Samsung Blackjack II Cell Phone Review - Intro
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Alfredo Padilla Published on December 31, 2007 Comment on this |
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The Blackjack II is a powerful Windows Mobile smart phone that brings a high end feature set at a very compelling price. Many of the significant flaws of its predecessor have been addressed such as poor battery life and a difficult to use D-Pad. It also brings support for global roaming on 3G networks and GPS functionality to the table, all for about $100. There are some flies in the ointment, though. The Blackjack II's stills camera is pretty poor and we found the control keys were as difficult to use as the original Blackjack. We also noticed some lag from time to time, but not enough to make the device a chore to use. In balance the good things about the Blackjack II outweigh the bad and it will be a very attractive device for those looking for a high end feature set at a reasonable price. The Blackjack II is available exclusively from AT&T for $99.99 with a two-year contract.
Tour & Design - The Blackjack II retains the slim form factor if its predecessor, but we worry about the durability of the all plastic construction.
Audio Quality - The Blackjack II did very well in our audio tests, with only minor issues.
Imaging - The Blackjack II's two megapixel camera produced pretty poor stills, but video capture is decent for a cell phone.
Making/Receiving Calls - Dialing numbers on the Blackjack II was easy and the calling features were very good.
Messaging - The Blackjack II offers excellent email and messaging capabilities.
Organizer - As a Windows Mobile smart phone the Blackjack II is a full fledged PDA, with many holes in the platform filled by Samsung with add-on software.
Multimedia - Windows Media Player Mobile provides solid music and video playback support, but the lack of any dedicated multimedia keys is a little annoying.
Software - Windows Mobile Standard is a powerful platform with a few flaws that can be addressed with third party software.
Battery Life - The Blackjack II is not a battery powerhouse, but it is slightly above average and is significantly better than its predecessor.
Connectivity - With support for international 3G roaming as well as AT&T's network the Blackjack II is a very well connected device for the world traveller.
Hardware - The Blackjack II's QWERTY is one of the best we've used and the rotating D-Pad is very good.
Other Features - The Blackjack II supports GPS functionality, albeit with no software available out of the box on the device you'll have to shell out to use it.
Value & Comparisons - At only $99.99 with a two-year contract the Blackjack II is one of the best values we've seen.
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