Samsung BlackJack SGH-i607
Average Ratings
Pocket PC abilities in a Smartphone package!
My 3125 went haywire shortly after I worte the review for it. Go figure, huh? I got the Blackjack, since Best Buy was out of 3125's. I'm no stranger to Smartphones, especially Windows Mobile smarthphones. I've had (in order) the SDA, silver Q, 6700, Treo 700w, treo 700wx, MPx220 {Which my fiancee now has, it works excellently [even better than the Q]}. I like the Blackjack so far.
Pros:
Not a single problem w/ call quality so far.
Camera/video are exceptional. Not as good as an EnV, but still good.
More selctions than many Pocket PC has! {i.e. streaming radio, at&t video, at&t music, etc...}
Unlike the 3125, it has a built in IM feature, instead of buying some costly 3rd party program.
It comes with 2 batteries.
Music & ringtones sound excellent.
Up to 9 alarms on the Blackjack. Could it get any better?.
Has Bluetooth and Infrared transfer.
It has everything that I need a Pocket OC to do, but in Smartphone form.
No freezing thus far.
I can eraese all of my texts at once! Other smartphones that I've had made me do it one by one.
Ring & vibrate feature. I love it.
Cons:
Bluetooth OBEX only works with other Windows mobile phones.
As said in a previous review, it NEEDS two batteries. It may be a phone, but I certainly use it for much more than that.
No Windows Mobile 6 yet.
I have to slow down when I text. If I go too fast, some of the numbers don't register.
Hopefully what happened with the 3125 won't happne with this phone, as I've only had the Blackjack since 7/3/07. So far, I'd even recommend this phone to my enemies.
Blackjack is perfect.....................almost
I work for an authorized agent of Cingular and when we first got this phone I flat out despised it. Me being stuck in my ignorant little world of RIM and HTC. I thought...........No touchscreen?.............What no wifi?..............Scrunched screen? The only reason I saw people buying this phone is cause Beyonce was part of the ad campaign. In other words yay its flashy and my 13yr old sister would adore it even though it is rubbish. Boy was I wrong. After all this time I noticed that my 7130c was putting me to sleep and the pearl while better didn't grab me. So I broke down and bought the tinibopper phone....or so I thought. A match made in heaven I soon thought. Being that I love media I thought this thing was perfect. Til i accidently ended an application while trying to navigate and the battery went dead.
Pros:
Screen is just brilliant bright and clear
Camera is the best 1.3 I've used so far
UI while odd works well
Fast boot-up vs RIM
2gig micro sd support
Full screen video playback
Start mp3s then surf the web while jamming out
Download wmvs on the phones browser and watch.
Browser is super quick...thanks 3g
Pdf reader works well
Just look at it its gorgeous
Cons:
The back button is easy hit by accident.
Os is slightly laggy.
Ringer is very quiet.
What no Mobi Tv....:(...oh well WMVs for me
WORST PROBLEM by a mile is the battery life which is beyond annoying its depressing. What is this bloody thing analog......no wait those had better battery life. But then again 3g + windows = battery leech.
Conclusion:
While not perfect it is a great device overall. Very typical result from samsung they have a great idea get so close to perfect but tragically miss it. Still worlds more livable than a blackberry. Sorry RIM your fired!
BLACKJACK IS AWESOME
This phones kicks a$$. I have been using this phone for almost a week and I can obviously do more with it than I can with the treo 680. I purchased an extended battery for the Blackjack and of course you tell the difference in performance and usage on the phone. I was was able to transfer alot of the items I had already set up in my active sync desktop and all was right with the world. I would strongly recommend this device to anyone who needs email on the go ASAP, as well as task, calendars and other applications.
Not bad at all
At first I was a lil skeptical about purchasing this phone. many of the reviews (but not all) bashed the phone. Granted I am new to the whole world of smartphones but i dont see many flaws (if any) with this phone.
Operating system does not take too long to get used to. Granted it does not allow you to edit office documents, but i have no need for that, so the phone still suffices. Call quality is excellent, the 3G network is not BLAZING fast.. but its a cell phone, what more do you want. So far the only gripe I have about the phone would be the battery life of the STANDARD battery. After speaking to friends who own other phones such as the T-Mobile Dash, Treo 680, treo 750, moto Q, its not an uncommon problem with all of these phones. I did find a nice surprise in the box when i received the phone. Cingular packaged an extended battery w/ extended battery door at no extra cost to me. I give cingular props for listening to the public and doing what they have to do to maintain the integrity of the phone as well as their own name.
Things to think about for future versions
a) wi-fi would be nice
b) larger screen (i'm willing to sacrifice the keyboard space)
c) more internal memory
Tweaked to perfection!
It was a long battle, but I have finally tamed the beast and made the Blackjack work almost perfectly.
I left the world of my Palm Treo 650 in search of equal functionality but streamlined size. While I lost some functionality, the thin size and sexy feel have made me happy with my decision to go with the Blackjack. I would have considered the Dash, but I wanted Cingular over T-Mobile.
Here is what I use my phone for:
Voice calls
Work email/calender/contacts
Text messaging
Camera
Gmail
Light internet browsing
This review is based only on using the Blackjack for those mentioned purposes. I am not interested in the media (music, video) functionality, therefore those features do not factor into my review.
If your needs match mine, than you will be absolutely satisfied with the Blackjack, however it will take a few tweaks to get this thing working.
Tweaks needed for perfection:
Switch off 3G network system - In order to save on battery life, don't use this fast network. It drains the battery too quick. For light internet browsing, this feature is a waste of your battery.
Download the IBM java program in order to run the gmail java aplet. The blackjack default java program doesn't run the gmail java aplet.
Download the Txtman windows mobile software in order to have your text messages appear in a chat format - a feature I loved about the Palm Treo.
Download the Scissors windows mobile software in order to copy and paste text while working in outlook applications (email, contacts, calender).
All of these tweaks will require some internet searching to download. Getting the gmail to work was probably the most difficult to deal with.
Also, IGNORE the little indentation on the battery case, indicating where to push in order to open it. Instead, open the case by putting pressure on the lower part of the case.
The only problem I've yet to fix is the slipping of my thumb on the directional pad. The buttons need more form.
You'll get good at the back button!
Great phone if you are looking for a toy!
I would first like to say that i am giving the phone two reviews in one. I personally did not feel that the phone did anything special from a PDA stand point. I sell cars in Paramus NJ and wanted a PDA to organize my customers and appointments. I was coming from a razor and was hoping to get a phone with more PDA functions.
The Blackjack had some awesome features. I must tell you I returned the phone and got the new Palm Treo 680 and I love it! I am submitting my review of that phone as well. However, I could not give the blackjack a bad rating just because it didn't fit my needs.
Pro's
-Smoking fast Internet with actual PC pages being viewed
-Video quality was great
-IM was easy to set up and use
-Call quality was awesome
-Full keyboard was a little tricky at first but became very easy to use
-Phone design and lay out was great
-Two batteries make up for Shorter life
Con's (these are my personal con's only)
-Phone is designed primarily for Internet and video downloading
-Dial out #'s spaced apart in full key board making it tricky just to dial out.
-Address book was so so
Once again if your looking for a semi-smart phone for Internet and e-mails. This phone was awesome. But if you are looking for true PDA abilities I would not recommend it.
First PDA owned and this one is Phenomenal
I came from a RAZR v3i and wanted to utilize high speed data. Tried the LG CU500 (no go), and the Sync 707 (liked it but bluetooth didn't work with my car) so I decided to try the Blackjack. It is the most amazing phone/device I have owned since that original razr 2 years ago. I think it is that groundbreaking of a device.
Pros:
1) Form Factor is amazing. It slips in your pocket (including jeans) effortlessly. You really don't appreciate how thin and narrow it is until you hold it. awesome. I also really like the rubberized matte black finish. It doesn't show any fingerprints and feels rock solid in your hands.
2) screen. amazing screen. so sharp. pictures on the web are incredibly clear. extremely bright. i have it set to level 3 (out of 5) and it is plenty bright.
3) RF. better than the razr v3i, which i viewed as the high-water mark. best rf phone i have ever owned period. i am not joking here. keeps a 3g signal in my basement. that is unheard of.
4) speaker. almost too loud. i have it set at 2 below the top. i always had the razr pinned on level 7 (max).
5) high speed. 3g is excellent. browsing real websites, including https sites.
6) keyboard. a little cramped but i love having a full qwerty keyboard on such a small device. so helpful when entering website addresses.
7) applications. media player, push email (although i am 'pulling email' for battery conservation) and all the 3rd party apps.
Cons:
1) battery life isn't phone-like. i go about 2 full days using pull email (infrequently), moderate web surfing, and 1-2hrs of calls using bluetooth. Comes with a 2nd battery and a charger so you can always be charging a battery which is nice but this won't go standby for 7 days like a razr.
I can't think of another con. I have never owned a qwerty device and I don't think I can ever go back. Too convenient to have my company mail, my home mail, my calendar, the 3G web, and all of my contacts in one device that isn't much larger than a closed V3i.
Worth the $$
Picked up the Blackjack this morning and I must say it's a solid little SOB. As you'll read the matte finish makes it feel really nice in your hands. I like the jog wheel a lot too even though it's not adjustable (yet). The phone looks and acts a lot like the Q but the slimmer profile is noticeably better to work with. The menu's and layouts are well planned and like all my previous Smartphones it has the same basic sub-menus and categories. WMP10 is a lot nicer then 9 was and when you pop in a T-flash card (which does pop right out BTW) it asks if you'd like to find media. BT stereo works flawlessly with my HT820 for music but watching a hi frame rate movie was a little chunky. I need to try a lower frame rate with BT to see if it makes a difference. So far I've been using almost non-stop and the battery was only half full. I'm sure it'll take a lot of charging but hey with two batteries and an external charger I can make it work. Might even turn the external charger into a little "backpack" with straps or Velcro to give me a longer out of office time. So far the 3G work awesome in the East bay and screams through mobile web pages. It bounces off and on in my apartment but When the signals is solid it kicks EDGE of the well you get it....
PROs:
HSDPA is fast and solid
QVGA landscape great for web and media
XM radio totally rocks!
Keyboard layout is highly functional
BT stereo works really well
Built in Task Manager and Piscel Viewer
JAVA download app
Nice external speaker
Hot swappable Tflash
Jog button
Overall size and feel :)
CONs:
Stupid proprietary plugs
Battery life (manageable)
Center nav button to close to end and call
lacking LED flash (handy as a light)
T-flash vs. miniSD
No Wi-Fi
I'm very satisfied with this phone and would recommend it to any business people and students who want an all around practical phone with a lot of usability.
Unhappy camper
I've had this for about 5-6 weeks.
I'm not happy with the device because of the following:
1. The proprietary USB port is extremely aggravating. I have stereo headphones with 2.5 and 3.5mm plugs but can't find an adapter. This, after I bought the $80 (maybe only paid $55, but now sold for $49) in-ear Bluetooth, which does not play any of my music or streaming audio/video. I have to fork out another $100-120 for a stereo Bluetooth... The sole port also means I can't do a number of things while feeding power to the phone...
2. During browsing, you can't copy or cut and paste. There isn't a stylus and interactive/touch screen like the Palm Treo. Also, you can only view some Office documents, not edit them.
3. There is a "back" button on the phone to go back to previous web pages or open applications, but no "forward" button. This is really frustrating.
4. The 1-0 (zero) QWERTY keys don't have any special feel to them, so you can't dial without looking directly at the keys. A tiny bump on each would by nice. The 4-direction navigation button has very low relief and very frequently causes the other keys to be pressed. Ugh!
5. Browsing again--many websites can't load completely or at all due to limited memory of the phone and incompatibility with the websites. The 2 GB memory card (expensive!) I added is not a help, as the phone won't use it for anything but "additional" pictures, video and audio.
6. When the Stop/End Call button is pressed, open applications do not actually stop and free up memory. You have to go through the menu to open up the Task Manager and select the program to end it. Shame on Samsung for this and all the above!
I will be trying it out in China to see if a pre-paid SIM will work in it there. I've copied my essential contacts to the phone from my SIM to use with the temporary SIM there.
BlackJack vs. Reality
What gets me the most is all of the people complaining about the BlackJack. From what I've read in personal reviews most people haven't bothered to actuallu do any "reading up" on the BlackJack. Do a little bit more investigating is what I think people should do. I've read that someone was having trouble downloading and displaying websites larger than 25k, to avoid this you need to change your BlackJack's configuration settings, because I have no problem downloading larger websites than that. However some sites do not support Windows Mobile at all. I look at this device for exactly what it is a "mobile data device" if you remember back to the days of the first laptop it was huge and full of bugs and problem areas, so why complain about these mobile devices the same way we did then? People need to start realizing that this indusrty is still a "work in progress". Nothing is perfected, yet the manufacturers are consistantly trying to "upgrade" something instead of "improving" it. As consumers we complain about the stupidest things, and don't even mention when something doesn't work at all... hey I'm guilty of it myself. All I'm saying is stop and think about it, most of the time it is manufacturer error the other amount of time it is user error. I have encountered none of the problems that I have read about here or anywhere else for that matter, with the exception of not receiving any coverage in my house in the middle of the city, LOL! Oh, and by the way the phone does have a reset function, you can find it in the "security" section of settings.
Pros: It works as a phone and a stripped down laptop.
Cons: The battery stinks, hmmm a lot like a laptop of yester-year.
