I might as well just give up. As I’ve made clear before, I don’t like Windows Mobile. It’s an aesthetic choice as much as technical one, but what the hell do I know. I’m just a blogger. So with that in mind, I present the inestimable Cingular Blackjack, a feature-rich super-slim Windows Mobile 5.0 smartphone for the masses.
The Blackjack— like the T-Mobile Dash, Trace, and Fluffernutter, is Cingular’s latest attempt at getting in on the one-name thing. It’s a slim, black smartphone with a 1.3-megapixel camera. It runs on Cingular’s UMTS/HSDPA 3G network, but what does this mean? It means that web browsing and email downloads are lightning fast, in the areas that currently support that technology.
I broke my cellular fast and tried the phone in Manhattan where response time was excellent, about 700kbps. In Brooklyn, where we’ve only got EDGE, I hit about 2kbps on a good day, which is a considerable drop. This goes to show the value of a good 3G network and the paucity of EDGE and GPRS data streams. If you’re in an area with UMTS and depend on your smartphone for data, mail, and web downloads, the Blackjack performs quite admirably.
The keyboard was designed using some of the Blackberry patents, which means Samsung was able to use RIM’s slanted key design. Most of the pertinent keys are in all the right places—a home key and back key at both ends of the keyboard along with a center track wheel. There is also a back button under the right scrollwheel which also acts as a clicker. There are volume controls on the left side and a power button on the top.
At about 3.5 ounces, the phone is surprisingly light, and the back panel is clad in a rubber material for a better grip. The screen is quite bright and readable and the default icon format, with four big applications along the top of the screen and a bit of message and call data underneath, is very readable. Battery life was impressive with about three days on standby and about 20 hours of regular usage including calls and extensive web browsing/email reading.
The Blackjack is aimed at the business professional, that much is clear. It includes links to Cingular’s XPress secure email and calendar syncing service along with Good Mobile Messaging. It also includes Cingular Video and Cingular Music, the company’s two media services, but neither were really working correctly during our tests except for streaming XM radio. Because most of the URLs it connected to involved “blackjack” in the name, I suspect Cingular is holding those until the official launch.
The phone includes 128MB of flash memory and a microSD slot for expansion. It supports POP/IMAP mailboxes along with Outlook Mobile push email. It will eventually have PTT capabilities, once these are rolled out on Cingular’s network. It also includes a basic IM application that supports AIM, Yahoo! Messenger and MSN.
On the whole, I can recommend the Blackjack over a similarly outfitted Moto Q or Nokia E62 without 3G speed. It is easy to use, ergonomic and light. The 2004-2005 fiscal year was a tough for Samsung, with a focus on low-end models that really didn’t win any prizes for looks or functionality. Phones and devices like the Blackjack, thankfully, signal a considerably different era for Samsung. Windows Mobile won out as the main mobile OS, so I can hardly fault the phone on that account.
If you’re looking for a way to breeze through web pages, email, and some basic office applications, take a closer look at the Blackjack. It’s available from Cingular for $199 with a two year contract.
I love the sound of this blackjack so far and all… One question.. I know this new phone has a mp3 and that you have to get a card to put songs on phone, but are you allowed to transfer songs on phone from your computer or do you have to buy the songs again through the phone internet in order to get songs? I can’t seem to find anything regarding this..
and another thing.. Is XM radio free on the phone? I think I saw somewhere that there was like 12 or so stations and I was curious if the xm was free or do you have to have internet or something?
I would say that this is one of the phones that i would order im going to compare A Motorola Motorazr to a blackjack
I know a website that you can get blackjack for free and all you have to pay for is the monthly plan. Just contact me and i’ll give you the website and one of my family members get $500 for you buying it please contact me at 2677600500.
Blackberry isnt anything like this Blackberry doesnt have a camera it sucks im warning you its a waste of $500.
I know a website that you can get it for free on a two year contract and my Grandma get a whole lot of money for it. Also blackjack is a piece of bullshit because you have to buy fuckin batteries so im keeping my Razor.
nice site
i think your site is great. However, i do think you should screen out some of the jerks who post and do not give a Pro / Con post with out being a rude and meaningless comment. I would like to know if the BlackJack is user friendly and provides the ability to open attachments in XL and Word. i travel extensively and often need the ability to open attachments when my laptop is not an option. Thank you for the opportunity to post.
Tom – the Blackjack is very user-friendly and can open excel and word. It’s a pretty good phone. Our writer Blake loves his.
i just bought a black jack a week ago and its much better than the dash ilove this blackjack hella sweet phone
How do I open attachments in e-mails (like hotmail attachments) on my blackjack?
I swapped my blackberry for a blackjack. I am swapping back today, three days later. The blackjack won’t sync to public folders, doesn’t sync wirelessly as promised, and, i know this sounds silly, but lacks that blinking led on top to tell me i have mail. It surfs the net faster, but no other benefits, and for my business, that is not enough!
E grande io ha trovato il vostro luogo! Le info importanti ottenute! ))
What about the volume or sound quality with this phone
The sound quality and reception are great but that is about all I can say for the BlackJack. It is not at all user friendly, lacks greatly in memory and has trouble synching with my computers.(I have four) I needed this phone for a specific program I use but it could not be loaded because it kept saying it was not compatible with this phone even though the software is specifically designed for Windows Mobile 5.0. The program was supposed to be able to run from a micro sd, but the phone still would not recognize it.(Grrrrrr!) Overall, the phone is a huge disappointment. So far, I have noticed little or no difference in internet speeds between Edge and 3G networks and I use both frequently when traveling. Don’t waste your money. If you need a phone, just buy a phone. If you need a pda, buy a good handheld from Dell.
I’m really thinking of buying the the blackjack. I really like the way it looks and all the good futures on this this phone.
The Blackjack is a good phone for kids. Pictures and music are great, however as a business executive this phone? is not for a business professional. The phone quality is terrible. The speaker phone is absolutley useless. If you need to be able to respond to emails I highly recommend that you do not get this device. Unfortunately I, as well as 20 of my colleagues, were forced to switch from Blackberries to these. The bigggest complaint that I have is that the keypad is too small. The number keys that are gray with white lettering was not very well thought through. You need to position the phone at just the right angle to see them. I constantly find myself switching between the thumwheel and the up/down/left/left/ right keys. It is extremely easy to fat finger this device. I have used both Treos and Blackberrys in the past and this device is definitely a step backwards for a person that needs to be able to respond to emails and uses a speakerphone frequently.
this phone is fun and really great for txting but i really need to get one for myself cuz ive just been using my friends!!! lol well i recomend this phone !!!! im getting one as soon as possible!
On the GSM site it says that is is Wifi ready and cingular says it is not. Can someone tell me if it is or not?
Thanks
do i pay
i can get it free
do the people delivery it
thanks
may i get it free.
do i come get it for free
what do i do
Software
this is a great phone it has so much to do on it and you can get it now for real cheap. i like it
first off, kendal is a dubmass. secondly, i received a little paper from cingular/at&t that advertised the blackjack for $74.99 after a mail-in rebate. but im thinking thats just because i can upgrade now. hopefully at&t will have some HALF-DECENT customer service….
I want a black jack will it be fast with internet they said that 3G was better then edge from black berry pearll… I want a phone with fast internet when im on the go……… Please email me someone at Pickuptruck11@yahoo.com
i just got the blackjack today and i love it! but i cant get the back off to get the battery out.. and its annoying me.
how much do they cost?
how much do they cost.
can you transfer ringtones and other files from the blackjack to another cellphone via bluetooth?
I had Cingular and I gotta say Cingular/At-t sucks………..
- A monthly charge of 75 cents that is never conveyed to customers when they sign up.
- All outgoing calls get extra 15 seconds tacked onto it every single time.
- When any informative At-t message plays before your call, you get charged for the At-t message!! What a rip off!!
- Voicemail is messed up 50% of the time and you still end up paying for the messed up call.
How much does the internet service cost a month with AT&T??
i realy want one!! my old phone broke and i have to wait a year till my stupid contract expires and can get the rebait, AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!its so annoying. good review, btw
i’M GETTING ONE THEY SEEM SO AWESOME!!! Does everybody think the same thing?
I got two blackjacks at a fundraiser, but I have Verizon service and am not about to change at this time. Does anyone know how I can get the blackjack “fixed” so it will work on the verizon system?
If not I got two blackjacks for sale, only cost me $110 for both of them.