the T-Mobile Dash. The keyboard on the BJII is much easier to see, since the symbols are bigger, and the backlight is white instead of blue. It feels lighter too, and has twice the memory, GPS, plus faster 3G data connection. It has a Silent button, but I wish it was a Vibrate button instead.
  
  The only negatives about the Blackjack II is the keys are quite hard to press, which can get tiresome after a lot of clicking. And the memory card was very difficult to insert.
  
  Boy Genius gave the edge to the Motorola Q Global (Q9h) but it's three times the price (!), has less memory, and doesn't have the scroll pad. The BJII also has an RSS reader, and a Search feature.
  
  I highly recommend the Blackjack II.

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  3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  A Smart Phone without the

  by jmb2003 on January 10, 2008

  Pros: Display, full keyboard, call clarity, scroll wheel, etc.

  Cons: Preset menus that cannot be customized and fingerprints

  Summary: This phone is just as easy as to adapt to as any other phone. While I myself did not buy the phone for business use, I do everything else on ...

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  Summary: This phone is just as easy as to adapt to as any other phone. While I myself did not buy the phone for business use, I do everything else on it. I have read complaints about the ringtones not being loud enough, the battery doesn't go very far, and the usb cable will not charge the phone. Well, I have to disagree.
  
  The first thing I did was take my ringtones from my SLVR L7 and put them onto my Blackjack II--it sound quality is nearly the same, although for the first couple of minutes I had the ring volume on 4 (which I at the time thought was the loudest), but then I realized the mistake and placed it on loud.
  
  The battery may fall short a couple of hours compared to other phones that I have had, but most phones do these days. Actually, I have been using it heavily and have had hardly any reduction to my battery life. Now, I must admit that I did immediately turn off my 3G and activated the GSM/Edge capabilities to save battery life, as well as turning off the beaming option until I would need it, both of which have made an improvement. The only con about the battery life is that it is perhaps one of the longest times I have ever had to charge a phone...even with 75% of the battery life intact.
  
  While I didn't try to charge my phone with my USB cable directly out of the box, I did go ahead and install the activeysnc software and then began charging my phone immediately via usb.
  
  Now, the only thing that took the most work is getting the bluetooth to send a ringtone to another phone, but Samsung has recently had a different process of bluetoothing it seems.
  
  Other reviews I have read mentioned the status light, it's red when charging, green when fully charged, blinking violet when receiving a phone call, and blue when bluetoothing or sending a message. As far as I know there is no way to change the lights, but I thought I would clarify what I have noticed for anyone reading.
  
  Text messaging is great, you can press the bottom right button and immediately have the option of texting or e-mailing. I still need to get used to this keyboard over the inferior one of the SLVR, but I fully appreciate the keyboard on the Blackjack II.
  
  For a speakerphone call, all you have to do is press "Menu" and then "Speakerphone On" while in a conversation, and it is one of the most clear speakerphones I have ever used, in fact it is so loud I often have to turn it down unless there is just a real quiet talker.
  
  The biggest annoyance to me currently is just not being able to customize the icons on my homepage, other then by using templates provided by samsung, at&t, and windows. The screen clarity, however, is gorgeous and displays a picture I had taken last summer with brilliance.
  
  I personally have no problem with the camera option, I haven't owned too many cell phones that had better camera capabilities, so I can't complain. Sure the color may be a little washed out, but in terms of pixelation, there is no problem. Also, the camcorder records with fantastic quality.
  
  I hate how easily the phone picks up fingerprints, but that is becoming a more common thing for phones, but it's shame because the phone is sleek and attractive, the fingerprints are a bummer, but this is coming from someone who has to obsessively clean them off. If everything fingerprinted as easily as this phone then OJ would more than likely be behind bars.
  
  I think the scroll wheel is pure genius. At first, I was a bit disappointed because I love my fair share of jog wheels, but I absolutely enjoy the feature now.
  
  Bottom Line: I have had the phone for only a couple of days, and I have never been more impressed with a phone initially. Granted, I haven't used a lot of the features, but as I said I am not a business user, nor could I great the business features as well as someone using the phone for business. The phone exceeds all of my expectations and I would definitely refer someone to the phone.

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  3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Very useful and fast, but limiting in areas...

  by ousooners142235 on January 11, 2008

  Pros: GPS, fast, keyboard, applications, easy to use outside storage card, etc...

  Cons: Calendar is awesome but has awkward limitations, scroll wheel doesn't grip well, battery not perfect...

  Summary: I can honestly say I was expecting a really great phone when I bought the Blackjack II. I got all that and more. I can't say enough about the ...

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  Summary: I can honestly say I was expecting a really great phone when I bought the Blackjack II. I got all that and more. I can't say enough about the speed, and how easy it is to use. I've been a bar phone guy forever and getting a smart phone kind of worried me. I'm a college guy and the Vice President of Communications for my fraternity so I constantly get e-mails, etc.
  +The Active Sync application on the phone allowed me to sync to my e-mail account (in about 3 min) so e-mails come straight to my phone.
  +The keyboard is awesome but takes a day or 2 to get used to.
  +The profiles allow a lot of flexibility with ring, text message, and other notification options.
  +Very very fast internet, even when I don't have a 3G connection
  +Contacts are easy to put in and very useful with Home, Work, Mobile, and e-mail options (including about 20 other things like address and birthday)
  +I had a micro SD storage card in my old phone and I just popped it out and put it in my new phone and it worked instantly
  +Phone doesn't confuse itself. Some phones are needlessly complicated and, despite the amount of features on this phone, it's easy to use.
  +GPS is awesome! My girlfriend doesn't have internet at her house because she lives out in the country and they don't offer high speed there. She needed to go to Hobby Lobby and I used my GPS system on my phone and found the closest one, got a phone number, and we were on our way with turn-by-turn directions in literally about 5 min. Huge help!
  
  
  -Battery could be better, but a car charger or extra charger for work, etc. pretty much handles that (battery runs out faster on internet and GPS)
  -The job wheel is cool, but there are no grooves on it to grip to your finger so if your hands are really dry, its hard to get it to grip the wheel and turn it.
  -The calendar has a 'repeat every Monday (Tuesday, etc...) feature but you can't limit it to a certain time frame. I put my class schedule in my phone to repeat every day of the next week, but it just repeats forever. You can't cap it off and that's kind of irritating.
  All in all, this phone was better than I thought. I recommend getting an unlimited data plan (about $40 a month) because it will be well worth it, even if you think you won't use it much. You will. Great phone, go get one!

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  3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  Great SMART PHONE

  by zackdreamcast on November 24, 2008

  Pros: Very easy to use. The keyboard felt small initially but I have since grown to love it. Very responsive software. Google Maps application allows for GPS. Work email is seamless and it fits easy into a front pocket. Click wheel is very responsive. A++

  Cons: Requires a 30.00 data plan with AT&T. Internet Browsing is lacking compared to Apple's Iphone.

  Summary: I have had this phone now for 8 months. It has withstood rain showers, dropping, and constant use. The keys are all very responsive including the click wheel and QWERTY ...

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  Summary: I have had this phone now for 8 months. It has withstood rain showers, dropping, and constant use. The keys are all very responsive including the click wheel and QWERTY keyboard. The phone has a good speakerphone that I use regularly. The window mobile platform runs smoothly with little interuption. The video over the 3G network through the CV application has errored out a few times but nothing excessive. The mobile TV option is a welcome addition but it sucks battery life like crazy! Internet browsing is mobile phone based which can be irritating at times since it is not as user friendly as the Apple Iphone, but it does give me the information that I am looking for 99% of the time. The camera is low quality but I dont use it so it doesnt bother me.
  
  Overall it is a great phone and I am glad that I purchased it. It was $50.00 from Radio Shack and at that price it is a very impressive phone indeed. It is a texting machine, great for work email and simple web browsing. I would purchase it again.

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  2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

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