Samsung BlackJack II SGH-i617
Average Ratings
Great Phone!
This is my first "smart-phone" and so far I'm very impressed.
Pros
Keyboard-I have bigger hands and I have no problems with hitting other keys. very well laid out
Screen-beautiful and easy to read
Battery life-I send around 75-100 text a day and talk for maybe 1-2hrs total each day an I only have to charge her once every 3 days. Great!
Interface-much better then other smart phones I've flirted with in the past. Still takes some getting used to but once you get used to it, it's okay
Memory-very good amount plus it takes up to a 4Gb mem. card
Signal- awesome at hanging on to signal! Holds signal in place where my V3XX (which was great) had none at all.
Cons
Interface-although it is better then the others it is still at times clunky. Getting used to the "oh I have to do this BEFORE this" is at times frustrating
No chat style messaging- C'mon! This is a must for smart phones
Camera/Camcorder-2mp is great but light and color balance is a little sub par for a phone like this. My Razr V3XX was less rez but seem to take "better" photos and Vids. Not a deal breaker though.
Windows 6-It sometimes lags and takes a sec to catch up with your typing or menu slections which gets annoying but you get used to it as it happens once in a great while.
Overall
I highly recommend this phone if you are in the market for a smart phone. The pros highly out-weight the cons. Samsung has hit a homerun with this phone and if you pick one up, you wont be let down!
Also, Radioshack has a great price on this. The ATT store wanted nearly 150$ more then RS. Go to RS to get a really good deal on this phone!
the best phone yet
before i got the blackjack ii i was interested in getting the blackberry pearl,but after full review of messing with that phone i relized that the bjII is the best smart phone yet besides the overated I phone.anyone looking for a good durable phone with the latest features,the bJII is your go to phone hands down. pros :perfect camera,good loud speaker,wide screen,sleek look,nice interface.cons:windows 6 sometimes freeze up but dont get alarmed its jus like any other computer system.
This phone is next to the word "Ka-Blam!" in the dictionary.
This phone get it poppin!
PROS: great design, fully fuctional keyboard, great picture quality, great battery life, unique design, great reception!
CONS: the blackjack 2 is a grease ball magnet! finger smudges and all. Also, it can be louder. Other than that, the phone is Ill-matic!!!
Very good quality and battery life
This phone is my first "crackberry" type phone. I don't need the texting capability, just a good phone. I got the red one as the black one has a different finish and feels cheap. The red phone feels good in your hand and you don't get tired of holding it.
Pros:
Sound quality
battery life
feel and finish
bright screen
ease of data entry / dialing
So far, under moderate phone usage (2 hours) the battery has lasted all day and 12 hours after being taken off charge, it still has 80% of it's charge left. So, that impressed me. Also, email was very easy to set up.
Sound quality, compared to several other AT&T phones is very good - no problems with reception either.
cons:
I hate crackberrys of any type so you might not take credo in this: the keyboard is tough to type on. I think they all are.
The numbers could be made from a different material, or at least have bumps on them so I can dial by feel better. That would really help while driving. (I know, I know...)
Conclusion:
I have both verizon razr and this phone and I like this better because of the features. Verizon seems to have better call quality, but that's not this phone's fault. It is nice looking and definitely a keeper.
Not ready for Windows Mobile
After two week I'm going back to BlackBerry.
PROs:
3G
Light weight
Full size keyboard
Sound quality is great
Ring Tone and Vibrate are solid
CONs:
Battery is no good, won't hold charge when 3G downloading or using GPS
Screen hard to read in bright sunlight
Cannot customize home page to user satisfaction
GPS has trouble connecting to satellite or whatever is used.
Drops calls when going from 3G to Non 3G area.
OS slow to respond.
Keyboard input slow in responding while texting
Not many after market cases to protect the phone.
This phone has some good qualities, but does not meet my needs. I just had to give it a try. Good luck to anyone with this phone.
Going back to my BlackBerry.
Great Phone
this is the first smart/pda/windows/etc. phone that i have ever owned. Ive always wanted one for the keyboard, but never really saw the use in getting one. I took a chance and bought the blackjack 2. I am so happy with my decision i couldnt even tell you. So many things that i never thought would be on a phone are on here, and not useless things, things i can use everday. heres my list of pros and cons
Pros:
-keyboard is great
-screen is big and bright
-battery life is good (2.5 days on one charge)
-charging port is convenient
-indicator light
-scroll wheel is faster than clicking
-menu is easy to use
-all the apps (calendar, contacts, etc.) are easily used and conveniently set up
-volume is really loud
-pretty light
Cons: (most of these are really small)
-fingerprint/grease magnet
-going back and foward between folders in messages is a real pain
-folders and files are hard to keep track of (to many places possible to save one thing)
-when you receive a message, there is no view button. you have to go to messages to read it
...theres a few other small stuff that bother me, but really to insignificant to mention
Honestly i recommend this phone to anyone. But i dont think it can replace a blackberry. if your a business person i still thing a blackberry is the way to go...but anyone else lookin for a smart phone, i recommend the blackjack 2!
Slight upgrade
The last 2 years I've owned a Treo 650 then a 680. The BJII is basically a slight upgrade over those. Everything is a little better, little faster.
Dislikes: Telenav will sometimes take 5 minutes lock onto satellites, keep hitting cancel and reload. It will also be confusing at some intersections.
Telenav will drain the battery in about one hour.
Charging port on the left side of the phone: If you are using a car charger while talking, it's on the wrong side if you are using your left hand. It also comes out very easy! Cover for port will last about 6 weeks.
3G Internet is still not fast enough to watch MobiTV or mobile Youetube in real time.
Camera: Warning- pics are 2MP but quality is not the same as a standalone 2MP camera. You may think you can print out some nice snapshots from this phone, but only under ideal conditions. It also has a 1.5 second shutter lag for indoor shooting.
Outstanding:
ActiveSync- Change a contact on the phone, instantly changes in my laptop's Outlook.
Keyboard
Phone Navigation
Bluetooth
Sound clarity
I was hoping for a big WOW from this phone, but instead I just got an slight upgrade in all respects from my Treo's.
Hint: I got a great bluetooth radio for my car. Check out the JVC-BT1. Works great, has a visor mike.
Many thanks to my Cing Rep Don at Transit Rd for setting up my Email accounts!
Black Jack 2
This phone is a great phone. I like it better than the Tilt. YES! Well I think it so. I put in my media card in the phone and all of my movies pics and file looked great, it didn't lag at all. If you like to view meida video files and watch CV this phone is great!
Pros:
Great Screen
They keys are well placed
The feeling is great
Great voice sound
Great wide screen on CV, and media files
The camera is better than that V9 at $299.99.
Cons: Not many!
Battery is okay!
Wish it had a larger hard drive space.
It feels cheap! lol
Wish they reorganized the menu, the same menu is boring.
The ringer could be louder!
Thats all i can think of.
I just got the phone today and Im goint to test it out by using CV all day long.
Once again the Black Jack 2 is good upgrade from the orginal.
This my review was help ful!
Very Good Device!
Pro's
*3G is awesome.
*Screen is larger.
*Keyboard is lively and spacious.
*Great screen resolution.
*OS is fast.
*Speaker Phone is clear and loud.
*It's not to expensive.
*Battery life is decent.
Con's
*Fingerprints are annoying.
Overall: This phone is a good buy, I think if you have intentions on buying it, go for it!
Blackjack II Reigns Supreme
Coming from the original BJ this is a major upgrade! This review is strickly aimed at those who are looking for a smartphone with a good all around use. This is not directed toward PDA and Pocket Pc users becaue thats not what the BJ II is or was made to be.
Pro's
-Battery life is phenominal!! I read other reviews but my experiance was right out of the box it had 3 battery bars. After initial set up it went down to 2 bars and stayed that way until i charged it overnight.
-Keyboard is way better than the first along with the general key placement.
-Scroll wheel is a lifesaver and i wouldnt want it anyother way. Makes web, text, contact browsing very easy.
-2.0 camera is crystal clear and perfect for a phone.
-Speakerphone is very loud with no distortion. The earpiece speaker is so loud i cannot talk with it all the way up.
-WM OS is very fast and well designed. The menu system is far better than the original and with the scroll wheel navigation is way easy.
-Form factor is great. Fits perfect in your hand and is suprisingly light.
-etc..i could definatly go on and on.
Cons (i should use neutrals) These arnt really phone cons but just little nit-picks.
-Charge time didnt seem to effect anything really but i charge my phone all night so i didnt see how long it took.
-Yes it is a fingerprint magnet but its a phone that is used by your fingers so what else do you expect.
-Noncustomizable right soft key, stays on contacts.
-Noncustomizable status light. (dosent blink continuouly when you miss a call or text)
-Could use more scheme colors and backgrounds.
Overall a really great device and i would recommend it to anyone looking for a great WM device.
